New Grotto Chaplain Named

His Eminence, William Cardinal Keeler, the Archbishop of Baltimore, recently announced the appointment the Reverend John J. Lombardi as the next Chaplain of the Grotto of Lourdes.

Father Lombardi, 40, is a native of Baltimore. He received a B.A. in philosophy and mass communication from Towson University and a M.A. in theology from Theological College. He has served as a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore since his ordination in 1988.

Father Lombardi has served at St. Mary's Church, Govans (associate pastor), St. Joseph Church, Fullerton (associate pastor), St. Patrick Church, Cumberland (associate pastor), St. Elizabeth Nursing Home, Baltimore (chaplain), and Holy Family Church, Randallstown (associate pastor).

He is looking forward to joining the Mount community and building upon the foundation laid by Msgr. Hugh Phillips, the longtime Chaplain of the Grotto of Lourdes, who retired this past summer Father Lombardi will begin his ministry October 1, 2001.

Sunday services will resume on Sunday, October 7, 2001 with a 12:00 p.m. Mass and a 3:00 p.m. Holy Hour with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

The National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes is the nations’ oldest replica of the revered shrine of Lourdes in France and has been a place of worship for nearly 200 years. The Reverend John Dubois, founder of Mount St. Mary’s College, built it in 1806. It was then opened to the public in 1958, prior to that it was used primarily for Mount students and seminarians.