The Grotto, Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church
New Braunfels, Comal County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church. A major influenza epidemic spread across the United States in 1918 causing many deaths. Under the leadership of Father J.M.J. Wack (d.1927), who served Saints Peter and Paul Church for 38 years, members constructed this grotto to commemorate an end to the disease-related deaths in the parish. Modeled after the Lourdes Grotto in southwestern France, it was built of native rock gathered from area ranches. Aided by parishioners, J.J. Scholz of Nebraska completed the stonework. The congregation dedicated the shrine during a celebration on June 29, 1921. (1980)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When the catastrophic 1918 influenza pandemic swept the country, killing hundreds of thousands of Americans, the parish of Saints Peter and Paul in New Braunfels answered with faith. Led by Father J.M.J. Wack, parishioners built this stone grotto — modeled on the famous shrine at Lourdes, France — from rock gathered off area ranches, dedicating it in 1921 in thanksgiving that the deaths had ceased. A stonemason from Nebraska completed the work with the congregation's help.
Why it matters
The grotto is a rare and tangible memorial to the 1918 flu, the deadliest pandemic in American history, built by an immigrant German-Catholic community out of grief and gratitude.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
New Braunfels was founded in the mid-1840s by German immigrants who came to Texas in an organized wave of settlement. By the early twentieth century it was a thriving town where German language, faith and traditions were still woven into daily life. Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church served the town's Catholic community, many of them descendants of those early settlers.
In 1918 a devastating influenza pandemic swept the world. In the United States it spread in waves through cities, small towns and military camps, often killing young, healthy adults within days. It came as the nation was fighting in the First World War, and it killed more Americans than the war itself. Schools, churches and public gatherings were often shut down as communities tried to slow its spread.
For a close-knit parish, the epidemic would have meant funerals, empty pews and families stricken all at once. It's against that backdrop of fear and loss that the people of Saints Peter and Paul decided to build something permanent once the dying stopped.
People & events
At the center of this story is Father J.M.J. Wack, who served Saints Peter and Paul Church for thirty-eight years. A pastor with that long a tenure would have baptized, married and buried generations of the same families. When the epidemic ended its deadly run in the parish, he led his congregation in building a lasting expression of their gratitude.
They modeled the shrine on the famous grotto at Lourdes in southwestern France, where in 1858 a young woman named Bernadette Soubirous reported visions of the Virgin Mary. Lourdes became one of the world's great pilgrimage sites, linked in Catholic devotion with prayer for healing. For a parish emerging from an epidemic, choosing Lourdes as the model carried real meaning.
The grotto was a community effort in the most literal sense. Its native rock was gathered from area ranches, so the stones came from the surrounding countryside the parishioners knew. J. J. Scholz of Nebraska completed the stonework with parishioners helping. The congregation dedicated the shrine at a celebration on June 29, 1921, the traditional feast day of Saints Peter and Paul, the parish's own patrons. Father Wack died in 1927, a few years after seeing the project through.
Its place in the American story
The 1918 influenza pandemic was among the deadliest disasters in American history, yet for most of the twentieth century it left surprisingly few memorials. The nation had monuments for its wars but rarely for its epidemics. A grotto built specifically to mark the end of the deaths in a parish is an unusual, tangible reminder of how ordinary communities experienced that catastrophe.
The shrine also reflects the role of faith and immigrant communities in American life. German Catholic settlers carried their traditions to Texas, and in a moment of crisis they turned to those traditions for comfort and meaning. Lourdes-style grottoes appeared in Catholic communities across the country, but each one carries its own local story. This one is about a plague and its end.
In more recent years, Americans living through their own pandemic have looked back at 1918 with fresh eyes. A place like this offers a quiet bridge across that century, showing how one community grieved, gave thanks and chose to remember.
If you visit
The grotto stands on the grounds of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in New Braunfels. Look closely at the rockwork. The native stone gathered from local ranches gives the shrine a rugged, organic texture, and if you've seen pictures of the famous grotto at Lourdes, you'll recognize the inspiration.
Remember that this is an active place of worship and devotion. Visit quietly and respectfully, and be mindful of services or anyone who has come to pray. The shrine was built out of grief and gratitude, and it still carries that feeling.
New Braunfels makes a rich stop on a Central Texas road trip, with its German heritage, historic downtown and spring-fed rivers. Pausing at the grotto adds a thoughtful, human moment to a day that might otherwise be all tubing and sausage. It's a reminder of what the community lived through a century ago.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
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Related people
- · Father J.M.J. Wack
Related events
- · 1918 influenza pandemic
Themes & tags
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