The work of building Carfin Grotto began in 1920 under the guidance of Canon T Taylor who had earlier, in the same year, gone on pilgrimage to Lourdes with a group of his parishioners. This was not his first visit to the Shrine at Lourdes. As early as 1893, while a student at the Seminary of Saint Sulpice in Paris, he had visited the sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, perhaps the first of countless Scottish pilgrims to do so. His great devotion to Our Lady was a guiding inspiration throughout his life.

Father Taylor and his parishioners returned from Lourdes in 1920 with a fixed project in mind - to build a small replica of the Lourdes Grotto at Carfin. An acre of waste ground belonging to the parish was chosen as the site for this project and parishioners enthusiastically joined in the task of preparing the land.

St Francis Xavier Church 1973

Many of these volunteers were miners who, due to the 1921 strike, were able to give of their time freely. Finally, on Sunday, 1st October, 1922 feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, the Carfin Grotto was dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes with statues of Our Lady and St Bernadette placed there.

On 29th April 1923 the "Little Flower of Jesus" was beatified in Rome and Father Taylor was present. Returning to Carfin after this ceremony, a small statue of Blessed Therese of the Child Jesus was placed in the Grotto.         

St Therese is now recognised as the second patroness of the Grotto.