The schoenstatt families prepare a flower display of the Holy Spirit symbol

Installation of the Holy Spirit symbol
in the shrine

Over at least the last four years the Scottish Schoenstatt family has been preparing the Holy Spirit symbol for the shrine. The last symbol to be worked and prayed for was the Father symbol which took it place at the top of the altar at Campsie Glen in 1999. This was providentially also the year of God the Father which formed part of the preparations for the Jubilee year in 2000. The empty patch on the ceiling of the sanctuary was a constant reminder that there was still something to work for. If the shrine is to fulfil its’ role as the new cenacle for our times it was going to need the Holy Spirit.

In the intervening years many discussions took place regarding how the movement wanted the symbol to look. There was the question of what sort of spiritual preparation would be required for the spiritual significance of such a symbol to be properly understood. Fr Michael Savage was given the task of giving shape and form to the Holy Spirit symbol. The finished design was carved from local lime wood and fitted to a brass plate with Celtic spirals symbolising the Trinity.

The finished piece made its' appearance at the Scottish October conference in 2006 and visited the shrines and holy places around Schoenstatt Germany later that same year.

Since the beginning of 2007 the symbol had been making the rounds of homes and families through out Scotland. Each welcomed the Spirit and consciously making a place for Him in their homes and among family members. In the week before the installation a holy Spirit novena was held every day in the shrine.

On Sunday 21st October schoenstatt members and friends gathered at the centre for the solemn mass and blessing. Many came from across Scotland to be present at the installation. A bus group from Inverness travelled 200 miles, others came from Dundee and Edinburgh while other made their way from the more local parishes. Archbishop Mario Conte from Glasgow Archdiocese was the main concelebrant and led the proceedings while Fr Michael Savage preached on the significance of the occasion. After the mass the whole congregation of several hundred processed to the shrine where the symbol was incensed and blessed before being hung from the ceiling of the sanctuary. A reminder to us all to make the Shrine a cenacle for our times.

For more images from the celebrations press Here