Bethlehem, Israel
To hope means to be ready at every moment for that which is not yet born, and yet not become desperate if there is no birth in our lifetime.
—Erich Fromm (1900–1980), German-American Jewish psychologist and philosopher
The Milk Grotto, a holy shrine venerated by Muslims and Christians and dedicated to Our Lady of the Milk, safeguards a rock that purportedly was formed from a few drops of milk that fell from the Blessed Virgin’s breast as she nursed the Holy Infant. The grotto, also believed to have been a place of hiding for the Holy Family during the Slaughter of the Innocents decreed by Herod, sheds a limestone dust that the faithful have pinched and taken with them in the hope of experiencing fertility through ritual use.
If you desire fertility but have lost hope, visit the Milk Grotto to ask for help from Our Lady of the Milk. Take a day trip (by rental car) to Bethlehem from the West Bank of Jerusalem.
Pray for the fertility you desire. If you feel inspired, you might also purchase a small packet of the “milk” limestone powder from the Franciscans, complete with directions for use.
Although the Grotto is two thousand years old, pilgrims have prayed at the site for fertility since the fourth century, and nuns pray around the clock in shifts behind a glass screen in the grotto. According to a 2007 CNS report, 1,700 babies were born to parents who had prayed at the shrine over the previous ten years.