Graffiti vandals deface Grotto

A picturesque Sudbury facility overlooking the city's downtown was targeted by graffiti vandals last week.

One side of Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto's fountain, as well as several columns on the facility's Greek Parthanon-lookalike structure, were tagged with black paint.

The Grotto — a site meant for prayer and reflection — is owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie.

David Sirois, the diocese's assistant financial administrator, said Greater Sudbury Police phoned last week to let the diocese know about the graffiti, which appeared sometime Sept. 22.

Police also said they'd “chased somebody” in the area that night, “but they weren't sure if that was the individual who did it or not,” he said.

The diocese doesn't yet have a dollar value on the damage, as it's currently being assessed by its insurance provider. Sirois said they plan to eventually rehabilitate the site.

Despite last week's incident, Sirois said there isn't a major problem with vandalism at the site. He said he's been overseeing the Grotto for the past five years, and this is the first major issue he's run into.

In a 2006 article, however, volunteers with a group called Friends of the Grotto — which helps administer the site — told Northern Life there had been several instances of vandalism.

That includes statues being knocked to the ground and destroyed and even a fire set at the foot of the 10-meter-high crucifix, which caused major damage.

Sirois said Greater Sudbury Police do regularly patrol the Grotto, looking for any potential problems.

He said he thinks the graffiti damage is “sad.”

“We're trying to build this thing for the public, and then somebody like that just goes and defaces it,” Sirois said. “That's just part of any property, I guess. Some individuals don't care as much as others.”