Page 7 - LOTN Spring Issue 46 2021

DIOCESE
Mary – Sign of Hope

or those who have passed through Nairn and St.
Mary's Church on the A96, you might well have
Fnoticed our new statue of Mary with the Child Jesus.
It has been placed on a granite plinth and pillar; it is
visible to passers-by. The statue was purchased through
a generous donation from a parishioner, and after
consultation with the Parish Council, and consideration
of various sites around the Church, it was decided to
erect the statue on the vacant patch of lawn in front of
the Church.
The granite pillar was acquired by parishioner Patricia
Robertson. It had originally been used to support one
of the side altars at Fort
Augustus Abbey and was
actually located in a field
some miles away covered
in weeds. After being
transferred to Nairn, it was
sent for specialised cleaning
in Aberdeen and drilled into,
so the plinth could be fixed
on. Back in Nairn, the statue
was affixed and erected
with an overarching frame.
The evergreen jasmine
vinewhich has been planted The statue of Mary with the child Jesus stands within an
overarching frame which will support a flowering vine
and that will eventually fully
envelope it, will blossom your Protection'. This reflects the prayer of Pope Francis, for
with small white flowers. protection from Coronavirus. This has been prayed in the
With the statue in place, a Post-Communion period of the Masses in our Parish.
short ceremony took place In our challenging times which can sometimes seem
last year on the Birthday of dark and the future uncertain, the statue reminds us to be a
Our Lady, September 8th, people of light and hope, to indeed look forward to better
with its blessing. To reflect times and to place ourselves under the loving protection
the significance of our times, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Our Lord Jesus
The Blessed Virgin Mary, a plaque was placed on the Christ, the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and
The Help of all Christians front of the plinth which the Help of all Christians.
reads, 'Erected in the Year of Pandemic 2020. We fly unto
Fr Damian Martell

Fr Piotr Rytel addresses Scottish Parliament

anffshire & Buchan Coast MSP Stewart Stevenson honour to be here.
welcomed Father Piotr Rytel from his constituency My pilgrimage in the
Bto deliver "Time for Reflection" to the Scottish journey of my Catholic
Parliament on Tuesday 19 January. faith in Scotland began in
Fr Piotr, who originally comes from Poland, is parish priest of 2013, when the Right Rev
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Banff. Hugh Gilbert OSB, the
Owing to Covid restrictions Fr Piotr’s discourse was delivered Roman Catholic Bishop of
virtually. His "Time for Reflection" was widely appreciated, Aberdeen, was searching
particularly by the Polish and wider Eastern European for a suitable candidate to
community in the North-east. help the growing number
The transcript of his "Time for Reflection" is as follows: of Poles in the north of Fr Piotr Rytel
"Presiding Officer and members of the Scottish Parliament, Scotland who were seeking
thank you for the opportunity to address you today. I thank pastoral support. I was appointed as a parish assistant at St
Stewart Stevenson MSP for the nomination to speak. It is an Mary’s Catholic church in Inverness. My mission then, and now
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