Volunteers from neighbouring parishes, e.g. Cleland, gave their services to excavate Our Lady's Lake in the Lower Grotto and on a small islet in the centre of the Lake, a beautifully designed original sculpture of the "Stella Maris", Star of the Sea, was mounted.

In the months that followed, shrines were dedicated to St Joachim, father of Our Lady, Christ the King, St Anthony, St Francis of Assisi, St Patrick and many more.

Outdoor Mass

The most outstanding gathering of pilgrims in the immediate post war years was the pilgrimage in honour of Our Lady of Fatima on 2nd May 1948, when 50,000 pilgrims took part. On that day two statues of Our Lady of Fatima were on view in the Grotto. Time and time again, the now ageing Monsignor Taylor preached the message of Lourdes and Fatima - penance and prayer; the Mass and the Rosary. To encourage the faithful in the love of the Mass and the Eucharist, the statue of St Pius X was installed in the lower Grotto shortly after his canonisation.

The Lower Grotto

In 1954, a large marble statue of Our Lady of Fatima was erected in the Grotto. This, together with the shrine of St Pius X, was one of the last important additions to be made to the Grotto during Monsignor Taylor's lifetime. On the 8th December 1962 he took part in his last procession and on 11th December 1962 he celebrated his last Mass. Monsignor Taylor died on 1st December 1963 in his 90th year.

Fr. Taylor