By an odd coincidence the author was called to visit the site in the summer of 2002. He had been working to resolve a question concerning the quest to find and locate sacred sites, be they of Christian of pre-Christian origin, located in western Canada. He had been plotting such sites in Manitoba, unaware of the existence of this shrine. Two lines were plotted on the map, which seem to connect all the sites identified so far came to be seen on the map. These lines crossed at St. Malo. The full significance of this is yet to be understood but it underscored the need to find and document Shrines and Sacred sites by the Author.

St. Malo's second parish priest, Father Abel Noret, arrived in 1895 from France and brought with him his country's devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes. Exploring the parish domain a short time after his arrival one site in particular, caught his attention - the Grotto's present location. Its wooded charm and proximity of the little river reminded him of the Grotto of Lourdes in France, where the Blessed Virgin had appeared in 1858. Work began in 1896 and the first pilgrimage took place in that year on the feast of the Nativity of Mary. A chapel on the bank above the grotto was constructed in 1905 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first occurrence of apparitions in Lourdes France. More information can be found in the brochure that is available from visiting the site.