Hot Springs Sentinel Record | Thursday, December 22, 2022
■ Blessed Mother Mary of the Springs, a new statue that islocated in the grotto at St. Mary of the Springs CatholicChurch, will be dedicated in a ceremony following thecelebration of noon mass Friday at the church. BishopAnthony B. Taylor will be celebrating mass along withclergy from three area Catholic churches.
Bishop to dedicate new statue at St. Mary
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor will celebrate massFriday at noon at St. Mary of the SpringsCatholic Church before a dedication of a newstatue in honor of the parish’s first deacon.
The new statue, named Blessed Mother Mary ofthe Springs, replaces Our Lady of Grace, whichhas been relocated to the entrance of the localKnights of Columbus Hall. Our Lady of Gracewas dedicated on Nov. 21, 1956.
The new statue, a 72-inch Italian white marblestatue sculpted by Wan Xi, will be dedicated inhonor of the Rev. Joe and Betty Harrison, “whohave given decades of time, talent and treasure toboth St. Mary’s and St. John’s Catholicchurches,” a news release said.
“We are honored and humbled to be a small partof spreading the Word of Christ,” the deacon saidin the release.
The funds for the new statue were donated by the Harrisons’ children in their parents’ honor, and membersof the parish contributed to the revitalized grotto. The grotto features a lapis blue mosaic and highlights asmall spring flowing at the base of the statue.
Damages to the old statue were unable to be repaired, leading to the desire for a new statue.
“Both locals and visitors call on the grotto day and night to pray and find peace,” Betty Harrison said inthe release. “The previous statue had been touched so many times, Mary’s fingers began to crumble.”
St. Mary’s pastor, the Rev. Ravi Gudipalli; St. John the Baptist Catholic Church pastor, the Rev. GeorgeSanders, and associate pastor, the Rev. Eliseo Noel; and Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church pastor, theRev. Bill Elser, will join with the bishop to celebrate mass as well as the dedication.
The community is welcome to attend mass and the dedication following the service at 100 Central Ave.Following the dedication at the grotto, a light lunch will be served.
St. Mary of the Springs was the first Catholic parish in Hot Springs, dedicated on May 9, 1869, and it wasthe sixth parish in the state. The church was originally a 50-by-30-foot wooden church that has beenrebuilt twice, and the current building was dedicated on May 18, 1924.
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