Homeless man restores place to pray in Salem MA

Grotto's glory emerges: Homeless man helps restore long-neglected Virgin Mary statue

By Chris Cassidy
Staff writer


SALEM — The last Mass at St. Mary's Italian Church was celebrated five years ago. The basement is now a thrift store. The rectory has been turned into apartments for the homeless.

Sandwiched in between the two is a grotto with a statue of the Virgin Mary tucked behind a small patch of grass — one of the few remaining symbols of this former parish once made up of working-class Italian immigrants.

"The grotto was reflective of the traditions that that little Italian community had," said Joe Piemonte, a longtime parishioner whose great uncle, Tony Della Monica, designed the grotto years ago. "With the church being (closed), we weren't sure whether the grotto would even remain."

A few months ago, Paul Sumares was walking down Margin Street and noticed overgrown vines shielding the grotto from sight. A 2-foot pile of dirt had filled in the tiny pond. The pipes for what was once a calming waterfall had broken.

So Sumares and Jean Dion went to work, clearing brush, pulling back vines and restoring the old waterfall.

"At first, we just wanted to clean it up," Sumares said.

Sumares never attended a single Mass at St. Mary's and until January had only visited Salem a few times. He lives and receives services at the Salem Mission, the homeless shelter that bought the property after the church closed.
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