Light of the North Issue 28 Spring 2015

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Light of the North

Light I am the Light of the World The 400th anniversary a nniversary of the ma martyrdom rtyr yrd d dom of St John Ogilvie O gilvie Page P age 4

Sr A Anna nna Christi asks: asks s: ““Why Why have hav ve a ‘Year ‘Year of Consecrated C on nsecrrated Life’?”

Life e’?”

Page P ag ge 5

Is s u e 28, S p r i ng, 2015 Bishop Hu Hugh gh Gilbert Gilb er t is challenged challenge d tto o na name me his ffavourite avourite hymns! hymns!

Page P age 13

Physician Assisted P hysiccian - A ssisted Suicide Professor Peter P rofessor ofesssor P eter Helms cconsiders onsid ders what is stake? rreally eallly at stak Page P age 15 Each copy of the Light of the North costs over £1.00 to produce and we would ask you to consider this if you wish to ŵĂŬĞ Ă ĚŽŶĂƟŽŶ͘

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Light of the North

Architecture! Interior Design Conservation ! Adjudication

James F. Stephen Architects are pleased to have developed an enjoyable working relationship with all at St. Joseph’s RC Church and the R.C. Diocese of Aberdeen during the course of the successful repair and refurbishment project recently completed in December 2014.

JFS Architects

F/p inside front cover

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ccontents ontentss ocese cese diocese d io oce oce esse 3 liliturgy iturgy turgy rgy rg 13 faithinaction faith aith ith th h in ina naction action c tion i on 15 Witness Witness W t ess ess 16 educationandformation educa education educationa cation ation tion onand on ndf dformation dformation f rmation rmation rm ation o on n 17 ffaithandculture faith aith ith th hand and dculture ulture lture ture ure re 20 0 humour mour o urr 34 crossword cr cro ro ross ossw ssword sw word word wo rd 35

Light Li Ligh i gh ht Managing Editor Deacon T Tony ony Sc S Schmitz hmitz Editor Cowan Co wan Watson Watson n Editorial Advisor Canon Bill Ander Anderson derson Advertising Manager ager Sandra Sandr a Townsley Townsley sley

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“I am the good shepher hepherd; I shepherd; know myy own k n wm no own and an nd m myy o own wn know k n w me no me��

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w soon be ‘Good Shepherd Sunda Sunday’ fourth Sunda Sunday Easter, t will ‘Good Shepherd y’, the fourth y of East er, which ge ets its name from from the G ospel rreading eading of tha y. IItt seemss tha gets Gospel thatt da day. thatt when Jesus wanted to to express express his dedication dedica ation to to us and his daily protection prot o ection of us, us, he wanted natu urally chose to to use the image of a shepherd shepherd with his sheep. sheep p. naturally People e that day day were were very very familiar with shepherds shepherds and d sheep - not so People of that nowada a ys, you you would would think, think, unlesss you you come come from from a pretty pretty rural rural background, background, as is nowadays, demonstr monstrated by by this story story which appeared appeared in the ‘Guardian’ ‘Guardian’ a few fe e years ew years ago: demonstrated young teacher teacher from from an industrial industr trial city city in the north north of England nd had accepted accepted a A young tempor porary job teaching teaching a class off four-year-olds ffo our-year-olds out in one of the most isolated, isolated, temporary rural parts parts of north north Wales.

Wales. One off her first lessons involved involved teaching teaching aching the letter letter S rural he held up a big colour colour photograph photog graph of a sheep and said: “Now, “Now, who can tell tell me so she whaat this is?� what o answer. answer. Twenty Twenty blank and wordless wordless faces faces looked back at at her. h . “Come her “Come on, who No tell me what what this is?�� she exclaimed, exclaimed c , tapping the photograph photograph a determinedly, determinedlyy, can tell ble to to believe believe that that the children children were were quite quite so ignorant. ignorant. The The e 20 faces faces became unable apprehensiv e e and even even fearful fe earful as she continued continued to to question them em with mounting mounting apprehensive frustrration. frustration.

Even e tuallyy, one brave brave soul put up a tiny, tiny, reluctant reluctant hand. hand. “Yes!� “Yes!�� she e cried, cried, waving waving the Eventually, p aloft. aloft. “Tell aloft “ Tell me what what you you thinkk this is!� “Please, “Please, Miss, Miss,� said the e boy boy warily. warily. “Is it a snap three-year-old Border Border Leicester?�

Leicester?� three-year-old When h Jesus spoke about being the good shepherd shepherd in John, chapter chapter ten, ten, these When four-year-olds would would no doubt have have understood understood that that he was was talking talking about the total total four-year-olds dedica cation required required of a shepherd shepherd and a the special relationship relationship that thaat the shepherd shepherd has dedication sheep. But maybe maybe even even us ‘toonsers’ ‘toonsers’ are are not so far removed removed e from from the ancient ancient with his sheep. al world world of sheep and shepherd shepherd that that as at at first might might appear. appear. Perhaps Perhaps that that is why why social Psalm m 23: ‘The ‘ The Lord Lord is my my shepherd; shepherd; I shall not want want ....� is probably probablyy the best loved loved of Psalm psalms, for for who has not known known n what what it is like to to walk walk through through gh the valley valley of the the psalms, shado ow of death? death? We We know know life liffe to to be b a fragile frag gile gift giftt at at best, best, and a lonely onelyy cold cold night nigh g t in shadow wilderness at at worst. worst. We We know know both b safe ety and dangers off going along with the wilderness the safety flock. We We know know what what it’s it’s like to to get g caught caught on the ‘barbed ‘barbed wires wires e of life’ liffe’, of getting the flock. ditch, not knowing knowing g how how we we are are going to to get outt of a bad situation situation stuckk in a deep ditch, we have have fallen into. into. We We know know the uncomfortable uncomffortable feeling feeling of being g dependent dependent upon we eone else. else. Yes, Yes, we we probably probably know kno n w more more about sheep than we we thought! thought! someone Clear earlyy, sheep and shepherd shepherd share sharre a special kind kind of relationship relationship ip which speaks to to Clearly, d for for hope. hope. Not just the hope for for eternal eternal life. life e. But our deepest human need: the need e for for a worthwhile worthwhile life liffe in the present presen e t moment. moment. A hope that that says says my my needs will be hope met. A hope that that I will be accepted accepted and loved. loved. That That is the kind kind of hope our Shepherd Shepherd met. offe erss his Sheep.

Sheep. offers Very Blessed Easter Easter Season Season to to all a our Readers, Readers, A Very Cowan Cowan

up front

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he disciples w were ere slumped in grief when Mar Maryy Magdalene Magddalene burst in and ttold old them the ttomb om mb of Jesus was was empty. empty. Peter Peter and John set et out running. running. Urgency, Urgency, hope,, determination, hope determ mination, and apprehension apprehension are are all masterfully master e fully conveyed conveyed through through gestures, gestur es, postur posture, e, and complex complex facial expressions expressions in “The “The Disciples Disciples Peter Peter and John Running ttoo the SSepulchre epulchre on the Morning of the Resurrection�

Resurrectioon� (1898 MusÊe d’Orsay, d’Orsay, PParis) aris) by

by Eugene Eugene BBurnand. urnand.

In his most famous mous artwork, artwork, Burnand, Burnand, who was was a deeplyy religious religious man, portrays portrays J n (the disciple Jesus lo John loved) ved) d) andd Peter Peter (the ( he head h d off the h Church) Chur h ch) h) running running to to Jesus’ J ’ tomb Jesus tombb on Easter Easter morning. morning.

EEugène u ugène BBurnand urnand (1850 – 1921) was was a prolific prollific Swiss Swiss painter painter and illustrator illustrator from from Moudon, Mooudon, Switzerland.

Switzerland. Born Born of pr prosperous rosperous parents parents who taught taught him to to appreciate apppreciate art art and the countryside, countryside, he first trained trrained as an architect architect but quickly quic kly rrealised ealised his vocation vocation was was painting. painting. works M of his w Most orks are are of rural rural scenes scenes but by by the end of his career career he increasingly increasingly painted painnted human figures figures with, wee ccan as w an see in this painting, painting, a profound proffound ability abiility to abilit to reveal reveal character. character.

Page P age 3

Light of the North

diocese

A Letter from Bishop Hugh O.S.B.

Dear Friends in Christ, As you enter St Mary’s Cathedral, you see engraved in the glass between the porch and the area round the font a memorial to St John Ogilvie. This edition of the Light of the North will reach you around the time of his feast day, 10 March. This year’s feast will mark the 400th anniversary of his martyrdom for the Catholic faith at Glasgow Cross, on 10 March 1615.

The Church has a long, deep memory, and St John Ogilvie is someone we do well to remember. Born in the confines of our diocese, near Keith in Banffshire, he is in his own way a “light of the north”. He lived and died in a time of inter-Christian conflict and was at once a protagonist and a victim of that contest. If we remember him, it is not to revive those conflicts. It’s to recall truths and values which transcend their particular and regrettable circumstances, and can inspire us in ours.

We’re familiar with the outline of his story. Born of a largely Calvinist family in 1579, in the aftermath of the Reformation Parliament of 1560, he became a Catholic on the continent at the age of 17. At 20 he entered the then new and highly adventurous Society of Jesus. At a little over 30 he was ordained a priest and in 1613, in answer to his heart’s desire, he returned to Scotland to “unteach heresy” and save souls. He would work hiddenly but freely for less than a year. In October 1614, he was betrayed and arrested in Glasgow. Between then and his death he was

imprisoned, interrogated, sometimes tortured. His trial attracted the attention of the King James VI / I. Throughout these months, he did not betray any fellow-Catholics. He showed great spirit and argumentative skill. He stood by his Catholic faith in the unique role given St Peter and his successors within the visible Church and refused to accept the fashionable ideology of the day, the ‘divine right of kings’, which led King James to claim a spiritual jurisdiction over souls and their beliefs which he did not have. John was condemned for treason, but died for his faith. This lifts him above the tragedies of his own time.

We can say he was a martyr for the Papacy.

We can say – very topically – that he was a martyr for religious freedom. We can admire him as a man of courage and integrity.

We can take inspiration from him as someone who believed that the Catholic faith had something precious, indeed vital, to offer his beloved Scotland.

These are all qualities that last.

The Jesuit church of St Aloysius in Glasgow houses the national shrine to St John. There will be a solemn Vespers there on the evening of 9th March. The following day there will be a Mass commemorating the 400th anniversary of his martyrdom in the Cathedral of St Andrew, Glasgow. The Holy Father, a Jesuit himself, will be represented by a papal legate. The church of St Thomas’, Keith, holds the diocesan shrine to him, and on 4 July Keith will host this year’s National Pilgrimage in his honour. Please be there!

Here and there are statues and stained glass representations of St John, some the work of monks of Pluscarden. I will be blessing two new ones (from Poland!) in the Highland Deanery in the near future. The Catholic Truth Society has recently published a wellwritten pamphlet about him. It includes the gripping story of the Glasgow man, John Fagan, who was cured in our own lifetimes through the intercession of St John.

The saints are alive and they help us live. May this year be a year when John Ogilvie becomes part of the spiritual fabric of our Christian lives. May he inspire others to devote their lives to the Church in this place.

With my blessing, + Hugh OSB

Parting of the ways - Sr Moira Donnelly rscj

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ishop Hugh Gilbert presented Sister Moira Donnelly rscj with an icon, at a lunch in Bishop’s House, to mark her move to Dalkeith.

Sr Moira is a religious of the order of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and, after 15 years of dedicated service to the Diocese of Aberdeen, is moving to the Society’s “Rosehill Community” in Dalkeith.

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Dominiican Sisters Dominican Sisters of o St C eciliia at Gr ecilia eyfria arss Cecilia Greyfriars

WAKE UP THE WORLD 2015 Y Year ear of o Consecrated Life Liffe

What Is T What The he Y Year ear F For or C onsecr secrated Lif fe?

Consecrated Life?

SSrr A Anna nna C Christi hristi ““Wake Wake up the world!” worrld!” P ope F rancis has encourage ed consecrated Pope Francis encouraged ound the globe during this Y ear of Con Consecrated nsecrated Life, persons ar around Year spanning 30 N ovem mber 2014 - 2 February February 2016. To To what does the November world need to be aw wakened, and why are are consecrate ed persons the awakened, consecrated oly Father, Fatherr, himself a consecrated d person in the ones to do it? The H Holy Jesuit Order, Orderr, answers answerrs enthusiastically, enthusiasticallyy, “We “We (consecrated (consecrrated persons) Jesuit are called to know know and show show that God God is able to fill our hearts hearts are haappiness; that we we need not seek our happiness to the brim with happiness; elsewhere; that the authentic a elsewhere; fraternity found in ourr communities increases our joy; joy; and an nd that our total self-giving in ser vice to the increases service Church, to families and a young young people, to the elderlyy and the poor, poorr, Church, ersonal fulfilment.” fulfilment.”1 brings us life-long pe personal The jo joyy of the Gospel Gosspel is open to all. Eternal Eternal life is the the inheritance of the baptiz baptized, ed, call called led to remain remain close to JJesus esus by by rreceiving eceiving the SSacraments, acraments, following followin ng the commandments, living a life of service service and rrepentance, epentance, and d pondering the Word Word of God. God.. Some Some of the baptized baptiz ed experience a call to liv livee an ev even en more more radicall life of Gospel Gospel simplicity, simplicity y, single-hearted single-heaarted love single-hear love for Christ, and totall obedience to the F ather’s will and d for these, the life of public profession profession o Father’s of the ev angelical li l counsels ls off po vertyy, chastity h i y, and d obedience obe b dience di i the h evangelical poverty, chastity, in consecrated state is av ailable. F or those who have have left l everything everything available.

For to follo w Jesus Jesus in this this way of life, the experience sho ould be one of follow should pr ofound jo themselves and to the th he world. And profound joyy that iss evident to themselves so P Pope ope F Francis rancis callss consecrated persons to wake up p the world to the fact that G God od iss wor worthy thy of our liv lives es and praise,, that he giv gives es us jo joy, y, and that he ttakes akes nothing away fr from om what makes m life truly truly good and beautiful.

IIn n the G Gospel, ospel, the there ere is a story story of a rich young young man, m righteous and dev devout, out, whom JJesus esus calls to sell all he has, give givve to the poor, poorr, and “Come “Come, Come, follo follow w me me”” (cf (cf. f. M Mark ark 10:17-22).

10:17-22) There’s There’s a totality of surr surrender ender and a rad radicality dicality of life JJesus esus calls this man maan to practise.

This call is not just for the sake of surr surrender ender or giving, givving, or ev even en a 1Pope F 1Pope Francis. rancis. Apostolic Apostollic Letter to all Consecrated People People on the occasion of the Y Year ear of Consecrated Consecrated Life. 21 N November ovember 2014. http://w2.vatican. htttp://w2.vatican. vva/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco_letteraa/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco_letteraap_20141121_lettera-consacrati.html ap_20141121_lettera-c consacrati.html

matter of ser service vicce and car caree for the poor, poorr, but is a rrecognition ecognition that this yyoung oung man wa was as made for a rrelationship elationship with h God God which would involve inv olve his whole wh hole body and soul, his material possessions and his person, his intellect inttellect and will. JJesus esus looks at this his yyoung oung man with love, implying the call to forsake an exclusive exclusive lo llove ve for any human love, respond single-heartedly single-heartedly to thee love love of God. God. Jesus Jesus person so as too respond instructs the young young o s, to live live in poverty poverty instructs man to sell his possessions, freee to go wherever wherever Jesus Jesus indicates. And he calls him to so as to be free follow, to join JJesus esus in his life of obedience to and glorification of follow, Father. We We see in this simple story story the seeds seeds and meanings of the Father. evangelical counsels of poverty, povertyy, chastity, chastityy, and d obedience publicly the evangelical professed by by consecrated coonsecrated persons. professed conseccrated persons live live the evangelical evangelicaal counsels faithfully y, When consecrated faithfully, siigns of what every every person will live liv ive in heaven, heaven, when they become signs “God will be all a in all” all” (1 Cor 15:28). And in n the meantime, the “God theiir witness is a reminder reminder that Jesus Jessus has called every every totality of their love Him Him above above all things, too be chaste in his or disciple of his to love lifee, to give give generously generously to the poor, poorr, to use possessions her state in life, temperatelyy, and an nd to be obedient to God God and hiss rrepresentatives: epresentatives: the temperately, hops and other lawful authoritiess on earth. earth. popes and bishops So, why a Year Year for Consecrated Life? According According to P ope So, Pope Francis, the year year e is meant as a stimulus to remember rem member the history history Francis, live the present present with passion, of consecrated life with gratitude, to live towar w d the future future with hope. This is a time of renewal renewal and to look toward d persons themselves themselves and a time tim me of prayer prayer for and for consecrated aw wareness of the rrole ole of consecrated ated life bbyy all the heightened awareness

Pope P ope Francis Frra ancis has an assignment for the Church's Churrch's religious, reeligiouss, meaning siste sisters, errss, br brothers, bro others, and priests priests.. He is asking askking them to o "w "wake ake u the w up world" orld" thro through ough their testimony. teestim mony.

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members of the Church.

This Year for Consecrated Life comes providentially during the year of preparation and meeting of the Church for the Synod on the Family. The vocations to married family life and consecrated life are interdependent and complementary. Husbands and wives are visible signs of the union of Christ and his bride, the Church (Ephesians 5:21-33) and form together a “domestic Church” in which new members are brought forth and nurtured in faith. From these Christian homes often come the priests and consecrated persons of the future. Consecrated persons find inspiration from the self-sacrifice demanded of spouses and parents. Married persons are in turn encouraged by their contact with consecrated persons. They receive, ideally, stimulation for the Christian life and nourishment to grow more deeply in their faith through services

consecrated persons provide in education, health care, social work, or retreat settings. Pope Francis reflects on these coinciding events: “I thank the Lord that the Year of Consecrated Life coincides with the Synod on the Family. Family life and consecrated life are both vocations which bring enrichment and blessings for all. They are spaces where human growth comes about through relationships, and they are also places of evangelization. Each can help the other.”2 May this Year for Consecrated Life bring about the renewal of gratitude, passion, and hope envisioned by the Holy Father. Please pray for and encourage any consecrated persons in your own life that we may have the grace and zeal to “wake up the world” by a renewed living of the way of life to which the Lord Jesus has called us.

2 Ibid.

National Pilgrimage and celebration of the life of St. John Ogilvie in Keith

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ohn Ogilvie was born at Drum-na-Keith, and so it is fitting that a major event will be held in Keith this year.

This will be a significant commemoration of Scotland’s only post Reformation saint, who came from this corner of Scotland where the old faith was kept alive during all the period of persecution, and where so many priests came from.

This open air Mass will be held in the football ground, Kynoch Park, Balloch Road Keith on the 4th of July 2015.

The events will start at noon, with the Mass at 3.00pm. The Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Leo Cushley. Our own Bishop Hugh Gilbert will be the preacher, and other Bishops and Priests of Scotland will be in attendance.

There will be choirs, bands, stalls showcasing the Catholic

Church in Scotland, and events from noon onwards, culminating in the Mass.

St. Thomas' Church will be open for reconciliation, reflection and quiet prayer, as well as the opportunity to visit the shrine of St. John Ogilvie in this beautiful church. Keith has many shops and cafes nearby. It is on the A96, with good road and bus connections, and the railway station is on the Aberdeen to Inverness line. There will be adequate parking for cars and buses nearby which will be signposted. The park is suitable for persons with limited mobility, and also wheelchairs.

It will be THE event of the year - so make it a date to come to Keith on the 4th of July.

Ron Smith

Keith churches support Mary’s Meals

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n the 6th of November, 150 complete backpacks and two large cardboard boxes of extras left Keith to go down to Mary’s Meals. This was the result of a month’s efforts by St. Thomas’ RC Church, St. Rufus and Keith North churches, both Church of Scotland, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, St. Thomas’ RC Primary School, with contributions from St. Margaret’s, RC Church Huntly, and others. This has been a great ecumenical effort and people have been very generous in time, effort and expense. Each backpack contains notebooks, pens, pencils, crayons, eraser, pencil sharpener, ruler, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, towel, flip flops, a small ball, and some school clothing. Mary’s Meals is incredibly successful in bringing children to school by giving them a mug of porridge every day – but they need the basic essentials like this to really develop their school work. Education is the only way out of poverty. For more information about Mary’s Meals, go to: www.marysmeals.com Ron Smith

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Representatives of the various parties involved are shown filling up the backpacks for transport. From from left to right, Ged. Farrell, Headmaster of St. Thomas’ RC Primary School, Rev. Sarah Murray, Christine Smith, Rev. Dr. Kay Gauld, Ron Smith and Elaine Muir. The younger volunteers are Dana Wilson, Julie Gartly, Tom Palmer, and Ewan Moir.

diocese d iocese ocese oce ocese ese se

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BishopHughblesses Bisho op Hugh blesses b icon ic on a att S Stt M Mary’s ary’s

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n the 2nd d F February, ebruary, the F Feast east of The P Presentation, resentation, Bishop B ishop Hugh Hugh u Gilbert Gilbert blessed a magnificen magnificent nt new icon of the h P resenttation i off the h Lor L rd at S arry’s, IInverness. nvverrness. The Th Presentation Lord Stt M Mary’s, icon depicts the gos spel scene when, 40 days after his h bir th, JJesus esus gospel birth, by his parents, paarents, Mary Marry & Joseph Joseph to the Temple Temple for the was taken by Jewish law required. required. first time, as Jewish thougght to be one of the largest icons ns in Scotland The icon is thought certainly the longest l over five five metres metres long, of o all the icons and is certainly at over ever created created by by icon n writer, writerr, Sr. Sr. Petra Petra Clare Clare who, for foor many years, years, ever worrked from from the Chapel C House at Marydale Marydale & Cannich C worked House in the West Highlands, Highlands, some soome 20 miles from from Drumnadrochit, Drumnadrochit, o Glen West in Glen above and West West of Loch Ness.

Ness.

Cannich above th he icon was made possible following following w a generous generous The funding of the from the family faamily of the late Papal Papal Dame, Dame, Pat Pat Smith Smith who bequest from years a teacher at St. St. Joseph's Joseph's Primary Primary School beside was for many years St. Mary's Mary's Church Church in n Inverness, Inverness, and her family which whicch included Fr. Fr. St. Smith, who was waas a priest of the Aberdeen Aberdeen Diocese.

Dioceese. They were were Alec Smith, St. Mary's Mary's Inverness Inverness and sat in the front frront row row of the parishioners at St. pews, above above which is now now positioned the beautifull icon in their pews, memory. memory. are also due d to Alastair and Donald Donald Macpherson Macpherson a Thanks are who Peter Macdonald Macdonaald (the Marydale Marydale Special Special Forces!)

Forcees!) erected erected the with Peter scaffolding and mounted the icon while the considerable task of framewoork was done by

by Jay Jay Jay Jay and Alex A Gladwin Gladwin gilding the framework (Allan ngrange Furniture Furniture Restorations).

Restoration ns). It It is also sisters-in-law (Allangrange th hat St St Joseph's Joseph's RC RC Primary Primary School Schoool have have found satisfying to note that fibregglass figure figure of Jesus Jesus Resurrexit Resurrexit that thaat the icon has a place for the fibreglass replaced. replaced.

St Mary's Mary's is a Neo-Gothic Neoo-Gothic gem of a Church Church though though in constant St

Bishop Hu Hugh gh h Gilbert Gilbert blesses the new icon icon off The The Presentation Preesentation repairr, restoration restoration and refurbishment. refurbishmen nt. The next major need of repair, project will bee the restoration restoration of traditional lighting to replace replace project high-level 'warehouse' 'warehouse' lighting that is costly cosstly to maintain and the high-level Next month a newly newly carved carved statue off St St John John Ogilvie Ogilvie will operate. Next abbove the main entrance, the liturgical litu urgical ‘West ‘West Door’, Door’, be mounted above mark the 400th anniversary anniversary of the martyrdom m tyrdom of St mar St John John in time to mark Ogilvie on thee 10th March March which will be dedicated deedicated later in the Ogilvie by the Jesuit, Jesuit, Fr Fr Tony Tony Nye Nye SJ. month by To see more more of Sr. Sr. Petra Petra Clare’s Clare’s work worrk visit: To http://www.liturgicalicons.com http://www.liturgicalicons.com Duncan Macpherson acpherson Duncan

New Y New Year e ear Reception R eception a att Bishop’s B Bishop ’s House H

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his yyear ear Bishop Hugh G Gilbert’s ilbert’s Ne New wY Year ear Reception R eception included members embers of the Regional R egional E Ecumenical cumenical T Team ea eam am along with fri friends, ends, cler clergy gy and parishionerss fr from om S Stt M Mary’s ary’s an and nd S Stt C Columba’s olumba’s deaneries deaneries.. T The h e he evening vening w was as rrounded ounded off with a rrousing ousing performance p formance of per ““We We T Three hree K Kings” ings” sung b by y the e in invited vited guests an and nd ac accompanied companied b by yD Drr R Roger oger W Williams illiams on the pia piano. ano.

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New look for St Joseph’s, Aberdeen

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n the last issue I described the major renovation work taking place a St Joseph’s. The church was closed for four months.

During this time rotten timbers in the roof and below the floor were treated, the roof was re-slated, the windows were replaced, and new heating and lighting systems installed. With its new carpets and the interior re-painted St Joseph’s looks like a new church!

The renovation leads us to reflect on the nature of a church.

A Catholic church is a temple of God: a place where the Divine Presence resides; a place where God calls us to meet him; and a place of worship. From the grandest of cathedrals to the simplest of churches the purpose is the same. The building should inspire us in our faith and support us in prayer: it creates a sacred space for us.

How is that achieved at St Joseph’s? One way is in the use of light and colour, reminding us of the light of Christ. The sanctuary is bathed in light with the brightest being focussed on the crucifix. The visual de-cluttering of the area allows our eyes to be drawn to the cross, to dwell on the figure of Christ in his redeeming act of self-sacrifice. In the nave the simple figures of Our Lady and St Joseph against pastel backgrounds harmonise with the prayerfulness of the place. There is a sense of stillness in the presence of God. It is good to be back in our own church, re-dedicated by Bishop Hugh in January. We are thankful for the Holy Family and Sacred Heart churches that provided venues for our Sunday Masses during the months when St Joseph’s was closed. We are

“In the nave the simple figures of Our Lady and St Joseph against pastel backgrounds harmonise with the prayerfulness of the place.” also grateful to our patient design team, led by Doug Reid from JFS Architects, and to Burns Construction, always friendly and helpful.

The other important aspect of a church is that it provides a place for the faithful to worship together. We hope you will be able to join us at St Joseph’s one day, to celebrate Mass with us and see for yourself the transformation of the church. Mass times can be found on our website http://stjoseph.dioceseofaberdeen.org/ Pat Stapenhurst

Burns Construction 1/2 Page 5 York Street, Aberdeen, AB11 5DL Tel. 01224 564020 Fax. 01224 211632 Email. info@burnsconstruction.net www.burnsconstruction-aberdeen.co.uk

We are delighted to have been involved with the recent refurbishment works at St. Joseph’s Church Page 8

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St Joseph’s Altar - and a great new Scottish tradition in the making!

Karen Wiles

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lmost a year ago, the Elgin Youth Group and parents came together to celebrate the feast of St Joseph on March 19th.

The Dominican Sisters prepared pasta and bread dishes and told us of the tradition of celebrating St Joseph, patron saint of the Church, and the particular Sicilian tradition kept alive in New Orleans of honouring him by constructing special altars full of food and symbolism. A few of the mums were fascinated by the beauty and tradition of these spectacular sights and the great good that could be achieved in and around Elgin where many are in food poverty. And of course, it looked like a good fun thing for our church community to get together to do.

The Dominican Sisters put us in touch with a wonderfully warm and generous New Orleans woman called Irene DiPietro who is part of the Italian community there. Irene was handed down the tradition of St Joseph Altars from her Sicilian grandmother and is absolutely passionate about it. She creates each year a fabulous altar in her Italian restaurant in New Orleans...except she won’t be doing one this year...as she is making a special trip here to Elgin to help us set up one of our own! We have been speaking to Irene over Skype and she has sent all sorts of stuff across that we will need to create our altar. She has been really inspirational, and of course generous, in all ways and we look forward to welcoming her here to St Sylvester’s in March. We don’t know anywhere else in Scotland that does this and are so very grateful that Irene is committed to spreading the tradition and splendour of St Joseph’s Altars through us.

The tradition started in the Middle Ages in Sicily when prayers to St Joseph brought the people relief from a famine. In honour of his intervention each feast day they would offer up the products of their rich harvests. From this long-standing tradition, the altar we will be displaying is three-tiered with a statue of St Joseph forming the centrepiece. It will be adorned with candles, vases of flowers, greenery and many decorative items. Most importantly it will also be abundant with food - cakes, biscuits, breads, pasta and wines.

There is no meat on the altar as a reminder of the Lenten fast.

Visitors to the altar take away with them a favour: a little bag with a small cake, fava bean (a dried broad bean that the Sicilians ate

New Orleans restaurateur, Irene DiPietro will be helping to create a St Joseph’s Altar in St Sylvester’s to mark the saint’s feast day on the 19th March during the famine in olden times and is now a very strong symbol of Divine Providence on the Altar), prayer card and medal of St. Joseph. People come to the altar to pray to St Joseph for any petition they like but it has particularly strong associations with prayers for the sick or those we have lost. Our altar will have the traditional basket where prayer petitions can be left. Aside from respecting and carrying on the Sicilian traditions on our altar, we also aspire to put in our own Scottish twist and we aim to add motifs and symbols of St Sylvester’s Church, Elgin, and Scotland and hopefully grow a few traditions of our own. Once the altar is broken up, the goods will go to local foodbanks and to meeting needs around the housebound of Elgin. We will raffle off the cakes and the proceeds from these together with donations made at the altar will go towards a chosen charity. Our youth group and the school will get involved both in preparation and in visiting the altar.

The St. Joseph Altar will be in Greyfriars Convent chapel all day on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th March beginning with 10:00 Mass and blessings and closing at 18:00. We welcome everyone to come and participate in, pray at, and view the Scottish Saint Joseph Altar!

Whatever happened to the MillenniumTapestry?

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he Millennium Tapestry which has resided in St. Peter’s church, Buckie since its completion, has now been re-installed in the church porch after a period in storage during the recent church repair work.

The tapestry was produced as a jubilee project for the Diocese and comprises twenty three individual, embroidered panels from every Deanery and most of the Parishes.

It took exactly 12 months to the day to complete the tapestry, having been conceived at a meeting at Buckie on the Feast of the Assumption in 1999.

On the 15th August 2000 at the Mass of the Feast of the Assumption held in St.Peter’s church, the then Bishop of

Aberdeen, Mario Conti, inserted the final stitch and formally unveiled the tapestry.

Following its display in St Peter’s the tapestry was exhibited in every parish of the Diocesese though at one period of its history it appeared to be lost, inasmuch as no one seemed to know its location! However, eventually it did reappear and was returned as planned to its permanent home in St.Peter’s church.

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A typical panel, in this case that representing St.Peter’s church, is shown alongside. It was designed by Lynn Thain and shows the western facade of St. Peter’s church with its distinctive twin spires, each surmounted by a cross in gold leaf.

This panel itself was sown by the ladies of the congregation and the final assembly of the tapestry itself was completed at Buckie.

To accompany the Tapestry, a book was compiled containing the designs for the individual panels, and the thoughts which were behind the designs, together with with an introduction by the late Fr.Traynor. Unfortunately the location of this book appears to be a mystery. Should anyone have knowledge of its whereabouts please advise the editor of The Light of the

North or St.Peter’s church Secretary.

Many people in the Diocese are to be thanked for their untiring efforts in travelling to meetings, organising the sewing and design in their local parishes, and in striving to get the whole project put together at the end. Indeed a task that proved worthy of their faith and patience.

Sandy Webster

Medals for St Mary’s parishioners

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ndrew Cameron and Charlie MacNeil of St Mary’s Cathedral, Inverness have been awarded the Bene Merenti Medal.

Both men have had a long association with St Mary’s and each of them has been an outstanding witness to the Catholic Faith.

Drew Cameron has completed over fifty years as a Passkeeper at St Mary’s and in that role has made many people welcome at the Church doors. He has been a loyal and supportive counsellor to generations of priests. Andrew married his dear wife, Anne, at St Mary’s in 1963. They have been exemplary parents and valued friends to many parishioners since that time.

Drew Cameron’s skills as a carpenter have been widely practised for the good of the Church, not least his hand –

made pews.

Charlie ‘Barra’ MacNeil has had a long and distinguished career in the Prison Service, retiring after thirty years service as Chief Prison Officer at Porterfield. He was admired there and in the parish as a man of strong Catholic principles. His faith was shown in many areas of practical kindness. With his dear wife, Mary, he was involved with the Society of St Vincent de Paul and he recently joined the Knights of St Columba. Charlie has been a Passkeeper for forty years at St Mary’s and an outstanding witness to the highest ideals of committed service. The couple have encouraged other families by their own example of caring parenthood. Charlie’s wide experience of life and his cheerful good humour has made him the most reliable of counsellors to many priests and a welcoming face to locals and visitors alike.

Conduct in the House of God From The Directory for the Catholic Clergy and Laity in Scotland; 1844; p.56 Catholics, who believe in the Real Presence of JESUS CHRIST in the Holy Eucharist, cannot show too much respect to the Temple of God. A few practical hints on this subject may be better than a laboured dissertation.

1st, Persons whilst in the Church should as much as possible avoid coughing, spitting, and all manner of noise; as nothing that is offensive to the eyes should be seen, and nothing that tends to disturb or distract the attention should be heard in the House of God. 2nd, They should be clean in their persons, and modest in their dress and deportment. It is very disrespectful to present themselves in the House of God unshaved, or with unwashed face or hands; and their apparel, however humble and poor, should be decent and becoming.

3rd, They should never shew any mark of levity or irreverence by looking about them, but keep their eyes on the Altar or on the Priest, and recollect that it is to speak to God, and not to man, that they are assembled in his temple.

4th, Whilst they appear in a respectful posture, they should avoid all ridiculous gestures, forms, or attitudes, and be careful to kneel or stand at the proper times.

5th, All ought to use their Prayer-Books, or, if they cannot read, keep themselves in the presence of God, meditate Page 10

upon the passion of Christ, and unite themselves with the priest while he is celebrating the adorable mysteries.

6th, Mothers should take care not to bring children under age who might be apt to disturb the Congregation.

7th, Catholics should take care not to turn their backs to the Altar at any time, but especially when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed; but kneel in a respectful posture.

8th, Communicants should approach to and proceed from the Altar in the most recollected manner; they should take care to hold the communion-cloth* in a proper way, and on no account to run out of the Church in haste after having received the Holy Communion.

9th, It is a scandalous practice to look about or talk before the service is commenced, or after it is ended. All should retire without noise or bustle, and in an orderly and edifying manner. *A long white linen cloth hung from the altar rail. Its purpose when held over the rail was to receive any particles of the Sacred Host that might fall by chance at its distribution to the faithful. By the early 1960s it had been replaced in most churches by the Communion paten or plate which itself is now optional, as indeed is the Altar rail.

Light Ligh igh t of the N North orth th

diocese d iocese ocese oce ocese ese se

Here’s re’s How ow to .... ........... .......

Make M ake a W Will ill in the dig digital gital age

A ne whi w serie c som h looks s ep at issu ractica con es and l eve cerns o ryda f y life .

Douglas D ouglas Cr Crombie ombie

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e liv live ve in a digital age. S Soo many m of the tasks asks sks w wee under undertake take on a daily ily basis can be perf b performed per forrmed on, or with the he assistance oof,, a computer computer, r, tablet or mobile phone.

It is comforting comfortingg to know know however however that some tasks ar It aree still consider ed too impor ortant to entr ust to a batter wered electr onic considered important entrust batteryy po powered electronic device or computerr chip ill, for example, is far too impor tant chip.. A W Will, important a document to placee at risk of a har dware or softwar hardware softwaree malfunction.

SSoo the Law still rrequires e equir es a Will Will – that most impor ortant of legal important documents which rrecords ecords our last wishes, and ensur sures that our ensures worldly goods pass on to those w ve and car out the most – wee lo love caree about to exist in a physical al format. W ritten or printed on paper igned Written paper.. SSigned in ink.

It is more more important important t than ev er to take pr ofessional al advice fr om It ever professional from a SSolicitor. olicitor. IIff you you die without leaving a W ill yyour ourr estate will be Will distributed in accor rdance with the Law of SSuccession, uccession, on, which was accordance

years ago and which no longerr reflects reflects the rreality eality written some 500 years Century. So So thee message is clear – of life for manyy of us in the 21st Century.

Solicitorr, make a Will.

Will. Do Do it now. now. Leaving ng things to chance see a Solicitor, is no longer an option.

W Wee do liv livee in a digital age, and so manyy of us keep the impor p tant to us in our electronic electronic information which is most important onsequence making a W ill is no longer necessarily devices. As a consequence Will story. the end of the story.

AW ill appoints ints one or mor Executors – those ose entrusted entrusted with Will moree Executors the task of ensuring uring that the wishes rrecorded ecorded in the he W ill ar brought Will aree brought into effect when en w y. An Executor Executor may ay be a member of wee pass away away. the family y, a close lose personal friend, or a tr usted d adviser such as a family, trusted

Asset As A se s t protection p ctiion on prrote ec your y ourr family fa m ily amil mil W We ee ccan aann h help eelp protect rrootteecctt y your oour assets sssseettss fr from inheritance hheerriittaannccee We W ccan help h lp p p protect y your ur a a assets fr from room m in in inheritance ttax aaxx and aand aarree costs, cccosts, oosstts, bb uutt you yy oouu need nn eeeedd tto oo a act cctt n now. oow These hheessee but you need act now.

These ttax anndd ccare ccare s, but tto a n w..T T tthings hhin need eeeedd tto oo b be ee cconsidered oonnssiiddeerreedd a as ss ffar aarr a as ss 1 10 00 y years eeaarrss in need be as as 10 years tthings inggss n n tto b cconsidered a ffar a 1 y in advance a ddvvaannccee sso oo iit’s t’ never eevveerr ttoo oooo e early. aarrllyy.. advance never early. a sso iit’s t’’ss n n ttoo e

PP Private ri aatee C Client llient Services er ceess ffrom rrom RCC C Private rivvat C Client ient ent S S Services ervvic ic ffrom om mR R RCC CC C W W CC Call aallll D Douglas oouugl Crombie rroom on nn 0122 01224 44 332 40 0 Call D Douglas glaass C C Crombie mbbiiee o o on 0122 01224 332 400 40 400 0 or it www www.raeburns.co.uk rraaeebbur coo.uk or visit visit www.raeburns.co.uk www w.r .r urnns.c s.c .uk Page P age 11

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Solicitor. The Executor’s first task is to identify the deceased’s assets, before gathering and distributing them to the beneficiaries named in the Will. This task is becoming increasingly difficult as more and more of the information to which the Executors need access is stored in a digital format. Your Executors will need access to this information, failing which the risk is that assets, including Savings Accounts, Investments and Shares, may be missed altogether.

So what can you do? Here are some tips to help you to help your Executors:-

paperless. Your Executors need a note of all Banks with which you hold Accounts, with the appropriate Account numbers, user names and passwords.

Your Computer Your computer, laptop, tablet or mobile phone is the gateway to a wealth of information that your Executors will need. It is essential therefore that you ensure that your Executors have your user name and password for all of your important electronic devices.

Is there any personal information you should not give to your Executors? Yes - your PIN numbers. When you pass away, your Bank and Credit Card Accounts will be closed to all transactions.

Your Executors should not be given any PIN numbers which allow your Debit or Credit Cards to be used after your death.

What can you do to ensure that your Executors have all of the information they need to access your digital assets? The best thing you can do is to compile a list of all of the important information that your Executors will need, and to place it, in a sealed envelope if you wish, with your Will in your Solicitor’s strong room or safe. This will not only ensure that the information is available to your Executors when the time comes, but will also prevent such important and sensitive information falling into the wrong hands any sooner.

And remember to update your information when you open any new accounts or change your passwords (as we are encouraged regularly to do).

Your Mobile Phone Most of us now keep details of our important contacts. Your Executors therefore will need to know the password, code or pattern which will allow them to operate your mobile phone so they can contact the relevant people on your death.

Your Email Account A great deal of the mail which we would once have received through the letterbox is now delivered to our email accounts. This includes Bank Statements, Utility Bills, Credit Card Statements, Mobile Phone and Broadband Accounts. It is essential that you ensure that your Executors have your email addresses, with associated user names and passwords so they have access to this vital information.

Your Bank Accounts Many of us now operate Bank Accounts which are entirely

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Social Media Social Media Accounts on sites such as Facebook and Twitter will not automatically be closed down when you pass on. Providing your Executors with your log in information and passwords can prevent distress to loved ones.

Douglas Crombie has over 25 years experience in legal practice in Aberdeen and is a partner in the law firm of Raeburn Christie Clark & Wallace

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MY F A V O U R I T E HYM N S In the first of an exciting new series devised by Dr Roger Williams, Bishop Hugh Gilbert is challenged to name his favourite hymns!

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o me, the qualities that make a good hymn endearing are words which create an emotional response, music which has an attractive melody, and personal resonances of memories of people or places.

Sometimes hymns produce surprises, revealing special moments which can resonate. Context can be particularly telling and can give to a hymn something that goes well beyond itself.

In my experience there have been three main groups of hymns: those of the Anglican school, the Latin hymns of the Benedictine tradition, and Catholic hymns.

Many of those in the first group have their origins in earlier hymns, scriptural paraphrases or products of poetic imagination.

My list would include Immortal, invisible, God only wise, For all the saints, O little town of Bethlehem, O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, Dear Lord and Father of Mankind, Ride on, ride on in Majesty, O God our help in ages past, Now thank we all our God. There are many others, but this is a good repertoire with good texts, some by distinguished writers such as Isaac Watts, and with rousing tunes such as Sine Nomine [written by Vaughan Williams to the words For all the Saints]. The inclusion of some hymn texts in recent anthologies of poetry is a pleasing development and gives some indication of the quality of the texts of this repertoire.

The Latin hymns of the Benedictine tradition range widely in both age and nature. The original Roman Office did not have provision for hymns and it was St. Benedict who introduced the concept. Hymns were then adopted in the 12th. century Roman Office. They were revamped at the Reformation, after the Council of Trent, using classical (instead of less sophisticated, earlier) Latin – something that is today being revisited.

The first hymn of the Western tradition is actually the Gloria, followed by the Te Deum – in both versions in the Graduale Romanum. Veni Redemptor Gentium, the hymn for Advent is by St. Ambrose, and Vexilla Regis by Fortunatus. In the theologically dense hymn – Ad coenam Agni providi – and in the wonderful

hymn to the Ascension – Jesu nostra redemptio - one gets the sense of almost waltzing up to Heaven! Veni Creator Spiritus by Rabanus Maurus cannot be beaten. Pange Lingua is by Thomas Aquinas and Aeterna Christi Munera, again by St. Ambrose [this hymn particularly has become well known because of its use by the 16th century Italian composer and singer at the Sistine Chapel Giovanni da Palestrina in his paraphrase Mass by the same title].

Te Lucis ante terminum, with the original rather explicit second verse, is a particular favourite. But there are also the traditional Marian antiphons – strictly speaking not hymns, but not used as antiphons either – Salve Regina – especially the solemn version Regina caeli during Eastertide, and Alma Redemptoris for Advent and Christmas.

These are the hymns that I have sung for the longest; they are all centuries-old, and have therefore stood the test of time, bringing a sense of the centuries with them. A spiritual flavour becomes attached to them, and they are capable of lifting the mind and heart to God as vehicles for prayer, and in an uncluttered way, help to achieve contemplation, with deftness.

Coming closer to our own times, there is a difference between pre and post Reformation which can be likened to the difference between the Romanesque and the Baroque. The concision of the resonances of the Latin repertoire, with frequent Biblical references, yields to greater flights of imaginative fancy with the influence of the Age of Enlightenment, and the re-defining of the relationship between God and Man. My choice of Catholic hymns is a fluid category sometimes revealing other origins. Come down, O Love Divine to the tune Down Ampney [again by Vaughan Williams] would be one that has been adopted from Anglican sources. But in fact the words go further back to Bianca of Siena who died in 1434.

Father we praise you now the night is over, is a translation by Percy Dearmer of a 10th century Lauds hymn that has a strong and direct tune. Firmly I believe and truly written by Cardinal Newman, and O Bread of Heaven and Hail Queen of Heaven are all sturdy hymns with good, singable tunes. I am particularly fond of the Polish song which was a favourite of Pope John Paul the Second – Lord, you have come to the Seashore – this touches a chord in many people’s experience and it has very strong associations for many of us.

Since the Second Vatican Council there has been a growth of hymns – or ‘songs’ – as they are sometimes called. The ‘point’ of some of these fails to convince me but there are others which contribute much – by such writers as Dom Gregory Murray, Laurence Bévenot and others. Recently, Stanbrook Abbey has revised its hymnal, and The Catholic Hymnbook contains a good selection of usable hymns.

Although this list of hymns might be my favourites at the moment, it is only after some pretty severe pruning that I have ended up with this rather short list. As I said in reference to the Catholic hymns, there is a fluidity about my reactions – I am still learning and there will be changes. Certain situations and circumstances will undoubtedly arise which may well show a hymn in a new light, with the result that it should perhaps also join my collection.

In our next issue Archbishop Emeritus, Mario Conti, shares his favourite hymns with Dr Williams.

In the meantime, if you would like to comment on Bishop Hugh’s choice or, if there’s a particular hymn which has a special significance for you, why not write to us about it: editor@lightofthenorth.org.

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Fourth Eucharistic Prayer The Intercessions ... Clare Benedict

The Revised Translation of the Missal has restored for us the beauty of this sadly underused prayer. In our last issue Clare Benedict drew our attention to the many biblical allusions spread throughout the prayer. In this instalment she turns to the Intercessions.

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he Fourth Eucharistic Prayer is truly catholic, universal, inclusive, cosmic, offering hope of salvation for all mankind, indeed for all creation and those of us present “in body” are privileged to assist in this catholic prayer on behalf of our “anonymous” brothers and sisters.

Though a new Prayer, introduced only in 1968, it is steeped in Scripture and Tradition and encapsulates salvation history, from the origins of the universe, through God’s saving deeds on behalf of his people, to Christ’s saving sacrifice and institution of the Eucharist. It is a huge pity that we seldom hear it used.

Having spoken of God’s saving deeds throughout the whole of salvation history, from the creation of all that is, followed by his merciful refusal to abandon his created world to sin and death, through covenants and prophets, culminating in the redemptive action of Christ, his death, descent to those in hell, his Resurrection, Ascension and looking forward to his coming in glory, the prayer now brings all of this into the Intercessions, thus making this prayer truly one for the whole of creation.

Beginning with the usual list of hierarchy – the Pope, the Bishop, all the bishops and clergy, we move to those “who take part in this offering”, plus “those gathered here before you”, building up to “your entire people”, recalling Peter’s letter (believed to be one of encouragement to new Christians) that they are now God’s people who have now “received mercy”, “a chosen race, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” – suddenly we are within reach of that inapproachable light. And here the sheer catholicity of this prayer becomes even more manifest: “all those who seek you with a sincere heart” (a heart that is not totally closed off), echoing the prophet Jeremiah: “You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you” (and this in turn echoes the post-Sanctus thanksgiving: “For you came in mercy to the aid of all, that all who seek might find you”).

The Lord “will gather [his people] from all the nations and all the places ... and will bring [us/them] back to the place from which I sent you into exile” (Jer. 20:13-14). The prophet may have been thinking of the Israelites in Babylonian exile, but here his words take on a more universal significance, as we are all exiled children of Eve, banished from Eden, longing to return. Thus, through our prayer, all our absent brethren, all those “anonymous Christians”, are made present in our celebration.

We ask God to be mindful also of “all who have died in the peace of your Christ”, your chosen anointed one, echoing Paul’s words

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to the Colossians: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body” (3:15). It is yet another reminder of the unity we are called to help bring about.

We pray “for all the dead”, not just our nearest and dearest, but those “whose faith you [God] alone have known”. So Paul writes to Timothy, “The Lord knows those who are his” (2 Tim 2:19), echoing Jesus’ words to his disciples when he describes himself as the Good Shepherd: “I know my own and my own know me” but “I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd” (Jn 10:14-16).

The prayer asks that all of us who are children of the Father, ergo, all humankind, “may enter into a heavenly inheritance”, “an inheritance which”, according to St Peter, “is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for [us]” (1 Pt 1:4). And Paul tells the Romans that “we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Rom 8:17).

What an inheritance!

“By this point we should be marvelling at the truly cosmic nature of this prayer ...”

This prayer begins with Creation, praising God and his wonderful saving acts throughout history, and ends with the whole of Creation praising the Creator: “freed from the corruption of sin and death” and here the hope-inspiring words of both Paul and Peter are invoked – Paul to the Romans: “the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God” (8:21ff), not just us, but the entire created world; and also in Romans 6: “having been set free from sin … the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life … the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (6:18, 22-3).

And Peter also looks forward to “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells”, a consummation that we, he says, can actually hasten by our prayer and our lives (2 Pt 3:12-13). Finally, all this that we may glorify the Father through Christ, “through whom you bestow on the world [literally, lavish] all that is good”.

All this is ours because, as Paul tells the Romans, “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

By this point we should be marvelling at the truly cosmic nature of this prayer, having travelled from praise of God for his own sake, a recounting of salvation history with corresponding thanksgiving, through the remembrance of Christ’s redemptive Passion, Resurrection and Ascension and now in eschatological mood, looking forward to the new heaven and the new earth of which the Apocalypse speaks, when “every creature in heaven and earth and under the earth and in the sea and all therein”, when “ a

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great multitude … from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues”, when “the mighty voice of a great multitude in heaven” will offer unceasing praise together as one (Apoc 5:13ff; 7:9; 19:1). Whether present in body or elsewhere, the whole of creation is made present through our prayer and is caught up into our offering. It is the prayer of Jesus on the Cross and the response the Father made to him by raising him from the dead; by ascending

into heaven and sending the Spirit at Pentecost he has opened the way into that heavenly inheritance for us all.

This prayer is totally Trinitarian and comprehensively liturgical in its scope; its catholicity, its amazing breadth and depth of inclusivity, could lead to a greater sense of unity and offers a dimension of hope that is truly breathtaking. “All glory and honour is yours, for ever and ever. Amen.”

Physician - Assisted Suicide What is at stake?

The late independent MSP Margo MacDonald launched a bill to permit assisted suicide for Scots on 14 November 2013.

This is despite the fact that (i) 64% of individuals and 62% of organisations responding to her own consultation on the issue last year rejected a change in the law and (ii) her previous attempt was defeated in Holyrood by a massive 85-16 in 2010 (not to mention the fact that 87% of all who made written submissions to the scrutinising committee for that bill were opposed to it).

In the following article Peter J. Helms, Emeritus Professor of Child Health at the University of Aberdeen outlines the key provisions of the Bill and the disasterous consequences should it be enacted

Professor Peter J. Helms “Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death...”.

How often have we heard and said this as part of our devotions and petitions? This reference to our own mortality changes in its meaning and impact as we travel through life. In our happiest and most optimistic times death seems far away and an irrelevant and unwelcome intrusion whereas at other times it comes closer as a consequence of our personal circumstances, physical and/or mental health, or the impact of illness and suffering experienced by close friends or family members. After all we are not just individuals but also social beings influenced by others and with feelings of responsibility and compassion for others.

Following the horrors of WW2 and the Nuremberg trials, the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights with its overarching principle of the “right to life” was produced.

Despite the declaration that the first and most important right of every human person of whatever race, religion, age and state of health is to life, attempts, some successful some not, have been and are being made to enshrine in law the “right to die” in a manner and at a time of individual choice.

Following a previous unsuccessful attempt in 2010 to introduce this “right to die” in Scots law another attempt is being made.

The broad argument is that assisted suicide should be available to any individual of sound mind if faced with a life threatening and progressive illness. Whereas the 2010 “End of life assistance (Scotland) Bill” fell at the stage 1 debate (85 to 16 votes with 2 abstentions) another attempt is at

committee stage and will soon be presented to the Holyrood parliament for a stage 1 debate and vote. In an attempt to address areas of concern with the 2010 “End of life assistance Bill” the 2013 “Assisted suicide(Scotland) Bill” has been recast.

Apart from establishing the principle that the timing and means of death should rest with an individual judged to be of sound mind and with a life limiting illness the accompanying policy memorandum clearly identifies the direction of travel if this were passed into law. In the accompanying policy memorandum developed by Margo MacDonald MSP, and following her death, supported by Patrick Harvie Green party MSP, it is made clear that although assisted suicide would not be available to all those whom they would “ideally wish to include.... once it has been seen to operate effectively for a number of years there may be an opportunity for further developments in the law” . It is clear therefore that changes from the proposed 2010 Bill are there so as to persuade our political representatives in Holyrood that our individual rights are somehow infringed by upholding the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

What then are the key provisions of the BIll and if enacted the consequences? Although its introduction asserts that it would allow individuals “with terminal illness or other conditions” and who were “being forced to endure lives they believe to have become intolerable “to end their lives with the assistance of others these emotive statements require closer examination.

The assertion that the present situation forces anyone to endure suffering and pain flies in the face of developments in palliative care and is the reason why those involved in and promoting such care are dismayed to see this dismissal of their efforts. Rather than embarking on a course that would present suicide as an acceptable and even desirable option they argue that their services and expertise should be made available to all with life limiting and distressing progressive disease.

The proposed eligibility criteria are very wide as most progressive conditions could be demonstrated to be life shortening. In this context depression, the fear of the future and not wishing to become a burden for friends and family, would influence the individual in considering assisted suicide. This runs counter to attempts to reduce suicide in our community. Compassion demands support and comfort rather than encouraging suicide by enshrining its availability Page 15

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in law. High profile hard cases can, without careful consideration of consequences of such a profound change in the law, have major impact on vulnerable individuals and on societal attitudes to dependence, to chronic illness and to disability.

Changes include a focus on the individual requesting suicide to deliver the fatal medicine with or without assistance of a nominated unrelated individual termed as a “facilitator”.

Such facilitators would have to be identified and trained in enabling the individual to commit suicide . The time from first expression of a desire to consider this option through the following 2 stages to actual suicide could be as short as 24 days without the need for psychiatric assessment .

The Bill is silent on the method of suicide other than a reference to barbiturates or on actions that should follow an unsuccessful attempt. The Bill provides the facilitator and other persons including family members with protection from prosecution for any deviations from the defined procedure as long as they believed that they were acting in “good faith”.

Other concerns are too numerous to review in such a short piece but include the absence of any requirement for psychiatric consultation, for exploration of options with the local palliative care team, and the likelihood that licensed

facilitators and the minority of general practitioners wishing to be involved would be predisposed to assisted suicide. A unedifying market in shopping for doctors and facilitators within Scotland and for medical tourism by individuals not resident in Scotland would also develop.

There is also no conscience clause for professionals unwilling and unable to participate but rather an implied and in the case of pharmacists coercion in that the latter will dispense any medicines prescribed for suicide.

If enacted this Bill would alter the ethos of medical and social care which for millennia has enshrined at its core the alleviation of suffering and improvement of quality of life rather than the deliberate ending of life. The law is there to protect the weak and vulnerable. Concerned individuals should make their concerns known to their local MSP who can easily be found on the Scottish Parliament website. A deeper exploration of the proposed Bill can be found on the Care not Killing website.

Recommended sites http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msps.aspx http://www.carenotkilling.org.uk/scotland/

The Healing of Memories Pauline Edwards in her marvellous book, A Little Way of Healing, includes forty-four testimonies of the healing of memories, including instances of physical healing. Here is one such testimony, that of a man healed from the adverse effects of inadequate fathering:

I

was with a small group of about twelve people who had asked me to give a workshop on the healing of memories.

My god-daughter, Louisa, was with me, and I told her that it was most important that she spend the time praying for me.

A man — we’ll call him Jack — jokingly volunteered to be prayed over so that I could demonstrate how to pray for healing of the memories. He told me that he would be a ‘hard nut to crack’. This was certainly true, as no matter which question I asked him as I tried to go to the root of his problem, he would not give me a straight answer.

The Holy Spirit overcomes obstacles of course and as I resorted to giving him the Scriptures to open, after I had prayed that the Lord would speak to him through them, he told me that the passage was about God the Father. I asked him what that meant to him and he spiritualised it by saying that God the Father was in heaven and sent his Son. “But,” I said, “what does that mean to you — what about your own father?” He told me his father had been great although he didn’t see too much of him as he used to drink and the alcohol didn’t make him aggressive but tended to make him sleep. No problem there, then!

He very slowly began to recognise that, as a child, his father hadn’t been there for him. It gradually emerged that the children never received a single toy at Christmas since their father had spent all the money on drink and they went to school with paper stuffed in their shoes because they were too poor to have the holes in their shoes mended. Other children

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mocked them for this.

The Lord had revealed this deep wound, which needed to be healed. The only way for Jack to find his own self-worth, he thought, was always to play the Joker; to be the life and soul of the party, while inside, he admitted later, he was numb and always expected to be rejected and ridiculed.

Jack’s mother had a part to play in his misery, perhaps, for not standing up to her husband to make sure that Christmas happened. Jack needed to forgive his parents and also the children who mocked him.

As I led him through the healing process he sobbed and moaned. Afterwards he said that he was stunned at the way in which the Lord had worked so quickly and so powerfully in such a short time. Jack went home full of joy and with a newfound peace. He was amazed that he felt able to be himself.

Praise the Lord! Furthermore, his story had resonated with others in the group and healings took place for them too.

Alleluia!

Taken from ‘A Little Way of Healing’ by Pauline Edwards, Third Revised Edition, Ogilvie Press, available from St Mary’s Cathedral Bookshop, Aberdeen.

Prayer for the Healing of Memories available at 1.30 pm on Thursdays at St Mary’s Cathedral, by appointment only. Please contact Deacon Tony Schmitz at tony.schmitz@gmail.com

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Divine Mercy Sunday Andrzej Jan Maria Niski

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esus’ life on earth with its sufferings, death and resurrection is the summit of God’s revelation to us. Ultimately it is the revelation of love – for in Jesus we encounter God who humbles himself to the point of an ignominious, public death. St Paul’s Christological hymn in Philippians points to this mystery with sharp clarity: “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8) With his holy death, Christ removed the consequences of sin, giving us an inexhaustible source of graces through the sacraments which restore in us the divine life that has been extinguished by original sin.

St John in his first letter defines God as Love (1 Jn 4:8).

Indeed God is love for he forms the relationship between the Father, the Son and the Spirit. However, God’s love towards us, his creatures, can only accurately be described as mercy. We are not some independent, accidental beings who have only come to God’s attention by chance. The very first act of God’s mercy was creation itself. God thus created us and the whole universe out of his pure love, He created us for our own sakes. Love that serves the lower beings (creatures) by a higher being (creator) must be recognized as mercy. This love-mercy must be distinguished from our own merciful deeds when we act out of compassion or even out of Christian love. When we talk about God’s mercy it is not the same as mercy in human terms. Compassion, as the word suggests, is concerned with the passions and feelings and emotions play a considerable role in human compassion, prompting us to do good.

Human mercy can also be a virtue, especially when it is motivated by a degree of love that requires self-denial.

The mercy of God however is neither compassion nor virtue as God cannot be subject to any affection for he is sufficient unto himself.

Divine mercy is God’s perfection or attribute, as St Faustina liked to say, in which God inclines himself towards us to remove any obstacles or impediments resulting from sin. This is the reason why we recognize Divine Mercy as worthy of special attention and devotion.

Many rightly point out the striking similarity of this devotion to that of the Sacred Heart – indeed the Divine Mercy devotion seems to be an organic development of the legacy that began with

Long before Pope John Paul II pronounced the second Sunday of Easter to be the Feast of Divine Mercy, the theme of mercy already formed an important part of the liturgy for that day. There is a striking theological link between the octave of Easter and the celebration of God’s Mercy and in the following article Andrzej Jan Maria Niski explores that relationship.

the revelations given to St Margaret Mary Alacoque, the French religious and mystic, who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in its modern form.

Although there is an organic unity between the two, they are distinct devotions with different objects, forms, theological content and spiritual fruits.

While Sacred Heart devotion draws us into the mystery of the human, compassionate heart of Jesus and moves us to repentance and conversion, devotion to the Divine Mercy engages us with God’s love and thus invites us to TRUST. That is the true and perfect form of this devotion.

In the light of the above reflection we can see that devotion to the Divine Mercy challenges many contemporary outlooks and beliefs that are present even within the Church itself.

Indeed, Divine Mercy can only be appreciated and longed for when there is a sufficient recognition of the condition of humankind. Many Catholic authors have written extensively on the loss of the sense of sin but what is to blame for this? We live in a highly technocratic world where even the complexity of the human soul and psyche seem to be explainable by means of descriptive psychological techniques. Advances within the social and political structures developed in the last few western generations have generated a false sense of control and power over history. In addition, the Church through some of her ministers, distorted somewhat the image of God by an unbalanced emphasis on sin, judgement and justice, which led many to experience an unhealthy sense of guilt (which is something quite different from the sense of sin).

All these and other factors (eg. modernists’ theology) contributed to new variations of historical heresies like neo-pelagianism or neoarianism etc.

Pelagius for example was a British monk of the fourth century who taught that grace is not needed to attain salvation and that perfection and salvation can be attained by good choices of the human free will. Consequences of such a way of thinking are that inevitably we begin to see ourselves more on a level with God rather than subordinated, dependent beings created through the free choice of a loving God. Neo-pelagianism seems to promote a model of salvation which seems to suggest that man had a “a right to salvation”, as if it was a default position for everyone – unless perhaps one does some tremendous evil. The concept of sin, whether original or individual, does not really fit into this model.

The paradox is that the recognition of sin can be liberating and life giving. Jesus said that the truth will make (us) free and in another place he promised us that the Holy Spirit will teach us the Page 17

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whole truth, and will convince the world of sin.

Without the right concept of sin evil cannot be understood, and all God’s promises become meaningless. Pope Benedict posed this question of evil, in the context of Jesus’ cross.

Why the cross? The answer, in radical terms, is this: because evil exists, or rather, sin, which according to Scripture is the deepest cause of every evil. But this statement is not at all uncontroversial, and the word “sin” is not accepted by many, for it presupposes a religious vision of the world and of man. In effect this is correct: If we eliminate God from the equation, we cannot speak of sin.

The meaning of sin, which is a different thing from “guilt feelings” as these are understood in modern psychology, is only grasped by discovering the meaning of God and God’s response to moral evil is to oppose sin and save the sinner. God does not tolerate evil because he is love, justice and fidelity and it is precisely because of this that he does not wish the death of the sinner, but desires that the sinner convert and live. God is determined to deliver his

The Image of the Merciful Jesus

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arious representations of the Merciful Jesus have been produced since the devotion spread across the world. There is however one that is of special importance: the image that was painted under personal instructions of St Faustina in Wilno, in 1934 by artist Eugeniusz Kazimirowski.

It is said that Fr Sopocko, Sr Faustina’s spiritual director, helped the artist by standing for long hours dressed in a white alb posing in the position Faustina described.

The commissioning of the painting was a private endeavour of Fr Sopocko, who was intrigued and perhaps puzzled by the young, uneducated nun, who claimed to experience mystical encounters and inspirations. Despite her simplicity and limited

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children from slavery and to lead them to freedom. And the worst and most profound slavery is that of sin. This is why God sent his Son into the world; to free men from the rule of Satan, “origin and cause of every sin.”(Angelus, 13 March 2011) Out of mercy God is determined to save his people, and this is what Jesus, the merciful saviour, accomplished through his death and resurrection. This is why the second Sunday of Easter is the most fitting day for the Feast of Divine Mercy – it closes and crowns the liturgical narration of the Paschal Mystery.

The message of Divine Mercy is the Good News – God so loved us, that we should have no fear in entrusting ourselves to his merciful heart and with confidence proclaim: “JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU.” Andrzej Niski is studying for the priesthood for the Diocese and is currently undertaking a parish placement at St Mary’s Cathedral Parish. education she proposed new ways of perceiving the truths already known to the ancient Church Fathers and Doctors. Fr Sopocko was keen to see for himself the image Faustina so stubbornly kept asking for.

The original image presented here has some artistic merits – of particular beauty is the play of light in this painting. The focal point is located within the heart of Jesus, where there is hidden the only source of light. The viewer might think that if only Jesus lifted the garment a little further we would be bathed in light. This is how Fr Sopocko interpreted the image in his own words: “The image of Jesus as The Divine Mercy represents Christ in a walking position clothed in a long, white garment with a girdle. The gaze of our Lord’s eyes is somewhat lowered (as on the cross). With his right hand, he slightly draws aside the garment in the vicinity of his heart, from which spring forth two rays, the red ray on the [viewer’s] left, the pale (the colour of water) on the right.

These rays signify the blood and water, which flowed from Jesus’ side on the cross. From that time on, they have gushed forth from the divine heart of the saviour in the form of graces which purify the soul from the stains of sin (in the sacraments of Baptism and Penance). They shield the soul from the just consequences of sin. Whoever lives in their light, that is, whoever duly avails himself of the Christ-instituted Sacraments, him the just hand of God will not touch.

As we gaze upon the image of the Divine Mercy, we are reminded of holy baptism with all its salutary effects and of the sacrament of penance and the words of absolution [that] proclaim to us God’s reconciling mercy. It also recalls to our mind indulgences, which are extra-sacramental remission of the temporal punishment [of sin], and likewise reminds us of the Sacrament of Holy Orders instituted during the Last Supper and completed by our Lord after His resurrection when he appeared to the Apostles in the Cenacle.

Therefore, the [image] represents to us the deepest mysteries of Easter: imparting to the Apostles the Holy Spirit, who henceforth will operate in the Church, rule it, regenerate sinners to a new life, anoint prophets, and apply the merits of Christ’s sufferings and death to individual souls.

The [image] represents the infinite Divine Mercy and arouses the faithful to its imitation by personal works of mercy. The ejaculatory prayer inserted beneath the picture — “Jesus, I trust in you!” — instills into our souls trust in God in difficulties, hope and courage amidst dangers, and renders the soul magnanimous in its service to God.”

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“Queen of Heaven, Rejoice! Alleluia!”

Eileen Grant examines the centuries old belief that Jesus appeared firstly to his mother after his resurrection

Eileen Grant

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id the Risen Jesus appear to his mother? Was she, in fact, the first to whom he showed himself in the glory of his resurrection? Or was there no need for her, full of grace and faith in God’s promises, to see the physical proof of what she knew to be true? The Church has never given a definitive ruling and the idea of such a joyous reunion is a very attractive one which tradition has embraced with enthusiasm, at least since mediaeval times.

There is no mention of such an appearance in the Gospels; instead we are told that Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene, who found difficulty in believing the evidence of her eyes but who was then asked to take the news to the apostles. Mary had been present throughout her son’s ministry, was there at the foot of the Cross and later in the Upper Room at Pentecost; yet she did not accompany the Holy Women to the tomb on the morning of the Resurrection – why? Firstly, we know that the Evangelists did not – for practical reasons – include every incident in the life of Jesus; the Infancy Narratives of Matthew and Luke, for instance, were probably added afterwards in response to questions from enquirers. Secondly, we know that many such stories omitted from the Gospels came to be accepted parts of tradition and, as such, were not dismissed by the Church. Any argument against Jesus appearing first to his mother would be that she, of all people, did not need such proof. As the Beloved Disciple “saw and believed” the evidence of the empty tomb, Mary “saw and believed” in her heart.

However, even if Mary did not need the physical evidence of her son’s presence, it remains a beautiful image, that reunion, after all the pain and sorrow, of a mother and her dearly loved son. Which parent cannot relate to that?

The first recorded suggestion of the event comes from a 5th century writer, Sedulius, but a wider acceptance seems to be in evidence from St Anselm (d.1109) onwards. In The Liturgical Year, Dom Prosper Guéranger cites many liturgical prayers and hymns which affirm this tradition held by a number of saints, including also Sts Albert the Great, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila and St John Paul II. Although there is virtually no mention of the tradition in the early Church, it seems that once the question was raised almost every member of the faithful (lay and priestly) accepted it as obvious that our Lord would have appeared first of all to his Mother. St Ignatius actually uses the term “common sense”!

St Ignatius of Loyala (1491-1556) includes the story in one of the meditations in the fourth week of his Spiritual Exercises: After his descent to the dead, “being risen, He appeared to His Blessed Mother in Body and in Soul … First: He appeared to the Virgin Mary. This, although it is not said in Scripture, is included in saying that He appeared to so many others, because Scripture supposes that we have understanding, as it is written: ‘Are you also without understanding’?” Ignatius had read the Vita Christi of Ludolph of Saxony (c.1295 – 1378), a work which had significant influence on the popularity of Christian meditation techniques which Ignatius in turn developed. Ludolph states that, unlike Jesus’ other postResurrection appearances, aimed at proving his resurrection from the dead, “he appeared first of all to his Virgin Mother, not to prove his resurrection but to delight her at the sight of him.” From

“Resurrection of Christ and Apparition to His Mother”, by Roger van der Weyden (circa 1440) his reading, St Ignatius would also have known of the pilgrims’ itinerary to Jerusalem which included a visit to the chapel of Our Lady, “where Jesus first appeared to her after rising from the dead, as is piously believed.”

The English chaplain to pilgrim Sir Richard Guylforde describes in 1506 a chapel of Our Lady in Jerusalem as “the very self place where our Saviour Christ, after His Resurrection, first appeared unto His Blessed Mother, and said, Salve Sancta Parens (Hail, holy Mother!)”. It is these words which open the traditional Introit verse of the Common Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

These words appear also in a mediaeval window in the church of St Mary in Fairford, Gloucestershire, amongst scenes of the mysteries of Christ’s life and death, testifying to the well-established tradition in England in the Middle Ages, possibly one of many throughout these islands before the Reformation. It is not a common theme in art, though it is to be found in illuminated manuscripts and frescoes between the 6th and 15th centuries. There are also several notable paintings, the loveliest of which is part of a triptych (two versions) by the Flemish painter Rogier van der Weyden (c.1400 –1464).

Dürer and Michelangelo both depicted the scene in drawings and another Flemish artist, Juan de Flandes (c. 1460 – c.1519) imitated van der Weyden’s version. Of particular note, however, is another painting by de Flandes where he has the Risen Christ uttering these words to his mother: Resurrexi [et] adhuc tecum. Alleluia. I have risen, and lo, I am still with you. Alleluia! – the opening words of the Introit for Easter Morning.

In an audience given on 21st May, 1997, St John Paul II meditated on this question and stated “The expectation felt on Holy Saturday is one of the loftiest moments of faith for the Mother of the Lord: in the darkness that envelops the world, she entrusts herself fully to the God of life, and thinking back to the words of her Son, she hopes in the fulfilment of the divine Page 19

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promises.” He goes on to suggest “how could the Blessed Virgin, present in the first community of disciples, be excluded from those who met her divine Son after he had risen from the dead?” Among reasons for believing the tradition, he tells us that “the unique and special character of the Blessed Virgin’s presence at Calvary and her perfect union with the Son in his suffering on the Cross seem to postulate a very particular sharing on her part in the mystery of the Resurrection.” Therefore, “it seems reasonable to think that Mary, as the image and model of the Church which waits for the Risen One and meets him in the group of disciples during his Easter appearances, had had a personal contact with her risen Son, so that

she too could delight in the fullness of paschal joy.”

Of course, Mary did not have to see to believe (Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe) but that glorious reunion is still a beautiful scene to imagine. A final word from St John Paul II reminds us: “In the Easter season, the Christian community addresses the Mother of the Lord and invites her to rejoice: ‘Regina Caeli, laetare. Alleluia!’ ‘Queen of heaven, rejoice. Alleluia!’ Thus it recalls Mary’s joy at Jesus’ Resurrection, prolonging in time the ‘rejoice’ that the Angel addressed to her at the Annunciation, so that she might become a cause of ‘great joy’ for all people.”

Loss of cargo ship in Pentland Firth All eight crew members, seven Polish and one Filipino, lost their lives when the Cargo Ship, Cemfjord, capsized and sank in the Pentland Firth on the 2nd January this year.

Tina Harris, Apostleship of the Sea (AOS) Ship Visitor for Macduff and Banff, reflects on this tragic event.

Tina Harris

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he bow of a ship was visible for a brief time in the eastern reaches of the Pentland Firth before it disappeared below the surface of the water, weighted down by its cargo of cement.

The photographs shown in the media were almost surreal.

Several of my ship visiting colleagues contacted me to ask if this happened on my patch, as they know of no other mainland ship visitors any further north.

I have not encountered the MV Cemfjord in port. She was sailing from Denmark to Cheshire, with no scheduled stops. I can give them no further information, other than my own experience of sailing the Pentland Firth on much smaller boats.

I spoke portside to the crew of a cargo ship the following day who reported nothing unusual in the firth during their recent passage from Belfast.

The initial search for the eight man crew of the MV Cemfjord was co-ordinated by the RNLI, with additional air fleet. It appeared to be a sudden catastrophic event, possibly caused by a rogue wave.

There had been 60-70mph gusts of wind in the sea area, and on the ebb tide there is sometimes a phenomenon known locally as the Merry Men of Mey, where strong tides and heavy breaking seas occur even in fine weather.

It may all be fairy tales, but it is nevertheless a potentially dangerous place to be caught unawares.

The waters of the Pentland Firth are notoriously unpredictable.

Tide races and eddies abound, and the passage is not for the faint-hearted. But it is a recognised trade route, and these were highly trained and experienced sailors. Tidal information has been recorded and updated regularly for the last 200 years. It is a steep learning curve for which, over time, man has paid a high price.

In some parts of the firth the transition between the main stream and an eddy, and vice versa, can occur so suddenly as to cause even a large vessel to sheer violently.

It is the unknown which is always the worst. “The cloud of unknowing”, in which a soul is made one with God.

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The bow of the Cemfjord before it slipped beneath the waves There are eight seafarers missing, and for their loved ones, a period of intangible grief as they linger helplessly between hope and despair.

They will be overcome with loss, and will have little idea of where the ship went down. They will lie awake wondering why, and how, and for the moment, there are no clear answers.

The search for survivors was stood down after a couple of days, and thus begins the grim task of recovery. At such times the only help is prayer.

In 2011, the Captain, Pawel Chruscinski, said, “I enjoy seafaring very much. Being a Captain gives me professional fulfilment. My favourite vessel is the MV Cemfjord, because once you know this vessel, you feel she has a soul.”

His words reflect those of Peter Anson, co-founder of the Apostleship of the Sea, who once wrote, “there’s something about a boat, somehow – a soul” Five and a half miles off the north coast of Scotland, in our diocese, lie these victims of the sea. The hull has been located resting on the seabed. A Northern Lighthouse Board vessel sailed up from the port of Leith to assess whether to mark the spot as a hazard to navigation.

For the moment, it is a grave.

Simply being close to the scene affords some reflection, given that a place of such apparent peace and beauty can in fact cause devastation, but over the following days the weather rendered the far north inaccessible from land and sea.

The first vessel to come to the aid of the MV Cemfjord, as she foundered, on the second day of this new year, was the Northlink ferry, MV Hrossey. The titanic spectacle shown in the media will remain in the minds of passengers and crew for a long time.

Just three weeks previously, I sailed from Aberdeen to Lerwick on the MV Hrossey in a moderate to rough sea. I hunkered down in my cabin, thankful for the solitude, praying for confidence. I

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wrote do wn a fe w off my thoughts: wrote down few Once the light is switched switcched off I am in complete darkness. darrkness. knesss.

Once wayy. closed, ed, the boat under way.

The cabin door is close everry mo vementt of the vvessel essel as it mo ves.

I feel every movement moves. eak over over the bo w as the speed incr eases..

I hear the seas br break bow increases.

W eather he elm push out to Wee leav leavee the shelter off the coast, and with a w weather helm open water… yying her here identify L re I try trry to id dentify with those who might have haave shared shared such Lying an experience - R efuggees, sto waways, prisoners, the sh hipwrrecked, the Refugees, stowaways, shipwrecked, abandoned.

B ut mine is rrelative elative lu uxurry.

But luxury.

A nd comfor nal.

And comfortt is option optional.

I choose to lie her re in the dar rk with no horiz on, no sunl light. here dark horizon, sunlight.

W ith time to think.

With N ld I h ha ave kno kknown wn ho h w poignant i my wo ords d might i h be. b Noo way could have how words SSailing ailing boats since childhood has taught me a cer taain vveneration eneration certain for the sea. I kno w itt will always win. know IIts ts gr eat po wer is as a measureless measureless as the gallons of water w great power which lay rrestless estless belo w me tha at night. below that IIn n such a bed of bl lackness, many might be terrified; d; alone. blackness, I listened to the lit turgy of the sea, as I hav ountless times liturgy havee done co countless befor e. IItt is in these times t of uncer tainty that w eaate pray er. before. uncertainty wee cr create prayer.

The cr ew aboar d MV M Cemfjor d would hav crew aboard Cemfjord havee had little time for rreflection, eflection, their last wor w ds kno wn only to G od. words known God. O n JJanuary anuary 18, 18 I attended a ser vice for the missing ng seafar ers in On service seafarers W ick, during which eight candles were were lit to honourr each man by by Wick, name, nationality an nd faith. and IItt was one of the most m mo ving cer emonies I hav eever er attended. moving ceremonies havee ev F or two hours pri ior to this, local people had thee oppor tunity For prior opportunity

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Eight ccandles andlees w were eree lit to o honour each of the missing sea seafarers far areers to join with members m of the rrescue escue organi isations, as w ell as organisations, well rrepresentatives epresentatives from from the shipping company, companyy, and with representatives representatives of the two lead d maritime suppor ission to SSeafarers eafarers supportt charities, M Mission and the A postleeship of the SSea. postleship ea.

Apostleship Q uestions w e e both asked and discussed, but the most impor er tant Questions were important fact was that people eople w ere ther share their feelings. feeelings. were theree to share Pope Francis, Francis, s, during his stormy January January visitt to the Philippines, Philippines, Pope have noo answers, answers, but I am with you…” you…”” said: “I have presencee of a listening ear at the rightt moment in time.

The presence People spoke of o their heartache, heartache, their fear, fearr, their t People anguish; one young man told tolld of his expectations as the hop peful anticipation of young hopeful rescue became the black hole of recovery. recovery. And then, the emptiness rescue recovery, and the feeling of failure. failure. of no recovery,

Lord, help me to serve you today right where I am.

Bless me with the gift of sympathy, so that I reach out to those in need Bless me with generosity, that I may think of others in their pain, in need of greater love Bless me throughout the storms of life and give me strength to carry on.

Where I cannot go, I cannot be, but that will never mean I do not care So bless me Lord, with deeper faith to share in thought and prayer, your love and presence in these hours of need always.

Tina Harris Page P age 21

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Before, it was used as a meeting room, “suitable for administering the sacraments”, for a cult based in the home of the Roman senator Pudens who offered hospitality to the first Christians, including St Paul. It would have been from this house that Paul sent greetings in his second letter to Timothy – Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren (2 Tim 4:21). Peter too was a guest.

The 16th century Church historian, Cardinal Cesare Baronio tells us: “It was there that for the first time the Evangel of Christ, pronounced by Peter, became known to the Romans; moreover, it was there where Peter became known as a preacher of the Evangel to the Gentiles, since he was no longer allowed to do so among the Jews; and he was instead received by senator Pudens, who already Continuing our series on Nicolas Poussin’s 2nd set of paintings on believed in Christ, in his own house.”

It is known that Poussin was familiar with Roma Sotterranea, an the Sacraments, we take a look at the Sacrament of Confirmation. illustrated account, by Oratorian Antonio Bosio, of the catacombs.

He quotes part of a Latin inscription commemorating Peter’s A. Philokalos mission to the Romans, then still existing in the church of St Pudentiana at the altar where he had celebrated Mass: he inspiration for this picture is taken from the Early “In this, the oldest of all the city’s churches, was once the house Church in Rome, in time of persecution. It is set in of St Pudens the Senator, and father of SS Novatus and Timothy the catacombs, where the Early Christians had to hide and of the virgins SS Pudentiana and Praxedes, the first place of away to worship and celebrate their rituals in secret, refuge for the Holy Apostles SS Peter and Paul for the baptism risking torture and death if they were discovered. It illustrates of the Martyrs and Christians and for meeting together for Holy the serious commitment we make when confirmed as members Mass.” of the Church. The people in this scene are risking everything – So the painting depicts the actual reception into the Church livelihood, status, even their lives – to commit themselves to the of the family of a Roman senator named Pudens, who really was service of the Lord. The rituals of the Early Church placed great risking everything. The bishop confirming is identified as Paul, stress on the responsibilities carried by membership of the Church, with Peter in the background. This positioning led Reformers to emphasising each member’s share in Christ’s priestly, prophetic state that this disproved the whole idea of the Petrine ministry and kingly role. The end of St Matthew’s Gospel would be read: and the primacy of Peter and his apostolic successors, for was not “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them Paul shown here in the superior position? Poussin, an advocate in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, for the Counter-Reformation, made clear what he believed in this teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, painting, with Jesus handing Peter the keys of the Kingdom and I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt. 28:19-20). Paul looking on. In fact, the reason for Paul being in the role of The setting might seem elaborate for a catacomb, but it is now officiating bishop here is quite obvious if, like Poussin, we follow believed that Poussin based his painting on an actual chamber, the more ancient account of the Pudens family’s conversion, as is set containing a baptismal font, and used as a burial place for martyrs, out in a fresco in the Church of Santa Pudenziana, depicting Paul excavated some years ago. The place was later re-dedicated as a preaching in the house of Pudens and then receiving this spiritual church of St Pudentiana and later still a church of St Pudentiana family into the Church, showing the baptism by total immersion was built above ground, the oldest surviving church in Rome. of Timothy and Novatus, with two girls, Pudentiana and Praxedes, next to the font. Paul was credited with having been responsible for the conversion of the senatorial family; it followed that Pudens would want his spiritual father to anoint him and his family personally.

The imposing figure in red kneeling before Paul is Senator Pudens himself. We can tell that he is a very important member of Roman society by the broad band on his toga – the latus clavus, worn only by high-ranking men. Behind him is his daughter Praxedes in blue, being pushed encouragingly forward.

That may be the elder sister Pudentiana standing further back, dressed in orange.

The youth in vivid yellow also kneeling and turning his head to seek reassurance, has been identified as son Novatus. On the far side is another boy, possibly Timothy, having his forehead bound by the deacon wearing more muted shades of red. This binding was an early custom following on the anointing Nicholas Poussin, Confirmation II (1647-1648)

The Seven Sacraments of Poussin

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with holy chrism. One of the older women may be Pudens’ mother Priscilla; his wife was dead by this time. It’s not clear who the little boy in blue is – possibly he is Timothy? Behind Pudentiana is the easily recognisable Peter, bowing his balding head as he is sprinkled with water from a branch of hyssop. This sprinkling was a Jewish practice adopted by the early Christians and mentioned by St Ambrose in his treatise On the Sacraments. Paul, as bishop, wears white with a broad gold band.

In the background, we see the huge font in the centre, referring to the practice of baptism by total immersion. In the far background is a massive structure of columns and sarcophagi leading to an inner room. Behind the font burns a tiny lamp above a shrouded corpse; here, baptism and death are being deliberately associated: baptism means dying to the old life and rising to new life in Christ.

The three tiny points of light from oil lamps, which lend an air of mystery to the scene, also focus attention on the three essential features of the painting: the two side lamps on either side of the

mausoleum behind the main groups; the middle one is the point towards which the movements of the two foregrounds converge.

The lighting of the Paschal Candle on the left tells us that it is, in fact, Easter Night, the time in the Early Church for receiving catechumens into the Church and which has been revived since the 2nd Vatican Council.

The server kneeling in the right foreground holds the chrism; another standing behind the bishop holds a dish containing a yellowish substance which Anthony Blunt identified as the “milk and honey” given as a drink to the neophytes and referred to in the Introit for Low Sunday (1 Pt & Ps 80). Next to him is a third server carrying a plate holding the lint used for binding the foreheads of those who had been anointed.

This painting depicts a joyous, if risky, occasion for the Church in Rome and for one family in particular. Paul had been welcomed by the head of this household and what we see depicted is a truly joyful family event.

The Well of Moses - in Dijon, France!

Ron Smith, our roving reporter, was surprised to come across the Well of Moses, not in the Middle East, but rather closer to home, in Dijon.

Ron Smith

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ijon is a lovely town, in the centre of France, with a great many interesting places to see and visit. It is renowned for its gastronomy and of course the very best of wines as it is the capital of Burgundy. It has a new tram system (unlike ours, this one was opened 13 months early and below budget), and I have been there several times over the years, but last year discovered something surprising, the Well of Moses!

The wonderful old streets, restaurants, markets, churches and monuments are in the area of the city to the east of the railway station (a major station on the “Ligne Imperiale” from Paris to the Mediterranean and so easy to get to) but if you go west from the station, in easy walking distance, or a short bus ride by the city buses, you will come to the Chartreuse de Champmol. It was here that Philippe le Hardi, the first of the Grand Dukes of Burgundy (they all had splendid names, like “the fearless”, ”the bold”, and “the handsome”) decided to have built a huge mausoleum for him and his descendants. The main architect was Claus Sluter. It was a huge undertaking. There was a chapel, of which only the original portal remains, incorporated into a 19th century chapel. The original chapel was built as part of the Chartreuse between 1388 and 1393. It was on one side of a vast square of buildings, and in the centre was – and still is – the well.

The well is not very deep, but still continues to flow with spring water. In the centre of the well is the massive hexagonal pillar of the prophets. There are six niches, each containing a life-sized statue of a prophet from the Old Testament. There is Moses, Isaiah, Daniel, Zachariah, Jeremiah, and David. Between them on the cornice, are six angels with outspread wings, their expressions and gestures conveying the sorrow of the Passion of Christ. The carved stone of this pillar is very elaborate and you can spend a fascinating time “reading” all the carved images and learning parts of the Bible.

When it was built, between 1395 and 1405, of course, most people were illiterate so this was like a picture book of the Old Testament.

This huge pillar is seven metres, (nearly 23 feet) tall. But – this is just the base! Originally it had another slender central column on

The life-sized figure of Jeremiah - one of the six Old Testament prophets carved within niches on the central hexagonal pillar. the top, 13 metres (nearly 43 feet) tall, Calvary, with Jesus on the cross, and Mary Magdalene kneeling at the base. Unfortunately this part was destroyed at the end of the 18th century, during the French Revolution. The prophets are life sized and the remarkable sculptures convey such action, realism and detail that they are an impressive example of medieval art, a real masterpiece of descriptive creativity.

In 1410 the tomb of Philippe le Hardi (the bold) was placed in the church in a burial vault. He was dressed in a Carthusian habit.

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The tomb of Philippe le Hardi (the bold) of his soul. Burgundy was only incorporated into France in 1477, by which time only the funeral monuments of Philippe le Hardi, John le Téméraire (fearless) and his wife Margaret of Bavaria were completed, and these can be seen in Dijon today. However, the Chartreuse was broken up during the French Revolution. The estate was sold off in 1791, the works of art dispersed, and most of the buildings destroyed. Fortunately the Well and a few other bits remained as in the 17th century a building had been erected over the remaining part of the well to protect it. This was renovated in the 19th century. It is still there today, also hexagonal, with the

upper part all glass windows. In 1830 many scholars recognised the historical importance of the well and the remaining buildings, and it was all classified as historic monuments in 1840. Meanwhile, in 1833, the Department of the Côte d’Or took over the site and converted it into a mental asylum. The architect, Pierre-Paul Petit cleverly incorporated the well and the remaining walls, such as the portal of the original chapel which became the porch of the asylum chapel, into the design of the new buildings. Once again a large courtyard was created with the Well in the centre. Today it is still a specialist hospital centre. The Moses Well is a remarkable survivor.

The Well is open to the public, there are tours organised by the Tourist Office, or for individuals there is a small shop and office on site. For more information see www.visitdijon.com It is unclear exactly why the well has become “Moses’” well, and not named after any of the other 5 prophets there, but then Moses has a connection with a well. In Exodus 2, 16 – 20, it says….”One day, when Moses was sitting by a well, seven daughters of Jethro, the priest of Midian, came to draw water and fill the troughs for their father’s sheep and goats. But some shepherds drove Jethro’s daughters away. Then Moses went to their rescue and watered their animals for them. When they returned to their father he asked “Why have you come back so early today?” “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds” they answered “and he drew water for us and watered our animals”.

“Where is he?” he asked his daughters “Why did you leave the man out there? Go and invite him to eat with us”.

God works in different cultures Sr Janet Fearns FMDM “You can have five degrees in theology, but not have the Spirit of God.” Pope Francis probably surprised some of the theologians to whom he spoke. “Many times we find, among our faithful, simple old women who perhaps didn’t finish elementary school, but who speak to you about things better than a theologian, because they have the Spirit of Christ”. He explained why those who heard Jesus listened to him rather than to some of their own religious authorities: “They spoke truthfully about theology, but they didn’t reach the heart; they didn’t give freedom; they weren’t capable of doing so in a manner the people identified with, because they were not anointed by the Holy Spirit”.

The Pope is unafraid of challenging the greatest minds in the Church to “learn from the people”. Without the aid of long words and complicated explanations – and certainly without the help of theologians and liturgists – communities can often express the most profound truths about God without the use of words.

Sometimes, where there are no words, they use the beauties of their own traditional cultural experiences and translate them into dance.

Take, for instance, Zambia’s Bemba people, who have no experience of kingship but can happily describe God as greater than the greatest Paramount Chief. For major feasts and celebrations, singers, dancers and drummers (the Ba Buomba) perform dances hitherto reserved for the royal court, but do so within the context of the Mass. The traditional role of the Praise Singer, once performed by a mighty warrior, is re-enacted by an elderly man who has long fought the battle for goodness. Brandishing a symbolic wooden spear (and trying to sound fierce), he proclaims the praises of God before Mass can begin. Instead of carrying tribute to an earthly Page 24

A Multicultural Mass in Brisbane, Australia

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chief, every member of the congregation processes to the altar in a Procession of the Gifts which includes, not only the bread and wine plus the collection, but also baskets of fruit and vegetables, several live chickens and an occasional goat. In the remote fishing villages where I lived, two fishermen also carried a freshly-caught and stilldripping fish which was almost as long as they were tall. Thus the Offertory Procession frequently lasts for more than an hour as the congregation gives to God the honour once given only to their Paramount Chief.

Some time ago, I met a Sister who works with Pacific Islanders.

“We are trying to write down what we can only call ‘the theology of the People of the Ocean’”, she said. “These people have been totally dependent on the Pacific Ocean for centuries. Their closeness to the winds, waves, constellations of stars and their fishing have shaped their whole understanding of God. It is different from anything anywhere else in the world. So far, it has never been written down and so this is what we are trying to do.”

Her comments were beautifully demonstrated in a video which showed a group of young men from the island of Tonga, dressed only in their traditional grass skirts, performing a celebratory dance at the beginning of Mass. Their hand and arm gestures showed the ebb and flow of the ocean waves: gentle waves, ideal for paddling their canoes safely when fishing or travelling between the many thousands of islands in the Pacific Ocean. As the commentator remarked, “Perhaps, if the Prodigal Son had come from Tonga, this would have been the welcome he would have received on his return home.”

Every culture has its own way of expressing its relationship with God. Native Americans, so in touch with Creation and with their own rich traditions, bless the sanctuary before the beginning of Mass, often using eagle feathers and sacred smoke, blown to all four corners of the world. During one celebration, four dancers, dressed as fish eagles, hovered in mighty splendour around the symbolic lake of the baptismal font. Yet, as the priest approached the altar, the magnificent birds crossed their wings and crouched to the ground,

secondary in importance to the Lord who would become present in the Eucharist. As Mass concluded, they spread their wings, ready to fly away and take the Gospel message to the world.

In India, the ancient Hindu dance of aarti, re-enacting the dialogue between the Creator and created, often replaces the verbal declaration of the Mystery of Faith following the Consecration.

Even the greatest theologian could not express so concisely the twoway giving and receiving between God and humanity as the rose petals and lighted candles, swirling in exquisite circles before the altar.

Ancient culture is also incorporated into other expressions of faith. In Mexico, Our Lady of Guadalupe is honoured by Aztec dancers, clad in feathers and colourfully ornate costumes which jingle as they pound the earth with an energy which would leave most people gasping for breath.

It is not as if traditional dances are necessarily required for the Mass to be very beautiful and deeply touching. In Vietnam, where the number of martyrs is in the hundreds of thousands, churches are bursting at the seams. At one recent celebration, most, if not all, of Vietnam’s forty-four bishops were present with a congregation totalling tens of thousands. Look back to the visit of Pope Benedict to the UK in 2010 and imagine an “ordinary” Sunday Mass where the congregation equalled the size of the gathering in Bellahouston Park or Hyde Park and you will glimpse what is happening in Vietnam.

Pope Francis declared, “We must lend our ears to the beat of this era and detect the scent of people today, so as to be permeated by their joys and hopes, by their sadness and distress, at which time we will know how to propose the good news of the family with credibility.”

How could Scotland enshrine her essence and her people within the Liturgy? Would there be a difference if the liturgists were from the Highlands or the Lowlands? Would Shetland, Orkney, St Ninian’s Isle and Barra tell the same story – or would each island have its own unique message?

Ogilvie-Forbes family of Boyndlie Regular readers will remember that at the end of his article on the Buchan Mission (Issue 26), historian, Alasdair Roberts turned his attention to Fraserburgh where a new Church , Our Lady, Star of the Sea, and St Drostan , had been founded in 1896. In the following article he discusses the influence and leadership provided by the Ogilvie-Forbes family in the Fraserburgh area.

Alasdair Roberts & Ann Dean ‘Better days were ahead at Fraserburgh’ ended The Buchan Mission (LotN 26). The fishing port seems an unlikely place to find Our Lady Star of the Sea and St Drostan (first Abbot of Deer) with seating for 400. Strichen had 29 communicants. The size of the church opened in 1896 is explained by Barra women who followed the shoals to gut herring, with stones from Kisimul Castle as ballast. However the Ogilvie-Forbes family of Boyndlie House, six miles south-west of Fraserburgh, provided leadership.

In our own time Andrew Kellock, parishioner and family friend, provided much of what follows.

Ogilvie and Forbes go back through many generations in that north-east corner, but their conjoined story begins with George

Ogilvie-Forbes who was Aberdeen University’s first Professor of Physiology. He was involved in the Darwin debate which was so harmful to Christianity, his own allegiance being to the Episcopalian Church. A chapel near the house at Cairnmurnan was dedicated to St David of Scotland. The professor’s daughter Helen became a Sister of St Margaret of Scotland in Comper’s convent above the Spital in Aberdeen. His son John studied for the Anglican priesthood and went as a missionary to India. On his return he was received into the Catholic Church by the renowned convert John Henry Newman.

John Ogilvie-Forbes married Christine Vaughan. Their son George entered the diplomatic service and their daughter Rebecca joined the Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Christine died of cancer aged thirty-one and was buried under the sanctuary of Fraserburgh’s new Catholic church. Earlier that year Father James Henderson, formerly of Strichen, had died at forty. He is commemorated on the other side of the altar.

Chamberlain to five popes, Boydlie’s laird also came to be regarded as exceptional on his own ground: ‘Landlord though he be he is neither selfish in his aspirations, nor intolerant in his attitude.’ By his second wife Anne Prendergast John Ogilvie-Forbes was father to three sons and two daughters. The boys went to Ampleforth.

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Second son David took the Benedictine habit and served industrial Lancashire with distinction for many years. The Young Christian Workers movement had his full support along with a general encouragement of the lay apostolate before Vatican II. Oldest son Neil and youngest Malcolm rose to high rank in the R.A.F., which ties in with the story of their sister Marion – flying farmer.

At the age of fourteen she collected Boyndlie’s rents and proceeded from convent school to Oxford for a degree in agriculture. Robert Wilberforce was a school friend of David at Ampleforth who tested his monastic vocation before marrying Marion. She reared cattle, pigs and chickens in Essex, her successive planes being used to carry livestock and registered as farm implements. During the war Marion joined the break-through women’s section of the Air Transport Auxiliary. By its end she had flown some 2,400 hours in

more than a hundred types of aircraft. A keen fox-hunter, she rode and flew into her eighties.

The life of Sir George Drostan Ogilvie-Forbes (wounded at Gallipoli) was celebrated by Mgr David Paterson, administrator of the Cathedral for many years. They had become friends when David was studying at the Scots College Rome and George was Whitehall’s first representative at the Vatican. Prior to that he had been in Mexico when priests and nuns were being killed in a bloody civil war and then Spain for more of the same. His finest hour came in November 1938 when, as chargé d’affaires at Berlin, he strongly condemned the pogrom of Kristallnacht and went on to play a key role in helping Jewish refugees, including many children, to leave Germany.

In Mgr Paterson’s words, ‘I can understand why he was so often singled out by the Foreign Office for so many difficult missions. It would be futile to pretend that he was a man of high intellectual attainments; but he possessed qualities in many ways more valuable: a sturdy Scots common-sense which prevented him from becoming anybody’s fool; an amazing capacity for keeping his head in a crisis, and a delightful sense of humour which helped him to see men and things in their true proportions. But above all, he was a man of strong religious convictions. His Catholic faith was the one great reality in his life, and it strengthened and sustained him in all his worst trials.’

One of these was the war-time death of his son Tom, a young colonel in the Royal Engineers. Sir George retired to Boyndlie for a very active last five years in support of things Scottish. His role in seeking self-government under the Covenant Scheme of 1950 is worth noting. Bishop Walsh preached at the funeral, and then Boyndlie estate workers carried the Ann Dean’s appealing watercolour of Boyndlie House, home of the coffin for his brother Dom David to perform Ogilvie-Forbes family the last obsequies.

Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg marks 1000 years of living history Ron Smith

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his year it will be 1,000 years since the foundation of Strasbourg Cathedral. The cathedral is dedicated to Our Lady and above the altar there is a magnificent stained glass window of Our Lady with the baby Jesus which radiates colour and light. Indeed, there are enormous stained glass windows all round the church including a huge rose window over the main entrance (credited to Erwin of Steinbach who was in charge of the building works from 1284 to 1318).

They date from various periods, the oldest being 12th century. The Strasbourg glass craftsmen always favoured lighter colours, and so the windows all glow and shine with the least bit of sunshine. The windows of the south side aisle date from the 14th century and are called the “Bible of the Poor”, as not many people could read

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in those days, and there are so many images on the windows that just about all the bible is depicted somewhere! (see www.cathedralstrasbourg-2015.fr). Of course the present huge building does not all date from 1,000 years ago, but the “footprint” of it corresponds with the original, of which some parts are still here today.

Strasbourg is an ancient city, founded by the Romans at the crossroads of two of their famous roads (named Argentoratum at that time). Then, in 1015 work on the Cathedral began. It took many centuries to complete, parts of it were burned down and then rebuilt, and so on, but today it is a magnificent building. The 142 metre high spire was completed in 1439 and for centuries was the highest church spire in Europe. Today you can climb up 329 steps to get great views over the city – if you are fit enough! I think it is significant that for centuries the tallest most impressive buildings were for the worship of God. However, today, for example in London, the tallest impressive buildings are for the worship of money.

With the cathedral being such a stunning building, it is naturally always full of tourists, and there is much to see, apart from the sheer breathtaking height of the roof and the soaring columns. At one side there is the suspended (and precarious looking) pipe organ, which dates back to 1385, although the mechanism is much more recent.

At the moment it is needing to be repaired and dust damage cleaned out, so it will not be in action for this millennium year.

Perhaps the most famous item inside the Cathedral is the Astronomical Clock. This is huge. It was actually installed in the Reformation period. It was constructed around 1574 by Swiss clock makers. It is a massive mechanical computer. It calculates the movement of the stars (and the signs of the Zodiac) the hour, the moon, eclipses, and even calculates Easter every year. It also has many moving figures. At each hour, when it strikes, an angel rings a bell, another angel turns an hour glass, and a figure moves from right to left in front of the figure of Death holding his scythe – the moving figures represent the four ages of man. At 12.30pm each day crowds come to see the full “action” (for which you have to pay separately). A large video screen shows you the workings and explains what will happen and the history (in three languages, one of which is English) then when the angels ring the bell and turn the hour glass, the 12 disciples all move out from the right and swivel to face the figure of Jesus who raises his hand to bless each one, which then swivels back to face the direction of movement and the next one comes along – while during this time a cockerel crows three times. The four ages of man figures pass in front of the Death figure to remind us of our short time here on earth. This amazing computer seized up in 1788, and it was not until 1842 that a man called Jean-Baptiste Schwilgué repaired it, and it has been working ever since! In front of the huge clock is a pillar of angels. This depicts the last judgement with Christ the Judge, the four Evangelists, and the angels of Judgement sounding their trumpets.

Also worth seeing is the pulpit. A famous priest, who preached in the vernacular, not Latin, Jean Geiler (16.3.1445 to 10.3.1510) was so popular and his sermons so well appreciated that they built the pulpit just for him in 1485 so that everyone could hear him clearly.

For 30 years the Cathedral has had one of the best sets of bells in Europe. For this special anniversary year, four additional bells have been installed in the “Klotz” tower, adding to the pair already there, giving a total of 16 large bells. I can’t wait to go back there to hear this magnificent sound proclaiming the Christian message over the rooftops of Strasbourg.

Strasbourg is the capital of Alsace, which, together with the neighbouring Lorraine, has been fought over and changed hands many times over the years. The Cathedral has suffered damage, particularly in the Franco – Prussian war of 1870 / 71, and also in WW2. When the Nazis arrived in 1940, they did not “occupy” this area, as they did the rest of France, they annexed it, taking it back

The magnificent astronomical clock built by Swiss clock makers which dates from the Reformation into Germany in their eyes. The stained glass windows were taken down, crated up and sent to the castle of Hautefort (in the southwest of France - where the entire population had been evacuated in 1939). Later they were taken to Germany where they were stored in a salt mine. The Nazis asked for them back in 1944 when the Allies progressed and took over the area of the mine. The Nazis claimed that it was their heritage, as Strasbourg was not French in the Middle Ages Despite German protests that the windows belonged to them as Alsace was “theirs”, in 1945 the American army brought them back and they were installed again.

The reformation was not as hard on Strasbourg as it was here.

The propositions of Luther were nailed to the Cathedral door in 1517, and from 1523 Mass had to be said in German. Mass was forbidden in the Cathedral in 1529 when it became Protestant, but there was no widespread persecution and destruction. In 1681 King Louis XIV of France took over Alsace again, and promptly reversed the reformation, and the Cathedral has been Catholic ever since.

It is a very active community. There are lots of Associations and groups, including the “Hummingbirds” youth choir who, in June 2014, celebrated 30 years of activity by releasing some CDs of their singing. The seminary is also active and in June 2014 it saw one of its students, a local man, ordained as priest. The Cathedral is not just a big historical monument; it is still the hub of a very active and devout congregation.

It is claimed that the first ever documented Christmas tree was set up in here in 1539. There is a Christmas fair in the city every year for all of December, which has been held for 443 years. I am told that they have a very large crib at Christmas (a bit like us here at St. Thomas’, Keith) but they go one better than us – they have an elephant as well as an ox and an ass. Their three wise men come from Asia, on an elephant, Europe, on a horse, and Africa, on a dromedary. Now THAT is a challenge!

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News from Blairs Museum

Blairs College saved by a rat and a dog!

Ian Forbes

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have been using my Aberdeen Libraries card to access online sources including a number of UK and Scottish national and NE Scotland local newspaper archives. In the process I have uncovered some interesting stories about Blairs which have appeared in the press over the years.

For example, on Wednesday 29 January 1845, The Aberdeen Journal reported: “FIRE – Last week, a fire accidentally broke out in the Catholic College of Blairs, in this neighbourhood, but was fortunately discovered in time to prevent any serious damage to the building. The alarm was given in a most singular and somewhat unaccountable manner. One of the servant maids, while in bed, heard a bell ring, and conceiving it to come from a sick room, rose, but found all quiet there. On returning to her apartment, however, she found the house on fire in another quarter. She immediately gave the alarm; and assistance being procured, the fire was speedily extinguished. The whole house being buried in sleep at the time the bell was heard to ring, it is supposed to have been caused by some rat or other vermin running along the wire.”

So in 1845 Blairs College was saved by a rat! The farm dog helped detect another fire at Blairs reported in The Aberdeen Weekly Journal, on Monday 13 January 1879: “FIRE AT BLAIRS COLLEGE FARM STEADING – About half-past five o’clock on Saturday morning fire was discovered in one of the byres of the farm steading attached to Blairs College.

The fire was discovered in some straw piled up in a corner of the byre, but who had lit it, and how long it had been lit, no one about the place could tell. The lowing of the cattle attracted the attention of one of the servants who entered the byre and found that one of the cows had calved by fright. Having carried out the young calf he gave the alarm to the people about the place, and the fire was got under before damage to any considerable extent was occasioned, though one of the cows was severely burned on the udder. No one belonging to the establishment had been in the byre for several hours before the fire was discovered, and the only way in which it can be conjectured to have occurred was through some tramp having gone in overnight and probably slept in the place, and then lit his pipe before leaving. The dog belonging to the farm was barking loudly about an hour before the fire was discovered, and the sound of the footsteps of some person running down the avenue it was thought were heard about that time. The buildings at Blairs are so attached that had the fire not been promptly discovered and extinguished the result might have been very serious indeed.”

At Blairs today smoke detectors trigger fire alarms, which will go off whether or not anyone is in the building at the time, and the Fire Service will be on site from their base in Aberdeen within minutes. If either of the 19th Century fires reported above had been more serious the consequences in a building full of students

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and staff without a Fire Service to respond could have been tragic – lives might have been lost. The students at Blairs during the 19th Century were mainly from Scotland. But interestingly at the time of the 1845 incident at least one student from Trinidad, Michel Maxwell Philip, was a student at Blairs.

In an intriguing historical footnote: like some other early students at Blairs, Maxwell Philip was not thinking of the Catholic priesthood and was eventually called to The Bar in London – the top student in his year. Returning to Trinidad he rose to high office as Solicitor General and was responsible for the legislation amalgamating Trinidad with Tobago. Regrettably, Maxwell Philip was debarred from holding the most senior legal position in his country, that of Attorney General, because he was Creole (mixed race). But Michel Maxwell Philip never forgot Blairs and his Scottish education. During a court case in far-off Trinidad, he translated the proceedings for a Spanish speaking client. Asked by the judge where he had learned to speak Spanish, he replied: “On the banks of the River Dee in Scotland”.

In the 19th Century, as today, many important items of Scottish Catholic heritage were kept at Blairs. Held at Blairs since 1831, the world renowned memorial portrait of Mary Queen of Scots is just one artefact which Michel Maxwell Philip would have known as a boy – and which fortunately survived the threat posed by those 19th Century fires.

Blairs Museum will open every Saturday, Sunday or local holiday Monday between 2.00pm and 5.00pm from the beginning of April until the end of October. We are also open by arrangement at any other time throughout the year so if you have visitors or you belong to a group looking for something interesting to do, please contact us.

Ian Forbes is the Manager of Blairs Museum Blairs Museum, South Deeside Road, Blairs, Aberdeen AB12 5YQ; tel.: 01224 863767; email: manager@blairsmuseum.com; website: www.blairsmuseum.com t

JERICHO BENEDICTINES Combine the Spiritual Life with the running of ‘Jericho Inns’ for those being passed by on the other side’ The Drug & Alcohol Addicted Victims of Domestic Violence Homeless Men & Women Holidays for those on low income Enquiries & donations gratefully received

Jericho Benedictines 1/8 page repeat Fr. James Monastery of Jesus, Harelaw Farm KILBARCHAN Renfrewshire PA10 2PY

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St. S t. P Peter e er F et Fabre abre - T The he O Obscur Obscure e Je Jesuit esuit When Pope Pope Francis Francis anccis canonized canonized Pierre Piierrre Favre Favrre (Peter (Petteer Fabre) Fabr abree) last When year on December December 17, 17, he essentially set aside the normal no ormal process pro ocess year canonizing a saint s exteended sainthood sainthood to o a gentle for canonizing and extended Frreenchman, an early earrly companion companion of St Ignatius Loyola Loyola and a Frenchman, member of the Society Societty of Jesus.

Jesus. founder member Po ope Francis Francis considers con nsiders St Peter Peeteer Fabre Fabre abre to o be be “a “a model model of Pope spiritualitty and priestly prieestly life” life” and at his canonisation canonisatio on theree were weree spirituality many Jesuits Jesuits who felt f that a wrong wro ong had finally been beeen put right. many

Canon C anon A Alistair listair D Doyle oyle

O

n the fea feast ast of the Assumption 1534, seven sevven graduates of the U University nivversity of P Paris aris attended M Mass asss on the hill of M ontmaartre and vvowed owed to follo w Chr rist in po verty Montmartre follow Christ poverty and cha astityy, to go to JJerusalem erusalem and work worrk for the chastity, conv version of M osleems. IIff that w ere not possible, the t alter rnativve conversion Moslems. were alternative was to go to Rome Rome and an nd place themselv ves at the dispos al of the P ope. themselves disposal Pope.

The M ass was said b numbeer a priest, priest, the Mass byy the only one of their number newly or dained Pierre Pierrre Favre.

Favre. Thr ee of them w erre fl atm mates-Ignatius ordained Three were flatmates-Ignatius Lo yoola, F rancis Xavier, Xavieerr, both B asques, and P ierre F avrre, a S avvoyarrd.

Loyola, Francis Basques, Pierre Favre, Savoyard.

P ierre’s par ents, Lo ouis F avre and M arie P erissin, w ere nativ es of Pierre’s parents, Louis Favre Marie Perissin, were natives the G rand-Bornand rregion egion of Savoy Savoy (nearest (nearest large town-Annecy). toown-Annecy).

Grand-Bornand They w ere hill farmers, farm mers, traditional Catholics with strong strong family were links to the Car thusiians. Louis's br otherr, Claude, wa was as the prior of Carthusians. brother, the monaster Reposoirr, ten miles from from Villaret, Villaret, and he would monasteryy at Reposoir, be succeeded bbyy Marie Marrie F avre‘s nephe w, D om P erissin erissin. n.

Favre‘s nephew, Dom Perissin.

P ierre was the eld dest son, destined to follo w his father on the Pierre eldest follow farm. When he was ssev en, he became a shepher d-boy looking after seven, shepherd-boy the animals on the high Alpine pastur es from from M a to October ay October pastures May when the flocks wou uld be br ought do wn to the ma arts at Annecy would brought down marts and Thones. The bo y were ys were expected to kneel and pray ray when they boys h hear d the h Angelus A l be bells ll off the h village ill churches, chur h ches, h to pra ay at dawn d and d heard bells pray ev ening and to hav devotion to the H oly SSpirit. pirit. The Th indw elling evening havee a devotion Holy indwelling of the SSpirit pirit was well welll understood by by the Alpine people ple and Pierre Pierre fr equently prayed prayed as as an adult the childhood prayer prayyer "Heavenly "Heavenly frequently F atherr, in the name of o JJesus, esus, giv oly SSpirit.” pirit.”

Father, givee me the H Holy SShepherd hepherd bo ys were wer e e not expected to be educated, ed, but highly boys intelligent P ierre lon nged for education. ln his Memoir Mem moir he wrote: wrote: Pierre longed "B efore I was ten l had h an intense desire desire to study. studyy. Each night in "Before bed, l w ept so great great was w my longing." Pierre Pierre knew knew the th he Carthusian Carthusian wept monaster well and on his visits, he would handle the th he books. His His monasteryy well Car thusian uncle an nd cousin persuaded his parents parents to relent relent and Carthusian and they sent him to thee hospital chaplain at Thones too learn to rread ead and write and some grammar ogress e that he was grammar.. H Hee made such pr progress sent to a pr oper scho ool at La R oche. The headmasterr was a learned proper school Roche. and holy SSwiss wiss pries st, F r. W ellard. P ierre was taugh priest, Fr. Wellard.

Pierre taughtt the Classics, and a little theology and philosophy based on P eter Lombar d and Peter Lombard Thomas A quinas. P ieerre F avre became vvery ery pr oficientt in G reek and Aquinas.

Pierre Favre proficient Greek Aristotelian philosop phyy. philosophy.

IIn n 1525, at age 19, and helped bbyy a bursar from thee Carthusians, Carthusians, bursaryy from he left SSavoy avoy for thee College SSte-Barbe, te-Barbe, par University of partt of the University P aris. H ears,, duringg wh hich he would Paris.

Hee would stayy ther theree for ten yyears, which gain his baccalaur eaate, and licentiate, and meet th he two Basque Basque baccalaureate, the students who would determine his life.

IIn n 1530, P ierre F avre and his flat-mate Francis Francis Xavier X Pierre Favre had to decide their futur e, having been licensed to ““teach teach h in P aris and future, Paris anywher rld.” F rancis had alr eady decided d to be a priest anywheree in the wor world.”

Francis already in the D iocese of P amplona. P ierre was undecided d. H is gentle, Diocese Pamplona.

Pierre undecided.

His

Statu ue of St P ierree FFavre avree in the to avr own of o A nneccy Statue Pierre town Annecy warm and w elccoming natur scrupulous and a indecisive indecisive mind. welcoming naturee hid a scrupulous H ote: "l was w tossed about bbyy ev ery wind; one day wishing to Hee wr wrote: every marr y, the nextt to be a doctor or a lawy er or a cu uré or ev en a monk." marry, lawyer curé even A t, a ne w flatmate arriv ed - lgnat tius Lo yola. H Att this point, new arrived lgnatius Loyola.

Hee was ten yyears ears olderr and had moved moved colleges because becausse he was in trouble trouble with the autho orities. H reported to the Inquisition Inquisition bbyy a authorities.

Hee had been reported SSpanish panish theolog gian, D r. O rtiz, for preaching preaching thee Spiritual Spiritual Exercises.

Exercises. theologian, Dr. Ortiz, IIgnatius gnatius had alr aalready eady been imprisoned and ex onerated by by the exonerated IInquisition nquisition in SSpain, pain, no w he was tried and fr eed d by by the IInquisition nquisition now freed in P aris The ir aris. o is that his accuser ten yyears ony ears later ater did the Spiritual Spiritual Paris. irony E xercises with P ierre Favre Favre but was rejected rejected by by the Society Society of Jesus Jesus Exercises Pierre "because his corpulency made him unsuitable for the labours of Societyy." the Society."

At first, Francis Fran ncis Xavier was openly hostile too his fellow fellow Basque Basque At Pierre befriended befrriended the newcomer, newcomerr, helping him h as he struggled struggled but Pierre d Aristotle and Aquinas.

Aquinas. Pierre's Pierrre's generosity generosity of to understand Page P age 29

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spirit established a friendship and he confided his anxieties and indecision to lgnatius. lgnatius was able to quieten his mind and Pierre decided to become a priest. "lgnatius became my spiritual teacher and gave me rules to ascertain the Will of God." In 1537, the group, now numbering ten, graduates of the University and an ordained priest, left Paris to walk to Venice, in two parties. Venice was the port of embarkation for Jerusalem.

War broke out between Venice and the Turks, so plan B came into operation. lgnatius, Fr. Lainez and Pierre Favre would go to Rome to seek an audience with the Pope; the others would preach in the University towns in Italy. Their former enemy, Dr. Ortiz, obtained an audience for them and on April 3rd 1537, while Pope Paul III was at dinner, they made their presentation. The Pope was delighted, finished his dinner and immediately appointed Lainez and Favre as lecturers at the Sapientia University. They were also authorised to hear Confession. That same year, the Portuguese king requested good priests for the colonies in the East. Pierre Favre was keen to answer this request but the Pope asked him and Fr. Lainez to go to Parma, in part of the Papal States in Northern Italy, where there was unrest. They were to accompany the Papal legate, Cardinal Filonardi, to reform the church. Pierre and Lainez started an apostolate of preaching, hearing confessions and giving the Spiritual Exercises. Lainez was the better preacher, Pierre excelled in the confessional. His gentleness, eagerness to put others at ease and ready sympathy drew people to him. "Let us take care”, he wrote to trainee Jesuits," that no sinner who comes to confession faces an ordeal when he comes to the vicars of the gentle Christ.

The order to go to Parma was the beginning of Pierre's travels criss-crossing Europe. His reputation as a theologian and confessor

Easter Sunday at Aquhorties

A

quhorties College was founded in 1799, to educate students for the priesthood. Some lay students were also accepted, including Horatio and Natale Corri, sons of a well-known Edinburgh Catholic musician. An imposing building near Inverurie, Aquhorties was the first visible Catholic seminary since the Reformation; others, such as Scalan, had been discreetly tucked away in remote locations. The aquisition of the building marked a significant step forward for Catholics in Scotland.

Music was important there, both as a leisure activity and as part of the curriculum. The college owned a few instruments, and a serious-minded committee of students led by future bishop John Murdoch oversaw the use of these, extracting subscriptions from those people who wished to borrow them. Another future bishop and professor at the college, James Kyle, is on record one year as not having paid up! Charles Gordon in Aberdeen also helped by arranging for the repair of instruments when required; he also sent a harpsichord out to Aquhorties on a coal boat along the canal which at that time joined Aberdeen with Port Elphinstone near Inverurie. Amazingly it survived the journey intact.

A manuscript preserved at Edinburgh Cathedral contains an order of service for Easter Sunday 1808 at Aquhorties. What did they sing on that occasion? We should not be surprised that they chose to use Misa de Trompas, which they called Trumpet Mass, a lively setting composed by a former Director of Music Page 30

made him an automatic choice for papal projects in the reformation of the Church and negotiations with Protestants. From Parma, he we sent to establish the Society in Spain, then ordered to attend the Diet of Worms in Germany with Dr. Ortiz. The contrast could not have been more different. Ortiz blustered and alienated both Catholic and Protestant; Pierre Favre sought common ground. He condemned Lutheran vandalism and iconoclasm in the churches equally with the laxity of Catholic priests.

Obedience to their Superiors was a Jesuit charism and Pierre scrupulously obeyed orders from Ignatius and the Pope that sent him to Spain, Portugal, then back to Germany by way of Savoy, his home region, then to Italy. Wherever he went he made friends who never forgot him. One wrote, "He was very devoted to Our Lady and exhorted us to say the Rosary.” When he was going to preach, the news spread like wildfire. He was also devoted to the angels and would greet a person's guardian angel.

Whilst in Barcelona, he was summoned to the Council of Trent (1546) but his health was so poor, friends advised him not to go.

Ever obedient to Ignatius and the Pope, he set off for Rome. The journey proved fatal and he died in Rome on the 1st August 1546.

His influence continued. St. Francis de Sales dedicated an altar to him in his home church of Villaret in 1607. Sts Francis Borgia, Pierre Canisius and Alfonso Rodriguez became Jesuits through his spiritual direction. Pius IX beatified him in 1872 and Pope Francis canonised him recently. The Pope remarked on his obscurity. His body is lost and no portrait of him exists.

May his gentle intercession, help the new evangelisation of Europe and the reform of the Church.

Shelagh Noden’s Musical Memories

at Valladolid Cathedral, Don José Myr y Llusá, in 1736. It was brought back to Scotland by priests who had studied at the Scots college in Valladolid, and heard the Trumpet Mass performed there. It became a huge favourite in Scotland, and when the Aberdeen Diocesan Choir visited Notre Dame in Paris a few years ago they sang the Kyrie from this Mass. I wonder if any Spaniards in the congregation noticed this?

As for the Proper of the Mass on that Easter Sunday over 200 years ago, we have more of a mixed bag. Plainchant was used for the Sequence and Deo Gratias. Samuel Webbe’s three-part setting of the Easter gradual, Haec Dies, This is the day the Lord has made, was also sung. Webbe’s music was popular at the college, being tuneful, easy to sing and generally short; something that could recommend it to modern-day choirs! The college owned a copy of his Collection of Motetts [sic] as well as his Collection of Masses, both published in 1792. Webbe’s Regina Caeli from this collection is still often heard, but his other church music seems to have faded

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into obscurity.

The Offertory antiphon for Easter Sunday in the Missal is Terra tremuit, ‘the earth shook’. Musical settings of this text are few and far between, but the Aquhorties musicians were undeterred.

They simply adapted Webbe’s Alma Redemptoris Mater and sang the words of Terra tremuit to this tune. They did the same with the Introit, Pascha nostrum immolatus est Christus, strait-jacketing these words to Webbe’s Tibi omnes Angeli. Similar treatment was

given to the Communion verse, also Pascha nostrum, which was sung to Webbe’s Salve Regina. The college’s volume of Webbe motets was certainly put to good use!

No hymns are included on this order of service, and there is no closing song of any kind. This is to be expected as the addition of a final hymn to the Mass is a more recent development. At Aquhorties they probably sang the prayer for the king after Mass, to prove they were loyal subjects of King George, although there is no mention of this in the order of service.

As for instrumental accompaniment; we are not sure whether or not the college possessed an organ in 1808 so perhaps the harpsichord provided a final voluntary, or the small college orchestra may have played.

What this order of service demonstrates is the importance that the Aquhorties musicians placed on singing the actual texts of the Mass. Nowadays we tend to pick four hymns that ‘fit in with the readings’ as far as possible. I doubt that anyone will be singing the earth shook at the Offertory on Easter Sunday (please correct me if I am wrong!). However, there is now a growing tendency to sing some at least of the proper texts, rather than substitute hymns, and a free downloadable book, Simple English Propers, is proving very popular: http:// musicasacra.com/additional-publications/ sep/. How nice to get something at no cost; Aquhorties College or Aquhorties House, located between Blairdaff and Inverurie in maybe worth a look?

Aberdeenshire, was a Roman Catholic seminary in Scotland from 1799 to 1829.

Jesuits 1/2P

Interreligious dialogue is a necessary condition for peace in the world.

Pope Francis

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On a Wing and a Prayer with Father Peter Barry

The sharp-shinned hawk Short blunt wings enable it to fly through the canopy at speed with the long tail acting as a rudder.

T

he mist is swirling around, and it's bitterly cold.

The sun struggles to break through, but this is El Jaguar, a cloud forest reserve in Nicaragua!

A little bird has just appeared, 5 inches long, as it migrates from north to south America. We train our binoculars to admire the lovely golden patches on the wing. This is the golden-winged warbler, and it used to arrive in its hundreds.

This year we see only a single bird.

The long migration it takes passes through a very narrow corridor of several miles in width: from America, through Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, etc.

The tiny bird must stop every hundred miles or so, to rest and feed. But now that corridor has been degraded, as trees and canopy have been cut down to raise cattle or grow coffee.

Many birds now die on the way, and there are fears the species will became extinct.

Much effort has gone into persuading farmers to leave enough canopy trees for the birds to rest and feed.

There are eight of us at the reserve, and we sit down for supper on the first night, complete strangers to each other. Moses is our guide, and suggests we say our names and something about ourselves.

Victor starts. He is a professional lepidopterist, or butterfly specialist, who works at a Catholic University in Connecticut, run by Jesuits. He has enormous admiration for them, their wisdom and scholarship. They are much more intelligent than the secular Priests, he says.

His wife agrees. She loves Elvis Presley as much as she admires the Jesuits. She has personally met Dorothy Hart, who was the

Father Peter with Moses, a guide from the El Jaguar Reserve

Page P age 32

first woman to be kissed on screen by Elvis. Dorothy later became a religious Benedictine Nun, and lives close to them.

Soon it’s my turn to speak, and I say simply: “ My name is Peter, and I am a Secular Priest”. Much laughter follows, and the ice is broken.

I volunteer a snippet of information on Elvis: when he died, he carried in his clothing a Catholic Crucifix, the Star of David, and the Egyptian Angh. He used to say he didn’t want to lose heaven on a technicality! The day he died, a book was found at his bedside. It was the story of the Shroud of Turin. He was always hoping, he said, to find God. We talk of our plans for the next day. Some specialise in Flora; Victor will photograph butterflies, and I’ll be off with Moses and Marvino to find new species. There are vultures galore, but among them we hope to find a sharp-shinned hawk. These outings, I joke to Victor, would not be cerebral enough for a Jesuit Priest.

But I’m just a simple secular priest, I tell him, and I find these special eco-systems very close to my idea of heaven.

In the late afternoon, among the vultures circling overhead, we spot a tiny hawk. Marvino has a powerful camera, and the bird is digi-scoped. The image shows a hawk with short blunt wings, to fly through the canopy at speed. The long tail acts as a rudder. In pursuit of prey, the bird can turn very quickly. We count the tailbars: there are seven in toto, and the streaks on the breast indicate a juvenile. The identity is assured: sharp-shinned hawk. The bird has hatched in North America, and this is its first migration.

And now the Church in Nicaragua is losing numbers to the Evangelical and Charismatic churches, imported from America.

Marvino thinks the Catholic faith has forgotten its option for the poor. Much work among the homeless, among prisoners and troubled young people, is done by other churches.

One of these sects gathers for an open air service close to my lodgings, but the sound is deafening: drums, guitars, amplifiers as big as cars! On the way home I hum something more simple and gentle: Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.

As I drift off to sleep, I think of my journey through life, as it mimics the migration of the golden-winged warbler: from baptism to last anointing, feeding and resting in the Sacraments God offers us. Our sacramental journey is so easily degraded by broken promises and neglect.

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Poetic Licen Licence nce Canon C a anon Bill A Anderson nderrson delv delves es in into to some of his fa favourite vourite inspir inspirational ational vverse erse

J

ohn Masefield (1878-1967) is chiefly remembered today for two early poems of a maritime nature,"Cargoes" and "Sea Fever". Yet his literary output was huge,including children's books and plays. “Reynard the Fox” and “The Everlasting Mercy" are the best of his longer verse narratives, and our concern is with the concluding passage from the latter. The whole poem deals with the conversion to Christianity of a young person, Saul Kane. A poacher and drunkard, he is saved from disgrace by the Quaker, Miss Bourne.

Serene as most of its octosyllabic couplets seem now, the work caused some dismay on account of the forcefully colloquial language occasionally employed. It is interesting to note that Masefield,later to become Poet Laureate, had himself sown his wild oats as a nautical teenager, having deserted ship and become, in America, a vagrant (working in a bar and in a carpet factory) and doubtless roughening his vocabulary, before returning to England and respectability!

Our extract describes the tearaway Saul's focussing at last on Christ, evocatively rather than sentimentally, the task of the old ploughman Callow being subtly absorbed into the deeper conviction "That Christ was standing there with me, That Christ had taught me what to be, That I should plough, and as I ploughed My Saviour Christ would sing aloud."

The author's awareness of the practice and the purpose of ploughing is tellingly presented.while the final lines are Saul’s personal prayer to the Lord. The words are zealous and fresh, replete with springtime and with eucharistic allusions.

Slow up the hill the plough team plod, Old Callow at the task of God, Helped by man’s wit, helped by the brute Turning a stubborn clay to fruit, His eyes for ever on some sign To help him plough a perfect line.

At top of rise the plough team stopped, The fore-horse bent his head and cropped; Then the chains chack, the brasses jingle, The lean reins gather through the cringle, The figures move against the sky, The clay wave breaks as they go by.

I kneeled there in the muddy fallow, I knew that Christ was there with Callow, That Christ was standing there with me, That Christ had taught me what to be, That I should plough, and as I ploughed My Saviour Christ would sing aloud, And as I drove the clods apart Christ would be ploughing in my heart,

Dear Lor Lord, d,

Through rest-harrow and bitter roots, Through all my bad life’s rotten fruits.

O Christ who holds the open gate, O Christ who drives the furrow straight, O Christ, the plough, O Christ, the laughter Of holy white birds flying after, Lo, all my heart’s field red and torn, And Thou wilt bring the young green corn, The young green corn divinely springing, The young green corn forever singing; And when the field is fresh and fair Thy blessed feet shall glitter there, And we will walk the weeded field, And tell the golden harvest’s yield, The corn that makes the holy bread By which the soul of man is fed, The holy bread, the food unpriced, Thy everlasting mercy, Christ.

WƌĂLJĞƌ ĨŽƌ sŽĐĂƟŽŶƐ ĨƌŽŵ &ƌ :ŽŚŶ ŽŚŶ ůůĞŶ

/ Ăŵ ŐŐĞƫŶŐ ĞƫŶŐ ŽůĚ ƚ / ĐĐĂŶ Ƶƚ ĂŶ ƐƐƟůů Ɵůů ƐƚĂŶĚ ƐƚĂŶĚ Ě ƵƉ ĨĨŽƌ Ž ƚŚĞ &ĂŝƚŚ͘ My wif wifee is dead And the gr grandchildren andchildr dren gr growing up.

I am no now w alone.

Migh Mightt I be of somee use in Minis Ministry, Join the rranks anks of ffailing a ailing priests? pries

zŽƵ ŚĂǀĞ ďůĞƐƐĞĚ ĞĚ ŵĞ ǁŝƚŚ ĐĐŽƵŶƚůĞƐƐ ŽƵŶƚůĞƐƐ ŐŝŌƐ͕ Now, perhaps, I could could return return your your generosity. generosityy.

May I not havee to to rreturn eturn t tto o school h l &Žƌ ŝ ŚĂǀĞ ĨŽƵŶĚ ŶĚ LJŽƵ LJŽƵ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĐůĂƐƐƌŽŽŵ ĐůĂƐƐƌŽŽŵ ŽĨ ůŝĨĞ͘ ůŝĨĞ͘ Neither do I need eed inc income. ome.

Open the eyes of yyour our Church Church To see us men who ar aree freely freely available. available.

Amen Page P age 33

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Humour from the Vestry "It is a curious fact "It fact that t people people aree never never so trivial as when they takee themselves tak themselves seriously. seriiouslyy." - Oscar Oscar Wilde Wilde Yet Yet More More Bulletin Bloopers Bloopers "The "The church church had a going-away going-a ng-away party party for for Pastor Pastor __________. _. congregation was wass anxious to to give give him a little momentum. momentum.

The The congregation “We will have have a Special Special al Holiday Holiday Bingo Bingo & Dinner Dinner on Monday Monday evening, evening ing, Dec. Dec. 30. You You “We given two two bingo packs, packs, which cover cover all games played, played, andd your your choice choice of will be given childr h ldren or roast roast beef b f for for dinner. dinner d .â€? children Christian C hristian quot quotes es fr from om the p pen en of C.S. Lewis Lewis "F Faith is the ar o things "Faith artt off holding on to yyour our re eason has on nce ac cepteed in spitee reason once accepted of yyour our changing mo m ods." moods. ““Sainthood Sainthood lies in the habit of rreferring eferring the smallest ac tion ns tto o Go d.â€? actions God.â€? ““To To b o for rgivve the bee a Christian means to forgive inex cusablee, b ecau use G od has forgiven forg given inexcusable, because God the inex cusable in yyou.â€? ou.â€? inexcusable “R ellying on Go d has h tto o begin begin all o ver ag ain e very day as “Relying God over again every if nothing yyet et had db een done.â€? done.â€? been “I b elievve in Christia Christianit anitty as I b elievve that the sun has ha as risen: not believe Christianity believe only b ecause I see iit, but because because by by it I see everything ev eveerrything yth hing else.â€? else.â€? because ““Christianity, Christianitty, if ffalse, alse e, is of no imp ortance, a nd if true, true e, importance, and of infinit e imp orrtance. The onl ly thing it cannot cannot b e is infinite importance. only be mo deratelly imp o tantt.â€? or moderately important.â€? ““You You nev er kknow now ho h wm uch yyou ou really reeally believe believve anything anything until never how much its truth or ffalsehood alsehood b ecomes a matte er of life or de eath to o yyou.â€? ou.â€? becomes matter death ““God God whisp hi ers tto o us in i our pleasures l s, speaks spea aks k in i our whispers pleasures, cconscience, onscience, but shouts sh houts in our pa ins: it is His meg m aphone pains: megaphone tto o rouse a dea orldâ€?. deaff wo worldâ€?. , VLJQHG XS IRU DQ H[HUFLVH FODVV DQG ZDV WROG WROG WR ZHDU ORRVH Ă€WWLQJ FORWKLQJ FORWK KLQJ ,I , +$' DQ\ ORRVH Ă€WWLQJ Ă€WWLQ QJ FORWKLQJ , ZRXOGQ¡W KDYH VLJQHG VLJQHG XS LQ WKH Ă€UVW SODFH

An A n Udder Joke Jok ke A ffarmer was milking was armer w as milk king his ccow ow and w as just starting starting to o get a good good rhythm rhyythm going g g when a flyy flew into o the barn and and started starteed circling circcling his head..

Suddenly, Suddenlyy, the fly flew fleew into into the ccow’s ow’s ear. earr. TThe he farmer didn’t much about farmer didn ’t think m uch ab out it, until the fly squirted was “Itt w went squirteed out into o his hiis bucket. bucket. IItt w as a ccase ase of “I e in one ear ent and out the udder.� udderr.�

Transfusion Confusion Confusion Transfusion wealthy Arab Arab Sheik with a rare rare blood type type w as admitt ed ttoo hospital h ffor or hear A wealthy was admitted heartt surgery. Fortunately, Fortunately, a Scotsman Scotsman was was found found with the same blood bloood type. type. The The Scot Scot surgery. donated his blood bloood and afterwards, afterwards, in appreciation, appreciation, thee Sheik sent sent him willingly donated BMW, five five carats carats of of diamonds and $50,000. A couple couple of days daays later, laterr, the Arab Arab a new BMW, returned to to hospital for for some soome corrective corrective surgery. surgery. Naturally, Naturally, the Scotsman Scotsman o was more more returned was happy to to donate donate blood bloood and after affter the second second round round of surgery surgery the Sheik sent sent than happy Scotsman a thank-you thank-you card card and a box box of chocolates. chocolates. The The Scotsman, Scotsman, disma yed the Scotsman dismayed that the Arab Arab had not repeated reppeated his previous previous generous generous gesture, gesture, ph honed him ttoo ask that phoned why this time he had only only sent sent him a thank-you thank-you card card and a box box of chocolates. chocolates. To To why Arab replied: replied: "Aye "Aye laddie, laddie, but I now now have have Scottish Scottish blood inn ma veins". veins". this the Arab Page P age 34

You o Heard Have Ha ve Y ou Hear d This This One??

TTwo wo old far rmers were were on the train train heading head ding homewards homewards farmers when one off them notic ed some cows cows in a field. field. noticed ‘‘What What a lovely lovely e bunch of ccows. ows.’ he remarked. remarked d. ‘Not a bunch h, herd, herd,’ his mate mate replied. replied. bunch, wh ‘Hear Heard of what?’ hat? t?’ ‘Heard ‘Herd ‘Her d of cows. cows.’ ‘‘Of Of ccourse ourse I’ve I’ve heard heard of cows. cows.’ ‘No,, a cow ‘No cow herd. he erd.’ ‘‘What What do I care caare what what a cow cow heard. heard. I have have no no secrets secrets to to keep cow.’ from fr om a cow.

'RQ¡W DUJXH ZLWK DQ LGLRW SHRSOH ZDWFKLQJ PD\ QRW EH DEOH WR WHOO WKH GLIIHUHQFH You Y ou get wha whatt you you pay pay for! forr!

Aw woman oman w was as seenn ttoo gr grudgingly udgingly dr drop op a ccoin oin in into to the off offertory ertory pla plate. te. AAfter fter Mass she complained loudly about the poor standard standard of the homily. homily. Her Her seven seven year-old year-old son complained interrupted: “Well, “Well, what what can can you you expect expect for for 10p , Mum?â€? interrupted: Plain Speaking The homeowner was delighted with the way the painter had done all the work on his house. "You did a great job." he said and handed the man a check. "Also, in order to thank-you, here's an extra ÂŁ100.00 to take the missus out to dinner and go to the theatre."

Later that night, the doorbell rang and it was the painter. Thinking the man had forgotten something he asked, "What's the matter, did you forget something?"

"No." replied the painter. "I'm just here to take your wife out to dinner and the theatre like you asked."

Hot-Buttered H ot-Buttered M Miracle iracle Murph Murphyy dr drops ops a slic slicee of butt buttered ered ttoast oast on the kkitchen itchen flo floor oor and it lands butt buttererside-up. side -up. HHee look looks ks do down wn in ast astonishment, onishment, ffor or he kknows nows th that hat this is against all the laws la ws of na nature. ture. HHee rrushes ushes to to ffetch etch FFather ather FFlanagan lanagan and asks him what what he sees on the floor floor.. ““Well,�

Well,� sa says ys the priest ppriest,, ““it’s it’s pretty pretty obvious. obvious. Someone Someone has dropped d opped some butt dr buttered ered ttoast oast on the floo floor or and then they flipped it oover ver so that that thee butt butter er w was as on top.� top.� “No, “N o, FFather, atherr, I dr dropped o opped it and it landed lik likee tha that!� t!�� eexclaimed xclaimeed Murph Murphy.y. ““Oh Oh my my LLord,� ord,� says says y Father Father Flanagan, Flanagan, “It must be miracle. miracle.

I’ll ha have ve ttoo rreport eporrt this ma matter tter to to the BBishop ishop and he he’ll ’ll ha have ve ttoo deal with itit.�.� AAfter fter eightt long w eigh weeks eeks and with gr great eat fanfar fanfaree the BBishop ishop anno announces ounces the final rruling. uling. “It is ccertain ertain tha thatt some kkind ind of extraordinary extraordinary event event took took place plaace in Murphy’s Murphy’s kitchen. kitchen.

HHowever, oweverr, bef before ore rruling uling a mir miracle acle all other eexplanations xplanations must be eexplored xplored and unfortunately, unf ortunately, inn this ccase, ase, we we cannot cannot rule rule out that that Murphy Murpphy ma mayy have have buttered buttered the ttoast oast on the wr wrong ong side side..

Never Ne ver F Felt elt Better Better In a ccourt ourt in TTralee, ralee a e, deep in C County ountty K Kerry, errry, Ire Ir Ireland, elan nd d, this cconversation onversation is re reported eporteed to o have h e taken hav takken place: place: LLawyer: aw wyer: ''At At thee sc scene ene of the accident, accident, M Mrr O'Ha O'Hara, arra, did yyou ou te tell ell the G Garda ard da offic officer er that t yyou ou had nev never ver felt b better etteer in your your life?'

O O’Hara ’Harra the old d ffarmer: armer:: 'T armer 'That's That's right, sir sir.r.'

LLawyer: aw wyer: 'W 'Well Well then, t M Mrr O O’Hara, ’Harra, ho how w is it that yyou o aree no ou now w claiming yyou ou w were eree serio seriously ously injure injured ed when m myy client's ccar a hit yyour ar our ccart?' art?'

O O’Hara ’Harra the ffarmer: armer arrmer:: 'W 'When When the Garda Gard da arrived, arrivved d, he went went over over to o my my horse horse, e, who ha had ad a bro br broken oken leg leg, g, and shot him. TThen hen he w went ent o over ver to oD Darcy, arccy, m myy d do dog, g, who w was as badly h hurt, urt, and shot him. W When hen he ask asked ed me ho how w I felt, I just thought thought under the circumstances, circcumstancess, it was was a wise choic choicee of o w words ord ds to o say I'v I'vee nev never ver felt b better e er in m ette myy life life..'

Sign spotted d on the outside wall of a Maryland M convent: “Trespassers “T respasserss will be prosecuted to the fullest ullest extent of the law.� law .� — The Sisters of Mercy

Light of the North

crossword

WORD No. 28

This issue’s competition winner will receive a copy of Pope Francis’ first major book in English, ‘The Church of Mercy - A Message of Hope for All People’. Just send your completed entry by the 1st June to the Light of the North, Ogilvie Centre, 16 Huntly Street, Aberdeen AB10 1SH. First correct entry drawn out of the hat is the winner.

Answers to crossword No. 27 Across: 6. Sistine Chapel 8. Elation 11. Never 12. Endures 13. Ebb 15. Attic 16. Rectory 17. Dover 18. Why 19. Digress 22. Chart 23. Extinct 26. Protestantism Down: 1. Will 2. Snood 3. Act 4. Majesty 5. Jeremiah 7. Tate 9. Inherit 10.

Nurture 11. Nearest 14. Brothers 16. Redruth 20. Exeat 21. Silt 24. Cush 25. Asp

Congratulations to our last competition winner, Mrs J. Turvey from Farley, Wiltshire

Little Horror Sudoku No. 15 If you prefer sudoku to crosswords then you still have a chance to be a prize winner with our super tough sudoku puzzle.

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

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Across 1. -- Sulis, the Roman name for Bath. (4) 4. The country of the eunuch whom Philip baptized. (8) 8. His decree caused Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem. (6) 9. Her royal grave is in the chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London.

(6) 10. A frame for carrying a coffin. (4) 11. From the Greek for ‘scattering’, a term used to describe the Jewish exile from Judea by the Babylonians. (8) 13. e.g Benedictine, Franciscan. (8,5) 16. The black one signified famine. (8) 19. Where you shouldn’t walk on the grass at Oxford university. (4) 20. ‘The ------ is oer, the battle done’ (6) 22. Egyptian god. (6) 23. Writer of the poem ‘In the bleak midwinter’. (8) 24. They shall inherit the earth. (4)

Down 2. A central character of a Victor Hugo novel set around Notre Dame in Paris. (9) 3. Country of which King Sennacherib was the ruler. (7) 4. ‘We have -----, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep.’ (5) 5. Related to the culture or language of the Hebrews. (7) 6. Flowering herb, hybrid between cowslip and primrose. (5) 7. Climbing plant that signifies true love, faithfulness, and undying affection. (3) 12. To look at closely again. (9) 14. ‘So persecute them with thy ------and make them afraid with thy storm’ from the Psalms (7) 15. Verdi, Mozart, Rutter and Brahms have all written one. (7) 17. ‘When morning gilds the -----, My heart awakening cries’ (5) 18. Ruth’s mother-in-law, also known as Mara. (5) 21. Number of turtle doves at Christmas.

(3)

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

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Page 35

Light of the North Rainbow Glass Studio LTD is a family company, which specialise in the design, manufacture and installation of Ecclesiastical, Public and Residential stained glass. Last year we had the pleasure of installing a scheme of 8 windows in Cumnock Parish Church depicting CREATION.

CREATION - the new windows in Cumnock Parish Church designed by Moira Malcolm and made by Rainbow Glass Studio.

The window was designed by Moira Malcolm of Rainbow Glass. It was a joy to have such a wonderful subject as the creation and the chance to re-glaze 8 full windows. The stained glass windows were made using traditional methods of cut glass, lead and solder. The hand blown glass is bought from France, Germany and England and is of the highest quality. Each process is carefully executed by hand, and the detail is created by a combination of glass painting and acid etching.

Rainbow Glass Studio also specialise in the conservation / restoration of historic stained glass windows. All work carried out will be of the highest standard by skilled craftsperson’s using traditional methods and high quality materials. We do not compromise the quality or finish of our work. All work carried out followed CVMA guidelines, which promotes minimal intervention and maximum retention of original materials.

Our Directors include a PACR accredited conservator and an Accredited artist of the Church of Scotland. Please feel free to contact us if you require any future advice regarding architectural stained glass windows. We cover all areas of Scotland but we would welcome any enquiries from further a field. **ICON ACCREDITED STUDIO

Stained Glass Artists Contemporary windows Conservation of glass Church, Historic, Public