One day while attending Mass, Miranda Hutlet experienced a sudden visualization of Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto. This was quite a striking occurrence, considering this pilgrimage site was two hours away in St. Malo, Man.

The following day, Hutlet travelled from her home in St. Claude to St. Malo to drop two of her children at a day camp. She took her other kids to the nearly 130-year-old grotto for a visit. Hutlet prayed and was bestowed with another mental picture: she envisaged Oak Valley near Pembina, Man. For many years she and her family participated in the venerable Manitoba Passion Play performed against that beautiful backdrop.

Hutlet pondered if there was a connection between the two images.

"I kid you not, I was walking down the steps to the bottom to collect my kiddos and there was a fellow working on the stonemasonry,” recounted Hutlet. “He looked up at my son's shirt and he said ‘oh, that's cool, the Manitoba Passion Play. That is really neat. You guys should do a play like that here.’

“All of a sudden, I was like, ‘wow, that’s amazing.’  Eighteen years earlier — now 20 years ago — I felt a calling from the Lord. I was 17 and I wrote a Passion Play based on the Gospels of Luke and John and presented it with actors from 10 local towns.”

Hutlet immediately embraced this moment as a direct call from God through the stonemason. He was renewing the space by reshaping the high altar. It appears Hutlet was being charged to participate in this revitalization using her talents.

In just five days, she received permission from the local parish priest, secured a seamstress for costuming and attained St. Boniface Archbishop Albert LeGatt’s approval. Within just a couple of weeks, it became very apparent many families and individuals were interested in participating in this ministry.

Grotto Theater Ministries debuted in September 2023 with a presentation of The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary called Our Lady’s Legacy, featuring a cast and crew of over 100. More than 90 costumes were prepared in just six weeks.

The following May, the troupe mounted a staging of The Way of Love — A Walk to the Cross.

God’s favour for this ministry was exemplified as before one of the performances, a priest blessed the Grotto grounds and prayed for good weather.

“It was forecasted for a 100-per-cent chance of rain, but the sky cleared up, the sun came through, and we had the best three hours of weather that whole day,” said Hutlet.

Fr. Paul Nguyen was asked to carry out the same blessing ritual for the weekend performances, but the precipitation was unrelenting. St. Malo Parish was made available, and Hutlet and the team of 67 actors quickly worked to revamp a huge outdoor Passion Play for a more intimate indoor offering with one-third fewer actors.

Grotto Theater Ministries ultimately executed the overhauled production with a deft aplomb.

Nguyen was so pleased with the results he asked if a similar indoor Way of the Cross could be rendered this spring. Grotto Theater Ministries performed Three Hearts as One: A Living Stations of the Cross Lenten Experience at St. Martin of Tours Parish in Swan Lake on March 28, Notre-Dame-de-Lorette Parish in Lorette on April 4 and at St. Malo Parish on April 11.

When developing the script, Hutlet’s prayers to the Holy Spirit showed her first a scene of the Holy Family, and then she saw the death of St. Joseph. These images were the bedrock of this Way of the Cross prologue.

The May 2024 Way of Love performances showed how the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary combined. This spring's performances add the Chaste Heart of St. Joseph as Jesus’ earthly father’s heart was with Him for each step to Calvary.

“St. Joseph’s soul goes over to Limbo, and we explain how he was waiting with the righteous Jews and the righteous Israelites of his time who were not yet allowed entrance into Heaven because they were waiting for the resurrection of the Messiah,” said Hutlet. “At the very end, the Messiah walks in and we focus the lights in the area of Limbo where St. Anna and St. Simeon from the temple are waiting and we see the grandparents of Jesus, Anne and Joachim.

“Suddenly, St. Joseph senses his Son's presence. He turns around and greets his Son, the Christ, who has come down to rescue him. And so that's how we end the whole (play).”

Colin Knockaert portrayed Jesus in the St. Martin of Tours Parish iteration, and Braden Saindon assumed the role for the last two performances. Tina Knockaert played Mary at all three parishes. Michael VanWynsburge (Swan Lake) and Daniel Jeanson (Lorette and St. Malo) shared the role of Joseph.

Hutlet led the behind-the-scenes effort as director, scriptwriter, casting lead, promotions manager and program assembler. Terri Jeanson, Lisa Knockaert and Libby Furedi organized the costuming. Raegan and Jonathan Bauch and Danielle Kirpluk directed the musical elements.

Each performance featured a total cast and crew of 40 volunteers.