A sanctuary in the city 🕊️

The Grotto, a tranquil sanctuary in Northeast Portland

An outdoor cathedral set into the face of a basalt cliff wall with a statue, altar, and candles inside and a stone plaza in front.

The Grotto’s outdoor cathedral was designated a national sanctuary in 1983. | Photo by InSapphoWeTrust

[Insert meditative nature sounds here] That’s the auditory nirvana visitors are treated to when they step onto the grounds of The Grotto in Northeast Portland. The outdoor sanctuary offers space to reclaim inner peace amid a maelstrom of daily demands — just ask the 200,000+ people who seek out The Grotto and its soothing soul balm every year.

Officially called the National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, the 62-acre campus is split into two parts: a lower level resting in the shadow of Rocky Butte, and an upper level perched atop a 110-ft basalt cliff on the butte’s northern face.

🎄 Lower level

The lower level is open to the public year-round, free of charge. This is where you’ll find The Grotto’s centerpiece: an outdoor cathedral set into the base of the cliff featuring a replica of Michelangelo’s “Pieta.” A walking path winds through the lower woods, passing tranquil gardens, a visitor complex, an art gallery, a gift shop, and the Chapel of Mary.

Four people walk along a wet path, gazing at bright holiday light displays at night. — Spectacular displays and choral performances are an annual tradition at The Grotto’s Christmas Festival of Lights.

🌹 Upper level

For an admission fee, an elevator built into the side of the cliff takes visitors to the upper level, home to lush botanical gardens containing rhododendrons, roses, and a gurgling stream. Meandering trails take visitors to multiple shrines, the historic St. Anne’s Chapel, a sandstone monastery, and the Meditation Chapel featuring a rounded glass wall with panoramic views.

⛪ History

Father Ambrose Mayer, a priest in the Servite Order, bought the land (formerly used as a quarry) from the Union Pacific Railroad in 1923 with his life savings ($3,000) and the help of a national campaign backed by Pope Pius XI. Mayer established a Catholic sanctuary on the grounds to show his gratitude to God for sparing his mother after a complicated birth many years earlier. Three thousand people gathered for The Grotto’s first mass in front of the cavernous, freshly-carved shrine on May 29, 1924. It was designated as a national sanctuary in 1983.

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Thursday, Dec. 8

South Waterfront Winter Farmers Market | Thursday, Dec. 8 | 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | Elizabeth Caruthers Park, 3508 S. Moody Ave., Portland | Free | Stock up on your favorite winter foods and unique holiday gifts.

Friday, Dec. 9

Crafty Wonderland: Holiday Art + Craft Market | Friday, Dec. 9-Sunday, Dec. 11 | Times vary | Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Portland | $2-$20 | Shop for one-of-a-kind handmade goods from 250+ artists, crafters, and designers.
Steps PDX Dance School presents: “The Nightmare Before Christmas” | Friday, Dec. 9 + Saturday, Dec. 10 | Times vary | Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 SW Park Ave., Portland | $10-$45 | This family-friendly, original performance will take the audience on a journey into the familiar calamity ever so great that occurred when two holidays met by mistake.

Saturday, Dec. 10

Portland Winterhawks vs. Seattle Thunderbirds | Saturday, Dec. 10 | 5 p.m. | Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 300 Winning Way, Portland | $30-$67 | It’ll be all thunder, no lightning from the visiting flock at this avian showdown.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves - Pride Night | Saturday, Dec. 10 | 7 p.m. | Moda Center, 1 N. Center Court St., Portland | $20+ | Cheer on Rip City and enjoy an interactive halftime show supporting New Avenues for Youth, a local nonprofit providing essential services to LGBTQ+ kids.

Sunday, Dec. 11

Market of Mysteries | Sunday, Dec. 11 | 1-5 p.m. | John Fluevog Shoes Portland, 1224 SW Harvey Milk St., Portland | Free | You’re cordially invited to a realm of oddities, mystical treasures, and magical creatures at this pop-up shop featuring local businesses and live poetry on a vintage typewriter.
Irish Tunes Session | Sunday, Dec. 11 | 1:30-4:30 p.m. | Hostel Cafe, 1810 NW Glisan St., Portland | Free | Listen to toe-tapping traditional Irish tunes, or bring your own instrument to keep the party going.
Holiday Vegan Night Market | Sunday, Dec. 11 | 2-8 p.m. | Redd East Event Space, 831 SE Salmon St., Portland | $0-$5 | Visit 75+ local vendors while listening to music, enter a raffle benefiting the Portland Animal Welfare Team, compete for the best ugly sweater, eat some delicious food, make crafts, and more.

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

MORE WEEKEND CHEER

Weather

43º | Cloudy with periods of rain | 84% chance of rain

Sunrise + Sunset

Rise: 7:38 a.m.
Set: 4:26 p.m.

Cause

Black Resilience Fund, a Northeast Portland nonprofit, launched its guaranteed basic income program this week. Twenty-five families (a total of 68 people) will be eligible for up to $2,000 a month for the next three years; more than $350,000 has been raised for the first round of participants so far. 💸 (KGW)
Local high school student Liam Hill is celebrating his birthday by having a holiday bike donation party. Liam will help the nonprofit Free Bikes 4 Kidz clean, prep, repair, and sort donated bikes on Saturday, Dec. 10, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., at 1750 Blankenship Warehouse in West Linn. 🚲

Biz

If you’re having a bad day, odds are it’s still better than how the Portland Gear staff was feeling yesterday. Water leaking from the ceiling of the local brand’s storage room flooded shelves filled with inventory, office space, and a photography studio, giving the entire place eerie Titanic vibes.

Drink

Hey Love, the plant-filled restaurant and bar inside the Jupiter NEXT Hotel, is hosting another holiday-themed pop-up: Sleigh Love. Drinks like the Toboggan Time, Peppermint Patty Pudding Shot, and Noggy by Nature will be served in festive glassware now through Sunday, Jan. 1. 🎄 (Willamette Week)

Arts

If you plan on celebrating the Portland Art Museum’s 130th birthday this Sunday, Dec. 11, be sure to check out a special screening of “Fogtown” — a locally made, crowdfunded live-action puppet series — attended by the creators. Tickets for the free admission day can be reserved online. 🎟️

Seasonal

As a resident of the North Pole, Santa knows how to keep it cool — especially when he visits Portland. The skinny-jeans-and-cardigan-wearing “Hipster Santa” has returned to his throne (upholstered in a familiar print) at Pioneer Place. Visitors can take photos with him through Saturday, Dec. 24.

Feel Good

Remember the 4,000 beagles rescued this year in Virginia? Many were relocated to the PNW with the help of people like pilot Steve Denton; now, Steve and his wife Kimberli have adopted one of the 146 beagles he flew to Portland. “She makes us really happy,” said Kimberli. Who’s chopping onions? (KOIN)

Portlander

Local chef Luna Contreras’ creativity was put to the test during her time on Netflix’s new culinary competition show, “Snack vs. Chef.” Luna made what she dubbed a Fig Mac — a macaron with chocolatey meringues, tamarind-fig jam, and cheese frosting. We’re tempted to request one at Janken, where Luna works. (Eater Portland)

Shop

‘Tis the season to shop items from our online shop Six & Main. Our gift guides feature shirts, jewelry, gourmet popcorn, coffee, and more. There’s no time to waste, let the shopping begin. 🛍️

Try This

Give the gift of a quality shave month after month with a Harry’s trial set and blade subscription. Choose your handle color, refill frequency, and let the good shave days roll in for as little as $5 on sign-up (yes, you heard that right). 🪒*

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Consider PDX squeaky clean 🧼

Portland ranks No. 13 cleanest city in the US

For the study, InsureMyTrip examined data on the percentage of electric vehicles sold within Oregon. | Photo via Unsplash

Here’s some fresh news. Portland was ranked the No. 13 cleanest city in the US by InsureMyTrip.

The travel insurance comparison site looked at government and consumer data sets, comparing data on hand sanitizer demand, restaurant cleanliness, recycling collector quantity, garbage disposal satisfaction, electric vehicle market share, and particulate matter pollution to reach its findings.

InsureMyTrip then standardized the data and gave each city a score between 0 and 10 with 0 being the worst and 10 being the best — except for particulate matter pollution, where 10 represents the least polluted. Here’s how Portland scored:

Hand sanitizer demand: 1.31
Restaurant cleanliness: 10
Recycling collector quantity: 1.47
Garbage disposal satisfaction: 7.02
Electric vehicle market share: 4.09
Particulate matter pollution: 7.11

The Rose City’s overall score was 5.17. San Diego (No. 2), Tampa (No. 4), and Raleigh (No. 15) were also featured on the list.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Cambrie.

Editor’s pick: My first dog was a beagle named Bingo. He was the sweetest, floppiest-eared friend — so the story about Steve and Kimberli adopting one of the rescued beagles definitely hit me in the feels.

Giving a pet a forever home is a wonderful thing, especially at Christmastime. Just keep in mind this important message (and song I’ve had on repeat all month) from Sia.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? We shined some light on the winter weather forecast.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Cambrie Juarez, Ben McBee, Britt Thorson, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Terri Kiesenhofer | Advertise with us.

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