161295 lotn 2016 advent issue website

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I am the Light of the World Pastoral letter from Bishop Hugh Gilbert Page 4

Tina Harris’ personal journey in the light of the Carmalite tradition Page 16

North I s s u e 3 3 , Au t u m n , 2 0 1 6 Clare Benedict reflects on the true meaning of “mercy” Page 20

Neil Work on the trail of an ice-cold beer in Trondheim!

Page 26 Each copy of the Light of the North costs over £1.00 to produce and we would ask you to consider this if you wish to make a donation.

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diocese

WYD Krakow 2016

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he 31st World Youth Day took place this year in Kraków, Poland, the city from where St. John Paul ‘set off to preach the Gospel’, as well as where St. Faustina Kowalska helped spread devotion to Divine Mercy worldwide in the 20th century.

Two million young Catholics, including a record-breaking 150 pilgrims from the Diocese of Aberdeen, more than from any other diocese in Scotland, joined Pope Francis in a spectacular event and inspirational witness to faith.

The theme was “Blessed are the Merciful for they shall obtain Mercy” and at the opening Mass in Kraków St. John Paul II’s former secretary urged young Catholics to spread a “message of divine mercy”’ worldwide.

“We come from every nation under heaven, like those who came in great numbers to Jerusalem on Pentecost Day, but there are incomparably more of us now than 2,000 years ago, because we are accompanied by centuries of preaching the Gospel,” Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz of Kraków said. “We bring experience of various cultures, traditions and languages. But what we also bring are testimonies of faith and holiness of our brothers and sisters, followers of the risen Lord, of past generations as well as the current generation.”

As Pope Francis said in one of his inspirational homilies, we must remain open. “Jesus wants hearts that are open and tender towards the weak, never hearts that are hardened,” he said.

“He wants docile and transparent hearts that do not dissimulate before those whom the Church appoints as our guides.

Disciples do not hesitate to ask questions, they have the courage to face their misgivings and bring them to the Lord, to their formators and superiors, without calculations or reticence.”

We must be open but also courageous. These virtues are what we see in the following pictures of WYD 2016, the legacy of which will stay with our young pilgrims for the rest of their lives. It is their faith and vitality which will power tomorrow’s church.

Outside the Shrine of St John Paul, Kraków

En route to Kraków Aberdeen pilgrims visit the Basilica of St Thérèse of Lisieux

Vigil - Surprised by an encounter with Pope Francis

The “One Week Group” at the start of their travels

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contents diocese 2

obituary 12 witness 15 liturgy 18 educationandformation 19 faithandculture 22 humour 34 crossword 35

Light of the North Managing Editor Deacon Tony Schmitz

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Blessed the politician!

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fter a divisive Brexit referendum and more than a year of bitter campaigning for the US presidential elections, is it any wonder that many of us are feeling more than a little disillusioned with traditional politics and politicians.

Still, this is now the Advent season, a season of hope, of trusting in God’s providence with a conviction that he is ultimately in charge of events. It is a journey and one on which we may be encouraged and strengthened by the faith of those who have gone before us.

I’m thinking in particular today of Cardinal Van Thuan of Vietnam, a model of Christian hope, who died in 2002. Although he is not yet canonized, the Vietnamese faithful already consider him a saint and view him as an icon of the Vietnamese Church.

The Cardinal spent 13 years in prison, nine of them in solitary confinement in Hanoi, following his appointment as coadjutor archbishop of Saigon just seven days before South Vietnam fell to the Communist North in 1975.

He was released in 1988 and Pope John Paul II called him to Rome, where he eventually became president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

At a conference in the northern Italian city of Padua on May 3, 2002 he proposed the following moral guidelines for politicians which echo the eight beatitudes preached by Christ in his Sermon on the Mount: • • •

Blessed the politician who well understands his role in the world.

Blessed the politician who personally exemplifies credibility.

Blessed the politician who works for the common good and not for his

own interests.

• Blessed the politician who is true to himself, his faith and his electoral promises.

• Blessed the politician who works for unity and makes Jesus the fulcrum

of its defence.

• Blessed the politician who works for radical change, refusing to call good

that which is evil and using the Gospel as a guide.

• Blessed the politician who listens to the people before, during and after

the elections, and who listens to God in prayer.

• Blessed the politician who has no fear of the truth or the mass media,

because at the time of judgment he will answer only to God, not the media.

Naive idealism, some might say, but nevertheless, it is the faith of men like Cardinal Van Thuan which helps to cast a little light on the stony path of life’s Advent journey.

And, talking of journeys, in this Advent issue of the Light of the North, Eric Hanna shares the journey of faith which lead him to the Catholic church (page 15), Tina Harris sets out on a very personal journey highlighting her association with the Carmelite tradition, dating from primary school and leading to her current work with the Apostleship of the Sea (page 16) and Neil Work takes us on pilgrimage from Shetland to Trondheim (page 26).

Have an enlightening and joyful Advent.

Cowan

up front

Our cover for this issue features a work called the the “Mystic Nativity” , which is now in the National gallery, and is by the Florentine Early Renaissance artist, Sandro Botticelli.

Botticelli’s painting has long been called the Mystic Nativity because of its mysterious symbolism. It combines Christ’s birth as told in the New Testament with a vision of his Second Coming as promised in the Book of Revelation.

It the only work by the artist which is signed and dated, so clearly it had a special importance for him: “I, Sandro, painted this picture”, he says, “at the end of the year 1500 in the troubles of Italy”; and he goes on to state that, after a time foretold by St John, the Devil will be chained and ‘we shall see him trodden down, as in this picture’.

To understand this painting it’s necessary to remember that it was painted in 1500, the impending “End of Days” - from the Book of Revelation. The “half time after the time” was believed to represent the year 1500 and in the minds of many pious Florentines, the end of the world was just around the corner. Also, and most significantly, Botticelli had become one of the followers of the deeply moralistic friar Girolamo Savonarola who preached in Florence from 1490 until his execution in 1498 and it would seem that Sandro’s Nativity was heavily influenced by Savonarola’s prophetic sermons about the wrath to come and the Last Judgement.

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A Letter from Bishop Hugh Gilbert O.S.B.

are always flowing. At St Mary’s Cathedral, for example, a monthly meal for the homeless was started earlier this year. The intention On Sunday 20th November, all over the world, the Doors of is to continue it. It would be good if each parish could ensure it Mercy were closed. The Jubilee Year ended. How much good it creates a living, ongoing “memorial” of the Jubilee Year. Mercy is has unleashed! Surely, we will all emerge from it a little more something to do. This can be an initiative for particular members conscious of the Mercy of the heart of our God, and a little of the parish, such as the housebound, or something with and for more aware of how this should shape merciful attitudes in us. If the wider community. Each parish, each community must decide ever anything was topical, surely it is this. what it can do, in its own circumstances and with the (limited) I hope each and all of us can look back on this year and see the resources it has. But something is always possible. How wonderful moments of mercy in us and around us. For me, a highlight was it would be were the Church to shine as a Sacrament of Mercy in the ordination to the priesthood of Peter Macdonald. But I could the world. Mercy, this “second love” (St John Paul II) which keeps mention other things as well. on showing love even when the lovable is no longer obviously so.

The Doors in our churches have closed, but God’s merciful love Mercy which brings us back to where and what we are meant to be.

– as the Psalms so often say – “endures for ever”, and the door to ‘May your mercy be always upon us, O Lord, as we place all our mercy in our own hearts can never close. ‘To pray for the living and hope in you.’ the dead’, for example, is the last of the traditional fourteen Works of Mercy. How can we ever stop doing that?

Yours devotedly, The Holy Father has asked dioceses and communities to + Bishop Hugh OSB continue the works of mercy they may have begun during this year. Christ’s pierced heart is always open. The blood and water Dear Friends,

1/2 Page St Mary’s Kinnoull

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“I desire mercy not sacrifice” On the evening of the 22nd April the ‘Holy Sisters of the Needy’ arrived in Aberdeen. They are a religious congregation of Nigerian origin. On welcoming the Sisters Bishop Hugh said, “I welcome most warmly to the Cathedral and the Diocese the Holy Family Sisters of the Needy. They are beginning with us their first Scottish mission and I am confident the Holy Spirit and the Catholics of Aberdeen will help them pray and work among us to good effect.”

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Sr Mary Joseph J Ogbuokiri HFSN

find myself writing this article for the ‘Light of the North’ on a rainy day in October. This is a month which the church has set aside for special devotion to the Holy Rosary, a time to take a more meditative approach as we consider the mysteries of our Lord’s life, the life of his Blessed Mother and St Joseph who, prompted by the Spirit of love, spared Mary the embarrassment of having to bear a child without a father.

It was his selfless support of Mary that ensured our salvation.

The life of St Joseph is a noble example of a life responding to that most imperative of scriptural exhortations, “I desire mercy not sacrifice” (Our Lord quoting Hosea 6:6 from Matthew 9:13) which is also our motto.

Also, in October, we celebrate the lives of two saints who excelled in this way of love as demanded by our Lord Jesus Christ – St. Francis and St. Thérèse of the child Jesus and significantly, this year, Pope Francis joyfully canonised Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta who heroically lived by this self same injunction of Christ.

The founder of the Holy Family Sisters of the Needy – Rev. Fr. Denis Mary Joseph Ononuju CSSp on returning from his mission station in Sierra Leone after the Nigerian Biafran war was shocked to see countless people living in abject poverty, homeless and abandoned and including many unmarried, pregnant women who were rejected, scorned and derided. He founded the Holy Family Sisters of the Needy to respond to this injunction of our Lord Jesus Christ –“What I want is love not sacrifice”.

Our founder commanded us to dispense the love of God to all, especially those whom society rejects and in particular the defenceless baby in the womb. The Institute adopted the spirituality of the Little Way of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, an approach to life and prayer which requires a child-like confidence in God and a willingness to do all with love without counting the cost.

Many Catholics and other Christians too have been attracted to St. Thérèse’s sanctity. Her Little Way puts holiness of life within the reach of ordinary people: to live out your days with confidence in God’s love for you; to recognize that each day is a gift in which your life can make a difference by the way you choose to live it; to hope in a future in which God will be all and love will consume your spirit; choose life, not the darkness of pettiness and greed.

St. Therese knew the difference love makes by allowing love to be the statement she made each day of her life.

We must remember though that love also demands sacrifice.

Indeed, it is impossible without sacrifice and Jesus Christ taught us this by His own sacrificial love for us which culminated in His own death on the cross.

Practically speaking, The Holy Family Sisters of the Needy are actively involved in the pastoral work of St Mary’s Cathedral

The Holy Family Sisters of the Needy with Bishop Hugh parish; teaching catechism; assisting with baptism and marriage preparation; visiting and taking Holy Communion to the sick; encouraging children to become friends of Jesus Christ; giving free counselling and providing a listening ear to people in difficulty.

We also cook hot food three or four times a week for the City’s homeless, assist with the Cathedral’s monthly community dinner for the disadvantaged and lend a hand to the St Vincent de Paul Society in distributing food and clothing to those in need.

However, the Institute’s special apostolate is the safeguarding of the rights of the unborn and helping struggling mothers. I was privileged as a young student in Rome in 1994 to be at the Mass, celebrated by John Paul II, for the Beatification of Gianna Beretta Molla an Italian paediatrician who is now a canonised saint. In 1961, towards the end of the second month of her pregnancy our Saint endured an agonizing fibroma of the uterus. She pleaded with the surgeon to save the life of the child she was carrying, and entrusted herself to prayer and Providence. The life was saved but a few days before the child was due, although trusting as always in Providence, she was ready to give her life in order to save that of her child: “If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child - I insist on it. Save him”. On the morning of April 21, 1962, Gianna Emanuela was born. Despite all efforts and treatments to save both of them, on the morning of April 28, amid unspeakable pain and after repeated exclamations of ‘Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you’, Gianna died.

You might describe her actions as a heroic example of sacrificial love. The same baby whose life was preserved is now a Doctor specialising in geriatrics who travels widely spreading the news of her Mum’s sanctity and promoting the culture of life. Incidentally, Dr. Gianna Emmanuela Molla read one of the readings for the Mass on that day of her Mum’ beatification – what a joy!

At the present time we liaise with the Sisters of the Gospel of Life in Glasgow and we hope to extend the pro-life work that they are doing there to the Diocese of Aberdeen under the patronage of Bishop Hugh Gilbert OSB. To the greater honour and glory of God. God bless you all.

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FMM Sisters bid farewell to Ellon

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t has been a busy and joyous time of late, at the church of Our Lady and St John the Baptist in Ellon, just outside of Aberdeen. Father Peter Macdonald was newly appointed as permanent priest in residence, having been ordained in St Mary’s Cathedral on the 13th June, following in the footsteps of Canon Raymond Coyle who retired after many years of dedicated service to the church and the Ellon district.

And on the 15th August, the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, (based in their Ellon house nearby), had requested that the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on that date, could also be a Thanksgiving Mass for the parishioners of Ellon as the Sisters left their residence in the town after many years Sister Vera, Sister Philomena, Sister Shizu and their companian, Evelyn of devoted service to the parish and people of Ellon. They have been held in the highest regard with the longest mission faith.” serving FMM Sister from the house in Ellon, Sister Vera, reaching Dr Glen Reynolds of the Secular Franciscans in Ellon, said, “Our her 60th anniversary of service to the Church, also in June. fraternity has been using the FMM house in Ellon for our monthly The Mass was concelebrated by Bishop Hugh Gilbert, Father gatherings since the 1980s and the Sisters have always been an Peter Macdonald and Canon Raymond Coyle.This was an historic inspiration. Their energy and enthusiasm for carrying out their occasion as the Ellon house had been used by the FMM for over 30 mission has always been an example to us in the Secular Franciscan years. There followed a “social” after Mass. The Sisters will be very Order. In fact, with their vacating the house, we hope to carry on much missed. The two Sisters at the house in Ellon are leaving for our gatherings at the church in Ellon, where the first fraternity FMM Houses in Dublin and Glasgow. meetings were conducted. We shall very much miss them, but their spirit will stay with us all.”

Diocesan offices and bishop’s residence moving to Old Aberdeen

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he administrative and pastoral offices of the diocese will relocate from Bishop’s House, 3 Queen’s Cross, to 14 The Chanonry, Old Aberdeen.

Aberdeen City Council approved an application from the diocese for partial change of use for the Old Aberdeen property on the 5th FMM Sisters - the icing on the cake!

November.

Sisters Vera Fox and Shizu Tamaki said, “ It is with sincere regret Bishop Hugh Gilbert commented: “I would like to thank that our mission life in Ellon has come to an end. We were always everyone involved in the consultation that took place during this impressed by the kindness and sincerity of the people. Their faith process, including residents, Councillors and Council Officers has helped us to be generous in our responsibility to impart our from the Planning and Roads Departments.

“This means we can now proceed to conclude contracts and purchase the house. Any actual moving is not likely to take place until the New Year. Following some 20 happy years at our current address, it is my hope that the new property, which is to be known as St Mary’s House, will prove ‘fit for purpose’, housing the diocesan offices, providing personal accommodation, and moreover functioning as a discreet place of hospitality and pastoral care, and proving a lasting asset for the diocese.

“It is wonderful to see the Bishop’s residence and offices located in this historic area. Old Aberdeen is a vibrant community that is filled with student activity and we are looking forward to our move to a place where our aim will be to make a welcoming presence with full respect for the character of this special locality.”

Sister Vera (left) and Sister Shizu (right) receiving a blessing from Bishop Hugh Page 6 161295 LOTN Advent 2016.indd 6

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Two monks from Pluscarden leave for monastery in Ghana

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n Saturday 6 August, on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Abbot President of the Subiaco-Cassinese Benedictine Congregation (Dom Bruno Marin), signed and promulgated a decree granting independence to the Monastery of Kristo Buase in Ghana.

Kristo Buase had been a dependent house of Prinknash Abbey, Pluscarden Abbey and St. Augustine’s Abbey since 1989.

Following the reception of that decree, Pluscarden Abbey's Dom Ambrose Flavell established his stability at Kristo Buase, and officially ceased at that point to be a monk of Pluscarden. Fr. Ambrose has spent much of his monastic life in Kristo Buase Monastery, with a period also in Rome, working in the Congregational Curia. He became especially well known to friends of Pluscarden, when, soon after his Priestly Ordination in 1995, he re-founded the Pluscarden Oblates.

The newly independent Kristo Buase community had to elect their own Prior, exercising thereby their right and duty in accordance with the laws of the Congregation. So on Monday 15 August, the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady, the election took place, presided over by Abbot Francis Baird of Prinknash. The community elected Dom Bede Kierney of Pluscarden as its first independent Prior.

Abbot President Bruno confirmed the election on the following Wednesday. Fr. Bede accepted the outcome as an expression of God's will and as an act of obedience, according to his monastic vows. After 41 years as a monk of Pluscarden, Fr. Bede thereby

Fr Bede Kierney OSB - Elected as first independent prior of Kristo Buase Monastery in Ghana officially ceased to be a member of the Pluscarden community, becoming instead a monk of Kristo Buase, with his own stability established there.

The elections clearly illustrate how the community of Pluscarden Abbey is asked to make a significant sacrifice for the sake of their brethren in Ghana. Fr. Abbot and the monks of Pluscarden do so willingly, trusting in the help of God and believing in His divine Providence, desiring above all to obey His loving will in all things.

Fr. Bede is well known in the Diocese of Aberdeen, even though he spent 18 years in Pluscarden's daughter house in America. He has given many scripture classes to groups, including deacons in training and the St. Andrew community in Aberdeen. He has been guestmaster at Pluscarden for the past few years, overseeing the Abbey quarterly magazine, and the popular Pentecost lectures.

The monks at the Abbey ask for the prayers of all their friends, especially for Fr. Bede, as with great generosity and faith he undertakes his new and demanding task: that in all things God may be glorified.

Glen Reynolds

Papal award for St Ninian’s Neil Leonard

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r. John Allen and the parishioners of St Ninian's are delighted that Neil Leonard has been recognised for his faithful work by receiving the Benemerenti Papal award. They hasten to add that this does not mean that Neil is about to retire from all the good works that he does!

Neil was born in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire and was baptised in St. Augustine's Church, Coatbridge. He married Christina in 1972 and they have one daughter. The family moved to Inverness in 1981 and became parishioners of St. Ninian's .

For 35 years Neil has single-handed carried out the maintenance of the extensive grounds at the church. He works in the church all day every Saturday doing practical jobs and is always on 24hr call should there be a problem with the fabric of the building. He spends many hours each week keeping the gardens and cutting the grass, clearing the snow and ice in the winter, including coming in at 7.30 a.m. in the dark on a Sunday to ensure all the steps, paths and car park are safe for the parishioners (the beautifully kept parklike grounds around the church offer seclusion and peace to many people.) He fulfills the duty of a pass-keeper at Mass and helps with the counting of the collection money. Indeed, a large part of his life is dedicated to looking after the parish

fabric and finances.

Neil has been an active member of the Knights of St. Columba and held the position of Treasurer. He is now a member of the Catenian Association. Neil has also worked in the wider community for the past 35 years as a Special Police Constable.

Neil receiving the award from Fr John Allen Page 7

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Youth rally and outdoor Mass at Stratherrick

to on rs n s

Following in the footsteps of Christian Revival gatherings

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Youth Rally for Jesus was hosted by the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Stratherrick, in the hills above Loch Ness, on Saturday 20th August.

The rally included faith exploration, music, drama, games, prayers, exposition and a rosary walk, and concluded with an outdoor Mass at the Grotto to Our Lady of the Highlands.

The day was led by Inverness clergy Fr. James Bell assisted by Deacon Patrick Darbyshire & Deacon Andrew Niski and a visiting Syrian Jesuit priest, Fr. Ghassan Sahoui SJ, along with the Daughters of Divine Love Sisters, who all joined with youngsters from Fort Augustus, Tain & Inverness.

Swimmers go extra miles to help Perthes’ sufferers

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orven and Vhairi Davies, from the Parish of St Margaret and the Sacred Heart, Lerwick, completed the Loch Ness Marathon on Sunday 25 September to celebrate the life and success of their little sister Erraid.

Erraid who suffers from Perthes’ disease, a condition of the hip, won a bronze medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games two years ago at the age of thirteen. It’s been a busy year for her as she is not only working for five “Highers” at school but has also made a brilliant start to the swimming season, focusing on her favourite long-distance events with the assistance of her Coach Lorraine and also Colin and Chris from Sports Scotland.

So far Morven and Vhairi have raised over £700 for the Perthes Association with the support of Shetland parishioners. Morven is currently a third year medical student at Edinburgh University and Vhairi is a first year Nursing Honours Student at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. Erraid hopes to study medicine.

Donations for the Perthes Association can still be made to the girls’ Just Giving Page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/vhairidavies or search Vhairi Davies.

he Banffshire Pilgrimage Group’s second pilgrimage took place on Saturday 3rd September and was a resounding success. The sun shone, and the joyful ecumenical spirit of pilgrims from different Banffshire churches resounded in various places in Banff, Macduff, and Gardenstown as they followed “In the footsteps of Revival”.

Traditional pilgrimage ingredients of community, hospitality, prayer, song, stories and reflection were prominent as the participants re-visited places that were important venues during the Revival gatherings of 19th/20th centuries.

Pilgrim Maureen Watt commented, “Although this pilgrimage was different in content, and we visited different places, I thought that it was both interesting and spiritually uplifiting.” Fellow pilgrim and musician Fiona Stewart added , “It was good to meet new people, and learn more about the rich Christian heritage that we have on our doorstep.”

The Banffshire Pilgrimage Group’s Coordinator, Rev. John Woodside, praised the hard work of the team saying, “The contribution from our small core group over the past year has yet again resulted in an excellent annual pilgrimage. The numbers of pilgrims have increased, their feedback has been most encouraging, and we look forward to planning our 2017 Banffshire Pilgrimage where an invitation is extended to everyone to journey with us to experience the benefits of pilgrimage, and discover the roots of Christianity that have grown in Banffshire since the 5th century.”

Vhairi, Erriad and Morven Davies

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Hosanna House and Children’s PilgrimageTrust -What’s it all about?

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Erin Young

ach Easter Sunday children and helpers from all over Scotland fly to Lourdes, France for a week’s pilgrimage holiday. Once there they meet up with over 1,000 other disabled and dis-advantaged children from many countries.

They are part of the international HCPT charity (Hosanna House and Children’s Pilgrimage Trust).

The children and young people are aged 10-18 years and are mainly referred through schools, churches or parents. All the children benefiting have learning disabilities, physical disabilities or are dis-advantaged. Young carers are also included. Half of the children are from a Catholic background.

Group 29 (Inverness) and Group 118 (Aberdeen) volunteer helpers are PVG checked, trained and meet up with the children and families several times. There is a group leader, a deputy, group nurse and chaplain as well as one helper allocated per child.

Group 29 and 118 commence recruiting children in September each year to join our small, caring, fun-packed, family sized groups for a week’s life-changing, pilgrimage holiday. It costs about £700 to take a child to Lourdes and the funds have to be raised locally.

To give you a taste of what happens on pilgrimage the following is a brief report of our 2016 Easter pilgrimage holiday: HCPT Group 118 Aberdeen flew from Glasgow to Lourdes on Easter Sunday. Our week consisted of daily Mass including the Trust Mass and two Scottish Region Masses. We had lovely weather the entire week. Our hotel meals were three and four courses for lunch and dinner. Each day we would visit a different cafe to have a soft drink and a sing song.

On our first day we were told the story of Lourdes and walked to the Grotto. In the evening we had a party where the children dressed as animals. On Tuesday we took the bus up to Gavarnie in the Pyrenees. We had a very cold Mass in one of the chapels.

That night there was the traditional torchlight procession. The children were given battery operated candles for safety. We sang our favourite “Rise and Shine” hymn just before fireworks were set off at Lourdes Castle.

On Wednesday morning we visited the old town where St Bernadette had lived. Later we went to Hosanna House and had Mass outdoors and then visited the “Petting Zoo”. That evening we had a “Minion” party in our hotel.

The following day we had the Trust Mass with our faces painted with the number “118” and the Scottish Saltire. There was another party that evening.

On Friday morning we went to the Baths – The water was cold!

We visited Saint Margaret’s statue and then went to the animal park. The children had great fun.

Saturday was shopping and then our closing Mass with the Scottish region. We had our last group meeting where we said thank you to everyone. On Sunday we travelled back home.

Interested in volunteering? Email: group118@hcpt.org.uk If you would like to make a donation either contact us directly or through the Just Giving donation page for HCPT Group 118 Aberdeen. www.hcpt.org.uk and look for Inverness Group 29 or Aberdeen Group 118.

HCPT volunteers in Lourdes with their mascot

Warm welcome for Deacon Niski at St Mary’s, Inverness

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r James Bell, parish priest of St Mary’s Inverness welcomes Deacon Andrew Niski to the busy parish where he will assist until his ordination on Friday 6th January, 2017.

It will be the first ordination in Inverness since Fr Bell was himself ordained to the priesthood twelve years ago.

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Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal for Gaynoll

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n the 5th September at St Thomas', Keith, there was a meeting of some of the clergy, young people and helpers who took part in World Youth Day this year - mainly those from the Elgin and Inverness areas. There was a Mass, an outline of ways of service for the young people, a presentation by them on WYD, music etc - a very joyful and uplifting occasion.

But there was a great surprise in store for one person attending - Gaynoll Craig who was the Diocese of Aberdeen WYD Krakow 2016 Co-ordinator. Bishop Hugh Gilbert OSB took the opportunity to present Gaynoll Craig with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal, mainly, though not only, for her work for young people in the diocese, especially as representing Aberdeen Diocese on the national body (CYSS, Catholic Youth Service Scotland) and more especially in all her great labours around the WYD event.

Whilst Aberdeen Diocese does not officially have a Youth Officer, Bishop Hugh stated that, "Gaynoll has done much of the work of one and shown great and consistent dedication, with all the responsibility that entails.”

Gaynoll was clearly very touched to receive the award: "In disbelief It dawned upon me that I was receiving a papal award! It was so unexpected and I had absolutely no idea but I am extremely honoured, grateful and privileged to accept the award in recognition of my voluntary roles within

Gaynoll Craig displays her award the Church and on behalf of others who have shared in my work as Diocesan World Youth Day Co-Ordinator (Madrid, Rio, Krakow), and as Bishops’ Conference Catholic Youth Services Scotland Rep. along with my work for the Mary’s Meals feeding programme in Liberia, Malawi, Haiti."

Bishop Hugh spoke of her huge contribution to the Church and Pope Francis acknowledged her inspiration, courage and determination in all she has undertaken sometimes in difficult situations.

Deanery Pilgrimage to St Mary's, Beauly

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he Highland Deanery held its annual pilgrimage on Saturday 10 September. This year's choice of location was to St Mary's, Beauly. The Bishop of Aberdeen, Hugh Gilbert OSB, was the Principal Celebrant at the special Pilgrimage Mass. Following the Mass, the congregation joined in a colourful procession along the main road, following a statue of Our Lady. The pilgrims sang the hymn 'Ave Maria', and the pilgrimage concluded with the recitation of a decade of the rosary and a blessing from the Bishop in the ruins of the Old Priory in Beauly.

Following the pilgrimage, a picnic was held in the grounds of St. Mary's Beauly.

Pictured in the ruins of the old priory are Bishop Hugh Gilbert OSB, It was a wonderful gathering on a beautiful day, in one of Bishop Emeritus Peter Moran, along with Fr. James Bell, Dean of the Scotland's oldest religious centres.

Highland Deanery, and priests and deacons from neighbouring parishes throughout the Highlands (Donald Shaw)

You Must be Joking!!!

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any of our churches are in need of funds for church maintenance, extensions or other projects. There are the "traditional" ways of raising funds: collections, sales, raffles, to mention just a few. Tim, a parishioner in Aberdeen, has come up with a rather funny novel idea.

Tim and his brother Rick have collated a book of jokes

with the sole purpose of helping charities raise money. The way it works is simple: Tim donates copies of the book to any church (or charity) who receives The Light of the North.

The church then sells the book for £4.99 and keeps the money. It's as simple as that! If you ask Tim to complete a Gift Aid form you can then claim an extra £1.25 for each book from the tax man.

If your church or charity want to take advantage of Tim’s side-splitting offer, you can email him at Tim@stapenhurst. co.uk

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diocese

Mass to pray for worldwide seafarers

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postleship of the Sea (AoS) were again delighted to mark a special occasion as they celebrated their annual Stella Maris Mass in St Mary's Cathedral, Aberdeen on Thursday, 22nd September and prayed for seafarers worldwide.

Almost 100 supporters, ship visitors and parish contacts gathered in the Granite City to carry on the success of last year's inaugural Mass.

Led by Bishop Stephen Robson, the charity's Bishop Promoter for Scotland, the well-attended evening 7pm Mass came in the same week as the feast of Our Lady Star of the Sea, the patron saint for seafarers whom AoS support both practically and spiritually.

Bishop Robson was joined by several members of clergy from the Aberdeen diocese and AoS' port chaplain for northeast Scotland, Doug Duncan, as well as the port chaplain for Clydeport, Deacon Joe O'Donnell, who both work closely with seafarers visiting these shores and further afield, many of whom experience hardships along the way.

In his inspiring homily, Bishop Robson praised the work of all those who assist in helping seafarers cope with the uncertainty and harshness which a life as sea invariably brings.

To mark such a memorable occasion, Bishop Robson commissioned Doug Duncan and ship visitors John Murray and Ruth Watt for their work in attending to the many needs of seafarers.

Bishop Robson said: “This is great work and we are very honoured to commission you in the name of Apostleship of the Sea. "It is wonderful to see so many supporters with the best interests of Apostleship of the Sea at heart present in this cathedral.

“As many of you know, seafarers face many difficulties and

Sr Chi renews her vows

Sr Chi with Sr Linda DDL, Provincial Superior of the Daughters of Divine Love, after renewing her vows

O

n the fifth of July Sister Chi from The Daughters of Divine Love renewed her vows at a Mass concelebrated by Frs James Bell, James Anjaegbu and Fr Ghassan Sahoui SJ at St Mary’s Inverness, a long way from Orlu, in Eastern Nigeria where Sr Chi served her four year novitiate.

Sr Chi’s Provincial Superior, Sr Linda DDL, made the trip from

The annual Stella Maris Mass was celebrated by Bishop Stephen Robson sometimes just having a shoulder to cry on can make all the difference.

He added, “I think we all know someone who has been at sea, is currently at sea or is contemplating a life at sea, and around 60 percent of them come from Catholic countries like the Philippines, and India, Poland and Italy.

“It is so important that we support them because they bring so many of the everyday goods we require to keep our country going, around 95 percent of all trade coming from sea."

Afterwards, a large number of those in attendance retired to the Cathedral Hall where they enjoyed some light refreshments, and took the opportunity to find out more about the work of AoS here in Scotland, prompting some to volunteer to ensure AoS can continue its work into the future.

London to receive Sr Chi’s annual renewal of the three-fold vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

Father James Bell said, "Sr Chi has already made an impact in the primary school nursery, where she has been adept at playing football with the little ones! Her cheerful personality, catchy sense of humour and willingness to get involved with the social apostolate has made her a respected member of the Parish community. An Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, Sr Chi is a member of the pastoral team visiting the hospitals, the housebound and those in nursing homes. She also assists Deacon Patrick Darbyshire in visiting and preparing worship in Inverness Prison. She is beginning to become acclimatised to the soft refreshing rain of the Highlands and the occasionally chilly weather."

Free Prayer App for Light of the North readers If you have an Android phone you can download our free Catholic prayer app from our website at www. lightofthenorth.org The app includes Mass prayers and responses, Marian prayers, Marian antiphons, the Rosary, prayers of the Saints, Litanies, Stations of the Cross and a useful facility for recording prayer intentions.

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obituary

Paul Miller: soldier, councillor, activist and Pluscarden oblate Alison Shaw

W

ith his customary trenchcoat and signature black glasses, Paul Miller cut a familiar and distinctive figure across Aberdeenshire but few knew that his trademark shades and unusual accent hid a fascinating legacy spanning two of the 20th century’s most tumultuous events.

Though best known for his enthusiasm for his Keep Grampian Beautiful campaign and prodigious community work in the North-east, it transpired his roots were many thousands of miles away in Russia and Lithuania.

His parents, Russian cabinet maker Victor Paulonis and his Lithuanian wife Cecilia, had fled persecution before the Russian Revolution of 1917. Their youngest son, the last of their nine children, was born that year in England and named not Paul Miller but George Paulonis. Later he would serve Britain during the Second World War, sustaining terrible injuries in a landmine explosion that left him with shrapnel embedded in his skull and a lifetime of migraines, resulting in the perennial wearing of dark glasses.

His suffering of the debilitating condition led to him set up the Migraine Trust in Scotland, in the hope of finding a cure.

But that was just one of a plethora of initiatives he embraced: a former army major, he was a farmer, environmentalist, councillor, champion of the disadvantaged, catalyst of a self-build housing association and potential Benedictine monk. His life was so rich and varied that many suggested he should write a book but he was simply far too busy to devote time to that.

As a boy of 13 his life was profoundly affected by the loss of his mother and a few years later, in 1934, he followed his brother William into the armed forces. He joined the 12th Corps of Royal Engineers and was posted to Palestine, then a British Mandate.

During the Second World War he saw action in the Western Desert and was permanently scarred when he was blown up by a landmine.He later served in the Far East and Italy.

In peacetime he continued his army service, in Holland and Germany where he met his future wife Monica, an ATS officer, and they married in 1949.

A posting in Berlin followed, before heading for the Far East again, first to Singapore and then to Kluang in Malaya as deputy commander of the Royal Engineers. After a brief stint back in the UK he was posted to Dusseldorf. From there he went to Tripoli and Cyprus before retiring as a major in 1961 and returning to the UK. By this time he had a son and daughter and the family decided to settle in the Scottish coastal community of Balmedie.

After a month’s training, with Maitland Mackie the patriarch of a well-known farming family, he set himself up in a small-holding at Menie Park, now part of Donald Trump’s golfing estate.

That year he also joined St Peter’s Catholic parish and became increasingly involved with the parish over the next 55 years. His community work began after he was asked to attend the local Belhelvie Community Association AGM and emerged from the gathering as its secretary and treasurer, serving as chairman for 26

Paul Miller RIP Born: 22 October, 1917 in Warwickshire.

Died: 14 August, 2016, in Aberdeenshire, aged 98 (Picture contributed by Alison Shaw) years. Urged on by his children he organised a weekly youth club and also began sand yachting along the expansive beach.

The lack of trees along the coast prompted him to start a mass planting campaign in 1965 and he rallied volunteers to plant hundreds of thousands of saplings. Almost 25 years later there were said to be 13 million trees.

The erosion of local sand dunes by gales also galvanised him into action and he organised volunteers to transplant marram grass to try to stabilise the dunes, work that continued for over 40 years.

His local government career started in 1967 when a retiring councillor nominated him as his successor in the County Council’s Belhelvie ward. Miller’s environmental interests soon saw him become publicity officer and later chairman of the Keep Aberdeenshire Tidy campaign. After local government reorganisation he initiated the Keep Grampian Beautiful (KGB) campaign and the annual Best Kept School contest. During a visit to Balmoral Castle, where he had been invited to advise on pine trees, a comment by Prince Philip about derelict farm buildings prompted Miller to launch the Best Kept Farmstead competition.

He also roped in local prisoners to clean up Balmedie beach.

In the 1970s he considered the monastic life and became an Oblate after a ten-day retreat at Pluscarden Priory but he was advised that path was not for him.

When the North Sea boom sent house prices soaring he tackled the lack of affordable homes by forming the Caledonian SelfBuild Housing Association, raising £17 million to obtain sites

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obituary and planning permission, aiming to build 350 homes.

He set up Delta – the Disabled, Elderly, Lonely and Those Associated – which he ran for 25 years, organising get-togethers for hundreds each week plus pilgrimages to places including Lourdes, Medjugorje and the Holy Land. He chaired the Grampian committee for International Year of Disabled People, worked to introduce a community alarm scheme, began a branch of the Order of Christian Unity, was received into the Order of St John and awarded the Benementi Medal by Pope John Paul II. He served three local authorities, latterly as deputy chairman of

Grampian Region’s social work committee.

At 85, he finally scaled down his commitments but continued with the Migraine Action Association until 2005 and remained chair of the Belhelvie Senior Citizen committee, which he began more than 50 years ago, until his death. Latterly his great joy was the next generation, his two great grandsons whom he regularly looked after, often tending trees together. He is survived by them, his granddaughter Nicola and daughter Maggie.

A se r look ies whi c s prac at som h t and ical iss e ue co eve ncerns s ryda y life of .

Here’s How to ...........

Avoid the pitfalls of not having a will

C

Ruth Lussier

onsidering what will happen to your estate and family following your death can be a daunting prospect. For this reason, many people put off having a Will prepared. However, dying intestate (without a Will) can cause delay, expense and distress to your family when your estate is being wound up.

Appointment of Executors One of the first things we do in a Will is to appoint your Executors. These are the people responsible for ensuring the administration of your estate is carried out correctly. You should choose people you absolutely trust and who would be capable of taking on this role. However, without a Will, you have no say in who is going to act as your Executor. Instead, someone (usually a family member) will require to apply to the Court to have themselves appointed. This can cause delay and additional expense that could otherwise have been avoided.

More importantly, anyone with a right to inherit from your estate can seek to be appointed (which as we will see, can include distant relatives you may barely know!). The court has no discretion to refuse an application, which means that in the worst case someone entirely unsuitable and untrustworthy could be appointed. If the Court receives more than one petition, they will simply appoint those competing parties as joint executors. If these people do not get along and refuse to agree on anything, this can be a disaster!

Bonds of Caution When there is not a Will in place, in most circumstances your Executors will require to obtain what is known as a “Bond of Caution”. This is provided by an insurance company and is a guarantee that the estate will be dealt with correctly. It is

there for the benefit of beneficiaries (those entitled to inherit from your estate) and creditors. If any of them are not paid, they can make a claim on the policy. Although this will be met by the insurance company, they will then seek to recover those funds from your Executors. The insurance company can impose additional requirements, such as the need to employ tracing agents to prepare a family tree. A one-off premium has to be paid to the insurers from your estate and this cost is directly related to the value of your assets. The premium can range from a few hundred pounds, up to tens of thousands of pounds. This is money that would otherwise have gone to your family if a Will had been in place.

Choice of Beneficiaries Perhaps the most serious issue that arises if you do not have a Will is that you have no say or control over who inherits from your estate. This is instead governed by law.

Page 13

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diocese There is a common misconception that if someone is married, his or her spouse will inherit the entire estate when there is no Will in place. But this is not always the case. If you are married, your spouse has certain entitlements in your estate – but only up to specific values. If your estate is worth more than these entitlements, then your spouse will not inherit everything. At that point any children you have can then be entitled to inherit the remainder of your estate.

However, if you do not have children, the remainder of your estate (or your entire estate if you are not married) will pass to other family members, determined by law. Who will inherit depends on what surviving family members you have, but can include your parents or siblings, or more distant relatives such as cousins or their children.

Without a Will in place, (unless the beneficiaries determined by law all agree) funds cannot pass to charities, or close friends who you may have wanted to benefit from your estate.

When having your Will prepared, it is important to also specify fall back beneficiaries who will inherit should the first named person fail to survive you. Otherwise, part of your estate may not be covered by your Will and those beneficiaries specified by law will instead be entitled to it.

Other matters covered in a Will Putting in place a Will also allows you to have a say in relation to other matters.

If you have young children, you can state who you would wish to be appointed as their Guardian in the event of your death. Whilst such an appointment is not legally binding, it would be given weight by the Court when making any decision. If there is no Will in place, there may be no written

record of your feelings on this matter.

You can also specify how funds being inherited by young beneficiaries are to be dealt with – for example by saying they should be held in trust until the beneficiaries reach an age specified by you, or paid over to their guardian.

Your Will can also set out your wishes in relation to funeral instructions. If this is something you have not discussed with your family, without a Will they may not know what you would have wanted and could find planning your funeral even more difficult.

Having a Will prepared can also be beneficial in terms of Inheritance Tax planning, ensuring that you can make the most of the allowances and exemptions which exist.

Conclusion It is never too early to have your Will put in place, and doing so can give you peace of mind that your affairs are in order. As you will see, having a Will can simplify the administration of your estate and avoid additional costs being incurred. More importantly, it can ensure your wishes are carried out and save unnecessary distress for your family at what is already a difficult time for them.

Ruth Lussier is a solicitor with Solicitors, Raeburn Christie Clark & Wallace and provides clients with advice on a range of private client matters, including the preparation of Wills and Powers of Attorney, care cost planning and executry administration.

Raeburn Christie Clark & Wallace 1/2 page

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witness

A journey in faith or passage is correct, when I can read five different authors all within Protestantism and get five different views? It was a profound and scary question because the answer is that there is no real way of n August 14th 2016 I became a Catholic. I have knowing, you just kind of decide what you want to believe based been a Christian for 12 years but on that day I on you. It became a crisis in my faith and one night in desperation, officially swam the Tiber and joined the many and possibly my last as a Christian I searched for an evening service other Protestants who, by God’s grace, discovered to go to, a last throw of the dice at Christianity.

It just so happened that the only church I could get to was a that the Catholic church, far from being wrong, misleading or as people in certain circles might call her “the whore of Catholic one. I remember nothing of the Mass but as I gazed up at Jesus on the Cross I couldn’t help but answer like Peter did in Babylon”, was true biblically and historically.

I can tell you without any doubt if someone had come up to John 6; “Lord to whom would I go?” That night didn’t make me me a year ago and said I would do this I would have thought Catholic but it opened me to investigate Catholicism. I knew that they had lost their mind or I was going to. That tells you how if I was to stay a believer I would need to find some answers to my strongly a Protestant can feel about the Catholic Church! I was questions and I began to look to see if the Catholic Church would never sectarian about Catholics but nevertheless,I doubted whether have any.

As I dug into the Catholic Church my prejudices and they would go to Heaven. It seemed obvious that the Church Jesus founded was Protestant by nature, if not by name. It was the Popes misconceptions were overwhelmed. I had got so much wrong. and the Cardinals who ruined it for everyone. I enjoyed meeting When I read Catholic commentary on difficult verses in the Bible Catholics because I could work at proving to them how wrong they I was shocked to find their explanation seemed to make more sense were and, if I am honest with you, I found none who really had any and harmonised better.

But of course, for any Protestant the big theological deal is sort of defence.

The church I have been part of for the last ten years is an Justification. This was the great hinge on which the door of the evangelical charismatic church which means a bible believing Reformation swung. For Protestants this is key and gives assurance (no sacred tradition) church that promotes the gifts of the spirit to your eternal destiny. I was open to try and see the Catholic – including tongues/prophecy. There are many good things about point of view but I didn’t really hold out that it would make any these kinds of churches. They tend to demand a response to the biblical sense. But I was wrong. It was like scales from my eyes were question – who is your Lord? I.e. Is God number one in your life removed…” So that’s how Paul and James fit together… that’s how I can harmonise Jesus with Paul”. It became apparent to me that it and, if so, what are you going to do about it?

It’s not so easy to just turn up for a service anonymously and go was we Protestants who had got it wrong, the Catholics were right home again. You have visitor teams that snag with you a jaunty all along. The day I accepted their reading of justification was the hello and an invite to the tea and coffee area. There’s the cards given day I leapt into the Tiber.

The other great turning point was on the role of tradition. to you that ask for your details and whether you enjoyed the service.

It’s called the Seeker sensitive model. It’s designed to help a person Regardless of the denomination there is a way of reading scripture integrate into the community and feel welcome. There’s the music that suits their own particular focus or structure. Traditions and (Rock/Modern) and the snappy sermons with titles like Five Ways history of the particular church guide the commentaries used, to Make a Difference or Seven Ways to Be a Better You. They’re all authors that are promoted and of course the reading of various bullet pointed or filled with acronyms to help you remember the doctrines. Was the Holy Spirit confused I wondered? Did he say to some the Gifts of the Spirit are dead and to others they exist? Did details of the sermon.

Most of those things about evangelical charismatic churches are He change his mind on ecclesiology? What about the Eucharist? not bad and in fact are things (some) that maybe Catholic parishes A Lutheran and an Anglican can find a fairly close parallel to the should look into adopting but as I gradually dug for more of Jesus I Catholic Church but do not even suggest it to a Baptist!

Most Christians are trying to sincerely follow their God but God was struck by the shallow or at worse flagrantly erroneous theology.

The lack of historical ties, the fads, the trends and superstar pastors must have realised how fractious we are; could He not have initiated that come and go. These churches are excellent at getting you to a body to make sure correct doctrine is followed? Did the Apostles evangelize and believe it’s possible to see a nation turn to Christ really envisage this? Then I understood what the Catholics meant but their foundations tend to be shallow and soft and therefore can about sacred tradition…. The Popes….Councils….Creeds…. The magisterium and of course the Church Fathers. I had an answer to create shallow and soft Christians.

It all came to a head one day when I asked myself a simple my question on Interpretation.

I couldn’t help but acknowledge that maybe this Catholic thing question; how do I know this particular interpretation of this verse

O

Eric Hanna

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witness might be the way forward.

When you are a convert you tend to think a great deal about many things that cradle believers already assume or are assumed to believe by the church leaders. I was bowled over by Mass. It is so biblical. The Homily is set in such a way that you hear a large portion of the bible over the year and portions that are not exactly in people’s Top Ten. The repetition’s designed to reinforce belief and faith and of course the great centre point of the Mass – the Eucharist. How can a Catholic leave I wondered?

This is where I need to bring in my Wife. She is the other most important person in this whole Journey. She was born a Catholic and, to her, still is one, but found that the Church did not teach her enough, or well enough, about a faith life, so moved to the same charismatic church I became part of. Mass was very boring to her and not inspiring. It seems the Church does well at teaching when you’re eight but doesn’t seem to sustain it past Confirmation. It’s

like it’s assuming you remember the why’s and what’s of life with God. Thankfully the church is recognising this and is changing but if we are to keep our people, adults need regular teaching too.

It’s not been easy on my wife; we have children so we are desperate not to confuse them or destabilise their future faith. But I think it’s been interesting for her to rediscover the faith of her childhood and my hope is that she embraces it again someday.

On August the 14th I was Confirmed. It was very moving for me, I nearly choked on the incense but apart from that my very first Eucharist was amazing. I have to thank the priests in the Inverness parishes, Fr Bell especially for how they helped me and guided me to the right answers. I also have to point out a great resource of any Christian looking into Catholicism, that is the Coming Home Network which is a network of Christians from other traditions who want to help others discover the beauty, fullness, and truth of the Church ( www.chnetwork.org)

Six Decades in the Carmel Light In a three part series, starting with the first “two decades”, Tina Harris sets out on a personal journey highlighting her association with the Carmelite tradition, dating from primary school and leading to her current work with the Apostleship of the Sea.

Tina Harris THE FIRST DECADE begins in London I was born in the Salvation Army Mothers Hospital to an unmarried Catholic teenager. I was given up for adoption, and although I was neither unwanted nor lacking in love, I was denied my natural birthright, my heritage and my mother, by social and economic circumstances.

But God had a plan.

A few years later, whilst learning about the nuns who were faced with the task of educating me I was intrigued, not to know what drew our foundress in the first instance to enter Carmel, but the reasons she left!

St Magdalene of Canossa was to leave the cloisters of Carmel on two occasions.

What could this Carmel place be!

At the age of eight, I was convinced such a place must be in the Holy Land. Where else would it be? And so my fascination began; the mystery of Carmel, and why Magdalene had a choice. This must have been a miracle! We had no choices with the nuns.

But, dear Mother Anne explained, she had the call to leave the Order of Discalced Carmelites, to found her own Order; The Canossian Sisters of Charity.

Having the courage to change your mind is the sign of a strong and committed person, Mother Anne had said. Something I have never forgotten.

At that age, I would jump at any chance to annoy our Canossian sisters, who wore black, by drawing pictures of nuns in brown!

In confession Canon Kelly told me that all nuns loved Jesus and prayed to Mary and that they wore different uniforms in the same way as girls from different schools. I should say a decade of the Rosary to Our Lady as penance. It was dark in the church and I saved the penance for the morning.

In the school hall was a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, with the six decade rosary, and nearby, a smaller statue of St Theresa of Lisieux, with the brown scapular. I said my pink rosary on the steps between the two.

We were expected to place flowers at the statue of Our Lady on a Monday morning. I was always last and there was rarely enough room for more flowers. On most occasions I placed my posy beside St Theresa.

Where it all began - Salvation Army Mothers’ Hospital, London And so began my shaky relationship with The Little Flower and the brown scapular.

THE SECOND DECADE – of discovery The brown scapular is a practice of piety which by its very simplicity is suited to everyone, and has spread widely among the faithful of Christ to their spiritual profit, said Pope Pius XII. Pope Pius XII died in 1958, despite our indoctrination that he was infallible!

How could there be another Pope? But soon there was, and Pope John XXIII came with less of the distant coldness of his predecessor. Pope John came with a smile.

‘We are drawn’, he said, ‘with a most tender, yet irresistible attraction to Our Lady of Mount Carmel’.

The nuns had told us smiling was a sin. The new pope was to be a big hit, and the herald of great change.

Confirmation in Westminster Cathedral in 1962 was officiated by the Archbishop-elect John Carmel Heenan, in Latin, ad orientem.

Curiosity had made us giggle during Mass at the Cardinal’s middle name, and we were in trouble with the nuns. Giggling was a more serious sin than smiling!

Fr Heenan had been parish priest in the parish in which I was born. I remember people would kneel for a blessing as he passed them in the street.

God moves in mysterious ways indeed to create our earthly path.

As a young teenager I experienced the impact of Vatican II, and its bad timing with other things in the world and in my life. I wanted to be removed completely from nuns and their teaching. I began to distrust them.

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witness My adoptive father died, Pope John XXIII died, President Kennedy was shot, railways closed and Mass was said in English. Life changed, and when dear Mother Anne died it was the last straw. At her requiem the priest said she had been set free. I felt even more imprisoned. Here was the need for prayer.

I began to question my faith in a wider context. But however much I questioned, it would not go away. I changed school to one without nuns, and where I was given time to review my options.

I even taught Sunday School in a Methodist church for a few weeks. The children liked Jesus and I liked the children. God, I found, was everywhere.

There was harmony, light and love, instead of the harsh lessons of the cane and penance, statues and rosaries…’things’. I found this new experience particularly liberating.

Martin Buber, the Jewish philosopher, suggests that a greater involvement in ‘things’ makes us less available to people; to understand them, to share with them and to be with them. The relationship agenda is being forgotten. People have far more gifts than ‘things’, to offer. Life flows from one to another. It is called love.

My faith, although I did not realise it at that time, was turning inwards, and I was beginning to contemplate, but at the same time I began to realise that relationships were of the utmost importance.

The new school taught love and justice, equality and consequence. We were urged to develop the contemplative dimension of our lives. A Carmel light, indeed, growing to a greater freedom and understanding of purpose.

Moving through the curriculum of religious studies, I found the Land of Carmel in the deliberations of the prophet Jeremiah. I was prompted to read more, and found Carmel also mentioned in Isaiah, and in the Targum Judges and Psalms (Aramaic), which was oral tradition rather than liturgy.

My quest for knowledge of the spiritual and mystical led me to sign up to read Theology at university, as part of my teaching degree, and gave me the opportunity to study the fourth canonical gospel in more depth, as well as the turbulent history of Israel. The Six-Day War happened at this point, and two of my Jewish fellow-students went out there to ‘help’. I remember being envious of their deep sense of belonging, and their courage.

This path of learning, back in the London metropolis, certainly broadened my outlook, and I was able to fit myself, rather uncomfortably as a cradle Catholic, into the great circle of cultural diversity. But weathering such diversity was like heading for a hairpin bend in a Reliant Robin.

Andre Chouraqui, the deputy mayor of Jerusalem at this time, translated the fourth Gospel into French. In his introduction he says, ‘A book like this fourth Gospel seems to flow from a deep silence, where the Word of God is revealed as logos, the living word. And it is from this silent contemplation that we are called to read, understand, interpret and translate this work of John’ To understand the Gospel of John, we have to go back to the history of the people of Israel. In order to let this gospel unfold, we have to claim and love this heritage. People reach greater maturity as they find the freedom to be themselves, and to claim, love, and respect their personal story with its brokenness and its beauty, and its relationship with God. Between leaving school and starting university, I was to see a painting

by Salvador Dali in an art gallery in Glasgow. It was the famous ‘St John of the Cross’. Something had led me there that day, and the painting hung in pride of place so that you saw it as you descended the great staircase.

A few months later the building closed for years of renovation and I gave up hope of ever seeing it again. But I referred time and time again to the postcard copy I bought in the museum shop for 4d. Our Lord on a cross from a different angle, towering over a very small boat. That little boat was to have a great legacy in my life.

I researched the works of St John of the Cross, mystic, poet and prisoner.

The contemplative Carmel mind leans towards suffering and atonement.

The works of this great Carmelite reformer were among the first theological works I read as a young adult, and he was to greatly influence my thinking.

Not many people are aware that St John Paul was an honorary member of the Carmelite Order and wore the brown scapular, which he received on his first communion. His major influence in adult life was St John of the Cross - the subject of his doctoral thesis, in 1948. The only reason he did not join the novitiate was that the Carmelites were not accepting novices due to the war. During his pontificate he beatified twenty Carmelites, canonised four Carmelite saints and nominated fourteen Carmelite bishops. He also managed to have a Discalced Carmelite community in the grounds of the Vatican!

For many years I continued my struggle to understand why Blessed Magdalene of Canossa did not stay in Carmel. She did the same work and aspired to the same values. But she was called by God to live in the community and work among the people. She was not to be a contemplative.

She was an advocate for the poor, and canonised by St John Paul in 1988, but as I grew in faith the practical side of me saw I could never become a nun!

My interest in people, both as a friend and as a teacher expanded to every possible level – their love, their interaction, their anger and their fear; their weakness and their resilience.

The legacy of the boat at the foot of the cross of Salvador Dali, through the Holy Spirit, led me back to the London docks, and about as far removed from Carmel as I could be, working with destitute ex-seafarers.

My childhood imagination had been right; the foundation house of the Carmelite Order is in Israel, on Mount Carmel. It is called the Stella Maris Monastery. Ave Maris Stella became my anthem. Star of the Sea. Contemplating faith with prayer and service is the fundamental element of Carmel. I was not destined to spend my life teaching, or in a convent, but enabling, empathising and listening. I learned not to dwell on the problem, but to work towards a solution.

You cannot pray for the past.

Why six decades?

Roughly half of the rosaries in modern collections that survive from medieval times consist of six decades instead of five. The Carmelite Rosary has six decades and many of the statues of Our Lady, including the one at Lourdes, depict a rosary with six decades. In the late 19th century, a story became popular that when 14-year-old Bernadette Sobirous first witnessed the apparition at Lourdes, Our Lady recited the rosary with her. But when Bernadette came to the end of her five-decade rosary, one decade still remained on the rosary Mary held. “What are those beads for?” asked the girl. Mary answered, “Those beads are for the dead.”

There is a legend that St Theresa of Avila once visited a Bridgettine monastery in Spain and was introduced there to the rosary with six decades, and she decided to adopt it for the Discalced Carmelite community.

And there is a theory that the sixty three beads represent the years of the life of Mary Mother of God here on earth.

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liturgy

MY F A V O U R I T E HYM N S Fr Stuart Chalmers, Vicar General of the Diocese of Aberdeen, shares his favourite hymns with Dr Roger Williams MBE, former Master of Chapel and Ceremonial Music at the University of Aberdeen.

‘Hymns touch the mind and heart and are deeply connected to memory and experience. You can be struck by word or music, and simplicity can have a profound effect, too. Hymns raise the mind to God and go right to the core of our being. They can provoke us, inspire us or bring us peace. Hymns that are close to one’s heart might be connected directly to family devotion, or might be rich in other connections to people, places or experiences.

When preparing for weddings and funerals, occasions on which emotions run high, the resonance of background associations can be particularly important.’

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ith these comments Father Stuart began our discussion on the place of hymns in prayer.

In approaching his own favourite hymns, he grouped them according to key themes and influences: saints and places, devotion, vocation, praise and invocation, trust and hope.

The sense of praise is often well expressed in music. Praise to the Holiest in the Height, with its text by Blessed John Henry Newman, is one such, not only as in the hymn settings, but also in Elgar’s wonderful choral setting of Newman’s whole text, The Dream of Gerontius, with the melody emphasising the word ‘Praise’. While speaking of that composer, Fr Stuart expressed his love of Elgar’s Ave Verum Corpus – an early composition of great beauty. Fr Stuart also pointed to Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven, with its text based on psalm 103 and music by Sir John Goss, and Hail Redeemer, King Divine, as both fine hymns of praise. The latter, written by Patrick Brennan, a Redemptorist priest, reflects both the influence of saints in Fr Stuart’s choice of hymns and also his period of studies in the Alphonsianum in Rome, which is run by the Redemptorists, the order founded by St Alphonsus de Liguori.

He discussed the importance of saints as an inspiration, referring to hymns by James Quinn, S.J. This Day God gives me, (the original text ascribed to Saint Patrick) or Christ be beside me, (adapted from

Fr Stuart Chalmers St.Patrick’s Breastplate), extending to other Irish hymns, such as Be Thou my vision, (with an Irish text from 8th.century),and Christ be near at either hand by John Fennelly, with its traditional Irish melody or the more recent setting by Noel Donnelly. All these are hymns are easily accessible for people to sing together and invite us to deepen our trust in the Lord and recognise his constant presence in our lives. Fr Stuart has very fond memories of his visits to Assisi and St Francis is also a favourite saint, and so Make me a channel of your peace (based on the prayer of St. Francis) is an important prayer to him. He finds the gentle folk tune of O Waly Waly to fit the sentiment of the words particularly well.

Returning to St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787), the patron Saint of moral theologians, Fr Stuart highlighted that, as well as his prolific theological and spiritual writing, St Alphonsus was a hymn writer. O Bread of Heaven, with its associated 19th century tune by H.F.Hémy, has an strong emotional quality. Some of his hymns do not translate so well into English. One example is Tu scendi dalle stelle (You come down from the stars), the equivalent, one might say, of Away in a manger.

Hymns to the Holy Spirit and to God’s love are another key category, with Come down, O Love Divine with words by Bianco da Siena (died 1434) to the tune Down Ampney by Vaughan Williams.

Also, God is Love by Percy Dearmer – to the tune Personent Hodie from the Renaissance collection Piae Cantiones (1582), with its arrangement by Gustav Holst – is another favourite. Veni Sancte Spiritus particularly the Taizé version with the added descants, and Ubi Caritas, are both simple, repetitive chants, which enable everyone singing to focus and to settle calmly into a time of prayer.

We broke off to discuss use of Latin and chant in the context of the rich diversity of language, culture and rite in our Diocese.

Our Diocese is blessed with congregations that comprise so many countries, and so the musical heritage they bring will also vary widely. Indeed, as Holy Family Parish celebrates Masses in two Catholic rites, Roman Rite and Syro-Malabar Rite, one can experience there two different styles of liturgical music, each with its own distinctive long-standing forms of chant. At points, in the Roman Rite liturgies Fr Stuart incorporates Latin, such as Tantum Ergo or Salve Regina to traditional Latin chant or Taizé chants, which people readily join in singing.

We also discussed the use of English chant, enabling a wider accessibility of many chants, especially now that many are published in Missals with the new translation. The plainchants for the Lamb of God (sung to plainchant Mass XVI, notated around

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educationandformation the turn of the first millennium and sung to mode iii) and Lord have mercy (sung to Plainchant Mass XVIII possibly dating from the twelfth century); in both of these what you are singing clearly engages the mind and heart, with the basic shapes of the melody going hand in hand with the words, to create an expressive unity of purpose. We also considered the Gloria in the new translation, with its irregular prose format, and the difficulties that this poses for musical composition.

Hymns to Our Lady – Of one that is so fair and bright, a medieval text with a melody by Monsignor Francis Duffy – ‘is one we used to sing at the Scots College in Rome and is a personal favourite.’ It has therefore very strong associations, and is reflective and gentle.

Holy Virgin by God’s decree – a setting of words by Jean-Paul Lécot to a folk-type tune by Paul Décha, ‘and, of course, Our Lady of Aberdeen, which, as a child, I heard every Saturday in the Cathedral at the Votive Mass of Our Lady’.

Sacred Heart devotion was part of Fr Stuart’s family prayer life, and so hymns to the Sacred Heart are important to him too, such as Sweet Heart of Jesus, (by Sister Marie Josephine to a traditional melody), and Soul of my Saviour (with text by Francis Stanfield, 1835-1914 based on the Anima Christi attributed to Pope John XXII 1249-1334), are expressions of prayerful sincerity. There are hymns that refer to a sense of calling. Lord you have come to the

Seashore, a translation of the original Spanish hymn, Pescador de Hombres has a strong vocational quality. This hymn in its Polish translation, Barka, was a great favourite of Pope St John Paul II. Here I am, Lord (the chorus of the hymn by Daniel Schutte – I the Lord of sea and sky), and Oh, the word of my Lord (by Estelle White b.1925), also speak of being called by Christ and of our relationship with Him. The Cantique de Jean Racine, the paraphrase by Racine of the Latin Matins hymn Consors Paterni Luminis set by the French composer Fauré in his late teens, is a wonderful piece, marrying music and words, which speak of the Word of God as our only hope. The subject of hope has given rise to many works including Spem in Alium by the English Tudor composer Thomas Tallis. It sets a text adapted from the book of Judith , expressing hope and trust in God’s mercy: I have never put my hope in any other but in You, O God of Israel who can show both anger and graciousness, and who absolves all the sins of suffering man Lord God, Creator of Heaven and Earth be mindful of our lowliness

Calling on the Holy Name

of the principal exponents associated with Mt Sinai is St John Climacus, the wise and compassionate Abbot of St Catherine’s in the early 7th century.

St John was asked to write the work which, for many, was to become the guide to achieving stillness in the presence of God, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, which is still read in Orthodox monasteries during Lent each year, the Fourth Sunday of Lent being dedicated to him. Its purpose was to warn of the pitfalls along the spiritual journey; to offer the benefit of his personal experience and that of “wiser Fathers”; and to teach the practical steps necessary to cleanse one’s soul of bodily passions, using the traditional image of a spiritual ladder. His ideal of prayer was gradually to get rid of all distractions and eventually adopt a single word: “Try not to talk excessively in your prayer, in case your mind is distracted by the search for words. One word from the publican sufficed to placate God, and a single utterance saved the thief. Talkative prayer frequently distracts the mind and deludes it, whereas brevity makes for concentration.” Through the perfection of hesychia, it should be possible to achieve apatheia, to rid oneself totally of the passions, to come eventually to closer union with God. “Stillness,” he said, “is worshipping God unceasingly and waiting on Him. Let the remembrance of Jesus be present with your every breath. Then indeed you will appreciate the value of stillness.”

He placed great stress on divine love – love is the way and love is the goal. To reach this end, one must mount all 30 steps of the spiritual ladder, conquering all earthly passions on the way, with the Jesus Prayer as a powerful aid, helping one to reach perfect stillness, whether asleep or awake, by constantly keeping the thought of the Lord in one’s heart. “So let the remembrance of death and the concise Jesus Prayer go to sleep with you and get up with you, for nothing helps you as these do when you are asleep.”

Relationship with Jesus is like a love affair: “Someone truly in love keeps before his mind’s eye the face of the beloved and embraces it there tenderly. Even during sleep the longing continues unappeased, and he murmurs to his beloved. That is how it is for the body. And that is how it is for the spirit. A man wounded by love had this to say about himself – ‘I sleep, but my heart is awake because of the

The Holy Name of Jesus refers to the theological and devotional use of the name of Jesus. In the fourth instalment of this series of articles Eileen Grant examines the influence of St John Climacus, Abbot of St Catherine’s at Mt Sinai in the 7th century, and author of the guide to achieving stillness in the presence of God, ‘The Ladder of Divine Ascent’.

Eileen Grant

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hroughout the 5th and 6th centuries the pursuit of dispassion and the attainment of inner silence preoccupied the Desert Fathers. When Emperor Justinian I built St Catherine’s Monastery at Mt Sinai as a shelter to protect the monks in the desert, there arose the movement that came to be identified with Sinaitic Spirituality, which transmitted the hesychast, or Jesus Prayer, tradition throughout Eastern Christianity, eventually reaching Mt Athos in Greece and echoing down to our own times. One

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educationandformation abundance of my love’”; but this is a love affair that never ends and that is wholly pure. When he reaches Dispassion, the “uncompleted perfection of the perfect”, a person is “at rest even in the midst of affliction, lifted up to the contemplation of God”. He “no longer lives in himself, but it is Christ who lives in him … the ultimate goal of prayer – unity with God.” At the summit, he who arrives finds Faith, Hope and Love – “but the greatest of these is Love”, since that is the very name of God Himself: pure, immeasurable, unadulterated Love which inebriates the soul and suffuses one’s whole being with light, warmth and sweetness.

St John’s contemporary, St Maximus, also insisted on the benefit of short prayers: “He who has attained perfect love is the person who says Lord Jesus in the Holy Spirit … He who possesses love possesses God Himself, for God is Love.” Only when the intellect is cleansed of all passion can it enter into God’s presence and pray as it should.

“What is prayer? (asked Isaac the Syrian) It is the mind detached from earthly things and the whole heart pointed to that in which it hopes. Those who would see the Lord should purify their hearts with the continual remembrance of God. They will reach the contemplation of God in every moment, and within all will be light.”

In the 9th century Hesychius taught the importance of watchfulness, interior attentiveness and guarding of the heart, together with devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. “To invoke Jesus continually with a sweet longing is to fill the heart in its great attentiveness with joy and tranquillity. But it is Jesus Christ, the

Son of God and himself God, cause and creator of all blessings, who completely purifies the heart; for it is written ‘I am God who makes peace’ (Is 45:7).” Prayer should be “breathed continually” to purify and unify the interior person after which, claimed Hesychius in a delightful image, “our thoughts should swim like happy dolphins in a calm sea.” The goal of contemplative prayer is not a mystical silence but rather the attentive listening to, and for, the Word. Dispassion is not the negation of all feeling but rather “love, divine charity that elevates man and can make him superior to the angels … Truly blessed is he who ceaselessly pronounces in his heart Jesus’ name and who in the depths of his thought is tied to the Jesus Prayer as the body is tied to the air around it and as wax is tied to a flame.”

Philotheos, a 10th century disciple of St John Climacus, commended “the unceasing prayer of Jesus Christ”, which has power to “concentrate the scattered intellect”. By the 11th century, the Jesus Prayer had become an established part of Byzantine tradition, with St Symeon the New Theologian generating renewed interest in it with his Method of Sacred Prayer and Attention, the first text to set down an actual method of praying the Jesus Prayer.

“Through the invocation of the Lord Jesus, the breaths of the passions melt and vanish like wax.” The prayer allows one to reach the state St Paul described to the Galatians as “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20). Through love for Christ, this state may be reached “by practising watchfulness of spirit and by keeping Jesus in your heart”.

The quality of mercy Clare Benedict “The quality of mercy is not strained; It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes…

It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings, It is an attribute to God himself; And earthly power doth then show likest God’s When mercy seasons justice.”

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hus speaks Shakespeare’s Portia, disguised in the role of an advocate, pleading for mercy on behalf of her client (The Merchant of Venice). When she speaks of mercy as an “attribute of God himself ”, she echoes a truth known to our fathers in faith, from Abraham onwards, an attribute which describes God’s love for His people and a virtue his people are called upon to exercise towards one another: throughout the Torah, in the Prophets, especially in the Psalms, and into the Gospels and the Letters of the New Testament.

Especially where religious language is concerned, we are often confused by the changing meanings or connotations of individual words. The word we tend to use today for this attribute of God, “mercy”, has undergone several subtle changes since it was first employed in the Jewish Scriptures, the Old Testament. The word we find most often there to denote God’s feelings towards his people is hesed (chesed), variously translated as mercy, kindness, compassion or loving-kindness, a favourite expression in Old English; but it is one of those words for which a single word does not suffice. God’s hesed is a steadfast, unshakeable, covenantal,

faithful love that endures for eternity: “For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the LORD, who has compassion on you” (Is. 54:10).

Hesed is a love that is so strong, so enduring, that it lasts

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educationandformation beyond sin, betrayal, brokenness, to offer forgiveness and new life. It is superabundant generosity and love that never forsakes the covenant made with God’s people through Abraham, Noah and Moses, unlike the people who breach that covenant over and over but whom He calls again and again to love as He loves, to show mercy to one another as He does.

The Psalmist sings of God’s hesed some ninety times: “Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old” (Ps. 25:6).

“I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction … Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love. … Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was beset as a city under siege” (Ps. 31: 7, 16, 21).

“Forever I will keep my steadfast love for him, and my covenant with him will stand firm” (PS. 89: 28).

And we find the word 26 times in Psalm 135 (136), known in the Christian Psalter as the “Paschal Hymn”: “O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever” (Ps. 135: 1-3).

It is as if the Psalmist can scarcely contain his gratitude as it overflows into a flood of thanksgiving for God’s enduring mercy.

Rabbinic teaching emphasised, however, that this attribute of God is a virtue human beings are called to imitate and practise towards one another, for hesed is for the Jews one of the three pillars which uphold the world. The Book of Ruth serves as a prime example of one human being who exercised this virtue, despite being a foreigner, not a member of the Jewish congregation, with no hope of reward. Hesed is not simply a feeling; like many Hebrew concepts, it is an action. Ruth displays hesed through her generous actions towards her mother-in-law.

Hesed is not earned; it is freely given, often to the undeserving, with no expectation of reward. According to the great medieval Jewish scholar, Maimonides, it “Includes two notions, one of them consisting in the exercise of beneficence toward one who deserves it, but in a greater measure than he deserves it. In most cases, the prophetic books use the word hesed in the sense of practising beneficence toward one who has no right at all to claim this from you.”

Thus does God behave towards His undeserving children.

In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the word used most often to denote hesed was eleos, familiar to us today in the kyrie eleison, “Lord, have mercy”. In the New Testament, the concept takes on a fresh interpretation through the person of Jesus Christ, Son of God and God incarnate, “the face of the Father’s mercy”. So Mary sings in her Magnificat, her hymn of thanksgiving: “His mercy is from age to age, on those who fear him…

He protects Israel, his servant, remembering his mercy, the mercy promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his sons for ever” (Luke 1: 50, 54-5).

Another Greek word is also sometimes used, literally denoting a far more visceral feeling: splanchna, literally “bowels” or “guts”: one’s deepest, innermost being. Think how a strong feeling, such as love for a child, can take hold of us to such an extent that we actually feel our insides contract in the intensity of our emotion.

In the same way does Zechariah, the power of speech newly restored to him, burst into exultant praise of God’s enduring mercy to His people, to be proclaimed by his, Zechariah’s, child,

“God’s hesed is a steadfast, unshakeable, covenantal, faithful love that endures for eternity” as he proclaims: “the loving-kindness of the heart of our God who visits us like the dawn from on high” (Luke 1:78): in Greek, splanchna eleous, literally “the bowels of mercy” of our God. This is how strongly our God feels for us, and why He came to save us Himself, in the person of the Son. It is an intense, active, gut-wrenching emotion, sadly often watered down in translation. Ancient languages tend not to be so reticent!

“You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is [superabundantly from the very depths of His being, i.e. his long entrails] compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11).

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1/8thPage JERICHO BENEDICTINES The Jericho Benedictines

Combine the Spiritual Life with the running of ‘Jericho Inns’ for those being passed by on the other side’ The Drug & Alcohol Addicted Victims of Domestic Violence Homeless Men & Women Holidays for those on low income Enquiries & donations gratefully received Fr. James Monastery of Jesus, Harelaw Farm KILBARCHAN Renfrewshire PA10 2PY

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faithandculture

The Beguines: the first women’s movement in Christian history Ron Smith

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owards the end of the 12th century across Europe towns were growing commercially. At this time, for reasons that are unclear, single women of any age and social class started to come together to live together in a religious community. They lived independent lives dedicated to God through charity, prayer and work. They lived apart from social life, but were not cloistered. They can leave the community if they want. They can keep personal property, and promise obedience and chastity, but do not take vows.

Beguinages became established in the Low Countries, the South of France, the Lower Rhine and the North of Italy. Today, the longest lasting and best preserved are in the Flemish (Dutch speaking) part of Belgium.

Probably the earliest walled Beguinage was built in Louvain in 1232. Over the next 20 years a great many more were built: it was a sudden explosion of devoutness and dedication. Many women had wealth, and this was handed over to the Beguinage, although if they decided to leave they could have their money back. Poorer women could also join. All the women were expected to work, and industries which were traditionally women’s, like textiles, weaving, lace making, laundry, brought in a steady income, and helped to defray the cost of the charitable work of tending the sick.

The spiritual affairs of the women, and much practical help in constructing the Beguinages, were given by the Cistercians and Dominicans. There was great support from nobles and monarchs, who donated land and building materials.

The great fervour of the women, and their liberation from the dominance of men, began to raise concerns. Some were evangelising,

Woodcut of a Beguine from Des Dodes Dant (The Dance of Death), printed in Lübeck in 1489.

Ghent has no fewer than three authentic beguinages including the Old St Elizabeth Beguinage pictured here by Ron Smith

reading and discussing the Bible, and even translating it into the vernacular. In 1311, at the Council of Vienna, Pope Clement V decreed that all Beguinages be shut down. Over the next year or so, many were to die at the stake for heresy. However, in Belgium, the Beguines were better organised, and had subjected themselves to the religious authorities, and so they escaped the worst of these troubled times. In 1318 Pope John XXll issued a Bull separating Beguines “who live in a pious fashion” from “heretic Beguines, who live mostly in Germany”. Later, in another Bull of 1322, Pope John XXll reopened the Beguinages in Belgium, while elsewhere they were being disbanded.

The structure of a Beguinage was comprised of simple neat houses, a courtyard or open space, a church and cemetery, infirmary, and all surrounded by a tall wall. Some of the houses were communal, and called “convents”, where the poorer ladies lived together. Although the Beguines went out of the Beguinage, it was never alone. Men, including priests, were not allowed in the Beguinage after sunset, when the doors would be firmly closed and barred. Every entrance gate had a “portress” guarding it to keep out undesirables.

The infirmary, and tending the sick, was an important function.

In 1467 Emperor Charles V visited Mechelen, near Brussels. He was so impressed by the fact that over 900 Beguines lined the street to welcome him that he granted them a tax exemption on the beer that they brewed. The water was undrinkable, so the Beguines produced a good quality beer which they gave to all the ill people to drink, which probably helped them recover too! The Beguines were certainly industrious, and with all their activities, as well as having money from wealthy ladies who joined them, they were totally self supporting financially.

The Beguines suffered many ups and downs over the centuries.

In the 14th century the Church decided that as the Beguines did

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faithandculture not conform to approved “rules” for congregations of females, they should be closed down. This ended the Beguinages in the Rhine area, and threatened the Low Country ones. However, the Catholic Belgian authorities took a broader view, and as long as the ladies lived in their communities, were not a financial burden, submitted to the authority of a priest and continued their charitable work, they would be left alone.

In the 17th century the southern Low Countries were ruled by the remarkable Archducal couple, Albert and Isabella, daughter of King Philip of Spain. These inspiring rulers (who gave shelter to our statue of “Our Lady of Aberdeen” which is still there in Brussels) gave great encouragement to the Beguines, and during their reign the Beguinages flourished and had more ladies than ever before or since.

In 1794 victorious French troops entered Belgian territory. They had already closed down all the French Beguinages, and set about plundering the religious houses in Belgium – but didn’t quite know what to do with the Beguines. They did not fit the category of a “religious order”. The matter was decided at a local level – many Beguinages survived, some were simply closed and robbed by the local authorities. In 1803 a decree finally clarified the situation, all their property was to be transferred to the Civil Hospices, they were to abandon the habit, and their churches were closed down.

After the French, William of Orange allowed some freedom,

and in 1825 the surviving Beguines were allowed to wear the habit again. Of the original 94 Beguinages, 26 were able to continue.

In the 19th century there was a revival of Catholicism, with the Immaculate Conception promulgated by Pope Pius lX in 1854, and the apparitions at Lourdes in 1858. The Beguines had always been devotees of Mary, and some even had Lourdes type grottos built inside their walls, attracting the faithful and bringing new recruits. Their numbers increased again.

The 20th century saw the growing secularisation of society, and dwindling interest in becoming a Beguine. In the Flemish part of Belgium, the final Beguinages saw their numbers drop from around 1500 ladies in 1900, to 600 by 1960, to 50 in 1980. In the Great Beguinage of St. Elizabeth in Ghent, founded in 1234, the Last Grand Mistress passed away on the 29th of January 2003. Josepha Goethals was 88, and had been in the Beguinage for 70 years.

Thus ended eight centuries of a great, noble tradition and our society is the poorer for its loss.

In December 1998, UNESCO classified 13 Belgian Flemish Beguinages as “World’s Cultural and Natural Heritage”. To visit one will make you reflect on the countless thousands of independent women who only wanted to live pious, Catholic, industrious and charitable lives together in community and answerable only to themselves and to God.

Cathedral Close Alasdair Roberts and Ann Dean

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convent has opened at 23 Huntly Street across from the Cathedral, with Nigerian nuns of the Holy Family Sisters of the Needy forming a first Scottish mission. There is a link with Glenlivet.

In 1899 Jock Sharp of Larryvarry wrote a long poem to mark a hundred years since the college of Scalan gave way to that of Aquhorties near Kemnay. It was published, along with a sketch,

by J. J. Moran & Co. of Crown Street. The firm went round the corner into Union Street before coming close to the Cathedral.

James Joseph Moran grew up at Collooney, County Sligo, a town of three railway stations. His father (a wholesale grocer) was president of the Irish Land League. Always a writer, Moran found himself favourably compared with James Barrie when ‘Window in Thrums’ was a best-seller. He had a youthful novel published about the Fenian rising of 1867, its sentiments such as to risk arrest at Celtic Park today. His wife Josephine was of old Catholic stock from the Enzie near Speymouth, however, and he came to accept the tolerant inter-marrying culture of North-east Scotland. Religious vocation began this article: time to note in passing that Josephine Moran’s aunt had been a Franciscan sister in the upstairs convent next to the Cathedral.

James Moran came to Aberdeen as a journalist by way of Glasgow and the Dundee Catholic Herald. Producing an equivalent paper for the Granite City stood high among his subsequent achievements.

This was an era of mass literacy before the advent of mass media, and it suited his talents perfectly. The cuttings file has press opinions: ‘Mr Moran is a perfect master of the art of story-writing. His stories have a bald appearance were it not for his dramatic incidents and bewildering surprises. . . Mr Moran is the most interesting living writer of Irish dialogue. . . Underlying the simplicity of his style there is a wealth of power.’ A regular contributor to the Cork Examiner, Moran was naturally appreciated in his native land but the last of

James Joseph Moran who, by the age of 26, started the Aberdeen Catholic Herald and was already a successful publisher, novelist and playright these judgements appeared in the .Pall Mall Gazette. His debut novel

‘A Deformed Idol’ had been set in London high society and was described in the Athenaeum as ‘a masterpiece in its way’.

While his own novels and collections - including the cheerilynamed ‘Irish Stew’ - moved into double figures the firm of J. J. Moran & Co. published a ‘sixpenny line of popular novels’ and shilling library fiction by other authors of the day. Their names are forgotten but the books give an idea of what emerged from the offices of the Aberdeen Catholic Herald. Several marked the centenary of Ireland’s ’Ninety-eight Rising, but ‘Blue and White’ was set in Brittany at the time of the French Revolution. Scottish subjects included ‘The Rival Chiefs’, handsomely bound, but ‘Glen Insch’ suffered from over-production: ‘It is thoroughly Catholic and well written, but Page 23

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faithandculture many printer’s errors appear throughout.’

As if in response the 538-page ‘Strong as Death’ was ‘clearly printed on good paper’. Crown Press (now seen as eminent publishers) went on to open Moran’s Book Stalls in the indoor New Market Gallery off Union Street.

Drama gave James Moran another outlet. He wrote plays several of which graced the London stage. An audience at Glasgow’s Grand Theatre were astonished by a battle so realistic that it set the scenery on fire. At local level he founded amateur dramatic societies at the Cathedral and the Castlegate – the latter when Canon Andrew Grant was charge of St Peter’s.

Two daughters of his first marriage, Nelly and Molly Moran, lived in the West End at 71 Duthie Terrace. By the time Bernadette was born in 1926 the family were at 334 King Street. She suffered from severe cerebral palsy, worsened through life by accidents and ill fortune. A source for what is written here, The Lark Still Sings is her moving account of a handicapped (her word) prayerful life which merits Ann Dean’s picturesque view of Huntly Street where Molly, Bernadette and their widowed fuller treatment in the magazine. It was mother moved to after their father’s death (pen and wash). published by Deacon Tony Schmitz, college rectors with the latest historical, philosophical or theological another former journalist.

After their father’s death sisters Molly and Bernadette Moran publications. . . Sunday mornings were a particularly busy time moved to Huntly Street with the widow. Molly taught school, when so many Cathedral parishioners streamed into the shop after Bernadette ran the shop: ‘My customers came from every walk of the various Masses to collect their papers and cigarettes and to browse life. I was just as happy to oblige the old ladies from across the road among the books.’ Today’s Nigerian nuns are following Sisters Molly with their little purchases as I was to supply university professors or and Bernadette Moran O.C.V. in religious life. Their father should also be remembered.

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Church. Through Through prayers prayers and and donations, friends of St.Thérèse enable Carmelites to continue her “Shower of donations, friends of St.Thérèse enable Carmelites to continue her “Shower Roses” donations, friends of St.Thérèse enable Carmelites to continue her “Shower of ofRoses” Roses” inin their ministries throughout the world and in their education of young Carmelites. their ministries throughout the world and in their education of young Carmelites. in their ministries throughout the world and in their education of young Carmelites.

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Advent is about new life Sr Janet Fearn’s reflects on the life and death of Fr. Alfred Delp,S.J., a heroic German Jesuit priest who was imprisoned and martyred by the Nazis in 1945. Like his contemporary, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Delp ranks among the great prophets who endured the horror of Nazism and handed down a powerful message for our times.

Sr Janet Fearns FMDM "When I pace back and forth in my cell, three steps forward and three steps back, hands in irons, ahead of me an unknown destiny, I understand very differently than before those ancient promises of the coming Lord who will redeem us and set us free." rrested by the Gestapo, tortured until he was a "bleeding whimper", held for several months in solitary confinement in an unheated cell in a Berlin prison, Father Alfred Delp SJ somehow managed to reflect on his beloved theme of Advent. He discovered that, if he crossed one handcuffed wrist over the other, he could still manage to write on tiny scraps of paper which could then be smuggled out with his laundry. Despite being tortured, he had not revealed any information which would have incriminated someone else.

The initial charge against Delp accused him of involvement in the 1945 von Stauffenberg plot to assassinate Hitler, an association of which he was completely innocent. His membership of the Kreisau Circle, however, meant that he worked with others to plan a new social order based on Catholic social teaching, to be implemented after the Third Reich ended. Delp was tried with three other members of the Circle, but executed with only two of them, von Moltke and Sperr.

In the end, Delp died, not because he had committed any crime, but because the judge, Roland Freisler, was also a "fanatical priest-hater" and a "rabid Nazi". In his final letter,

A

The death sentence was carried out on 2 February 1945 at Plötzensee Prison in Berlin. The photograph shows the meat hooks on which Fr Delp was probably hung

Fr. Delp, on trial at Gestapo headquarters, January 9, 1945 written to his fellow Jesuits on the day of his execution, Delp wrote, "The death sentence had been passed and the atmosphere is so charged with enmity and hatred that no appeal has any hope of succeeding... The actual reason for my condemnation was that I happened to be, and chose to remain, a Jesuit. There was nothing to show that I had any connection with the attempt on Hitler's life, for I was acquitted on that count. The other charges were far less serious and more effectual. There was one underlying theme: a Jesuit is a priori a traitor of the Reich... It was not justice: it was simply a carrying out of the determination to destroy." (Intriguingly, Freisler "was killed by a bomb fragment while trying to escape from his law court to the air-raid shelter", and he "bled to death on the pavement outside the People's Court..." – the very day after Delp’s execution.)

Found guilty of high treason, the 37-year-old Delp was condemned to die by hanging on 2 February 1945. In the meantime, his Jesuit superiors were wrongly informed several times of his execution. When they received a message on 2 February, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, then also known as the feast of the Purification of Our Lady, they knew for certain that the sentence had been carried out.

Before he died, in a letter to his fellow Jesuits, Delp wrote, "I will do my best to catch up on the other side with all that I have left undone on earth". He also made a request of his Companions: “I beg that a little help and care be given to my aged, sick parents”. There is an inescapable echo of the crucified Jesus’ concern that Mary would not be abandoned after his death.

Probably unknowingly, Delp followed in the footsteps of an English Jesuit martyr, St Robert Southwell SJ. Whilst imprisoned in the Tower of London Southwell was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn on 21 February 1595. Cruelly tortured for his priesthood, Southwell penned Christmas poetry, praising the simplicity and poverty of Bethlehem.

Even Shakespeare made use of his poem, The Burning Babe, in Macbeth. Delp died nineteen days before the 350th anniversary of Southwell's martyrdom. The writings of both Jesuit martyrs explored their belief that the fullness of beauty and truth are found in Jesus and his mother and that all we have to do is to listen and respond.

What was it that enabled Southwell and Delp to link their lives and imminent deaths so closely with Advent and the Nativity? In Murder in the Cathedral, TS Eliot forges a Eucharistic link between Jesus’ birth and death: Mass on Christmas morning simultaneously celebrates the birth of Jesus whilst also recalling his death and resurrection.

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faithandculture One of Delp's last actions in life was to celebrate Mass. In the letter he wrote to his fellow Jesuits a few hours before his execution, he seemed almost matter-of-fact, "Towards noon, I will celebrate Mass once more and then, in God's name, take the road under his Providence and guidance". There is a feeling of inevitability, but not of fear. It is almost as if he were heading to the sacristy in the local parish rather than to martyrdom. Of course he would have been scared: he was human. Courage means doing what is right in spite of the terror which Delp had freely admitted he had experienced during his captivity.

Did Southwell have an opportunity to offer Mass before he died? If so, what was it like? How did he and Delp focus on the Liturgy whilst knowing that, within an hour or so, they would experience indescribable physical pain? Did this give them a unique sense of identification with Jesus on the cross? Did Jesus feel particularly close to his martyrs-to-be so that they went hand-in-hand to the gallows? Whatever their personal thoughts and feelings, Becket, Southwell and Delp underwent martyrdom rather than deny everything they believed.

Four months before his death, Delp wrote about joy. "Is there any point in bothering about joy? Is joy not among those

luxury items of life that have no place in the meagre private area tolerated in wartime conversation? Certainly it has no place in a prison cell where someone is pacing back and forth... his heart swelled by all the winds of longing, his head filled with worries and questions"... and so Delp wrote about Advent. Every day could celebrate the forthcoming birth of Jesus in his own heart and in those of everyone who dared to be open to the new life which Jesus offers.

Delp wrote in his final letter, "Here I am, at the parting of the ways and I must take the other road after all.” After his death, his body was cremated and the ashes scattered over sewage. As he had painstakingly pointed out, “I’m never angry at the Lord, not even for a moment, despite all the anguish and misery. In the end, it’s all seed for the sowing.” And again: “It is the time of sowing, not of harvesting. God is sowing; one day he will harvest again. I will try to do one thing. I will try to at least be a healthy and fruitful seed, falling into the soil. And into the Lord God's hand.”

Advent is about new life, even when it is sometimes a seed which lies hidden below the ground.

Ice cold in Trondheim

to reclaim his crown he was killed in battle at Stiklestad.

Nevertheless, by his death, he achieved his purpose. His enemies came to regret killing him, miracles of healing were attributed to him and his exhumed body was found to be incorrupt. He was soon declared a saint. Norway (including Orkney and Shetland of course!) became a united Christian kingdom. The church around his shrine grew into an imposing Cathedral. Pilgrims came, thousands, for centuries.

Then came the Reformation and Protestant Danish rule. In 1603 pilgrimages to Nidaros were forbidden under pain of death.

However, there is something in the human soul that has to express itself by pilgrimage, and the Lutheran Church in Norway now recognises this. In 1997 they set about restoring the main route and now there is a well marked trail over 600 km long from Oslo to Trondheim.

This route runs through the suburbs of Oslo, along the ribbon of Lake Mjøsa, up the beautiful Gubrandsdal valley, climbs over the wild Dovrefjell plateau then down through gentle woods and valleys to "Nidaros". As with the Spanish Camino, anyone with a 'Pilgrim Passport' who treks at least 100km receives a certificate.

Armed with mine, and a Pilgrim Blessing thanks to Bishop Hugh, I got off the bus at Lillehammer. This seemed a natural starting point for me - straight across from Shetland via Bergen.

I also wanted to start at 'Bjerkebaek', the Lillehammer home (now museum) of that inspiring Nobel Laureate, writer and Catholic convert, Sigrid Undset.

Then it was 430km to Nidaros. It is a wonderful hike with constant variety: one section might be fast going on hot tarmac facing oncoming traffic; the next a deliciously cool tunnel of trees, followed by a bumpy path along the edge of a waving barley field.

The high bit over Dovrefjell sees you rising above the treeline, with colossal views of snow flecked peaks, then going down into twisty birch scrub, or around marshy lakes. I got sunburn, a face full of sleet and saw two

A

Neil Work

s a parishioner in Shetland I never go to Scotland for holidays. For years I have taken advantage of our transport link with Norway and gone there to hike in her mountains. I’ve come to love the country. It is heartbreakingly beautiful. It is also eyewateringly expensive, so I wildcamp as much as possible and eke out the mighty Kroner as best as I can.

For 2016 however I wanted to have some true "holy days".

I'd thought about doing a pilgrimage for a while, so when Pope Francis announced a Holy Year of Mercy I knew I had to finally do the "Pilegrimsleden" as my way of participating in the Jubilee.

The Pilegrimsleden is Norway's pilgrim trail to Trondheim Cathedral. You will know about the "Camino" pilgrim route in Spain, well, this is the Scandinavian equivalent. It is said that in medieval times the main pilgrim routes resembled a cross: south to Rome; east to Jerusalem; west to Santiago de Compostela and, yes, north, to the shrine of the Most Holy Saint Olav, Eternal King of Norway.

Olav the Viking was born in 995 at Ringerike. He spent his youth, as was expected, raiding and slaughtering, mainly in Britain. However, in later life he was invited to stay with the Duke of Normandy in Rouen where he was converted to Christianity. He was also to hear about the achievements of Charlemagne and, after having had a prophetic dream, he became convinced that his destiny was to create a united Christian Norway. He returned there and over a period of years achieved some success. His methods made him enemies however, and he was deposed in 1028. Returning two years later

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Neil reaches the half-way stage of the Pilegrimsleden eagles, a wildcat and lots of red squirrels.

After three days I started meeting other pilgrims. For example, Christina and Martina who laughed and sang all the time, and refused to believe my pack was lighter than theirs: " Huh ! " ( Lifting my pack) " This is too much ! 15 to 16 kilos ! " " Give over. It’s only12."

"No! You must carry less! " Then there was Johnny the German, with an axe and three large onions strapped on his pack! Quite a few pilgrims had hiked from Oslo.

After many days it was really quite moving to sit at last, gazing at the elegant west facade of Nidaros Cathedral. An hour later I was at Mass down the road, astonished to see the mix of cultures there, for Trondheim is the university city of Norway.

Along with other pilgrims I was warmly welcomed at the Pilgrim Hostel, where I stayed two days.

So why "Icecold in Trondheim?" Well, you probably know the

“Cheers, Neil!”

Made it! - Our Trondheim pilgrim outside the Cathedral of Nidaros film, "Icecold in Alex". I thought it would be nice to get a dew covered Carlsberg , or similar, on my sweaty arrival. Bishop Hugh kindly went along with this plan, and in the credential letter he gave me, suggested it would be nice if I were offered this. Thinking quickly on their feet as they read this, the welcomers at the Pilgrim Hostel told me that, sadly, the "Pilgrim Bar" was closed for the season but that I could help myself to as much coffee as I liked. The coffee was Splendid. Thank you St. Olav !

Painting the Immaculate Conception A. Philokalos “A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Apoc. 12:1).

T

he Immaculate Conception of Our Lady could have presented particular challenges to artists, had they not chosen to portray her as “the Woman of the Apocalypse”, described above. Throughout the 17th century many paintings and marble statues portraying this image of the Virgin Mary were produced, especially in Spain where there was a strong devotion to this concept, long before it became official Church dogma in the 19th century. In the East the feast of the Virgin’s Conception had been celebrated since the 7th century; in 1476, Pope Sixtus IV extended the feast to the entire Western Church. By the 17th century, therefore, as well as a theological doctrine, there was also an established pattern of depicting it in art.

A painter who claimed much of the credit for setting down this pattern was Francisco Pacheco, not the best artist himself but teacher and father-in-law of Velazquez, one of the greatest

of all Spanish artists. In his book The Art of Painting, he wrote thus about the Immaculate Conception: “The version that I follow is the one that is closest to the holy revelation of the Evangelist and approved by the Catholic Church on the authority of the sacred and holy interpreters...

In this loveliest of mysteries Our Lady should be painted as a beautiful young girl, 12 or 13 years old, in the flower of her youth. She should be painted wearing a white tunic and a blue mantle. She is surrounded by the sun, an oval sun of white and ochre, which sweetly blends into the sky. Rays of light emanate from her head, around which is a ring of twelve stars. Under her feet is the moon.”

In a not dissimilar way Georges Bernanos in 1936 had his Country Priest describe Our Lady as having “eyes of gentle pity, wondering sadness, and with something more in them, never yet known or expressed, something which makes her younger than sin, younger than the race from which she sprang”.

Painters had actually been working in this style for some time before Pacheco; several, including Velazquez, clothed the Virgin in a pink robe and blue cloak, traditionally accepted to be the appropriate colours. After 1511, when St Beatriz de Silva, a nun who founded Conceptionist Order, gave evidence that the Virgin appeared to her clad in white and blue, other popular

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faithandculture additions to the scene were attributes of Our Lady referred to in the 16th century Litany of Loreto and taken from Scripture.

Another Spanish painter, Francisco Zurbarán, depicted Our Lady in several versions, sometimes in white, but here clothing her in the earlier tradition of pink and blue.

Our Lady is indeed depicted as a young girl, standing on the moon and crowned with stars. Around the crown of stars is a halo of cherubs, peeping through the sunlit heavenly clouds.

Below her on the right stands the city of Seville, an important shipping port where Zurbarán lived and worked. Two well known landmarks of the city can be seen – the Torre del Oro, perhaps the House of Gold of the Litany – “[Solomon] overlaid the whole house with gold, in order that the whole house might be perfect; even the whole altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold” (1Kings 6:22); and the Giralda Tower, the cathedral bell tower, originally built as a Moorish minaret, perhaps here symbolising the Tower of Ivory, the City of God of the Psalms, “the tower of David, built as a fortress” of the Song of Songs (4:4), ivory symbolising purity. On her right grows a palm tree, symbol of justice – “The righteous flourish like the palm tree” (Ps. 92:12) – and an attribute of Holy Wisdom – “I grew tall like a palm tree in Engedi” (Sir. 24:14) – here associated with Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, for wisdom became incarnate in her Son Jesus whom she carried in her womb. Next to the palm is the “enclosed Garden” of the Song, often used to symbolise the perpetual virginity of Our Lady: “A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a garden locked, a fountain sealed … a garden fountain, a well of living water” (Song 4:12, 15). On the sea between garden and city sails a little ship, symbol of Our Lady’s role as protector of sailors. In other versions, Zurbarán

painted the ship between the curving horns of the crescent moon, giving a stronger emphasis to this role.

On either side of Our Lady, glimpsed through openings in the heavenly clouds, can be seen other attributes from the Litany. To her right, is the Gate of Heaven, for through her obedience she gave human existence to the Son of God who opened heaven’s gate to humanity. Below is the Morning Star, symbol of purity and freshness, which heralds the coming of the Sun in a new dawn: “Like the morning star among the clouds, like the moon when it is full” (Sir. 50:6). Next is the Ark of the Covenant, God’s footstool (Ps.132:7), placed below the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies in the Temple, and in Christian tradition often applied to Mary who carried God Incarnate, Giver of the Covenant, in her womb. Another star appears in the next window, this time the Star of the Sea, not mentioned in the Litany but one of Mary’s titles elsewhere, as protector of seamen.

On her left, first one sees a flight of stairs, sometimes thought to depict Jacob’s Ladder leading up to heaven, but in this instance more likely to symbolise steps leading up to the gate of the Temple in which was to be found the Ark. Below is the Mirror of Justice, in which may be glimpsed a reversed image of the Virgin, “a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness” (Wis. 7:26), for Mary, full of grace, presents us with an ideal image of purity and virtue.

This beautiful example of Zurbarán’s art would have been a focus for meditation on the Litany and on the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at all times an image of loveliness, even in a dark and broken world.

“Who is this that looks forth like the rising dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun?” (Song 6:10)

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The Spanish painter, Francisco Zurbarán, depicts Our Lady in this version clothed in the earlier tradition of pink and blue

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The Bells of St Mary’s Restoration work has recently been carried out on the spire of St Mary’s Cathedral and soon, it is hoped, the bells of St Mary’s will once again ring out across the City. At the present time there are fourteen bells which include eight that can be used for circle ringing. There is also a Carillon which allows a number of the bells to be rung using a key board or computer programme.

In the following article George Thomson of Primrose Thomson and Sons, a long established Aberdeen plumbing firm, reflects back on the origins of the Cathedral bells.

George Thomson

T

he chief reason why I became so interested in the bells was because my grandfather, the late Primrose Bell Thomson was one of the first bell-ringers from 1877 until his death in the 1920’s. He was followed by his son, my Uncle Andrew Thomson, and then by my brother, Primrose Bell Thomson who was a bell-ringer until the war in 1939.

The base of the Cathedral tower was built at the time of the church itself. It was 21ft square at the base and rose to a height of 60 feet but the spire and belfry weren’t completed until several years after the church itself was dedicated in 1860 and this was largely through the efforts of the Rev Dean William Stopani together with the architect, R G Wilson of the firm of Ellis and Wilson. Under the Dean’s guidance the spire eventually rose to a height of 200 feet to become the tallest and one of the most graceful in Aberdeen.

Dean Stopani expressed his hope that the spire would not be a “dumb spire” and he called for a meeting from the pulpit in July of 1876 when it was resolved to procure a peal of bells. A committee of 26 of the leading Catholics of that day were appointed to carry out the project. The committee lost no time in setting to work to collect subscriptions and, in addition to the City’s parishioners, many non-Catholics made generous donations. A specification for the bells was

The Rule of St Benedict

W

Jane Coll e have just had a year of one horrifying news item after another. The surface cause of many of these incidents is religious intolerance, despite all main religious leaders having

Learning the art of bellringing at St Mary’s Cathedral prepared and submitted to firms for tender and it was decided to place the order with the bell foundry of John Taylor and Co. of Loughbourgh. The bells arrived in due time, though not before there had been some lively exchanges with the bell foundry and their representatives! Nevertheless, they were consecrated by the Vicar Apostolic and safely installed in 1877.

There were nine bells in number at that time, tuned to the key of “D” major, and weighing in at six and a half tons (6,500 kilos). They were all given names as is customary. St Mary was the largest and in order of size the rest were named: St Peter; St Paul; St Andrew; St Joseph; St Margaret; St Nicholas; St John the Baptist and St Patrick. Hovever, there were only sufficient funds left in the kitty to meet half the cost so the committee then set about raising the remainder of the money by means of a bazaar which was held in December of 1878 and a supplementary sale, both of which exceeded everyone’s expectations and raised just over £750.00. This not only enabled them to pay off the outstanding balance but also to set aside a sum of £170.00 for the bells’ upkeep and to pay for the bell-ringers annual Christmas dinner!

There was some talk of opposition to the bells from some Aberdeen citizens at first but it was not long before the sound of the bright, melodious chimes became widely appreciated. condemned the use of violence to impose one set of beliefs over another. History shows that this is not a new phenomenon, but then the only lesson that we seem capable of learning from history, as generations of history teachers have intoned, is that we never learn the lessons of history.

I found myself wondering what we could learn from the Rule of St Benedict. The Rule was written with one enclosed community in mind and there are only a few hints that St Benedict expected it to be applied to other communities. It is short, simple and undramatic, even humdrum, with its detailed instructions on the minutiae of monastic life. There is no hint of aspirations to world domination. Yet, this simple document has achieved the sort of influence that the terrorist groups can only dream of. There are monks and nuns in almost every corner of the world who shape their daily activities around the requirements of the Rule. In addition there is an invisible army of lay oblates who do the same, although perhaps to a lesser degree.

So what is it that the Rule offers that is so appealing? The answer will vary from person to person but I suggest that for many people it will be found in the first few paragraphs of the Rule. In the first sentence we are told that we have a master. For some terrorists, this is an important ingredient of their allegiance to their group.

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They need to feel part of a group that has a well-defined hierarchy with a strong leader. All monasteries have a well-defined hierarchy with a recognised, if not strong in the political sense, leader. This same sentence contains two words that mark the crucial difference between a failed terrorist leader and a successful religious leader – the words ‘loving’ and ‘advice’. The failed terrorist leader acts out of hate and preaches totalitarianism. The successful religious leader, following the Rule, exercises his authority out of love for his followers, not for his own gain, to enforce a specific ideology or even out of love for his God. Yes, he is the leader of a religious community because of his love for God but that in itself is not the motivation for his control over the other members of the community. He is not dragging anyone kicking and screaming in a certain direction out of conviction that that is the right direction.

He is advising the community on the most advantageous way for them to grow in their love of God and he is doing this because he loves them as individuals and wants what is best for them. If they choose to ignore his advice, they are free to do so. If their

Notes from a notebook O

SeneScenS SacerdoS

ur esteemed editor tells me that some readers think Canon Bill Anderson is “senescens sacerdos”.

Alas, l do not have the urbane erudition that Canon Bill has, nor is he senescens. I am a simple country priest but Canon Bill and I share an interest in poetry. Those who express a dislike for poetry may have been put off either by the sentimental verse of Valentine cards, or the brain-taxing wordplay of T.S.Eliot or Sylvia Plath or the Jesuit priest, G.M.Hopkins. However, poetry can express the deep sentiments of the human spirit and articulate realities we may try to ignore.

In this Year of mercy when we are urged to Penance and Reconciliation, the well-known poem “The Hound of Heaven”

by Francis Thompson is a good example. Francis Thompson, rejected for the priesthood, a drop-out from medical school, homeless and addicted to opium was rescued by the Meynells, a Catholic couple in the publishing business, who undertook to publish his poems. Thompson died from TB in 1907 aged 48. His description of how people can hide from the reality of their lives is apt: “l fled Him down the nights and down the days, I fled Him down the arches of the years l fled Him down the labyrinthine ways Of my own mind and in the midst of tears l hid from Him under running laughter.”

Some of us mask our grief, our sadness or disappointment with religion in the labyrinth of our thoughts or the superficial

disobedience disrupts the others, they may be asked to leave the community, but the choice is theirs. They can even leave and come back twice before being permanently excluded from the community (see ch. 28 and 29). Just as loving parents try to influence their children to lead a good life, so the religious leader tries to create the conditions needed for his followers to grow in love of God and each other. This is clearly a more appealing lifestyle choice than that offered by the terrorist leaders.

Just in case you were wondering – the ‘few hints’ that the Rule contains suggesting a wider application than one monastery can be found in chapters 1, 55, 66 and 73.

P.S. my apologies to any female religious superiors reading this for the non-inclusive language used! It would just have been too clumsy to keep repeating he/she.

This article first appeared on the September home page of the UK Benedictine Oblates web site at www.benedictine-oblates.org.

gaiety of a party lifestyle. Another poet, Cardinal John Newman puts it this way: “I loved the garish day and spite of fears Pride ruled my will; remember not past years”.

To think back over the years is to realise the lost opportunities, the mistakes, the times when we deceived ourselves, doing the wrong thing for what we thought were the right reasons.

In his play about the murder of Thomas Becket, called “Murder in the Cathedral”, T.S.Eliot ponders the morality of doing the wrong thing for the right reason and vice versa.

Back to the “Hound of Heaven” where Thompson asks, “(God,) must you char the wood, ere you can draw with it?” At the end of the poem he answers: “Halts by me that footfall; ls my gloom, after all, Shade of His hand outstretched caressingly?

‘Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest, I am He Whom thou seekest!

Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest Me.’ Many people know Max Ehrmann’s poem “Desiderata” which begins “Go placidly”. He also wrote a poem called “Reflexions”: “Let me do my work each day; and if the darkened hours of despair overcome me, may I not forget the strength that comforted me in the desolation of other times” “...When a light glowed within me, and I promised my early God to have courage amid the tempests of the changing years.”

The courage of the early years reminds me of when as a very new priest in a Dorset parish I heard that the retired Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, employed some Catholic maids and l knocked on his door to ask if l could meet them, only to be sent away with a very unecumenical flea in my ear. Was it, zeal, naivete or courage?

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Poetic Licence Canon Bill Anderson delves into some of his favourite inspirational verse

O

n this occasion my choice has fallen on two brief poems, each appropriate to this time of year and each implicitly spiritual, for the tone is distinctly Franciscan. Indeed for scriptural affirmation we need only refer to the famous canticle in Daniel 3:69-7O: "Bless the Lord, frost and cold, praise and glorify him for ever! Bless the Lord, ice and snow, praise and glorify him for ever!"

The first piece comes at the end of Shakespeare's "Love's Labour's lost", and is in fact a song.

When Isicles hang by the wall, And Dicke the shepheard blowes his naile, And Tom beares Loges into the hall, And Milke comes frozen home in paile: When blood is nipt, and waies be fowle, Then nightly sings the staring Owle, Tu-whit to-who A merrie note, While greasie Jone doth keele the pot.

When all aloud the winde doth blow, And coffing drownes the Parson’s saw; And birds sit brooding in the snow, And Marrian's nose lookes red and raw; When roasted Crabs hisse in the bowle, Then nightly sings the staring Owle, Tu-whit to-who A merrie note, While greasie Jone doth keele the pot.

The lines invoke in detail a frozen rural scene, outlining the chilly predicaments of Dick,Tom, "greasie Jone" and red-nosed Marrian.

Our second poet is John Clare (1793—1864), a poor Northhamptonshire labourer who sadly was to end his days in an asylum. His work is best when dealing with rustic scenes and with the ways of animals and even insects. Here he traces in detail a lad's slow progress in delivering hay to his cows.

The foddering boy along the crumping snows With straw-band-belted legs and folded arm Hastens, and on the blast that keenly blows Oft turns for breath, and beats his fingers warm, And shakes the lodging snows from off his clothes, Buttoning his doublet closer from the storm And slouching his brown beaver o’er his nose— Then faces it agen, and seeks the stack Within its circling fence where hungry lows Expecting cattle, making many a track About the snow, impatient for the sound When in huge forkfulls trailing at his back He litters the sweet hay about the ground And brawls to call the staring cattle round.

One respected critic declared: "John Clare is not a great poet, but there are many poets with flaunting credentials who have less claims to consideration than he." The writer himself once wrote with sorrowful insight “If life had a second edition, how I would correct the proofs." Would we, I wonder?

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faithandculture

Together in Christ: Following the Northern Saints Author: John Woodside Paperback: 128 pages Publisher: RC Diocese of Aberdeen (October, 2016) ISBN-10: 0995560404 ISBN-13: 978-0995560406 List Price: £7.00 Available from your parish or from: www.northscotsaints.uk

W

Peter Hammond

hen we stop to ponder the lives of the saints, we tend, I suspect, to lean towards the ‘Big Guns’, those men and women whose lives of holiness and heroism have inspired us during our lives. Whether founders of religious orders, martyrs, apostles or popes, their fidelity to the Gospel marks them out as deserving of sainthood.

These saints have become woven into the fabric of our daily prayer and devotion, saints on a worldwide stage who are linked for eternity with a particular time and place in Church History.

But we do not need to look to Europe and the far corners of the world for inspiration. The saints gathered together in a new book, Together in Christ; Following the Northern Saints are all in some way connected to the present day Diocese of Aberdeen. A number of these biographies may strike a faint echo of recognition; St Machar and St Fittick, of course, have Aberdeen connections.

Others, such as St Nathalan, and St Drostan will be more familiar to the Aberdeenshire parionishioners of the churches to whom they are dedicated.

But, what do you know about Saint Devenick? Or St Boniface?

Have you heard of St Fumac? Does either St Fergus or St Marnan ring a bell? And just who exactly were the Nine Maidens whose image forms part of the Chancel murals in St Mary’s Cathedral?

The author, Deacon John Woodside, endeavours to answer all these questions and more in a compilation of brief portraits of 35 saints, beginning with St Ninian in the fifth century and ending, rather intriguingly, with an Australian 20th century saint canonised just a few years ago.

Drawing on a range of sources, and undeterred where legend and myth obscure any factual certainty, he leads us on a fascinating tour back in time to the lands occupied by the northern Picts.

Yet this is no dry, academic, historical work; it succeeds in being both entertaining and prayerful at the same time and, like all good

books of this type, stimulates our curiosity.

Deacon John’s passion for his subject matter shines through on every page as he sketches in for us the details of these early saints who live on in a host of place – names as well as in churches, burial sites, pilgrimage destinations and other holy places to be found on our doorstep.

He has done us, the present Deacon John Woodside day members and communities of the Diocese, a great favour by reminding us that, although many names and achievements of these early evangelisers have been forgotten over the centuries, they did, at one time at least, most certainly influence the lives of the faithful among whom they lived and preached. Their footprint still remains and we are still linked through time and place.

The author believes their legacy remains as relevant today as ever and prompts us to ask what can we learn from these neglected role models whose witness to the gospel forms an integral part of our Christian heritage. Our interest in and appreciation of their lives, as well as the missionary communities they fostered, bolsters our Catholic identity in this part of Scotland.

With and a gentle, informative style of writing and accompanied by an abundance of colour photographs and useful bibliography for any reader who wishes to carry out their own research, this book comes highly recommended.

“The saints are themselves the living spaces into which one can turn…there is no isolation in heaven.”Pope Benedict XVI

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faithandculture

Margaret Bradley’s Food and Faith

A

dvent marks the start of the liturgical year, a time of expectation, meditation and fasting, when we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ.

The traditional German Christmas cake, Stollen, is meant to symbolise the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes. It is actually a fruit bread made with flour, yeast, butter and milk with chopped candied fruit, dried fruit, nuts and spices and often covered with powdered sugar or icing sugar.

Sometimes a rope of marzipan is folded into the middle and the dried fruits can be soaked first in rum or brandy for a strongertasting bread.

Stollen has a long history. When it originated in Dresden about 500 years ago, Advent was a time of fasting. Regulations allowed it to contain only flour, oats, oil and water, which made the bread very hard and tasteless. More luxurious ingredients were forbidden. Over the centuries, regulations relaxed, butter

was allowed as were other ingredients eg. sugar, spices and vanilla which meant it became a lighter sweeter bread, although traditional Dresdner Stollen is not as sweet, light and airy as the versions made outside Germany. It is best eaten right away, cut into thick slices and buttered but just as good toasted next day.

It can be frozen, without the icing, and defrosted, and then iced when needed.

Every year there is a Stollen Festival (Stollenfest) in Dresden on the Saturday before the second Sunday in Advent. A very large Stollen is paraded in a carriage through the streets of Dresden to the Christmas Market where it is cut into pieces and shared with the crowd, in return for a donation which goes to charity.

You will find Stollen in shops locally during Advent and Christmas at any Christmas Market here and in Germany – or you can try making your own.

Stollen Recipe 300g strong white flour 40g caster sugar pinch of salt 2 teaspoons easy bake yeast 110g butter, softened 110ml hand-hot milk a large egg, beaten ½ tsp vanilla essence 50g raisins 75g currants 75g sultanas 100g almonds, finely chopped 125g mixed peel 50g-100g glace cherries, quartered Grated zest of 1 lemon Teaspoon of cinnamon Pinch of ground nutmeg Pinch of ground cloves Icing sugar In a large bowl first combine the flour, salt and yeast, then add the sugar, raisins, currants, sultanas, mixed peel, glace cherries, chopped almonds, lemon zest and the spices and mix well. Add the melted butter, pour over the warmed milk, add the beaten egg and mix everything until the mixture is well blended.

Tip the mixture onto a well-floured board and knead lightly to form a ball. Return the ball of dough to the bowl and place the bowl in a polythene bag, closed with a clip, and leave at room temperature until the dough has doubled in size – about 1-2 hours.

Tip the risen dough onto a well-floured board and knead

it back to a smooth ball. Then shape the dough, with a floured rolling pin, into an oblong about 15x20cm (or halve the dough and make 2 oblongs). Transfer the dough onto a lined baking tin (or tins). Cover and leave to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas5/Fan170C. When the dough has risen, bake for 1 hour or until ready. When it is ready let it cool and then either brush with melted butter and dust with icing sugar or spread with a glaze made with icing sugar and a little lemon juice.

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humour

Humour from the Vestry “You can defeat fear through humour, through pain, through honesty, bravery, intuition, and through love in the truest sense.” John Cassavetes

Medical Mayhem The Specialist 'What kind of job do you do?' a lady passenger asks the man travelling in her train compartment.

'I'm a Naval surgeon,' he replies.

'Good grief!' splutters the lady, 'How you doctors specialise these days.'

Doctor's Diagnosis Dr Trebble examined Maria and then took the husband to one side saying, 'I don't like the look of your wife at all.'

'Me neither doc,' said Ross, her husband. 'But she's a great cook and is really good with the kids.'

Call a Doctor It was a stifling hot day and Mr Ryan fainted in the middle of a busy crossroads.

Traffic quickly piled up in all directions, and a well dressed woman rushed to help him. When she knelt down to loosen his collar, a man emerged from the crowd, pushed her aside, and said, 'It's all right honey, I've had a course in first aid.'

The woman stood up and watched as he took the ill man's pulse and prepared to administer artificial respiration.

At this point she tapped him on the shoulder and said, 'When you get to the part about calling a doctor, I'm already here.'

Doctor Makes a Pig's Ear of Operation Earlier this year Winston lost his ear. Luck would have it that it was replaced, with a pigs ear, by doctors. They cut it to size and made it look more human before sewing it, invisibly, in place.

Several weeks passed before Winston felt it necessary to return to his surgeons.

When he did, Winston complained bitterly, 'Doctor, I keep hearing this noise and its doing my head in. 'The doctor, totally unconcerned answered, 'Don't worry, its just a bit of crackling.

Eating Disorder A mother complained to her consultant about her daughter's strange eating habits. 'All day long she lies in bed and eats yeast and car wax. What will happen to her?'

'Eventually,' said the consultant, 'she will rise and shine.'

The Patient's X-Ray Doctor Khan was giving a lecture to a group of medical students at the city hospital.

Pointing to the x-ray, he explained: "As you can see, this patient limps because his right fibula and tibia are radically arched."

The doctor looked up at the assembled students, and asked Sidney, "Now what would you do in a case like this?"

Sidney piped up: "I suppose I would limp too."

SUSPECT SURGEON! A man is visiting his wife in hospital when she tells him that she’s nervous about the operation she’s having the next day. “The nurse said that it was a straightforward operation and everything would be OK” continued his wife. “There you go,” said the husband. “She’s even trying to pacify you.”

“She wasn’t talking to me, ” replied his wife “She was talking to the surgeon.”

Q: “What was the cowboy with the paper trousers, paper shirt and paper hat arrested for ?”

A: “Rustling” Q: Did you hear about the man who drowned in a bowl of muesli?

A: He was sucked under by a strong currant.

Wood you listen to that!

O'Toole worked in the lumber yard for twenty years and all that time he'd been stealing the wood and selling it. At last his conscience began to bother him and he went to confession to repent. "Father, it's 15 years since my last confession, and I've been stealing wood from the lumber yard all those years," he told the priest. "I understand my son," says the priest "Can you make a Novena?" O'Toole said, "Father, if you have the plans, I've got the timber."

Roses and Forget-Me-Nots An elderly man was telling his friend about the memory clinic he had attended to cure his absent mindedness. He said: “They taught us all the latest psychological techniques - visualization and association.” “That sounds marvellous,” said the friend. “What is the name of the clinic?” The first man goes blank and thinks for a while then suddenly smiles and asks: “What do you call that lovely red flower with thorns on the stem?” His friend said you mean a rose.

“That’s it!” he cried, then turned to his wife and said “Rose, what’s the name of that memory clinic.”

First man “My uncle’s got a glass eye” Second man “How do you know?”

First Man “It just came out one day in the conversation”

Yorkshire Gold Yorkshire man takes his cat to the vet.

Yorkshireman: Ayup, lad, I need to talk to thee about me cat.

Vet: Is it a tom?

Yorkshireman: Nay, I’ve browt it with us.

A Yorkshireman’s dog dies and as it was a favourite pet he decides to have a gold statue made by a jeweller to remember the dog by.

Yorkshireman: Can tha mek us a gold statue of yon dog?

Jeweller: Do you want it 18 carat?

Yorkshireman: No I want it chewin’ a bone yer daft beggar

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crossword

WORD No.33

This issue’s competition winner will receive a copy of Deacon John Woodside’s “Together in Christ”, a compilation of Saints associated with our Diocese. Just send your completed entry by the 1st February to: Light of the North, Ogilvie Centre, 16 Huntly Street, Aberdeen AB10 1SH. First correct entry drawn out of the hat is the winner.

William Walton. (3) 12. Level dart (anagram) (9) 14. “Veiled in flesh the ------see.” (7) 15. “A light to ------- the Gentiles” Nunc Dimittis (7) 17. “Here is the little door, lift up the -----, oh lift! We

need not wander more but enter with our gift” (5) 18. Doyenne and 'saint' of the British kitchen and Christmas fayre in particular.

(5) 21. A period of time. (3)

Answers to crossword No. 32 Across 1. Ship 4. Disallow 8. Ursine 9. Mouths 10. Esau 11.

Matthias 13. Vicar of Christ 16. Calcutta 19. Sure 20. Gloria 22. Abound 23. Straddle 24. Ever Down 2. Hiroshima 3. Primula 4. Dream 5. Semitic 6.

Laugh 7. Och 12. Assurance 14. Outward 15. Restore 17.

Curia 18. Agape 21. Let

Little Horror Sudoku No. 20 If you prefer sudoku to crosswords then you still have a chance to be a prize winner with our super tough sudoku puzzle.

Name .............................................................................

Address ......................................................................... ..........................................................................................

Telephone ......................................................................

Across 1. “---- the snow lay round about, deep, and crisp, and even” (4) 4. Dr Finlay had one. (8) 8. “No sins had Dor to -----for: Repent of yours in time” Epitaph for a Dormouse. (6) 9. Rhyming word parlour game, sometimes played at Christmas. (6) 10. Saintly ring ? (4) 11. The words of an opera or musical. (8) 13. “It came upon the ------------”. (8,5) 16. Uncle did (anagram). (8) 19. “For he is our childhood's pattern, day by day like us he ----”. (4) 20. “------ Jesus, meek and mild, Look upon a little

child” (6) 22. “But ------ Lord Jesus, No crying He makes.” (6) 23. The seat of a bishop .(8) 24. “---- with Violin” play by Noel Coward. (4) Down 2. Nationality of Kodaly, composer of the carol “All men draw near!” (9) 3. “Come and worship, Worship Christ, the ---- ---King” (3,4) 4. An old round dance, a song of praise or joy, especially for Christmas. (5) 5. Brass instrument, the ancestor of the trombone.

(7) 6. Two Turtle Doves ? (5) 7. “--and Sceptre” Coronation March by

Name .............................................................................

Address ......................................................................... ..........................................................................................

Telephone ......................................................................

Congratulations to our last competition winner, Mrs R. H. Emmott from Spey Bay Page 35

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Stained Glass Artists Contemporary windows Conservation of glass Church, Historic Public We have moved!!!

2012 has been an exciting year for Rainbow Glass Studio. We have expanded into new premises and welcomed 4 new members of staff.

New website to follow later in year.

Studio inlcudes an ICON Accredited director and an Accredited Artist of the Church of Scotland.

14 Shaw Road | Prestwick | KA9 2LN | 01292 474279 info@rainbowglass.biz www.rainbowglass.biz Accredited Artists of Church of Scotland. ICON Accredited Director 161295 LOTN Advent 2016.indd 36

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