IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Taylor Avenue, MOTHERWELL, ML1 5EU

http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/features/featurefirst8367.html

On the site, as well as the original grotto, there are several quiet corners where pilgrims can perform their devotions.

Founded in 1862, this is the church of the Roman Catholic parish in whose grounds the Carfin Lourdes Grotto was constructed. An earlier church by Pugin was opened in 1882, and was replaced in the 1960s by this modern building.

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The inscription is carved in English on the left and in Ukrainian on the right. In English, it reads, "On the thirtieth anniversary of the exodus from their homeland the Ukrainians in Scotland dedicate this memorial to the suffering church of Christ in Ukraine, their brothers and sisters struggling for religious and national rights and all who sacrificed their lives for Christ and the freedom of Ukraine".

For information about the statue see Image

This is the explanatory panel next to Image The text reads, 'John Paul the Great. From the 31st May - 2nd June 1982 Pope John Paul II came to Scotland to confirm us in our faith. At Murrayfield in Edinburgh he urged the youth of Scotland to place their lives in the hands of Jesus. During his homily in Bellahouston Park he prayed for us: "Lord, let Scotland flourish by the preaching of thy word and the praising of thy name". On the 2nd April 2005, he "returned to the house of the Father". In order to commemorate the Pope who came to us, the Parish Pastoral Committee commissioned sculptor Tom Allan to create this image of John Paul II. He is presented in the latter stages of his pontificate, his witness to Christian suffering clearly evident in his stooped body. He is lost in prayer, holding fast to the crozier which bears the emblem of our Christian faith, the Cross of Jesus Christ. His vestments are blown by the wind, a sign of the Holy Spirit in whose power he shepherded the universal Church. He is stepping forward, the pilgrim Pope. He is facing the Eucharistic Chapel and is next to the Black Madonna, the two great centres of his spiritual life. The base of the statue is rock symbolising that he is the successor to St Peter, the rock on whom the Lord built his Church. Overall the image seeks to express hi pontifical motto "Totus Tuus" (Completely yours). O God, grant that your servant John Paul , whom you made Vicar of Christ and shepherd of your Church, may rejoice forever in the vision of your glory. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.'

The green-roofed building is the hall, and the top of the Church of St Francis Xavier is visible behind it.

The Grotto site has fine expanses of gardens with beautifully maintained lawns.