Carfin Grotto to get new addition

CARFIN Grotto is set to host a new addition to the Irish shrine there after a successful fundraising effort.

More than £10,000 was raised in a rapid response to the call for support for the effort to install a statue dedicated to Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland, at the beloved pilgrimage site (artist’s impression above).

With such a formidable part played in the establishment of the Grotto by the Irish community in Scotland it is fitting that they—with others—rallied so quickly to the call.

With several features of great importance to the Irish community in Scotland already given prominence at Carfin, the Grotto occupies a special place in the hearts of Scotland’s Irish—particularly in the surrounding districts which host such vibrant hotspots of Irishness.

Having formed a good relationship with Fr Richard Gibbons, Rector of Knock Shrine, this exciting next step for Fr Jim Grant of St Francis Xavier Parish, Guardian of Carfin Grotto, comes with the knowledge that whatever support is required from County Mayo will be forthcoming.

Speaking about the motivations to install the statue, Fr Grant told Sancta Familia Media: “We have the statue of St Patrick which was installed many, many years ago. We have the Celtic Cross, in memory of those who died in the terrible famine in the 19th century, and a Mass rock which was used in the celebration of Holy Mass in Ireland during the penal days, where priests often said Mass on a rock such as this. Our rock was donated to the Grotto many, many decades ago by a non-Catholic farmer in Northern Ireland, so it has been part of our Irish shrine at the Grotto for some time.

“Over the last few years I have been in Knock a few times, and I have thought about how in Carfin we have a statue of Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Palestine, but we don’t have one of Our Lady of Knock.

“I know Our Lady of Knock is becoming more and more popular among the Irish community in Scotland. So many people request the hymn to the Queen of Ireland at funerals, so I began wondering about installing a statue, such as you would see at Knock Shrine, to Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland, and I think it would just complete our Irish shrine here at Carfin Grotto. So many of the people who visit here are of Irish descent.”

With the statues already commissioned and in production, excitement about the new addition is growing in Carfin and thoughts are turning to the planning for an event to dedicate them and share the celebration of their arrival at the Grotto with the Irish and Catholic communities who feel such strong bonds with Carfin.