Fr James Grant was born on the 13th June 1959 in Calderbank House in Baillieston. He attended the Royal Scots College in Valladolid, Spain from 1977 to 1983 being ordained a Priest by Rev Francis Thompson, Bishop of Motherwell on the 4th July 1983 in his home Parish Corpus Christi Calderbank. Father Grant's first appointment as Parish Priest was to Holy Family Church, Mossend in 1995. He took on further roles in the Motherwell Diocese having been appointed chancellor in 2014 and General Secretary to the Bishops' Conference of Scotland in 2019. In February 2020 Father Grant was appointed Parish Priest of St Francis Xavier Carfin and Guardian of Carfin Grotto.​​