SAN ANTONIO – The Chapel of the Incarnate Word, the Lourdes Grotto, and Brackenridge Villa were all built over 120 years ago and were some of the first buildings in San Antonio.
Sister Corine Walsh, with the Sisters of Charity of Incarnate Word, says the chapel may have been one of the largest buildings when it was built in 1907.
“It’s really an icon because I think it was probably one of the, I think at one point, it was one of the tallest buildings in the San Antonio area because of the tower and the angels on the tower,” Walsh said.
Walsh explains that because of the age of these historical buildings, the sisters are holding a thrift sale on campus at Christus Heritage Hall, near the cemetery, on Thursday and Friday from 10 am to 2 pm to raise funds to help preserve them.
The Lourdes Grotto, built before the chapel in 1904, was constructed out of limestone cliffs already on campus. The stones need repair, as some are starting to crumble off the back of the grotto. The chapel needs about $10 million in repairs due to the foundation shifting and causing several large cracks throughout the building. The sisters have already begun some of the foundation correction work on the chapel.
“It’s beginning to crack and crumble because of whatever the situations are,” Walsh said. “And we are just putting thousands and millions of dollars into correcting whatever is wrong and stabilizing that building and other buildings. The grotto (was) built around the same time, and it’s beginning to show its age. We need to preserve that for posterity, for history, for San Antonio.”
Walsh explains that these buildings aren’t just historical but symbols of what the sisters did for the community — building the first hospital now known as Christus Childrens, an orphanage and a university for San Antonio.
“The sisters, the Incarnate Word sisters, as well as many other religious congregations, have contributed so much to the community of San Antonio in health care, education, care of the orphans, and many other different ministries,” Walsh said.
All of the thrift sales are donation-based, and the sisters are also taking monetary donations.