Steubenville native Jim Schrader moved to Canton in 1963 and has been an active parishioner at Little Flower Parish since 1968. He and his wife, Nancy, raised their two sons in Canton. Now a retiree, Schrader was an engineer at American Electric Power while also volunteering in several capacities at Little Flower and in the community. Schrader was on the original planning committee for the Grotto of the Resurrection at Little Flower, and he has been faithfully maintaining it since it opened in 2004—almost 20 years ago.
Q: Tell us about the construction process for the grotto.
A: There were a couple of guys that really managed the construction of the grotto. We kind of pulled our minds together about what we wanted, and there was an architect that made an overall sketch of what it would look like. It was his sketch and our imaginations, and we just built it! Father [Kevin] Fate was the pastor at the time, and he was the force behind it.
… When we planted the grotto, we did it over four years. First, we developed our planting plan, and we built back to station five. That was built first, and then we landscaped it. Then we built back to station eight, and then we landscaped it. So we tried to finish as we went, and we kind of learned what worked and what didn’t work as we did it.
…We wanted to make it as maintenance-free as [we] could, with materials that would last a long time, so that we would not be in a replacement mode. That’s why the brick and the steel and the rocks are all really durable material—they were meant to last a long time.
Q: What do you do to maintain the grotto on a weekly basis?
A: This time of year, I’m probably there about three days a week, trying to get the spring cleanup done … because I’m going to be working late into June mulching the grotto. And then after it is caught up, I’m there about one day a week for at least four or five hours. The maintenance guys at the church—they do all the mowing. Basically, I prune, I keep the beds cleaned up and the leaves cleaned up and that kind of stuff … and then in the fall, I have the fall cleanup.
Q: How often is the space used?
A:There is probably not a day that I am there that there isn’t somebody using the grotto. I know I was there last week and there were two busloads from [a senior living facility]. They came and they went through the grotto. So it’s not only the parishioners who use it. We have groups from outside the church that know it’s there and they come … other churches have been there as well that aren’t Catholic.
Q: What is your favorite thing about the Grotto of the Resurrection?
A:The solitude. You can go back there, and it is so quiet. I like to sit where Mary is. It’s just a real peaceful place.
Q: What advice do you have for someone who might be approaching a large landscaping project?
A:It is the same cycle that you think of with your home [garden], just on a larger scale. And if a person wants to get into it, they have to decide what they can handle. I suggest you start small and let it evolve and see what you are able to handle, rather than doing a big thing all at one time.
Now, I don’t plant flowers there because it’s just something I don’t have time to take care of. But once in a while, some people want to do that, so they come and plant flowers and they understand they need to take care of them during that period of time [that they are alive]. So that would be a cautionary thing—if you do get into flowers or roses or something like that, it adds a lot of extra time.
Q: What would you say to someone who is thinking about becoming involved at their parish?
A:I was in the Air Force way back when, and I went to a seminar with a guy named General Benjamin Davis, and his advice to everybody was “be an actor, not a reactor.” And that really stuck with me my whole life. So if you see something that needs done, you do it … Don’t wait for someone to invite you. Take initiative to be involved. Find something you like, and do it.
Q: What does your parish community at Little Flower mean to you?
A:There are friendships, trust … I’m thinking about the parishioners and Father Chris [Henyk, pastor] and the different priests that have been there over the years. I’ve always felt welcome there. There was always a welcoming and a friendliness there, and they make you feel like you are part of a family.
The outdoor Stations of the Cross and grotto at Little Flower Parish, called The Grotto
of the Resurrection, is always open to the public. The first station is located just off
the parish’s parking lot, and brochures are available near the entrance to help guide
visitors through the stations. Call 330-494-2759 with questions.
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