About Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto & Tepeyac de San Antonio Shrine · San Antonio, Texas
Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto & Tepeyac de San Antonio is a Marian shrine in San Antonio, Texas, founded and maintained by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI). Dedicated on December 7, 1941, the Grotto is described by the Oblates as the most perfect replica in America of the original Shrine in Lourdes, France, honoring the apparition of the Blessed Mother to St. Bernadette Soubirous. Sitting atop the Grotto, the Hill of Tepeyac honors the 1531 apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego, giving the shrine a unique dual identity as a place of Marian devotion bridging the Old World Lourdes and the New World Guadalupe traditions. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with free admission, drawing well over 100,000 pilgrims and visitors annually for daily Mass, novenas, healing convocations, and quiet prayer.
- Established
- 1941
- Patron
- Our Lady of Lourdes; Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Rector
- Fr. Leo Perez, OMI (Director of Grotto Ministries)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of San Antonio
Why belong here
The Grotto is one of the Southwest's most significant Marian shrines, offering daily Mass in both English and Spanish on a peaceful five-acre site open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Pilgrims are drawn by its unique dual identity — honoring Our Lady of Lourdes on the Grotto side and Our Lady of Guadalupe on the Hill of Tepeyac — as well as by its healing convocations in February and October, its rolling calendar of monthly novenas, the blessed Lourdes water at the Grotto fountain, and the life-size Hope Monument. For Catholics who want a bilingual, devotional community rooted in Oblate missionary spirituality and over 80 years of continuous Marian prayer, the Grotto is a place to belong, to be healed, and to serve.
Mass times at Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto & Tepeyac de San Antonio Shrine
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM (Grotto Chapel)
- Saturday: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM (Grotto Chapel)
Adoration times
- Weekday Adoration: 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM (and 7:00 PM reported on third-party sites)
History of the Grotto & Tepeyac
The Grotto was the idea of Oblate Father Cullen Deckert, the first Director of the Missionary League of Mary Immaculate (now Oblate Missions). Oblate scholastics built the 25-foot-high, 25-foot-deep, 40-foot-wide reinforced-concrete replica of the Lourdes cave in the early 1940s on a spot locals called 'Rattlesnake Hill.' It was consecrated by the Archbishop of San Antonio on the morning of December 7, 1941 — the same day as the attack on Pearl Harbor. In the 1950s a mosaic of Our Lady of Guadalupe was added to the north face; it was later replaced by full-size colored bronze statues of Our Lady and St. Juan Diego, transforming the upper Grotto into the Hill of Tepeyac.
- Conceived by Fr. Cullen Deckert, OMI
- Built by Oblate scholastics on 'Rattlesnake Hill'
- Dedicated December 7, 1941
- Guadalupe mosaic added in the 1950s
- Bronze Guadalupe and Juan Diego statues installed later
- 75th anniversary celebrated in 2016 with Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller
Liturgical Schedule
Daily Mass is offered year-round in the Grotto Chapel, in both English and Spanish. The Vigil Mass on Saturday evening and the 11:30 AM Sunday Mass are celebrated in Spanish, while Sunday morning Mass at 9:00 AM is celebrated in English. Weekday Masses alternate between an early English Mass at 7:00 AM and a midday Spanish Mass at 12:00 PM. Visitors should call (210) 342-9864 for any seasonal changes.
- Weekday Masses: Mon–Fri 7:00 AM (English), 12:00 PM (Spanish)
- Saturday: 7:00 AM (English); Vigil Mass 6:00 PM (Spanish)
- Sunday: 9:00 AM (English); 11:30 AM (Spanish)
- First Friday 7:00 PM Mass
- Sunday Masses live-streamed via youtube.com/oblatemissions
Novenas & Monthly Devotions
The Grotto maintains a rolling calendar of monthly novenas throughout the year, beginning with Our Lady of Lourdes in February (culminating on her Feast Day, February 11) and concluding with the Immaculate Conception in December. Each novena reflects a different Marian or saintly theme, including St. Joseph (March), Mother's Day (May), the Sacred Heart (June), St. Eugene de Mazenod (July), the Assumption (August), Our Lady of the Rosary (October), and the Poor Souls in Purgatory (November).
- February: Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes
- March: Novena to St. Joseph
- May: Novena for Mother's Day
- June: Novena to the Sacred Heart
- July: Novena to St. Eugene de Mazenod
- August: Novena for the Assumption
- October: Novena to Our Lady of the Rosary
- November: Novena for the Poor Souls in Purgatory
- December: Novena for the Immaculate Conception
Convocations of the Sick & Healing Ministry
Two Convocations of the Sick are celebrated at the Grotto each year, making it a recognized place of Marian healing. The first is on February 11, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and World Day of the Sick, when five healing Masses are offered and the Anointing of the Sick is available. The second is on the third Sunday of October, when an extra Mass is celebrated in the afternoon and the Anointing of the Sick is offered at every Mass. The Oblates also report — without advertising — periodic accounts of grace-filled physical healings associated with prayer at the Grotto.
- February 11: five healing Masses with Anointing of the Sick
- Third Sunday of October: extra Mass and Anointing of the Sick
- Hope Monument visited by those seeking healing
- Blessing of Lourdes water at the Grotto fountain
Hill of Tepeyac
The Hill of Tepeyac rises above the Grotto and honors Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Americas, in tribute to her 1531 apparition to St. Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill in Mexico City. Originally marked by a 1950s mosaic and later enhanced with full-size bronze statues of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego, the Hill is reached by a winding staircase. It celebrates the Missionary Oblates' longstanding ministry among Latino communities in the U.S., Mexico and beyond.
- Named for Tepeyac Hill in Mexico City
- Full-size bronze statues of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego
- Reached by winding stairs above the Grotto
- Honors Oblate ministry to Latino communities
The Grotto Fountain and Blessed Water
Like its French counterpart, the Grotto features a Marian fountain from which water flows. The Oblates bless the water, and visitors regularly come to obtain it for devotion, healing, and to take home. The Grotto's fountain sits on a pedestal, one of the noted differences from the original spring in Lourdes, France, which is at ground level.
- Water blessed by the Oblates
- Available to visitors for devotion and to take home
- Set on a pedestal above ground
The Hope Monument
On the Grotto grounds stands the Hope Monument, a life-size bronze by sculptor Beverly Paddleford. It depicts Jesus seated with a young woman, holding her hand and cradling her baby in his lap — a powerful symbol of the sanctity of human life. Many pilgrims visit the Hope Monument specifically to pray for healing, for unborn children, and for mothers, and spiritual healings have been associated with prayer at this site.
- Sculptor: Beverly Paddleford
- Life-size bronze statue
- Symbol of the sanctity of human life
- Site of reported healings and returning Catholics
Visiting & Pilgrimage Information
The Grotto and Tepeyac grounds are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with free admission. The five-acre site offers an outdoor plaza that seats up to 900 people, the Grotto Chapel for daily Mass, the Lourdes-side Grotto and fountain, the Hill of Tepeyac, and the Hope Monument. Weekend attendance regularly reaches 1,500–1,800 visitors for Masses and devotions, and well over 100,000 pilgrims visit the shrine each year.
- Open 24 hours, 7 days a week
- Free admission
- Outdoor plaza seating up to 900
- Grotto Chapel for daily Mass
- On-site parking
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
The Grotto is the spiritual center of the Missionary Association of Mary Immaculate and Oblate Missions. The Missionary Oblates arrived in Texas in 1849, and their predominant ministry in the Southwest has been to the Hispanic population ever since. The shrine's Lourdes-and-Guadalupe dual identity flows directly from that heritage, making it both a place of Marian prayer and a touchstone of Oblate missionary life.
- OMI arrived in Texas in 1849
- Predominant Southwest ministry among Hispanic communities
- Spiritual center of Oblate Missions
- Bilingual English/Spanish community
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Cullen Deckert, OMI
First Director of the Missionary League of Mary Immaculate (now Oblate Missions); conceived the idea for the Grotto.
- Fr. Leo Perez, OMI
Director of Grotto Ministries; served around the 75th anniversary (2016–2017) and continued as the visible priest-director into the shrine's later decades.
- Fr. Nino Lajo, OMI
Director of Hispanic Ministry at the Grotto around the 75th anniversary.
