Service Beyond the Uniform:
The Grotto’s Executive Director,
Colonel Chris Blanchard
By: Chase Muro
There are some places that feel different the moment you step onto the grounds.
The Grotto in Portland, Oregon, is one of those places.
It is quiet without being empty. Beautiful without feeling artificial. Sacred without needing to announce itself. Even in a city that often feels busy, modern, and secular, The Grotto feels like a place set apart.
When I met Colonel Chris Blanchard, Executive Director of The Grotto, it did not take long to understand why this place carries such a strong sense of peace. Chris speaks about The Grotto not simply as a job, but as a calling.
For him, the mission is clear.
The Grotto exists to bring people to God, bring people back to God, or help deepen their relationship with God.
Chris grew up in Virginia as a cradle Catholic. His childhood was shaped by both hardship and faith. When he was young, his father left the family, leaving his mother to raise four children.
That experience could have created bitterness. Instead, it deepened Chris’s understanding of God’s care.
He describes his family as being held together by “the three G’s”: God, government, and Grandma.
His grandmother helped whenever she could. Government programs provided food assistance, school lunches, and medical care. Most importantly, the Church supported his family spiritually, emotionally, and practically.
That showed him something important at a young age.
Catholicism was not simply something his family believed.
It was something they lived.
It was faith in action.
Chris and his older brother both served as altar boys, and the Church remained a steady presence throughout his childhood. He says he never experienced serious doubt as a young man, although, like every Christian, his faith would later be tested and strengthened through life’s experiences.
His desire to serve others eventually led him into social work before another opportunity presented itself: the United States Marine Corps.
What began partly as a way to help pay for college became a career spanning more than three decades.
Chris has seen the world in ways few people ever will. He has visited places of incredible beauty, and he has also witnessed places he simply describes as “hell on earth.”
One of the memories that has stayed with Chris comes from serving in combat zones.
Before heading out on dangerous missions, Marines and sailors would gather for Mass.
The image has never left him.
Men and women wearing body armor, carrying rifles, and equipped with every kind of military gear would quietly kneel together to worship the Prince of Peace.
The contrast was striking.
They were preparing to enter war while worshipping the One who came to bring peace.
Yet Chris saw a profound truth in those moments.
While war itself stands in contrast to Christ’s mission of peace, the willingness to lay down one’s life for another reflects the self-giving love Christ taught.
“The Lord laid down His life for us,” Chris said, “and soldiers are willing to lay down their lives for others.”
Even after everything he experienced, Chris’s perspective on service remains remarkably humble.
When people thank him for his military service, he gently redirects the conversation.
“People like you,” he told me, “are why I served.”
After retiring from the Marine Corps, Chris and his wife relocated to the Portland area to help care for his aging stepfather, whom he lovingly refers to as his dad. He later worked for Multnomah County before hearing about what one coworker described as his “dream job”: Executive Director of The Grotto.
At first, Chris did not think he would be selected.
But after a lengthy interview process, he received the call.
Nearly nine years later, he looks back with gratitude at what God has accomplished through the dedicated staff and volunteers at The Grotto.
During his tenure, they have restored the Chapel of Mary, renovated the convent, built the interpretive center, modernized portions of the grounds, and helped The Grotto recover after the devastating ice storm that caused extensive damage in 2023.
Still, when Chris talks about leadership, he rarely talks about himself.
Instead, he talks about trust.
To him, servant leadership means knowing when to put the mission first and when to put the people carrying out that mission first. It means equipping people with the tools, encouragement, and example they need, then trusting them to use the gifts God has given them.
When I thanked Chris for taking the time to sit down with me for this interview, he smiled and gave all the credit away.
“My team allows this,” he said. “They are the best.”
It was such a simple response, but it revealed a great deal about the kind of leader he is. Rather than seeing himself as the reason The Grotto flourishes, he immediately pointed to the people serving alongside him.
That humility is reflected throughout The Grotto. It is evident in the warmth of the staff, the care given to every visitor, and the quiet excellence with which the grounds are maintained.
That philosophy is woven throughout The Grotto.
As we made our way toward the upper gardens and eventually the visitor overlook, something happened that perfectly illustrated who Chris is.
A couple approached us who spoke very little English.
Without hesitation, Chris greeted them warmly, welcomed them to The Grotto, and struck up a genuine conversation. Although there was a language barrier, he made sure they felt seen and at home before continuing our tour.
There was nothing forced or staged about it.
It was simply who he is.
Watching the interaction, it became clear that Chris does not view people as interruptions to his day.
They are the reason for it.
A few moments later, Chris stopped beside one of the most moving pieces on the property: the Pietà.
The sculpture depicts the Blessed Mother holding the lifeless body of Jesus after He was taken down from the Cross.
Chris explained that Michelangelo’s Pietà is among the most famous sculptures ever created and the only work he ever signed.
According to Chris, Michelangelo typically refused to sign his sacred artwork because he believed the glory belonged to God, not to the artist. But after hearing others wrongly credit someone else for creating the masterpiece, he returned and carved his name across Mary’s sash.
Then Chris pointed out something many visitors never notice.
If Mary and Jesus were standing side by side, Mary would appear much larger than her Son.
Michelangelo intentionally exaggerated her size to create a more powerful image of a mother holding her child. It was artistic license used not for historical accuracy, but to communicate the depth of a mother’s love and sorrow.
Listening to Chris explain that moment revealed something about him.
He does not simply oversee The Grotto.
He understands it.
He appreciates its history, its symbolism, and its ability to quietly teach the faith without saying a word.
He wants visitors to see more than beautiful statues.
He wants them to understand what those statues are pointing toward.
Because The Grotto is far more than a peaceful garden.
It speaks.
It speaks through the statues, the towering trees, the gardens, the chapel, the celebration of Mass, the sacrament of confession, the priests, the Sisters of the Servants of Mary, the volunteers, the staff, and even the silence itself.
For Chris, his responsibility is remarkably simple.
His job is to get people here.
God can do the rest.
And perhaps that is what makes The Grotto so extraordinary.
People arrive from different countries, different backgrounds, different faith traditions, and different stages of life.
Some come overflowing with faith.
Others come carrying grief.
Some arrive searching for answers.
Others cannot fully explain why they came at all.
But once they step onto the grounds, surrounded by beauty, prayer, and the quiet presence of God, something often begins to change.
Chris Blanchard’s story is one of hardship, service, leadership, and unwavering faith.
From a difficult childhood in Virginia to more than thirty years in the Marine Corps, from social work to leading one of the most sacred places in the Pacific Northwest, his life has consistently reflected one simple truth.
Faith is not meant to remain hidden.
It is meant to be lived.
It is meant to be served.
It is meant to be shared.
And every day at The Grotto, Colonel Chris Blanchard is helping create a place where people can encounter the God who has been waiting for them all along.