Light of the north issue 8

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Light of the North

I am the Light of the World Fr Ronald Walls’ Orkney Journal

Issue 8, S ummer, 2008 Revitalising church music.

The oldest Catholic primary school in Scotland ?

By Bernadette Macdonald

By David Meiklejohn

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

The Year of St. Paul June 2008 to June 2009

A quarterly magazine produced and published by the Ogilvie Institute for the Diocese of Aberdeen A quarterly magazine produced and published by the Ogilvie Institute for the Diocese of Aberdeen R.C. Diocese of Aberdeen Charitable Trust, a registered Scottish Charity no. SC005122

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n June of 2007 Pope Benedict XVI declared June 2008 to June 2009 a Year of St Paul in celebration of the 2000th anniversary of the apostle’s birth. The Holy Father explained that: “The Apostle of the Gentiles, who dedicated himself to the spreading of the good news to all peoples, spent himself for the unity and harmony of all Christians. May he guide us and protect us in this bimillennary celebration, helping us to advance in the humble and sincere search for the full unity of all the members of the mystical body of Christ.”

To mark the bimillennary our cover features a painting entitled Saint Paul Writing His Epistles, the work of a French painter, Valentin De Boulogne (1591-1632), who spent most of his painting career in Rome. Little is known about his history, but it is quite clear that his painting style was highly influenced by the realistic art of Caravaggio, who created his dramatic paintings by the use of lights and shadows.

The apostle is shown sitting at a desk, quill in hand which he dips into an inkwell, surrounded by books, manuscripts, and a note book, all of which he consults in composing his letter. The picture was produced approximately 150 years after Gutenberg’s invention of printing and Valentin portrays Paul very much as a 17th century man of letters. The only concession to the ancient setting is a scroll in the right corner of the table. One could easily forget that books, whether printed or hand written were known in the first century world nor would Saint Paul have sat down at a desk to write his letters. They would all have been dictated to a scribe and his writings, including the most intricate theological arguments to be found in Galatians and Romans, were composed in his mind according to the ancient rules of rhetoric.

Live the monastic life for six days

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PLUSCARDEN MONASTIC EXPERIENCE RETREAT 2008

he Benedictine monks of Pluscarden Abbey are organising a Monastic Experience Retreat for single Catholic men aged 18-40 to be held at the Abbey from 1st – 6th September 2008.

The format will be the same as the successful retreat held last year and those who attend will live the same life as the monks and follow the monastic timetable. They will be in choir with the monks, do some lectio divina (spiritual reading) and prayer as we do, eat in the monastic refectory, do some manual work with the brethren each afternoon etc. There will also be a few talks and discussions on things such as the meaning of monastic life, monastic prayer and the Divine Office, and Gregorian Chant, as well as a tour of the Abbey, some periods of recreation and a chance to speak with the brethren.

This is an opportunity for men who are considering a monastic vocation to experience our life ‘on the inside’ as well as for any men in the age group to share the riches of monastic spirituality. Those who came on previous retreats have ended up as monks, seminarians, diocesan priests, members of other religious orders and secular institutes as well as in various other ways of life.

Pluscarden Abbey was founded in 1230. The monastic community died out after the Reformation in 1560 but Benedictine monks from England returned to the medieval buildings in 1948 and resumed the monastic

round of prayer and work. Over the years the buildings have been restored and at present the cloister is being completed.

The community now consists of 30 monks, some of whom live in a daughter house at Petersham, USA and in a new monastic foundation in Ghana, West Africa.

The monks live the classical Benedictine life of prayer and work centred on Holy Mass and the Divine Office celebrated according to the traditional schema of St Benedict, all of which is sung in Latin with Gregorian Chant. For more information on our way of life see: www.pluscardenabbey.org .

For further information on the retreat, contact Fr Augustine at: Pluscarden Abbey, Elgin IV30 8UA email: monks@pluscardenabbey.org

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contents deaneries 4 witness 11

children’slight

12 liturgy 14 educationandformation 18 faithandculture 27 humour 33 crossword 34 Westminster 35 OgilvieInstitute 36 35 36

Light of the North

Managing Editor Deacon Tony Schmitz Editor Cowan Watson Chief Reporter Fr Paul Bonnici Editorial Advisor Canon Bill Anderson If you would like to advertise in the Light of the North from only £250 a quarter page, or sponsor a page for just £200, get in touch with us at the address below.

Light of the North Ogilvie Institute 16 Huntly Street Aberdeen AB10 1SH Tel: 01224 638675 Email: lightofthenorthmagazine@gmail.com

Well, Easter and Pentecost are over so it’s back to ‘Ordinary Time’ but, as Abbot Hugh points out in his article on the Church’s Year this is a period which is far from ordinary. Indeed, it is a period during which we celebrate the feast days of some of the most extraordinary men and women to grace the community of the Saints.

Among these Saint Paul is undoubtedly one of the most important figures in the history, not just of the Church, but of the Western world. Just a quick look at the headlines of his life is enough to understand his impact; his works are some of the earliest Christian documents that we have, 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament are written by him, and he’s the hero of another, Acts of the Apostles.

Famously converted on the road to Damascus, he travelled tens of thousands of miles around the Mediterranean spreading the gospel and it was Paul who came up with the doctrine that would turn Christianity from a small sect of Judaism into a worldwide faith that was open to all.

To celebrate the 2000th anniversary of St Paul Pope Benedict has declared June 2008 to June 2009 to be the Year of St Paul and we shall be celebrating it within the pages of the Light of the North, beginning in our next issue with a series of meditations on some major Pauline themes by Fr Bernie O’ Connor.

But, back to this issue which we hope is also far from ordinary and which marks a new departure for Fr Ronald Walls who aims to put Orkney firmly on the map with his Orkney Journal. There’s a new schools feature, In the Spotlight, which will be produced by each of the Diocesan Catholic primary schools in turn. We also have a new series on Reading the Church Fathers and Fr Anil Gonsalves, in our feature on vocations, reveals what a vocation to the priesthood means to him.

Our next edition of the Light of the North will appear in time for Advent. In the meantime have a great summer.

Cowan If you would like to advertise in our Advent issue please contact: Sandra Townsley, tel:(0)1463 831133 or email:sedstown@aol.com

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N e w s f ro m the D eaneries

St Peter’s celebrates 175th year Could this be the oldest Catholic primary school in Scotland?

Bernadette Macdonald

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eligioni et Bonis Moribus - ‘For Religion and Good Behaviour’- inspirational words which continue to encourage today’s pupils of St Peter’s RC Primary, Aberdeen.

175 years ago, the Latin inscription was chiselled into a new granite school building in Constitution Street.

St Peter’s School was founded by Doric-speaking Fr Charles Gordon, known to all as Priest Gordon, parish priest of St Peter’s in the Castlegate, the only Catholic church in Aberdeen at that time.

Known as The Catholic Schools (St Peter’s for the boys and St Joseph’s for the girls), this was the first properly established Catholic educational institution in Aberdeen following the Emancipation Act of 1829.

A smaller school had previously existed in teacher James Barclay’s home. James Barclay was brother-inlaw to Priest Gordon who referred to the set up as “a poor concern”. On Barclay’s death, Priest Gordon, known for his forthright attitude and dedication to the poor, put his plans for the education of the City’s Catholic children into action.

This new school was built in 1833 at a cost of £2250. £525 came from public subscription and Priest Gordon himself raised the balance, amounting to £1725.

Children were his priority, evidenced by the inclusion

Bishop Peter Moran, School Chaplain, Fr Keith Herrera, Headteacher Mrs Jo Martin, staff, pupils and parents gather in front of the memorial to Priest Gordon

of facilities for the education and care of the orphans of the parish.

Priest Gordon took great pride in his school and pupils. When he grew old and unable to carry out a fulltime priestly ministry, he left the Chapel House in Justice Street, where he had lived almost all of his adult life, to reside a few hundred yards down the road, within the school building itself. To the end of his life Fr Charles Gordon continued to instruct the children in the Roman Catholic faith.

The Lord Provost, magistrates and local dignitaries of all religious persuasions, attended Priest Gordon’s funeral in November 1855. Men of the parish took it in

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turn to carry the coffin along King Street, which was lined with mourners, down to the Snow Kirk. Shops in Aberdeen were closed as a mark of respect for the man hailed by the local newspaper as ‘father of the fatherless’ and acknowledged as a ‘champion of the poor’.

The grateful city of Aberdeen erected a life-sized granite statue in his memory and gifted it to the school.

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city’s King Street. Priest Gordon’s statue was on the move again! Later, in 1999, in response to an increasing school roll, an annexe was opened in Old Aberdeen House, adjoining the playground. Fittingly, this is known as Priest Gordon Annexe.

Today, St Peter’s continues to aim for excellence in achievement and behaviour. It is a happy, thriving In 1902 the school became co-educational, taking the community with a school population of 184, a diverse, name of the parish church. It continued to serve the multi-cultural group who have 27 home languages.

Catholic children of Aberdeen and it moved to new premises in Nelson Street in 1937. The Priest Gordon This April, Bishop Peter Moran joined School Chapstatue was painstakingly removed from its first home lain, Fr Keith Herrera, Headteacher Mrs Jo Martin, to sit in front of the new school. staff, pupils, parents and friends to celebrate Mass in commemoration of the 175th Anniversary of St. Peter’s, Following the demise of Junior Secondary Education, one of the earliest- established Roman Catholic Schools St Peter’s Secondary Department closed and the school in Scotland. To conclude the festivities, an enormous continued as Primary only. Surviving threats of clo- birthday cake was carefully divided into 184 pieces for sure, it relocated to its present site between Dunbar the delighted pupils!

Street in the University area of Old Aberdeen, and the

Deaneries get set to ‘Take and Read’

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a number of scripture groups which will be set up at the beginning of 2009 leading up to Easter. Several other Deaneries have expressed an interest in taking part in this exciting new venture.

I heard a voice from a nearby house singing and frequently repeating, like a boy or a girl, I do not know which: Take and read; take and read. I grabbed the book of the Scriptures and opened it and I read in silence the first chapter my eyes fell upon.

In preparation for this Fr Adrian and Anne Dixon will be speaking at a special event in Aberdeen on 26th and 27th September. A lecture called ‘What is a gospel?’ will explore the nature of gospel writing and how we came to have four written gospels. There will be a session considering Church teaching on Scripture both before and after Vatican II, and leading up to the publication of ‘The Gift of Scripture’ by the Bishops of Scotland, England and Wales.

he story of the conversion to the Catholic faith of the great St Augustine of Hippo is known to many people. His life was completely changed and he became a great bishop and one of the major teachers of Christianity.

The moment of his conversion is reported in his ‘Confessions’, his autobiography, as follows:

Taking up the Scriptures and reading them changed Augustine’s life. ‘Take and Read’ is the title of a series of books edited by Fr Adrian Graffy, Scripture scholar and Director of the Commission for Evangelisation and For- The contents of ‘Take and Read’ will be explained and mation in the English Diocese of Brentwood. suggestions given for the use of the material. Finally, there will be an opportunity to participate in a group sesMrs Anne Dixon, an experienced practitioner in adult sion using ‘Take and Read: Mark’. written by Fr Adrian. religious education and former director of the National Since Mark is to be the Sunday gospel for 2008-2009 this Project for Catechesis for the Bishops of England and is an ideal time to look again at the Gospel of Mark with Wales, led much of the work to produce the series and the help of this new resource. organised piloting of the material in fourteen dioceses.

To find out more about this special event get in touch In conjunction with the Ogilvie Institute St Mary’s with the Ogilvie Institute, Tel. 01224 638675 or Deanery are proposing to use this great new resource in Email: director@ogilvie.ac.uk

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Archives return to North- east Peter Kearney

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he Bishops’ Conference of Scotland has unanimously agreed to transfer to the University of Aberdeen the historic collection presently housed at the Scottish Catholic Archives.

The historic collection dates from the 12th century to 1878, when the Hierarchy was restored in Scotland, and is of immense historical significance. The proposal will mean the collection being housed at the University on completion of the new University library. Professor Christopher Gane, the University’s Vice Principal for Culture and Communities, welcomed the Bishops’ decision, saying: “Discussions between ourselves and the Church are progressing very positively with a view to ensuring that this important collection will enjoy the first-rate conditions of safekeeping and access which it so richly deserves.”

Commenting on the move, Archbishop Mario Conti, President of the National Heritage Commission said; “I am delighted that this invaluable collection of historical material chronicling the life of the Scottish Church will be secured in a world class location with access for future generations of scholars. The decision to move the archive was made after several years of discussion and debate within the Church’s heritage Commission and with the University of Aberdeen.” Archbishop Conti added; “Unfortunately the current location of our archive in a converted building in central Edinburgh does not meet modern storage standards and the Church is concerned to secure the long term security and accessibility of the collection.”

Additionally the bulk of the historic collections comprise material previously gathered at Blairs College in Aberdeen, from other locations. The transfer back to the North-east will see a return for these collections after a break of half a century.

Catenians Celebrate Centenary

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he middle of May this year saw the largest ever gathering of Catenians and their families in Manchester to celebrate their Centenary. Catenians and their families from all over the world, more than 2000 people, met to celebrate the anniversary.

About ten percent of the total worldwide membership was present. The weekend concluded with concelebrated Mass in the Bridgewater Hall, the Chief Celebrant being His Eminence Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor.

The weekend of 14th-15th June will also see major celebrations in Scotland. On June14th there will be a Scottish Reception at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh followed by a Scottish dinner at the Grosvenor hotel. A National Centenary Mass will be celebrated on 15th June at St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh.

In October the celebrations will move to Glasgow, with a

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Centenary Lecture at Christ the King Church Hall by Mr Tommy Hughes, chaired by Archbishop Mario Conti, on the theme of Catholic Family Life.

David Taylor, a member from North London, was installed as the 79th Grand President of the Association during the Conference weekend. David said: “The Catenian Association represents a real example of what can be achieved through true fellowship. Men who join the Catenians form lifelong friendships, which transcend traditional and geographic boundaries. They are affirmed in their Faith, and their families gain by being part of a supporting community. Although we are celebrating our Centenary we are not looking backwards but are looking forward to carry the values of our founders and our Faith into the future.

We do so with every confidence that our second hundred years will be as successful as the first”

St Columba’s Building If you would like to make a contribution to Fund the building of the new church for Culloden then please send your donation to: St. Mary’s, Huntly Street, Inverness IV3 5LH Scottish Charity No. SC005122

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He was wholly dedicated to his priesthood and his sacramental duties and diligently served the folk in his several parishes throughout the diocese, in Inverurie, Kincorth, Thurso, the Cathedral and Dingwall.

His prophetic exterior may at first have seemed daunting, but his chuckle was infectious and his smile engaging.

He loved reading and his floor would be strewn with newspapers and periodicals avidly scanned. Indeed he once contributed regularly to The Tablet (Pastor IgnoCanon John Symon OHN’S early education was at Robert Gordon’s tus) and to The Press and Journal.

College, Aberdeen, and at Blairs. I had heard from friends about his years as a seminarian at Scots His absorbing hobby was steam-trains and railways, so College in Rome - where he arrived aged 16 - and travel by train or by any means, from aircraft to motorabout his teaching exploits in Blairs, at Drygrange and bike, was a source of great joy. at Holy Rood school in Edinburgh. Such reports spoke of He had a lively interest in liturgical and ecumenical afa man of prayer, academic ability and devotion. fairs, and in his earlier years was regarded as an authority I met John in the 1980s as a brother-priest in Aberdeen on the latter. He would often let slip some little nugget city, where he was the Dean at that time. It was a case of of knowledge or some astute insight. Indeed, soon after ‘once heard, never forgotten’ for he had a voice of great ordination, he became the first Catholic priest since the character and power, a formidable and flexible atribute Reformation to study within Bishop Elphinstone’s anin Church or house or on the telephone, and a vehicle cient foundation, the University of Aberdeen, for overcoming his innate shyness. Its strength reflected that part of his character that was firm and formidable. He had a special gift for communicating readily with children and with them he would forget any social awkHe could and did speak gently and compassionately at wardness and was in his element, unselfconsciously rethe appropriate time too, though. People in need of pas- laxed. toral support or those he visited as chaplain in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary appreciated his care and his patience. Someone very close to him once remarked: “Whenever To the visitor in his chapel-house or at Nazareth Care you met John, you came away irreparably better.” A fitHome, where he spent his years of retirement, there was ting tribute, and a true one. May he rest in peace. real warmth in his cry of welcome, “Come awa’ ben” or “Lovely to see you.”

Canon Bill Anderson

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holiday with her parents just before the war. Her father would say to her, ‘Roma, you have been to London, to Rome and to the McIntoshes in Academy Street’, referring to my wife’s maternal family who played a significant part in her early childhood when her own family life was disrupted by the war.

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Roma Hossack

oma was born at Winchester House in Elgin, 25th September 1937 and baptised Roma Leonora Civiera in St Sylvester’s.

We know that in later life Roma was not a great traveller, but as a little girl she went to London and Italy on

Roma was brought up on the family farm at Loanhead near Spynie and between helping there, feeding the cattle in the early morning and helping out in the family business, the Lido Cafe in Elgin, she learnt the virtue of honest, hard work from an early age. With a convent education in Elgin and as a boarder at the Sacred Heart convent school in Aberdeen, the foundation was

Light of the North Page obituaries set for a life of duty, service and commitment. Duty to port, social or political, Elgin District could rely on your the causes she believed in, selfless service to the commu- presence and we are so grateful for all you have done for nity and unfaltering commitment to the Catholic faith everybody.” throughout her life.

The second happening was a continuum of that founHer life was to be marked by success in public service dation which was laid in her early life. The Convent of – indeed there was hardly a week went by when her pho- Mercy was her second home. Her involvement ranged tograph was not in the Northern Scot! - and with all from financial help through taking care of aged and inthe different ‘hats’ she wore, Roma’s wardrobe must have firm nuns to practical manual work. Roma would never been the size of Elgin Town Hall. stand on ceremony, never hesitate to roll up her sleeves and wash the dishes.

There were two happenings in her life which meant more At Pluscarden she was a friend to the Abbey Community than anything else to Roma. The first was her marriage, in all sorts of ways and did outstanding work in fundraisofficiated by the now Monsignor McDonald, in St Syl- ing for the restoration of the Abbey. vester’s on 11th October, 1967 to Bill Hossack. They met in Burghead where they both worked and set up house At St Sylvester’s Church she served on virtually all the in Cummingston. Sadly Bill died very suddenly just committees. Roma played a large part in the renovaover two years later. For a devastated Roma that was the tion which incorporated the old St Sylvester’s Primary moment to draw on her strength of character and faith. School, completed in 2000. She was heavily involved From that day onwards she devoted her life to caring for in the decision making, planning and build of the new others and entered the political arena. school. Needless to say, as a school board member, Roma was held in the highest regard. She always made time to As a councillor on the various iterations of what is now listen, understand, advise and help. She took part in all the Moray Council, Roma fought tirelessly for the issues aspects of school life and demonstrated an extraordinary that matter to the people of this area, for their lives and level of commitment. for their livelihoods. On national issues of farming, defence, fishing, education, transport, health and whisky, Few know that in amongst all her other public duties Roma spoke for the people of Moray and brought minis- Roma gave much time to the pastoral care of the sick, the ters and others like John Major and Michael Forsyth up impoverished and those in trouble of any kind. She was here to listen and to act in the interest of Moray. She used Chairman of the Health Council, Cornerstone, Crossher incisive intellect, her quiet powers of persuasion and roads, and very much involved with Oakbank and Canmaybe occasionally in the political fashion of the day, her cer Research. Her efforts in social work with the mentally handbag. handicapped and elderly were unparalleled.

In 1992 she stood for Westminster, gaining more than 17,000 votes, but was beaten by Mrs Ewing.

At the local level Roma served on over 100 committees all close to her heart. (Those ‘hats’!) She was latterly pleased to see the Llanbryde part of the Flood Alleviation Plan finished and other parts being worked upon. Even during her illness Roma would be one of the first down to the Lossie after heavy rain to check the level and be ready to help.

Her latest nomination papers were ready last May as her illness set in. Typically she decided not to stand in case she could not give her usual 100% if elected. One of the many cards received at the hospital says it all: “You have been missed so much in recent times at all the local events. At any concert, or occasions needing your sup-

In recognition of her tireless work for the Catholic Church Roma was awarded the Bene Merenti medal by the Vatican and latterly was made a Dame of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, a distinguished honour awarded only to the few and rightly very precious to Roma.

The challenge I have faced today is to reflect on the life and do justice to someone who was such a private person and yet so outstandingly public spirited. That is an endearingly rare combination in this day and age.

Roma: a dutiful daughter, beloved wife, loyal sister, loving aunt, dear cousin, servant of the Church, and staunch and caring friend to so many, may you rest in peace.

Brigadier Mervyn Lee

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n April 12th, a group of fourteen catechists from around the St Columba’s Deanery gathered at Bishop’s House to share and discuss their concerns, experiences and suggestions regarding catechesis in the diocese. The day began with prayer and a few minutes’ quiet reflection; then Bishop Peter led off the workshop by outlining his view of how good catechesis should operate. He did this under a number of headings to be discussed in plenary session and in smaller groups.

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Deanery Catechists’ Workshop

10. There should be a clear link to real life and to everyday events and experiences.

The syllabus used should reflect all of the above. Care must be taken to prepare the right environment, to enhance the learning experience in appropriate surroundings. Catechesis should be a sensory experience, using visual and musical aids, avoiding too many words.

Resources 1. Catechists are there to proclaim, first of all, the Good News; if details get in the way, change the ap- Some discussion on resources used, and available, followed, with suggestions from catechists’ personal expeproach. rience and from Mary Nelson of the Ogilvie Institute 2. Christ must be at the core of all catechesis; if theol- who had brought along a selection of available resourcogy obscures this, we are doing something wrong. es. These were listed according to sacraments. The CD 3. Catechesis is a task for the whole Church commu- with the Diocesan Guide for Parish Catechists (chilnity: we are working on behalf of the community and dren) is still available. Many people are still using, or would like to use, Sr Ann Condon’s workbooks on the should be able to call on others for help.

Eucharist, Reconciliation and Confirmation. These are 4. There must be family/parental commitment no longer being commercially printed but the Confirmation workbooks can be made available on disk and 5. Catechesis offers training for life, not simply for init is hoped that the workbooks for Reconciliation and dividual sacraments.

Eucharist will also be available on disk by the end of 6. We offer facts, which should be seen to link to our the summer holidays. A plea was made for a brighter beliefs, which in turn link to our behaviour. cover on each! Also available for those working in Adult Formation is the Guide to Adult Faith Formation.

7. Catechesis should be Bible-, especially Gospel-based with a clear distinction made between: Three small groups later reported back in plenary sesa) ‘Stories’ about Jesus sion on the main concerns and suggestions discussed. b) ‘Stories’ told by Jesus A full report of the day is available from St Columba’s 8. Catechesis should be linked to the liturgy.

Deanery, via Sandra Boyle (Banchory/Aboyne). The workshop was felt to be very useful and participants 9. Catechesis is also linked to ‘one off’ sacraments: i.e. enjoyed being able to meet with and share their con1st Communion; 1st Confession, but bearing in mind that these are also on-going sacraments, for life, to be cerns and experiences with other catechists. It is hoped to repeat the day in the future. repeated again and again and again…

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HOLY FAMILY

Holy Family parish in Mastrick, Aberdeen are fortunate in having a multi-cultural parish with the majority being from Kerala, India. The way in which the parish has integrated different cultural traditions has been wonderfully successful particularly at Easter time when, after the opening of the Easter tomb - a Kerala custom, they held a very enjoyable Easter Bonnet Parade for both young and not so young! Even parish priest, Fr Patrick Rice, cheerfully sported an Easter chicken on his hat! Every child received a winning raffle ticket and were delighted with their prizes. The photographs show how cheerful was the occasion and how successful were the hat decorations!

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Filipino Witness

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n 1974 Yoly Wilson arrived in London from the Philippines and began work as a hairdresser, a trade she had learnt in her homeland.

Her skill as a hairdresser was soon recognised in the City with two successive Filipino ambassadors and their families among her clients.

In 1991, now married and with two children she moved to Aberdeen where her husband worked in the oil industry.

At that time there was a considerable number of Filipinos living in Aberdeenshire, many of them women who were married to local men, and for whom life in Scotland meant also separation from their families and friends and sometimes, consequently, a sense of loneliness and isolation.

Filipino folk are a warm and friendly people, forever smiling and with a reputation for hospitality second to none and yet, in coming to Scotland, they had lost their sense of community.

However, Yoly soon made one or two friends including a young woman called Nenita who lived with her husband in Ballater. It was shortly after a visit to see Nenita that tragedy struck when this young Filipino woman took her own life.

It was an event which Yoly will never forget. At the time she could not help but wonder if this tragedy might have been averted if her friend had been in closer touch with other Filipinos. She was determined that, God willing, she would do what she could to strengthen the Filipino community.

It was then that the Aberdeen Filipino Association was formed. The first official event took place in October of 1991 when the Filipino consul from London, Ernesto Castro, arrived to give the Asso-

Yoly explaining the history of the Philippines flag to children at Lumsden Primary School

ciation his formal approval.

Within a year Yoly had gathered together around fifty members who regularly squeezed into her house for meetings. She was elected the Association’s first president and began to realize that she had been blessed with the gifts of leadership and organisation. Still, it wasn’t all plain sailing and tact and diplomacy were often required in order to bring together individuals, often from very different backgrounds and with different aspirations, into a meaningful group.

Over the years the Association has provided a much needed support network and hosted numerous events including: the Children’s Christmas Party, the Valentines Day Party; the Easter Celebrations; the May Flower Festival; the celebrations to mark the feast day of the first Filipino saint, St Lorenzo Ruiz and every first Sunday of the month members of the Association gather together to pray the rosary in different venues, and everyone is welcome.

The most recent social event took place this June when the Association celebrated the 110th anniversary of the Philippines Independence Day with a dinner and dance at the Station Hotel in Aberdeen.

The Association also raises money at some of these events for charitable works. One of their most successful campaigns raised £3,000 to help Filipino street children, and currently they are raising funds to help Filipino children brought up in Aberdeen to preserve their roots by encouraging them to speak Filipino and teaching both them and their parents the traditional Filipino folk dances. Yoly herself is a dance teacher and her dance troop are often asked to perform at various public venues both in Aberdeen and other parts of Scotland.

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Yoly has also played an important part in the establishment of Associations in Glasgow and Edinburgh and members of the Aberdeen Association always take part in the Edinburgh festival street parade. In addition, she is the Associations Scottish Coordinator and travels regularly to attend meetings at the Philippines Centre in London Since 2001 with the help of MEAL (Multi Ethnic Aberdeen Ltd) the Filipino community of Aberdeen has been broadcasting its own programme courtesy of Aberdeen Community Radio Station, ME – FM. For two weeks every summer from the 2nd to the 29th of June you can tune in twice a week (Tuesday 13.30pm – 14.00pm and Thursday 13.00pm – 13.30pm) on 105.8 fm to hear ‘Fiesta Sa Nayon’, a half hour programme of music, culture

and tradition from the Philippines.

The Association is presently run by a group of dedicated committee members including Yoly who also serves as a lay advisor to Grampian Police and to MEAL. Throughout all the ups and downs of building up the Filipino community Yoly maintains that what has kept her going has been her Christian faith and an unshakeable belief that her role is simply to try and discern what is God’s will for her and then to carry it out the best way she can. She would like to share with you one of her favourite maxims; the three t’s of God: think God; trust God and thank God.

Spotlight ON St Joseph’s, Sacred Heart Assembly St. Joseph’s Primary, Aberdeen is very proud of its Sacred Heart roots. We continue to form part of the Sacred Heart Network, working alongside other Sacred Heart schools around the world to encourage and develop children’s and staff’s faith in God.

those who attended. The children took different aspects of the Network and explained them clearly to the audience. A short role play was delivered to explain to the children what character is and how we can encourage and celebrate its growth in each individual. Some children wrote prayers about character, others sang hymns. The Primary 7 children who received the Sacrament of Confirmation at Pentecost took the role of preparing and presenting this assembly seriously, showing good leadership skills and sharing their faith and love in God.

Sacred Heart Assembly

Recently, our Primary 7 class prepared an assembly for staff and pupils about the Sacred Heart Network. The main focus of the assembly was our goal for this year, the goal Our VIP guests!!! of character, but the children also outlined the history and importance of the Sacred We also had some special guests at our Heart Network. assembly! The Primary 7 children invitThe assembly was lively and enjoyable for all ed former Head Teacher, Kay McFarlane,

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former Deputy Head teacher, Pat Pritchard and some of the sisters who live close by. These ladies are excellent examples of character and inspire the children to continue their faith and love in God. Easter Assembly

These are a few of the crowd.

day, whilst others narrated the story. The children learned lots of new hymns and sang them beautifully.

Here are our narrators.

Our Primary 1 children prepared and delivered a wonderful assembly telling the Easter story. Some children acted out events from Holy Thursday through to Easter Sun-

As with our Sacred Heart assembly, Primary 1 invited some special guests. They even made the invitations themselves!!!

In our next issue the spotlight will be on St Sylvester’s RC Primary School, Elgin

And now, just for fun!

Free will or synaptic wiring? You be the judge.

Do the following exercise, guaranteed to raise an eyebrow.

There’s no trick or surprise.

Just follow these instructions, and answer the questions one at a time and as quickly as you can!

THINK of a number from 1 to 10 MULTIPLY that number by 9 If the number is a 2-digit number, ADD the digits together Now SUBTRACT 5 DETERMINE which letter in the alphabet corresponds to the number you ended up with (example: 1=a, 2=b, 3=c,etc.)

THINK of a country that starts with that letter REMEMBER the last letter of the name of that country THINK of the name of an animal that starts with that letter REMEMBER the last letter in the name of that animal THINK of the name of a fruit that starts with that letter

How many faces can you find hidden in this picture?

Now, turn to the bottom of page 32 to see what you were thinking about!

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Light Lightofofthe theNorth North

Time again for Parish Choirs?

In previous articles for Light of the North David Meiklejohn has given consideration to a number of key issues that various Vatican documents have highlighted in promoting appropriate forms of sacred music. Having considered some of the ideals and paradigms of best practice he now addresses some of the more practical issues in transforming church music in order to reach higher levels of participation and spiritual engagement.

A

lthough particular interpretations of Vatican II (1962-1965) led to the marginalisation or abandonment of many parish choirs in Scotland, the belief and hope that everyone should be able to sing everything during Mass has not resulted in a satisfying outcome. Rather than consciously developing exuberant and dynamic congregational singing (such as can be heard in many Scottish Christian churches), we appear to be content, in many instances at least, with rather pedestrian, almost diffident attempts at such singing. Sadly, such observation is not restricted to sung responses only.

seek to provide what is best whenever we can for our wider family, the Church. To hear from time to time a Kyrie eleision, Sanctus or Agnus Dei setting by Bach, Mozart or Schubert (not discounting modern composers) is something that many congregations would certainly appreciate as a means of enhancing the liturgy and shaping a deeper understanding of the importance There are of course strong historical and some would of the text which such settings can impart. argue legitimate reasons for this rather lamentable situation where it exists. Surely the time is now right to do In general terms and along with the relative scarcity something constructive and creative to serve God and of SATB choirs in our parishes, the past forty or fifty the Church more effectively by unlocking the musical years has fashioned an emerging range of somewhat treasures both old and new that the church has gar- minimalist, even indifferent attitudes and perspecnered over the centuries. tives regarding music in the Catholic Church in Scotland. These can manifest themselves in a range of ways One important dimension of this challenge is to re- where, for example, the most important parts of the establish or re-form parish choirs in line with what Mass to be sung are in fact spoken or where the Mass the Vatican so clearly promotes. For many years now settings utilized are extremely short, often unworthy of we have deprived our congregations of hearing at first the text, and are often unrelated musically to the other hand the joys of motets, anthems and other forms of Mass parts to be sung resulting in what one observer sacred music that only a four-part (SATB) choir can described as the singing of ‘ditties’ rather than singing offer. Such deeply moving and spiritually uplifting quality or admirable music at Mass. Where such appossessions of the Church such as Latin motets and proaches prevail this often culminates in giving undue Gregorian Chant are described in Musicam Sacram prominence to the singing of hymns which by their (1967) as allowing for ‘interior participation’ of the nature should be given secondary consideration to faithful and this should surely become a more regular singing the parts of the Mass. feature of our central worship.

If we can establish a more productive and creative In addition to many other pertinent descriptions, landscape where we can fully appreciate and value the the celebration of Mass is often referred to as being a joys of a parish choir renaissance, then we will need ‘meal’. While we recognise that every meal spiritual or to provide the means of supporting, encouraging and otherwise cannot be a banquet, we should nevertheless developing our parish musicians and singers. There are

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many talented and enthusiastic young music graduates from our universities, music schools and colleges who should be encouraged to learn more of Catholic liturgy and practices in order to use their talents to the full in the service of the Church. We should welcome and support young musicians and singers irrespective of religious persuasion to engage creatively and productively with their local parishes and who in turn, like so many others, may become genuinely enthused by the rich liturgies and practices that the church has to offer. The notion of actually providing an honorarium or gratuity for the advantages of such professional expertise (often developed over many years at considerable expense) should not be dismissed if we are going to consider new approaches to improving what we offer our congregations. The church has over the centuries promoted the arts and fresh consideration should be given to recognising that these relatively modest costs can often be in inverse proportion to the considerable benefits which accrue. Such initiatives need to come from individual parishes however where consideration of providing the best music should ideally be a regular feature of discussions in liturgical planning and preparation.

Being a church musician in the Catholic Church has been and can be very challenging particularly when the view ‘keep it simple - keep it short’ is still heard. Such a standpoint can sell our congregations short and rarely produce the best we have to offer. If, as Pope Paul VI states, the musical tradition of the universal church is a greater treasure than any other art, due to its implicit fusion with the sacred liturgy, then we must make it work and work well for all who experience and participate in it. Such pre-eminence cannot be regarded merely as an embellishment or optional extra but an embedded feature of divine worship and praise. The contemporary composer and philosopher, Bob Hurd writing in The Liturgy Planner (Volume 13, no1, Autumn 2006) reiterates that liturgical music is above all a ministry, no less than proclaiming the scriptures or presiding or preaching. Its role is not decorative but theological. In common with good presiding, proclaiming, and preaching, music is the midwife to the liturgy – it serves by helping what is already there to come forth. The liturgy is like a delivery room, the new life being brought forth therein. Music’s role is not to add extraneous beauty, like someone brightening up the room with a tasteful flower arrangement. Music’s role is to help deliver the baby.

The time is now right to see how we can deliver more effectively the rich exquisiteness of sacred music in our parishes. The re-establishment of parish choirs is only

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one way of revitalising church music, but it is worthy of full consideration. With a degree of expertise and a strong resolve to improve what we do we will go some way to meeting the Church’s call: Sacred music lovers, by dedicating themselves with renewed impetus to a sector of such vital importance, will contribute to the spiritual growth of the People of God. Questions are often asked relating to what can be regarded as good or correct practice in the singing of parts of the Mass. In the next article we will examine more closely how the Mass parts should be sung in accordance with The Roman Missal.

David Meiklejohn is the Director of The Aberdeen Diocesan Choir

Snippets Christ said, “I am the Truth”; he did not say “I am the custom.” St. Toribio My daughter, I see more Pharisees among Christians than there were around Pilate. St. Margaret of Cortona You must ask God to give you power to fight against the sin of pride which is your greatest enemy - the root of all that is evil, and the failure of all that is good. For God resists the proud. St. Vincent de Paul Stop entertaining those vain fears. Remember it is not feeling which constitutes guilt but the consent to such feelings. Only the free will is capable of good or evil.

But when the will sighs under the trial of the tempter and does not will what is presented to it, there is not only no fault but there is virtue. Padre Pio We always find that those who walked closest to Christ were those who had to bear the greatest trials.

St. Teresa of Avila It is because of faith that we exchange the present for the future. St Fidelis of Sigmaringen No man can attain to the knowledge of God but by humility. The way to mount high is to descend. Bl. Giles of Assisi He who labours as he prays lifts his heart to God with his hands. St. Benedict of Nursia

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Light of the North the size of the chancel of Pluscarden Abbey Church.

Round the walls of that chapel stands an array of carved saints: a visible image of the invisible truth. The Church on earth, any Christian on earth, lives surrounded by Saints. Here and now, the Saints are among us, seeing and sustaining us. The Letter to the Hebrews has a similar picture: we are runners in a stadium and those in heaven are spec­tators, a ‘cloud of witnesses’, cheering us on to eternal life. But there is one sad feature to those statues. They have no heads. The heads have been knocked off. The Reformation came to Ely. And if we want an image of what the Reformation did, that is not a bad one. It knocked the heads off Saints, and the people of England and, even more so, of Scotland, were left with torsos, broken memories. They were deprived, so far as man has power in these affairs, of the Com­ munion of Saints.

The Church’s Year Abbot Hugh Gilbert OSB

I

t is good to be conscious of the Church’s year; good to ask, where are we now in the Church’s year? Are we in the weeks following Pentecost, just filling in time till it all begins again at Advent? Surely not.

We should think of ourselves as being in the season of Saints. We have had the great feasts marking the life and work of Christ – Christmas, Easter, Pentecost – and now we gather the fruit. The Saints are that fruit. Certainly, we keep Saints’ days all the year round, but by far the majority fall after the Easter season, after Pentecost. On June 24 comes John the Baptist. On June 29 Peter and Paul. On August 15, the Assumption of Mary, Queen of the Saints. On November 1, as a kind of climax, All the Saints, and interspersed among these great dates come the numerous feasts of those in whom the Church hails the triumph­ant power of her Bridegroom’s grace. The Church’s year has order. Christ came. He lived, died, rose and ascended. He sent the Spirit of holiness upon the Church. He did all this that we might serve the Father “in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life”. First we celebrate what He did in His own Person; then, what He has done in His Church, in His Saints.

The city of Ely has one of those sublime medieval cathedrals. The cathedral has a large Lady Chapel, about

Against that, we can set two scenes. The first is Westminster Hall, June 17, 1535, and Thomas More before his judges. The jury has just returned the verdict of guilty, and Thomas More at last opens his mouth and discharges his conscience. And what does he say?

He had been told he must be wrong because he was in a minority. All the learned men in England accepted Henry VIII as Supreme Head of the Church. More answered, first, that England after all was only one country and that if one thought of Christendom as a whole, he was hardly in a minority. But he went on. He went on to the Communion of Saints. For every bishop supporting Henry VIII, he, More, had “above one hundred holy bishops in heaven”. He had a cloud of wit­nesses cheering him on. He had Athanasius and Chrysostom, Hilary and Ambrose. He had Dunstan and Wulfstan, Anselm, Becket, Hugh and hundreds more. We say, Thomas More died for the Pope’s supremacy. He did, but he died in the thought of the Communion of Saints. And these two go together. Communion with Peter and his fellows on earth brings communion with Peter and his fellows in heaven.

And the second scene, nearer home, Glasgow, thirty years later, March 10, 16l5, and John Ogilvie standing on the scaffold at Glasgow Cross. What did he do? He invoked the Saints – “Mary, Mother of grace, pray for me. All angels, pray for me. All holy men and women, pray for me.”

We say, John Ogilvie died for the Mass. He did, but he died invoking the Saints. These two, also, go together.

Communion with the Body of Christ brings communion with Christ’s heavenly members.

Here, then, are two men in the midst of battle, at the moment when nothing untrue is of any support, and they 1ook for support to the Saints, and find it. They conquer.

Light of the North

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We side with them, of course, and not with the men who smashed the statues. “We honour Mary, the ever-virgin mother of Jesus Christ… We honour Joseph, her husband, the apostles and martyrs, Peter and Paul, Andrew and all the saints.” We rely for help on “their constant intercession”. We invoke them. “We ask some share in their fellowship”, a share in their “heavenly inheritance”.

And we are right to do so – not as a pious game, but with something of the seriousness of Thomas More or John Ogilvie. The walls of our hearts must have their statues.

The temple of God that we are must have its statues. And

St Fergus [November 18th]

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now is the time, now is the season of the Church’s year, to repair any of them that have broken, to remove the cobwebs that perhaps have obscured their faces, and so prepare ourselves for “the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his Saints”.

“In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble. They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them for ever” (Wisdom 3: 7-8).

Aberdeen Diocesan Calendar

St Fergus was a companion of St Drostán, along with St Colm and St Medan. He was active both in the area of Buchan (near to Drostán’s foundation at Deer) and of Caithness. He is said to have been a Pict by birth and was a bishop in Ireland before returning to Scotland. He may have been the same “Fergustus episcopus Scotiae Pictus” who took part in the council of Rome in AD721.

Parts of the land near the coastline are still named after him, including St Fergus’ Moss and the village of St Fergus itself with its little church, near Kirkton Head, which was founded by the saint himself. The churches at Inverugie (Inverugy) and Banff may have been his foundations also.

St Fergus was patron saint of Wick. His church there is believed to have stood in pre-Reformation times near the east end of the town, at a place called Mount Halie. A stone image of him existed in the burgh till 1613, but was then destroyed by the Rev Dr Richard Merchiston of Bower, who was noted for his zeal in abolishing “Popish” survivals. It is said that the local people were so enraged at the iconoclasm of the minister that they drowned him in the river of Wick as he was on his way home! The report went abroad that St Fergus himself did the drowning, and was seen astride of the minister holding him down in the water! A local fair held on the 24th November was from ancient times known as Fergusmas.

The parish church of Dyce, near Aberdeen, was dedicated to St Fergus who is said to have founded the original church there. Indeed the parish was at one time known as the Chapel of St Fergus near Moss-Foetach.

Saint Fergus’ Well at Glamis

Fergus is said to have died at Glamis where a cave and a well bear his name. His reputation and relics were held in honour long afterwards.

Prayer Almighty and eternal God, inspire us by the prayer and example of St Fergus, your bishop: that, being steadfast in faith and fruitful in good works, we may obtain your gift of everlasting life.

We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Light of the North

Everyone has a Vocation!

There are different gifts, but the same Spirit; there are different ministries, but the same Lord; there are different works but the same God accomplishes all of them in everyone.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

Vocation to the priesthood We continue our series on vocations with this revealing story by Fr Anil Gonsalves of his vocation to the priesthhood. Fr Anil was ordained at St Mary’s Cathedral in Aberdeen last summer and presently serves as assistant priest at the Cathedral.

Christ must increase but I must decrease (Jn. 3:30)

I

would like to share the story of my vocation to the priesthood with you. When I was sixteen and had finished secondary school, and unbeknown to my parents, I wrote a letter to my Bishop about my desire to become a priest. A few days later I received a letter from the Bishop asking me to come and see him. I was scared, because never in my life had I spoken to a bishop face to face, but the bishop made me feel relaxed and after having a chat with me he came to the conclusion that I was too young and asked me to continue further with my studies.

company used to manufacture washing machines, dishwasher and microwave ovens so if one of these appliances breaks down at your home you can give me a call. I’m just joking. Please don’t start phoning me ok!!

I fell in love with a wonderful girl and intended to get married to her. I did speak about her to my parents and they were fine about it. However, I realised that the thought of becoming a priest was still at the back of my mind. I did try to deny my vocation but it kept niggling away at me.

My brother left seminary after four years. While he had decided it was not for him I began to seriously start thinking that I had a vocation to the priesthood.

One of the most difficult things I had to do was to tell my girlfriend that I was thinking about becoming a priest. I felt that I had broken her heart but, thank God, she is now happily married with a daughter.

My Dad used to say that he wanted to become a priest but instead he fell in love with my mum and got married to her, thank God, otherwise I would not be here!

I never suspected that my vocation would bring me to Scotland. The only thing I knew about Scotland was that my Dad liked a good dram of the finest Scotch whisky. But here I am serving as a priest in Aberdeen. People ask me why did I come to Scotland?

The short answer to this question is that ‘God only knows why he has brought me here’. If I had worked as a priest in my homeland I think it would have been easier for me, because I know my people, my culture, my language and so on. However, I would probably have relied more on my own efforts and less on God. As a Scottish priest I am having to rely more on God and less on myself which is a blessing in itself.

I continued my studies and got a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. After that I did post-graduate studies in Sales and Marketing. I started work for a home appliance company and later was offered a job in a pharmaceutical company. When I said I was working for a home appliance company, I meant that my

I believe that part of my role as a priest is to play the part of the father in the parable of the prodigal son.

When the son returns to the father he neither judges nor condemns but understands, accepts and loves the son even more.

John the Baptist once said: ‘Christ must increase and

When I came out of the Bishop’s office I said to myself: ‘That was God speaking to me, I don’t have a calling to become a priest and that’s it. I will never think about the priesthood again.’

At about this time my elder brother was studying in the seminary to become a priest. I used to say to him: ‘you can become a priest and take care of the Church and I will get married and take care of the family.’

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I must decrease.’ These words express my vision of the priesthood that “Christ must increase while I must decrease”. I have not come to Scotland to draw people to myself, for if I was to draw people to myself and not lead them to Christ I would be the unhappiest person on the planet. I have come here to lead people to

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Christ and if that happens I will be content.

I would like to share the following poem with you which I wrote when I was doing my training at the Scots College in Rome. The poem is called ‘What I am not’.

What I Am Not I can give a piece of bread, but I am not the bread of life.

I can give a glass of water, but I am not the water of life.

I can point out the way, but I am not the way.

I can speak about the truth, but I am not the truth.

I can speak about life, but I am not the life.

I can try to love someone, but I am not love itself.

I can speak about resurrection, but I am not the resurrection.

I can speak about eternal life, but I cannot give it.

What I am not, what I cannot give, there is Only One Who Is And Who Can Give, He Is Jesus Christ Our Lord.

But Lord I make this prayer to you, make my heart a chalice for your most Precious Blood and my soul as a paten for your most Precious Body.

Amen...

The vocation of priesthood...

Quo Vadis?

Do you know where are you going in life? Where is God leading you? Have you considered your vocation? What is a vocation?

Men with a Mission Priesthood is more than celebrating Mass and telling people about God. It is about knowing the central call of your life and giving your all for this call. Priests are called to be forthright messengers of hope, strong community leaders and spiritual guides for both the lost and the faithful.

The Journey Every vocation starts with an initial call, but every call and every journey is different. For most men who apply to become priests the attraction to ordained ministry has been with them for some time. Perhaps they have been slow to reveal this thought to anyone else and have mulled it over quietly in their own mind. The first step in exploring this feeling is to pray; listen to God’s Spirit in the depth of your heart. You may wish to share this experience with a local priest, spiritual director, or your Diocesan Vocations Director: Rev. Keith Herrera, St. Peter’s, 3 Chapel Court, Justice street, ABERDEEN AB11 5HX Email: keithherrera@lineone.net

If you know somebody who is unable to get to church to pick up a copy of the Light of the North please let them know that for just £10.00 they can be put on our subscribers mailing list, and we will send them a year’s issues of the magazine by post.

All cheques should be made out to the Ogilvie Institute.

e to Scotland to draw peoeducationandformation

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Light of the North

What you always wanted to know about your faith but were afraid to ask!

Eileen Grant “Go in peace…”

“We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled with God” (2 Cor 5: 20).

We are, alas, fallen creatures, but God, in his infinite love for those He fashioned in His own likeness, does not will to leave us in that state. To save us from the consequences of our own rebelliousness, He sent His only Son to take upon himself human flesh and, in so doing, to redeem it, to transform us that we might, at the last, be with him in Paradise.

God gives us freedom to choose what we do. What may seem rules forced on us to restrict our freedom should, in fact, be seen as warnings intended to protect us, not just from our surroundings but also from ourselves and the dangers into which our natural desires might lead us. We can often hurt ourselves by going our own way, but God is always ready to act at once to soothe our pain – if we allow Him. Our wrongdoing may lead to • • • •

a breach of love between us and God; and between us and neighbour; hurt to the Body of Christ, the Church; unhappiness in ourselves.

God cannot force us to love Him. If we commit really serious sin, we cut ourselves off from Him; if we choose to stay in that state, we may do so for eternity. BUT God doesn’t give up on us; He waits patiently, watching and willing our return, ever ready with His merciful love.

We need never be afraid to come back, for we should always remember that we are coming back to the Father who loved us enough to give up His Son for us; to that Son who loved us enough to die on the Cross for us.

We are called to a continual conversion of heart and it is our realisation of God’s love coupled with our loving response that turns our hearts back to Him. Our Father takes the initiative and runs joyfully to meet us. It is already the action of His grace in us that makes us aware of having strayed and that prompts us to take those first shaky steps towards Him, towards the healing touch He offers us through Christ. We are already forgiven; we simply need to express our regret and accept God’s merciful love In Luke 7, the ‘woman of the town’ offers us all tremendous hope: the greatest sinner has the potential to become the greatest saint. She is aware of being a sinner; she realises where salvation lies, where Jesus is to be found and that he has the power to heal her. Alongside her sorrow is her love for him; she demonstrates that love by coming to him – she doesn’t need words, but shows her contrition through her tears. AND she is forgiven and sent on her way healed and at peace within herself. Likewise, we’re all called to be saints and God offers us the grace which enables us to cope with anything. He just asks us to respond, to collaborate with Him: grace becomes effective when we respond to it.

It heals, strengthens, sustains, leads us ever onward towards eternal life and blessedness.

Penance is not a punishment but is intended as a way to begin repairing the damage we’ve done. God has already done most of the work; He just asks us to respond to His gift of grace, rather like a loving parent who lets us feel as though we’re helping! We may be asked to perform some extra act of love, through prayer, charity or self-denial, not designed to make us feel worse or hard done by, but to respond in kind to that amazing free gift of love, as a sign that we have a genuine desire to do better. Jesus has already taken all our sin on himself; he took on the lot and offered it up on the Cross to the Father who responded by raising him from the dead. If we desire, He will do no less for each of us.

Why go at all to the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

Isn’t it enough just to say ‘sorry’ to God privately? We should do this daily anyway and know we are forgiven.

We are forgiven, but may still be in need of healing. Remember, each sacrament involves a personal encounter with Christ. Shouldn’t we desire to meet him frequently?

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We must confess serious sin and come to the Sacrament at least once a year. But what does it say about our faith, about our love, if we are content to meet our Lord so very seldom? The Church also recommends that we should desire frequent reception of the sacrament as a way of growing in love.

Pride can lead us to place ourselves and our own capabilities above God. Coming to Confession requires great humility, to acknowledge our creatureliness and therefore our dependence on our Father who has given us His Son not only as the most patient of teachers but also the gentlest of physicians who heals with a touch.

Am I perfect as Jesus was perfect?

It’s very easy to think we’re doing all right on our own, that we don’t have any really bad habits we can’t work on ourselves. We can be prone to self-diagnosis and selfmedicating and so can make our condition worse. We can be like the Pharisee who congratulated himself for being so much better than the miserable sinner kneeling nearby (Luke 18). We can become desensitised as regards our own shortcomings, though very aware of everyone else’s!

Through confession we face our sins squarely, accept responsibility for them, bring them out of the dark into the light, the light of Christ who conquered sin and continues to help us conquer it whenever we ask for his help. We are given not only pardon, but peace also: we are given a fresh start, restored once again to the shining radiance of baptismal grace.

“It must be recalled that … this reconciliation with God leads, as it were, to other reconciliations, which repair the other breaches caused by sin. The What stops us going to Conforgiven penitent is reconfession? ciled with himself in his Embarrassment because inmost being, where he rewe seem to be repeatgains his innermost truth. ing the same boring sins He is reconciled with his each time. But we’re the brethren whom he has in same people, probably in the same circumstances, with some way offended and wounded. He is reconciled with the same weaknesses, exposed to the same temptations. the Church. He is reconciled with all creation” (John When we fall, Christ is waiting to help us up again and Paul II). again and again… Be thankful we don’t have any new sins to confess!

Eileen Grant is the RCIA Catechist at St Mary’s Cathedral, Aberdeen Shame because we don’t want the priest to think badly of us. He won’t; he’s heard it all before! No sin is beyond God’s mercy. Even shame is a grace.

Conceit because I think I’m doing all right and I haven’t really got anything to confess. Well, confession can be about things we’ve failed to do, often about failures in love.

Anything that’s bothering us may be coming between us and God. If we’ve committed a grave sin which involves a whole-hearted rejection of God’s love, we cannot be unaware of it. To use a medical image, our symptoms of anxiety or distraction or unhealthy preoccupation may be warning signs of deeper spiritual problems. “If the sick person is too ashamed to show his wound to the doctor, the medicine cannot heal what it does not know” (St Jerome). So keep taking the tablets! Regular confession can keep us healthy.

Are you just back from holiday, and do you still have some foreign currency left? If you have, it could help towards the production costs of this magazine.

Just leave it with us at the Ogilvie Institute, 16 Huntly Street, Aberdeen AB10 1SH and we’ll do the rest!

Thank You

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Light of the North

The Church Fathers were the leaders and teachers of the early Church. They lived and wrote during the first eight centuries of Church history. Some of their writings were composed to instruct and to encourage the faithful. Other writings were composed to explain or defend the faith when it was attacked or questioned.While the writings of the Fathers do not supersede scripture they can tell us what some of the earliest Christians believed and taught as some of the Early Church Fathers were taught directly by Jesus’s disciples themselves.

However, in spite of the importance the Church attaches to the writings of the Fathers their works are not always readily accessible. This new series of selected extracts is therefore designed as an introduction to some of those writings which have been a vital source of wisdom and inspiration for countless men and women throughout the history of the Church.

Reading the Church Fathers

I

St Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)

t is with no doubtful knowledge, Lord, but with utter certainty that I love You. You have stricken my heart withYour word and I have loved You. And indeed heaven and earth and all that is in them tell me wherever I look that I should love You, and cease not to tell it to all men, so that there is no excuse for them. ­ForYou will have mercy on whomYou will have mercy, and will show mercy to whom You will show mercy: otherwise heav­en and earth cry their praise ofYou to deaf ears.

But what is it that I love when I love You? Not the beauty of any bodily thing, nor the order of seasons, not the brightness of light that rejoices the eye, nor the sweet melodies of all songs, nor the sweet fragrance of flowers and ointments and spices: not manna nor honey, not the limbs that carnal love embraces. None of these things do I love in loving my God.Yet in a sense I do love light and melody and fragrance and food and embrace when I love my God – the light and the voice and the fragrance and the food and embrace in the soul, when that light shines upon my soul which no place can contain, that voice sounds which no time can take from me, I breathe that fragrance which no wind scatters, I

eat the food which is not lessened by eating, and I lie in the embrace which satiety never comes to sunder. This it is that I love, when I love my God. And what is this God? I asked the earth and it answered “I am not He”; and all things that are in the earth made the same confession. I asked the sea and the deeps and the creeping things, and they answered: “We are not your God; seek higher.” I asked the winds that blow, and the whole air with all that is in it answered: “Anaximenes was wrong; I am not God.” I asked the heavens, the sun, the moon, the stars, and they answered: “Neither are we God whom you seek.” And I said to all the things that throng about the gateways of the senses: “Tell me of my God, since you are not He.Tell me something of Him.”And they cried out in a great voice: “He made us.” My question was my gazing upon them, and their answer was their beauty.

Late have I loved Thee, O Beauty so the ancient and so new; late have I loved Thee! For behold Thou wert within me, and I outside; and I sought Thee outside and in my loveliness fell upon those lovely things that Thou hast made. Thou wert with me and I was not with Thee. I was kept from Thee by those things, yet had they not been in Thee, they would not have been at all.Thou didst call and cry to me and break open my deafness; and Thou didst send forth Thy beams and shine upon me and chase away my blindness;Thou didst breathe fragrance upon me, and I drew in my breath and do now pant for Thee; I tasted Thee, and now hunger and thirst for Thee; Thou didst touch me, and I have burned for Thy peace.

St Augustine:The Confessions Book 10

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Hope for the oppressed depressed Fr Bernard O’Connor

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ean Vanier, the famed author and founder of the L’Arche movement which assists the mentally handicapped, has written an insightful and readable book, Seeing Beyond Depression (London: SPCK, 2001). Vanier observes that psychological depression, a prevalent affliction in Western society, is often the product of a sweep of “hidden sadnesses, darkness” and other negative feelings “which have been buried deeply in the heart.” When these surge to the “surface of the consciousness, they can engulf one’s whole being” (p. 25). Vanier advises us to observe how “our universe” is multi-featured; “not made up only of beautiful trees, but also of stunted ones.” But this does not take away from the fact that “each tree is important.” Similarly, we are lovable for who we are, and despite what we are not. “We are called to be open and to grow in love and thus communicate life to others, especially to those in need” (p. 89). What this asks of us is a simple yet radical acceptance of ourselves, a willingness to refuse “to live in a world of dreams or illusions, in anger or despair …. trying to run away from reality” (p. 87).

The causes of a person’s psychological depression are many and varied. Experts tell us that these can range from physiology (e.g. a chemical factor), to stress (e.g. inability to recover from loss or adversity), learning (e.g. conditioned by family upbringing), attention getting behaviour (‘now people will take notice’ attitude), to thinking patterns (e.g. convincing ourselves that the undesirable becomes the tragic). It is this latter which Vanier seems to address. And his views resonate with advances in what is known as Rational Emotive Therapy (first developed by Albert Ellis). Essentially, this refers to introducing us to a process of rethinking. Something, for example, may be experienced as “horrible;” prompting someone to conclude that they are perpetually overwhelmed and defeated.

‘Where there is despair, hope’ (St Francis)

But such a conclusion is neither permanent nor irreversible. Because we can acquire a “more supportive inner dialogue,” one which disputes the finality of such an outlook (e.g. I can imagine saying to myself: ‘X’ was difficult, but I now recognize that I am a survivor. I can get through this, too.’). This mental shift in self-talk then yields “a new effect” (e.g. ‘I feel hurt, but have not lost control. And I will keep that control’.). (Refer to: http://www.lessonsforliving. com/depression5.htm; cf also depression 4.)

On November 30, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued an Encyclical Letter, On Christian Hope (Spe Salvi).

While neither citing Vanier nor Ellis, the Pope reflects upon hope as that virtue which enables us to attain a more balanced and accurate perspective upon our life’s condition. Like Vanier, he would have us refrain from delusion and escapism. Like Ellis, he reminds us that we can reframe our view of suffering.

According to the Holy Father, our combined legacy of scripture and Catholic Tradition is rich in resources which can equip us to discover in whatever afflicts us an avenue toward greater maturity, charity, and, yes, sanctity. The Encyclical’s fifty Articles suggest a

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compendium of strategies by which persistent depression avoids succumbing to despair, and by which we may progress in inner freedom and joy. I encourage readers to obtain a copy of the Encyclical (e.g. consult ‘Google’ to readily locate an English translation) and to consider the self-application of its numerous practical points. Among them are included that: A. Belief in the gospel is a preventive to our becoming fixated; no longer confined to the proverbial ‘rut’.

Authentic faith delivers us from passivity and equally from mentally consigning ourselves to entrenchment.

The power of the Gospel “makes things happen and is life-changing.” This “gift of a new life” is not merely promissory; it is actual. And it negates the “dark door of time” by ushering in a future which is fresh, inviting, “thrown open” (Art.2), and accessible.

B. The imperfections we encounter in society are not barriers; they are bridges.

A person in depression often feels as if they are under assault from every direction without reprieve. Sometimes they fear that they are doomed to be oppressed because, for them, “external structures (have) remained unaltered.” However, in line with Ellis et al, they might recognize that “present society” is neither fully complete nor total. There is a degree to which the Christian abides in “exile.” Society itself is in process and therefore subject to tensions and upheaval. It is not yet that “new society which is the goal of (our) common pilgrimage,” and which the Christian already anticipates and welcomes (Art. 4).

“Quote ... Unquote”

C. Life is more than randomness or the product of arbitrary luck or chance.

We are creatures of destiny; each of us chosen by the Creator and endowed with all that is necessary for us to enter into relationships with the “Spirit Who in Jesus has revealed Himself as Love” (Art. 5).

D. “Faith gives life a new basis, a new foundation on which we can stand” (Art. 8).

For the depressed, there may be a desperate longing for meaning and for inner consolation. Some seem to wander aimlessly in pursuit of affection, of affluence, and of influence. But nothing satisfies. The pain only accelerates. In the spiritual context, however, there is purpose, since a mission is conferred upon us – individually and collectively - to serve as an agent of peace.

And so the Encyclical continues. Much more could be written. I therefore invite you to adapt each Article as if it is your day’s meditation. Reflect upon how that day’s segment implies a hope for you which is as real as it is both healing and inspirational.

Fr. Bernard O’Connor is a priest of the Diocese of Antigonish, Nova Scotia and an official with the Vatican’s Congregation for Eastern Churches.

“Jesus’ going ushers in a completely new and greater way of being present. By dying he enters into the love of the Father. His dying is an act of love. Love, however, is immortal. Therefore, his going away is transformed into a new coming, into a form of presence which reaches deeper and does not come to an end...

“Jesus, who is now totally transformed through the act of love, is free from barriers and limits. He is able not only to pass through closed doors in the outside world, as the Gospels recount (cf. Jn 20: l9). He can pass through the interior door separating the ‘l’ from the ‘you’, the closed door between yesterday and today, between the past and the future.”

Benedict XVI Homily for the Easter Vigil, 2008

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Lourdes 1858 - 2008 A moving account of a life-changing pilgrimage to Lourdes by Deacon John Wire

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his year marks the 150th year since Bernadette Soubirous, a young French girl, saw a series of visions of a beautiful Lady at the grotto of Massabielle next to the river Garve on the outskirts of what was then the small village of Lourdes in the foothills of the French Pyrenees. The Lady asked for a chapel to be built on the site where she was appearing to Bernadette and when Bernadette asked the lady who she was, she said in reply, “Que Soy Era Immaculada Conceptiou”; “I am the Immaculate Conception”.

Today, something like six million people visit Lourdes every year from all over the world. Some come in the hope of a miraculous cure from the waters flowing from the spring which Bernadette unearthed on the instructions of Our Lady. And Lourdes is a place where healing takes place, in mind and body and in spirit, it is a place where conversion of heart, like the conversion of St Paul on the road to Damascus, happens.

Taking part in a pilgrimage to Lourdes involves one in a daily routine of prayer and companionship which for some can develop into life long friendships. The first Lourdes pilgrimage I joined was very well organised and we attended Mass in different places and churches associated with the life of Bernadette during the week: the Hospice where Bernadette received her first Holy Communion; the Cachot where she and her family lived when Our Blessed Lady appeared to her; the Grotto, the great underground basilica where the international Mass takes place on Sundays; the Ukrainian church with its beautiful icons and the simple, peaceful church in the children’s village situated just outside Lourdes on the hillside.

During that pilgrimage the Service of Reconciliation which is part of the organised events was held at the church in the children’s village. The late Fr Eddie Traynor who led the service began by placing a goblet filled with water on the front of the altar which he blessed and invited those who did not want to go to a priest for confession to come forward to the altar and bless themselves with the holy water.

I sat for a long time, my thoughts in turmoil. I hadn’t been to confession for a very long time. My head told me that I could go and bless myself with the holy water, symbolically washing away my sins, my heart telling me that that

would not be enough to break out of the darkness that my soul was experiencing. I had to be reconciled with God. Eventually, I got up and walked to one of the priests hearing confession.

We talked for what seemed a long time. I explained that I felt my spiritual life was on the edge of the abyss, that there seemed no way of drawing back. At a point in our dialogue he suddenly stopped and asked if I would say with him a prayer committing my life to God, completely, unconditionally and accepting whatever God may ask of me in the future! After some moments of hesitation I agreed and we said the prayer of dedication together. I had hesitated only because I was completely taken by surprise by his request. We continued to talk for some time and the confession ended with the absolution and the instruction for penance. As I left the church I began to experience a feeling of great inner peace and calm, but I also felt anticipation and apprehension, wondering if God would actually ask me to do anything.

On the day before the pilgrimage left Lourdes I visited the Chapel of Adoration on the opposite side of the river to the Grotto. It was so quiet and peaceful, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed and as I knelt in a pew I closed my eyes and concentrated my mind on being in the presence of God. The ease with which I was able to concentrate without my thoughts wandering was extraordinary.

I felt closer to God than ever before, I recalled the prayer of dedication I had made at the Service of Reconciliation only a few days before and I felt bold enough to ask God what he wanted me to do! The answer was immediate ‘pray more, each day’. At first this seemed a very simple request. However, as I thought about the words I began to realise that it meant more than just saying my morning and night prayers on a more regular basis. Until my visit to Lourdes I had been out of the habit of saying regular prayers for some time.

The pilgrimage left Lourdes the following day and I was euphoric, believing that the intercession of Our Blessed Lady and the power of the Holy Spirit had changed my life in those few short days. Gradually over the next few months I came to realise more fully the infinite love and mercy God has for everyone who turns to Him in reconciliation.

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Light of the North God who “executes justice for the oppressed, and gives food to the hungry” (Ps146: 7); and “those who shut their ears to the cry of the poor will themselves call and not be heard” (Prov. 21:13).

“Rich nations have a grave moral responsibility toward those which are unable to ensure the means of their development by themselves or have been prevented from doing so by tragic historical events. It is a duty in solidarity and charity; it is also an obligation in justice if the prosperity of the rich nations has come from resources that have not been paid for fairly” (CCC 2439).

The Body of Christ Who is my neighbour?

Clare Benedict “God our Father, let the Spirit you sent on your Church to begin the teaching of the Gospel continue to work in the world through the hearts of all who believe.”

What next? We’ve been confirmed; we’ve celebrated Pentecost and remembered the gift of the Holy Spirit to us; we’re drifting back into ‘Ordinary’ time (can any time spent in the presence of God be ordinary!), after all the excitement of Eastertide. There’s not much happening in the Church now until Advent starts again. We can relax, lean back and bask in our privileged position as beloved children of God; isn’t it great being a Catholic? But hang on a minute (as Bishop Peter might say!) – is basking really an option? After all, we can help renew the face of the earth!

A fourth century hymn sings about being “lavish with the gifts of the Spirit”. As children of God we know that He is lavish with His gifts; but we too are asked to be generous in our turn with the gifts we have received. Mission and generosity are not optional extras.

Over the last few years we’ve been hearing a lot about poverty, Third World debt, asylum seekers, ‘human trafficking’, ‘justice and peace’. Using words such as justice and peace can sometimes make us slightly uneasy, in case we are being asked to get involved in dodgy ‘political’ action. Well, getting involved in campaigns such as Make Poverty History or Justice and Peace groups is not about becoming an anarchist; it’s about living the Gospel, following Christ, and obeying a call made by God throughout the history of humanity. And, incidentally, ‘political’ actually means being involved in humankind. Our duty to the poor, the needy, the refugee, the stranger etc, is enshrined in God’s law and summed up by Christ in the Gospel: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (Jn 13:34). He wasn’t talking only about our own intimate circles, about “keeping charity at home”.

The Old Testament too is strewn with the word of God urging justice and mercy for the under-privileged, for our God is the

We are fortunate to live in one of the richest countries in the world; we owe part of our prosperity to the fact that once we had a vast empire to plunder and trade with under our own terms.

Now most of the peoples in that empire are free and independent, after a fashion, but many are oppressed by tyrannical régimes and countless numbers are kept in a state of abject poverty because of crippling debts to the West. To pay only the interest, they are forced to grow ‘cash crops’ such as coffee, tea, tobacco, instead of cereal crops to feed themselves. Already they have paid back in interest far more than they borrowed yet still pay over £30 million every day. They lose, because of unjust trade rules, up to 14 times what is given in aid. They live in the most vicious of vicious circles and must despair of ever breaking the chains of poverty. Wars, drought, natural disasters and the greed often of their own rulers only add to the despair. On top of this, many fall victim to human trafficking – to our country. God hears the cry of the poor – do we?

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgements, show kindness and mercy each to his brother, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor” (Zech.7:9-10).

Some progress has already been made, but a great deal more remains to be done. In order to wipe out the crippling burden of debt on those who can least afford it rich countries are asked to contribute a mere 0.7% of their national income (in 2002-3 we gave 0.3%). It’s not too much to ask, is it? To give up the occasional chocolate bar or pint of beer or magazine? We wouldn’t even notice if all debt was to be wiped out tomorrow. Our ‘debtors’ will never be able to pay back anything other than the interest; in the meantime the cries of the poor grow weaker and a little brother or sister of ours dies every three seconds – that’s 10 million children a year. It is our role to show that we “are witnesses and agents of peace and justice” (CCC 2442).

“Do you wish to honour the Body of Christ? Do not despise him when he is naked. Do not honour him here in the church building with silks, only to neglect him outside, when he is suffering from cold and nakedness. For he who said ‘This is my Body’ is the same who said ‘You saw me, a hungry man, and you did not give me to eat.’ Feed the hungry and then come and decorate the table. The Temple of your afflicted brother’s body is more precious than this Temple (the church). The Body of Christ becomes for you an altar. It is more holy than the altar of stone on which you celebrate the holy sacrifice. You are able to contemplate this altar everywhere, in the street and in the open squares” (St John Chrysostom, 4th c.).

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Fr RonaldWalls’ Orkney Journal Putting Orkney on the map

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here are many people in Great Britain who don’t know where Orkney is. A day or two ago I was talking on the telephone to a priest in Liverpool who said, ‘I hear that you are living in the Hebrides’; and there may even be some folk living in the Diocese of Aberdeen who are a bit vague as to the whereabouts of Orkney, and what life here is like.

The Orkneys are an archipelago of seventy islands, twentyone of which are inhabited, lying due north of the coast of Caithness, and about a hundred miles east of the Butt of Lewis in the Hebrides; three ferries across the wild Pentland Firth link Orkney with Scotland, and there is also a good but very expensive air link from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness. Not only do the Orkney Islands lie to the East, but geologically they belong to the old red sandstone formation that underlies the east coast of our country. Orkney is therefore a fertile agricultural land. Fleets of lorries carry beef and lamb daily from Orkney to the supermarkets of Great Britain.

Culturally and linguistically too Orkney is distinctive. There are still traces of the aboriginal Pictish peoples, but the later Norse influence is prominent. Until a few centuries ago Orkney was part of Norway, and the language of Orkney was Norne, which derived from south west Norway and was related to Old Icelandic. Today there are frequent interchanges with Norway as, for example, when the Provost of a Norwegian town comes over to light the Christmas Tree on the Kirk Green on the first weekend of Advent, to conclude the celebration of the St Lucy legend in St Magnus Cathedral. In spite of the fact that Orkney went along with the Calvinist Reformation, it is extraordinary how much of ancient Catholic tradition survives in the race memory of the people.

The sense of historic continuity is evident in the reverence and love which is shown to the Cathedral of St Magnus, which belongs not to the Church but to the city of Kirkwall.

By custom the Church of Scotland celebrates its Sunday worship in the cathedral, but all Christians are free to use

Papa Westray

the cathedral. For a whole year, when our church was out of action, the parishioners of Our Lady and St Joseph’s celebrated Mass every day in St Magnus Cathedral.

St Magnus Cathedral is available also for the celebration of serious community activities, and it is in constant use during the St Magnus Festival , which takes place every year in June. This festival of music and the arts demonstrates the fact that the people of Orkney are anything but parochial. Their culture is that of Europe – of the world indeed. The St Magnus festival is not on such a large scale as the Edinburgh Festival, but in quality it is in no way inferior.

This year the St Magnus Festival will present a chamber opera, ‘The Martyrdom of St Magnus’, by Peter Maxwell Davies, classical music by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, a Lute Recital by Luca Marconato in the Italian Chapel, Indian Ballet by Dance Ilhayami, a Writers’ Workshop and lots more.

Orkney lies not on the fringe but at the centre of Europe.

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Towie Barclay Castle

Continuing his exploration of the Catholic history of the Diocese, Peter Davidson, Professor of Renaissance Studies at the University of Aberdeen, tells the story of Towie Barclay Castle.

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Inside, the beautifully-restored great hall bears many features which seem consciously old-fashioned, or, more likely, learnedly antiquarian. Such confident use of the architectural and decorative style of past times can also be seen in some of the post-Reformation houses of Catholic Lancashire, conveying much the same message about continuity and adherence to the Old Faith as at Towie Barclay. The vaults of the Great Hall have two pendants, one with the Lion Rampant and one with the arms of the Barclays. The sides of these pendant ornaments are carved with animals which seem to be deliberate references to the ancient Pictish stones of Aberdeenshire, a reference to continuity with primitive Christianity.

(This is wholly possible given the sophisticated aesthetic and intellectual world of the Aberdeenshire Catholics, sustained by frequent and profound contact with contemporary continental thinking.)

owie Barclay Castle, at Auchterless to the south of Turriff, is one of the post-Reformation Catholic houses of Aberdeenshire. The castle was built for the ancient family of Tollie de Barclay, and an inscription in the castle dates the origins to the legendary founder of the family, Alexander Barclay in the far past of the twelfth century. There are castles documented as being on the site in 1558 and 1587 which accords well with the sixteenth-century date of the present building and its resemblance to other sixteenth-century fortified houses in Aberdeenshire.

This group of four buildings: Towie, Craig, Delgaty and Gight are thought to have been to some degree designed

by Conn of Auchry, from another Aberdeenshire Catholic family from which also sprang the seventeenth-cen- The most fascinating aspect of the Great Hall is the Oratury Catholic diplomat George Conn. tory, which is in a substantial vaulted gallery at mezzanine level. Here, there are pendants of the IHS monoThe inscription visible on the present castle is dated gram and of the Five Wounds or Passion Shield. The 1593, perhaps recording the completion of the castle in ribs of the vault spring from corbels bearing the symbols its present form. The text of the inscription reflects on of the Four Evangelists. It is the informed opinion of the lot of the family of Patrick Barclay, impeccably loyal the present owner of the castle, Marc Ellington, that to Mary Queen of Scots and to the Church, through this Oratory was so designed that it could be opened to hostile times: In tim of Valth all men semis frindly and the Great Hall by drawing a curtain, so that a numerfrindis not knawin but in adversity. ous congregation could hear Mass there. As at Provost

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Skene’s house, the Passion Shield could bear a deliberately defiant association with its use as the badge of the last Catholic rising in England, the 1530s Pilgrimage of Grace.

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walk have returned to their former glory, the Great Hall is beautifully furnished – one of the paintings there is thought once to have hung at the Seminary at Aquahorthies -- and the whole is surrounded by fine formal gardens.

Towie Barclay was built for one important line of a most distinguished extended family. The Aberdeenshire BarThe castle decayed in the clays were for the greater part Catholics and many went eighteenth century as many into exile for their Religion. William Barclay (c.1570members of the Barclay fam1627) was educated by his kinsman, also William Barily had gone abroad, where clay (1546-1608), at the French University of Pont-àmany of them distinguished Mousson and went on to be a physician and poet who themselves, especially the wrote in praise of the Spa Well of Aberdeen as well as Russian General Barclay de reflecting the opinion of the time in a poem in praise of Tollie who commanded the the health-giving properties of tobacco. The son of ProPortrait of Barclay de forces ranged against NapoleTolly from the Military fessor William Barclay was John Barclay (1582-1621) on at the Battle of Leipzig. In author of a long political novel, the Argenis, not wellGallery of the Winter 1792 the castle was reduced, Palace in St Petersburg known today, but in the year of its publication, 1621, so the two top stories being rewildly popular across Europe that copies changed hands moved and the moat filled in.

The visitor would never guess this, so convincing is the for three times their normal price. painstaking restoration of the Castle undertaken from the 1970s by its present owners: the towers and parapet

Beautiful works of art ...to give and collect

David Cope, the sculptor David Cope was born in Lichfield, Staffordshire and studied at Stafford College of Art and Alsager College.

After completing his studies, he travelled extensively in Europe and the USA studying sculpture and art.

David has worked in theatre and schools, making props and painting scenery including the construction of a 50’ giant complete with a 7’ high portrait head!

He was actively involved in teaching art and drama until 1997, when he gave them up to concentrate on his work in the field of art and sculpture.

David has also produced miniature military figures from medieval times to the 20th century. These are in museums and private collections all over the world. One area of particular interest is in ecclesiastical sculpture and his work can be seen in many churches and buildings across the south east of England. David lives in Kent where he continues to sculpt and paint.

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Just two examples from the growing collection of limited edition signed statues & plaques sculpted

by David Cope, exclusively for Devotum.

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View on: www.devotum.co.uk Tel: 01306 743166 E-mail: ghvdl@devotum.co.uk

The David Cope Collection for Devotum Statues include: Christ the Good Shepherd, Mary Mother of God, St Joseph, St Francis, St Jude, St Thomas More, Christ the Healer, St Philip Neri, St Philip Howard, The Sacred Heart Plaques: The Sacred Head of Jesus, The Virgin Mary & Christ Child Each statue is boxed with a relevant prayer card.

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Poetic licence

Light of the North

Canon Bill Anderson takes a look at some of his favourite inspirational verse.

‘Breathe on me, Breath of God’ Edwin Hatch

of the soul’s pilgrimage.

Breathe on me, Breath of God, Fill me with life anew, Latin and Greek use the one word (“spirThat I may love what thou dost love, itus” or “pneuma”) for spirit and breath.

And do what thou wouldst do, Commenting on this, Dr Ian Bradley, in Breathe on me, Breath of God, Until my heart is pure, Until with thee I will one will, To do and to endure.

Breathe on me, Breath of God, Till I am wholly thine, Until this earthly part of me Glows with thy fire divine.

Breathe on me, Breath of God; So shall I never die, But live with thee the perfect life Of thine eternity.

What a profound yet simple hymn that is. It was written in the late 19th century

by Edwin Hatch, a scholarly Anglican priest, and for some time now has found an assured place in Catholic hymnaries.

It takes the idea of God’s creating breath from Genesis 2:7, and connects it with the Holy Spirit’s role in bringing a person to new birth (John3:3-8).The words quietly lead us towards unity with God, and allude to varying stages

his Penguin Book of Hymns, appositely remarks: “Whereas to a physicist pneumatology means the science of air and gases, to a theologian it means the doctrine and study of the Holy Spirit.”

The ruminative mood of the piece may lead us to think afresh about the Holy Spirit’s power within the Church and within the individual. Hatch’s reflections are quite at one with the approach of similar hymns with which we are more familiar, like “Come down, O love divine” or the ancient “Come, Holy Ghost, Creator, come”.

Our hymn has been set to innumerable tunes, of which perhaps the best, pensive and gentle, has been “Veni Spiritus”

by Sir John Stainer, The worst, apparently, is Robert Jackson’s “Trentham”, of which one hostile critic wrote: “One might conclude the way it is sung that the breath of God was an anaesthetic, not a giver of life.”

It does make a change to have anaesthesia applied to music rather than homilies!

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B O O K

R E V I E W

‘Much more than the average parish history’ ‘St Margaret’s, Huntly; the story of a parish’ Author: Ann Dean Price: £6.00 Booklet, 62 pp Copies are available from the author: Ann Dean West Lediken, Insch, Aberdeenshire AB52 6LL Please add £1 to cover inland p & p Europe add £1.50 p & p; elsewhere add £2 p &p.

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which makes the 62-page booklet much more than the average parish history. The story began in grandeur.

Half a century after the Reformation Parliament a Gordon Marquess creating the finest heraldic doorway in Britain - with Christ’s Wounds a visible statement of the old faith - at the entry to Huntly Castle. Another Marquess was beheaded at Edinburgh and Catholics settled for a humbler worship, rejoicing when a missionary priest was able to reach them. Mass stations at Bin Hill and Robieston near Huntly, as well as Mill of Smithston (by Rhynie) and Shenval in the Cabrach - which missionaries called ‘the Siberia of Scotland’ evoke an era which can fairly be described as heroic.

All that should not be allowed to take away from the glory of St Margaret’s, Huntly. Ann Dean has elsewhere written about the ‘Spanish’ Gordons of Wardhouse who paid for its remarkably beautiful imagery (a visiting Protestant lady beside me once said ‘What a bonny kirkie!’) and the last pages give due attention to the place where people worship today. Most of the illustrations (there are also maps) come near the end.

One shows Canon Lewis McWilliam, who died ‘in harness’ at Huntly aged ninety. Another displays the lofty medallion which he altered from St Charles (Borromeo, but with Mgr Charles MacDonald teasingly in mind) to St Louis.

Alasdair Roberts atholic parish histories in Scotland are usually limited to industrial areas where immigrants found work, and they rarely go further back than the nineteenth century. The ‘parish’ which Ann Dean presents covers Strathbogie of the Huntly Gordons and south as far as Clova chapel at Lumsden. She has lived in the area all her life and knows every inch of it. The most practical - and pleasurable - thing to be done with this book would be taking it for a drive in summer days to come. Turn the pages while visiting ancient sites: Wallakirk in Glass (Celtic saint, also missionary in penal times); or the Catholic burial ground of Peterkirk at Drumdelgie, where Gilbert Blackhall preached in the roofless ‘brunt kirk’ – having ridden from Deeside with a blunderbuss at his saddle.

The oldest places bring out the geography of the area, with added value through the author’s stories and information, but perilous post-Reformation history reminds us that Mass was always celebrated in this corner of Scotland – this Diocese. Continuity over centuries is the other thing

‘A useful resource for Catechists’ Meet the Angels Author: Léonie and Stratford Caldecott.

Illustrated by David Clayton Publisher: ResSource ISBN: 0955538025 List Price: £3.95 Paperback 32 pages

ngels are making a comeback! Google Angels and a multitude of sites can be accessed, many dealing with the paranormal and some even asking for donations! It is refreshing therefore, to read a children’s publication which recounts many of the traditional biblical accounts of angelic apparitions.

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Light of the North

First of all, we are introduced to more familiar invisible things, e.g. the wind, gravity, love etc. The author then explains to us that we cannot see either God or his angels under normal circumstances. We are also told that angels are messengers from God, definitely not to be confused with fairies, and that each of us has a Guardian Angel.

tions can be coloured by the younger reader.

My one reservation about this book is that, although it assures us that angels appear in many guises, it does depict a proliferation of the winged variety!

Expanding on this clear introduction, the book goes on to present the Choirs of Angels in some detail. Explanation of Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels and angels will enlighten as many adults as children!

We then progress to the Hebrew stories of Abraham, Tobias, Jacob and the lesser-known narrative of Balak and Balaam, and their encounters with celestial beings. Unusually for a contemporary piece of children’s writing, the Book of Revelation is cited, and both the Devil and Hell are named. This is sensitively tackled and we are assured that admission to Heaven or Hell is dependent on whether we are filled with God’s love or filled with hate.

Pocket-sized guide to Lourdes

Children will be very familiar with the New Testament accounts of the Annunciation, Nativity, and the Resurrection of Jesus where the presence of angels is well documented. And these stories are retold accurately and well. The publication ends with Mary, Queen of Angels and prayers are interspersed throughout.

This thirty two page book which is well written and pitched at a level suitable for children of nine years and over, may prove to be a useful resource for catechists as well as an appropriate gift for a child. Front and back covers are attractively illustrated and there are line drawings on every page. The many illustra-

Bernadette Macdonald

Every Pilgrims Guide to Lourdes Author:Sally Martin Publisher: Canterbury Press Nowwich ISBN: 1853116270 List Price: £9.99 Paperback 90 pages

his year sees the 150th anniversary of the first vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St Bernadette Soubirous, and more than six milliion pilgrims are expected to visit this year, with dozens of festivities and events planned.

This pocket-sized volume in this popular series of guide books provides a detailed A-Z of places to see in and around Lourdes, ideas for extra days out in the region, maps, street plans and walks, the remarkable story of Bernadette, and prayers and reflections for pilgrims, together with practical information on such things as accommodation, and useful names and addresses.

Phoenix Properties (Scotland) Ltd Looking to sell your property?

Call Julian on 07718 543122 children’slight P13 Answers Are you thinking of a Kangaroo in Denmark eating an Orange?

There are nine faces and a dog in the picture

Light of the North

humour

Humour from the Vestry Humour serves to destabilise the ego. This is why laughter is essential to religion. It cuts a person down to size. Humour is the first step to humility.

Warning: Pun Ahead Some friars needed to raise more money for books for the school, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds.

Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good brothers to close down, but they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him.So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town to “persuade” them to close. Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he’d be back if they didn’t close up shop.

Terrified, they did so, thereby proving that “Only Hugh can prevent florist friars.”

From Dust to Dust After church, Robbie tells his parents he has to go and talk to the priest right away. They agree and the priest greets the family.

“Father,” Robbie says, “I heard you say today that our bodies came from the dust.”

“That’s right, Johnny, I did.”And I heard you say that when we die, our bodies go back to dust.”

“Yes, I’m glad you were listening. Why do you ask?”

“Well you better come over to our house right away and look under my bed ‘cause there’s someone either comin’ or goin’!”

Sign of the times!

Page 33 A cheery little number!

One of the leading contenders in a competition to find ‘your favourite worst Christian LP cover of all time’ at the Ship of Fools .com website!

What I Learned From Noah

Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah’s Ark...

1. Don’t miss the boat.

2. Remember that we are all in the same boat.

3. Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark. 4. Stay fit. When you’re 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.

5. Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.

6. Build your future on high ground.

7.For safety’s sake, travel in pairs.

8. Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

9. When you’re stressed, float awhile.

10. Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

Angry Nuns Take On a Vampire Two nuns are out driving when a vampire drops onto the bonnet of their car. “Quick sister,” screams one nun, “Show him your cross!”

So the other nun leans out of the window and shouts, “Hey! You! Buzz off!”

Overheard at children’s liturgy “Now, Johnny, tell me, do you say prayers before eating?” “No Miss,” he replied, “we don’t have to. My mum is a good cook!”

Adam and Eve Russian Joke A Briton, a Frenchman, and a Russian are viewing a painting of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

“Look at their reserve, their calm,” muses the Brit.

“They must be British.”

“Nonsense,” the Frenchman disagrees. “They’re naked, and so beautiful. Clearly, they are French.”

“No clothes, no shelter,” the Russian points out.

“They have only an apple to eat and they’re being told this is paradise.

They have to be Russian.”

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Light of the North

E=MA2

2 E=MB E=MC2

Franc Kaminski’s Brain Teaser Each pair of clues will give you a letter. The 25 letters thus generated can be used to form the names of four saints whose feasts, in the Roman Catholic Church at least, are celebrated in the month of July. Helpful hints: One is an apostle, one is a female contemporary of his, one founded a religious order and one was an Irish bishop. Good Luck! Franc 1 a _ _ _ _ tot, nip b _ _ _ _ _ a calm person would not make this out of a crisis 2 a _ _ _ when you’ve made this, you’re generally expected to lie in it b _ _ _ _ it could indicate a Hail Mary in a rosary 3 a _ _ _ _ superlative form of the adjective‘good’ b _ _ _ _ _ unflattering nickname for Denis Skinner M.P.: the _____ of Bolsover 4 a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ formally charging with a crime b _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ pointing out 5 a _ _ _ commodity now costing well over $100 a barrel b _ _ _ _ water does this at 100˚C 6 a _ _ _ _ _ _ putrefying eg a wound b _ _ _ _ _ _ _ doubter, disbeliever 7 a _ _ _ _ do damage to b _ _ _ _ _ trinket, amulet 8 a _ _ _ _ _ turn aside, prevent b _ _ _ _ _ _ item on TV, radio etc to induce you to buy something 9 a _ _ _ low b _ _ _ _ this may be happy, bad, grumpy, sarcastic, good etc 10 a _ _ _ _ _ _ pieces of material sometimes used to wash floor, dishes etc b _ _ _ _ _ _ _ pieces of material etc to cover your body 11 a _ _ _ _ short, clever remark b _ _ _ _ _ fit out, furnish 12 a _ _ _ embrace, clasp with the arms b _ _ _ _ vast, enormous 13a____ whatLittleJackHorner extracted with his thumb b _ _ _ _ _ thin column eg of

smoke 14 a _ _ _ _ thick string, rope b _ _ _ _ _ simultaneous combination of notes of a different pitch 15 a _ _ _ _ honour eg knighthood b _ _ _ _ _ almost sold (at an auction) 16 a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ for the dying this used to be Extreme b _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ where railway lines, roads etc meet 17 a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ this is said to be the best policy b _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ interjection expressing annoyance or disbelief 18 a _ _ _ definite article b _ _ _ _ pronoun, third person plural, accusative and dative case 19 a _ _ _ _ _ _ burning coals b _ _ _ _ _ _ _ people belonging eg to a cricket club 20 a _ _ _ _ according to Ringo you have to pay these if you want sing the blues b _ _ _ _ _ hills of sand 21 a _ _ _ you can do this (sometimes) at The Lecht and Glenshee b _ _ _ _ thin outer covering, membrane 22 a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ euphoria b _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ son, mother, niece, cousin etc 23 a _ _ _ _ _ eg Beano, Dandy b _ _ _ _ _ _ universal 24 a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ part of the 24 hours b _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ it can take place at Burghley 25 a _ _ _ adjective describing one of the biblical testaments b _ _ _ _ amphibian (beloved of

The solution for the puzzle in the last issue is as follows: minIster, theM, revereNd, titIan, poStage, Limitation, Gallows, hanGover, doVe, eArring = almsgiving (The other two acts of religion being prayer and fasting.)

To win a copy of Ann Dean’s new booklet, St Margaret’s, Huntly - the story of a parish, send your completed entry, together with your name, address and telephone number to the Light of the North, Ogilvie Institute, 16 Huntly Street, Aberdeen AB10 1SH. First correct entry drawn out of the hat is the winner. Closing date: 1st Crossword 7 September, 2008

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

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

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

Crossword

Across 1. I typed it in error, giving the Laodicean quality. (8) (anagr.)

4. A tribe who initially gave a demonstration. (3) 6. Attach backwards in a liana. (4) 7. This pest has lesser ones, and so ad infinitum… (4) 8. 12dn, or Aberdeenshire? (7) 10. Surpass the Sermon on the Mount, perhaps? (5) 12. A short lady is heard to find the spot. (5) 14. Paul wrote to them, but did they lend him their ears? (14) 15. He was one of the Seven – even though he came from Athens? (5) (Acts 6) 16. A short month with girl’s prayers (7) 19. What Titus left Jerusalem. (4) 20. Staring, as giant loses his head. (4) 21. Surely she’s not a son of Ephraim?

(3) (1Chr, 7) 22. Sacred music found where tins include a farewell. (8) Last issue’s solution Across: Across 4. Friday; 7. Easter; 8. Orthodox; 9. Elan; 10.

Emend; 12. Sink; 18. Olivet; 19. Maundy; 20. Days; 23.

Days; 27. Eggs; 28 Tiberius; 29. Entomb; 30. Terror

Down 1. I, Cnut, not quite the coat of many colours? (5) (anagr.)

2. French soldier is up backwards over oil. (5) 3. Not that Cain, but the other one. (4) (Genesis 4) 4. In a mix-up, Tia (a gal in Asia Minor} received a canonical letter. (7) (anagr.)

5. The assistant clergy greeted at Philippi by Paul. (7) 9. Die? A strange notion. (4) (anagr.)

11. Caspar, Balthazar and Melchior, for example? (4) 12. Like all meetings, this (one of four) ran late, being out of order. (7) 13. Not quite a hero - Edmund or Albert? (7) 16. St. Gregory Nazianzen’s mother. (5) 17. The answer is dark. (5) 18. Herbs, or 11dn? (5)

Down: 1. Table; 2. Stone; 3. Trope; 4. Feted; 5. Irons; 6. Acorn; 11. Meak; 13. Iona; 14. Keys; 15. Good; 16. Tiny; 17. Fast; 21. Arise; 22. Spear; 23. Friar; 24. Risen; 25. Yeats; 26. Agami.

Congratulations to our last competition winner, Mr Michael Dow from Inverness

Westminster

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Light Light of of the the North North

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Sister Janet’s Westminster Blog Sister Janet Fearns FMDM is the Communications Coordinator for the Pontifical Mission Societies.

You can visit her website, ‘Pause for Prayer’ at http://pauseforprayer.blogspot.com

From a dream to a dream

take pity on me and squeeze me into the church. It did not happen, but it was in that protest march that, without my realising or being able to express it in words, my yearning hen I began writing this column, I was to take an active part of the evangelising Church was born, based in Rome, the wonderful city of any- to be nurtured through the coming years. body’s dreams. Fully expecting to be there for many years, I took my time visiting God tends not to make things happen suddenly. As the the magnificent sights and sounds of a city which, from Indian poet, Tagore, wrote, “He who causes the flower early childhood, I had longed to visit. There were many to open does it so gently.” So, before God decided that days when I scarcely dared breathe lest the magic of the I was ready to begin work, he gave me experience in Nimoment should slip me by. There were other occasions geria, Rome, Australia and Zambia in teaching, catechetwhen, watching the early morning light play on the ter- ics, nursing, midwifery and radio. Eventually, after a total racotta-coloured brickwork along the bus route, I wanted of 24 years outside my own country, 17 of them in one to leave the vehicle and dance for joy, turn cartwheels that stretch, he brought me back and told me to ‘get going’. In I’d never learned to execute whilst at school, for the sheer fact he spent most of my life preparing me for what will thrill of being in Rome. Add to that the moments when, only be a few years before I retire… or at least, merit my as I left Vatican Radio at the end of a busy day, I would pass for free public transport! look up at the coat-of-arms etched on the glass over the entrance and, stepping through the door, would be greet- From a dream to a dream. ed with the magnificence of the Castel Sant’Angelo… Altogether, there were many very precious moments that Whatever might be the plans and dreams of youth, it takes will make my four years at Vatican Radio some of the a lifetime of experience in order to make sense of all that most treasured in the whole of my life. happens along the way. In youth, one wants instant results and enjoys accumulating moments to be savoured for the …and now? Well, as God is an expert at writing straight rest of one’s days. There are lessons learned that are only with crooked lines, he has had a good laugh and, instead appreciated in hindsight and at leisure. As the years pass, of leaving me in Rome for many years to come, as I had there is both freedom and peace in retracing the steps of expected, has brought me back to home soil, as unexpect- yesterday, a sense that the fullness of time is the wineglass ed. Suddenly, instead of Rome’s antiquities and the many that is half-full, not half-empty. There is the deepening churches around the city, divided by the dark green waters awareness of meaning to all the ups and downs of all that of the River Tiber, I find myself looking at the Thames, the went before. In fact, as the years accumulate, life becomes London Eye and the Houses of Parliament. as much of an adventure as they were many years previously. It is only the energy levels and the perspective that I now have a new challenge ahead of me. I find myself, change. no longer behind the microphones of Vatican Radio, but, instead, I have become the Communications Coordinator Each and every one of us needs the experience of homefor the Pontifical Mission Societies, based a short distance coming, of moving from one dream into another and from Westminster Cathedral. The world has turned full finding that, in God’s time and sometimes obscure way, all circle. dreams come true.

W

It seems like only yesterday that I was six years old, protest- We move from a dream to a dream. Thank God! ing because my father had decided that I was too young to attend the priestly ordination of one of our neighbours.

In those days everything was in Latin and he had declared, possibly with good reason, that I was too young, would not understand and would find it difficult to keep still for the several hours that were then the norm for an ordination. (To my mind, that was totally unjustified because, being six, I was nearly grown-up!) Frustrated, I marched up and down outside the church, singing hymns at the top of my voice in the hopes that someone inside would

Ogilvie Institute

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Light Light of of the the North North

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Parish Catechists Parish Catechists Parish Catechists Certificate in Catechesis This excellent course is run in conjunction with the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham and is for anyone who is interested in developing his or her own faith for the sake of explaining it to others in the home, school or parish. It aims to provide a solid foundation in key areas of Catholic faith as well as an increased confidence in communicating Christ to others. “So that believing they might have life in his name” (CCC 4) The course is structured over a two year distance learning programme with six modules per year.

There are three study days and one retreat day, all of which are compulsory.

For each module the student is required to present a piece of written work. The course is designed to take approximately five hours of study each week.

The modules covered are:- Introduction to Catechesis; Foundations of Faith; Jesus Christ; The Church; Methods of Teaching; Mary in the Mystery of the Church; Old Testament; New Testament; Liturgy and Sacraments, Catholic Moral Teaching and Ways of Praying.

The course will begin again on Saturday, 4th October. Anyone requiring an application form or more information please get in touch with Mary Nelson, the Course Coordinator, on 01224 638675 or email: director@ogilvie.ac.uk

Top ten resources from the Ogilvie Institute 1

Benedict XVI (1st Encyclical), God is Love (Deus Caritas Est)

6

The Miracle Maker - The story of Jesus (DVD for children and adults)

2

Abbot Hugh Gilbert, Unfolding the Mystery

7

Léonie and Stratford Caldecott, Meet the Angels

8

Victoria Hummell, More Friends of Jesus (Stories of Saints)

3

Scott Hahn & Leon Suprenant, Catholic For a Reason

4

Being a Reader at Mass (CTS leaflet)

9

Scott Hahn, Reasons to Believe

5

Tracey Rowland, The Faith of Ratzinger

10

C. S. Lewis, The chronicles of Narnia

MARYVALE COURSES OFFERED IN SCOTLAND

OGILVIE WORKSHOPS

Certificate for Parish Catechists Studies in the Catholic Catechism Listening to the Word BA in Applied Theology Diploma in Evangelisation and Ministry Art Beauty & Inspiration in a Catholic Perspective

Workshops on Spirituality Workshops for Readers Workshops for Auxiliary Ministers of Holy Communion Workshops on Liturgy Workshops for Catechists Workshops on Catholic Social Teaching Workshops on Catholic Faith and Culture Workshops on Scottish Catholic History Workshops for training Echoes Coordinators

If you would like further information on any of the above courses contact the Ogilvie Institute, 16 Huntly Street, ABERDEEN AB10 1SH, Tel 01224 638675, Email: director@ogilvie.ac.uk Director: Deacon Tony Schmitz Courses Coordinator: Mary Nelson

Have you seen the Ogilvie Institute’s new website?

Just go to www.ogilvie.ac.uk to learn about all the great courses and workshops on offer, such as the ‘Listening to the Word’ scripture course or the ‘Parish Catechists’ course. You can also find out about forthcoming events, and you will have complete access to the Ogilvie Library.