Shelby ’22 and Ben ’22 Hufford pose with their son David on the porch of the Grotto. Courtesy | Ben Hufford

Hillsdale Catholic Society’s Grotto family has announced that this school year will be their last year running the Grotto ministry under the direction of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Parish. 

Ben ’22 and Shelby ’22 Hufford, who are now parents to their baby, David, took over the Grotto in 2021 as seniors. 

“It’s been great getting to befriend so many amazing Catholic students,” Ben Hufford said. “Living with a chapel that houses Our Lord in the Eucharist has been a blessing through the highs and lows of the past couple of years.”

The home, called the Grotto, is an off-campus house on Union Street designed for Hillsdale students to spend time in the Eucharistic adoration chapel, engage in Catholic Society events, and socialize with other Catholic students. The Grotto is an outreach ministry of St. Anthony’s Catholic parish that aims to bring the Eucharist on campus and closer to the students. 

“The Grotto has been a home away from home; it’s been a place where I can recalibrate and connect with others while we worship Jesus Christ,” said senior Charlie Miggins, president of Hillsdale Catholic Society. “The Grotto has absolutely been a rock in my Hillsdale life.” 

According to the Huffords, running the Grotto was on their mind as students, but they were unsure if it would be possible. 

“We started at the Grotto our senior year because we got engaged in January of our junior year and moved up our wedding to get married in October of our senior year,” Ben said. “We had both worked in ministry, loved the Grotto, and talked about being a part of it when we entered our engagement.”

The couple who ran the ministry at the time approached the Huffords the final week before summer break, asking them to apply.

“We applied, got the position, and moved all our stuff into the Grotto the day before we left for summer after our junior year,” Ben said.

According to Shelby, students’ faith life and devotion have been a great source of inspiration during her time at the Grotto. 

“When we first moved here, I was really impressed by how holy so many of the students who come to the Grotto are,” Shelby Hufford said. “It was really impressive to me, just the dedication that so many of our fellow students had to prayer that I definitely was still working on.”

According to senior Paul Sri, Catholic Society’s men’s outreach director, the Huffords have inspired students in their dedication to the community. 

“It has also been beautiful to witness their transition from being newly married college seniors my freshman year to now being parents four years later, and what it looks like to progress between two stages of life,” Sri said. “I want to carry elements of what they do wherever I go after college.”

Although they are stepping down from leading the Grotto, the Huffords said they hope to stay in Hillsdale.

“We’ve learned not to make concrete plans because a lot has changed in the past couple of years, but at the moment, we plan to stay in Hillsdale,” Ben said. “We’ve found a great community here, between families with young kids and the community at St. Anthony’s.” 

A new Grotto couple has not yet been chosen, but according to the Huffords,  St. Anthony’s is currently accepting applications. The requirements are few, but the desire to serve must be strong. 

“The requirements are that you’re married by August, that one of you attended Hillsdale, and that you’re Catholic,” Shelby said. “We encourage anybody to reach out to us with any questions because we’re the go-to people to ask about what it’s like, the benefits, the challenges, or just daily life running the ministry.”

The Huffords and Catholic students have high hopes for the Grotto’s future. The Grotto’s expansion project fundraising began this fall, hoping to raise $1 million to add an additional 1,500 square feet to the building, which would provide the Grotto with ample space to meet the hosting demands of the Catholic community on campus by allowing space for a larger chapel, an open floor plan for gathering space, a private apartment for the Grotto couple, and an expanded kitchen with capabilities for preparing meals for large groups of students. With fundraising for the expansion project underway, Ben said he is confident that the Grotto’s ministry will continue to serve students for years to come. 

“It’s been on a very successful trajectory, so that project will continue if everything goes well,” he said. “There’s not much more the Grotto can offer without more space, so as that project continues, the Grotto will be able to continue its ministry.” 

Sophomore Martha Kennedy, a member of Catholic Society, said the Grotto became a resting place when she came to campus.

“It was just what I needed for my faith life at the time,” Kennedy said. “When I moved on campus, it was nice to have a family and a home to help me grow in my faith while also transitioning to college life.” 

Kennedy said she will miss the Hufford family and hopes the new couple will continue what the Huffords have been doing. 

“I hope they can bring the same life that Shelby and Ben bring to the Grotto; having people who can always share Christ’s joy is definitely what students need,” Kennedy said. “I also hope they can make Convivium bread as well as Ben does.”