ffaithandculture a i tth han nd d ccu u l ttu u re re
Light L ight ht
Page P age 27
Return R eturn of C Catholicism atholicism t m to to S Shetland hettland Pat P at a and nd M Mike ike L Loynd oynd On th September On Septeember a “small “small stocky man with a yellow yellow complexion, complexion, deep-set eyes, eyyes, broad broad nose, large mouth, outstanding pointed chin”” outstan nding cheekbones, and po ointed chin landed at Ler wiick. H oung Lerwick. Hee was accompanied bbyy a yyoung IIcelander celander called O laf Gunlogsen. Gunlogsen. The small man m was Dr. Dr. Olaf P aul Marie Marie Stephan Step phan Djunkovsky Djunkovsky (or Dju unkowsky) a Paul Djunkowsky) R ussian i aristocrat aristocra i at born b in i SSt. t. P etersburg b on nd dF ebr b uary Russian Petersburg nd February . Djunkovsky Russian Djunko vsky was waas the child of a R ussian Count, Cou unt, who was also a senior mini ister in the go vernment of T sar saar Alexander minister government Tsar , and his wife a w ell born lady from from the N etherlands, well Netherlands, who had died wh hen SStephan tephan was yyoung. oung. IIn n his tw enties when twenties he had left the R ussian O rthodox Chur ch an nd turned to Russian Orthodox Church and R ome; in so doing doin ng he had turned his back on n any chance Rome; of claiming a lar rge inheritance. H n his attempt large Hee failed in to join the JJesuit esuitt O rder. IIn n a letter fr om Bishop Bisshop F uchey Order. from Fuchey March Father Fitzgibbon, of IIceland celand dated M arch nd to F atherr F itzgibbon, Parish Margarets, then P arish Priest Priesst of Saint Saint M argarets, it is stated s ...‘ D Doo you you know, know, that Djunkowsky Djunkowsky after having “converted” “converted” from from Orthodoxy Orthodoxyy was a novice novice SJ, but the SJ’s SJ’s (skilful jangsters we Dutch) we translate tran nslate it in D utch) had good eyes eyes and did not admit him for f the vows, vows, and so he kept kep pt a life long vengeance vengeance feelingg against the Society Society (that comes com mes through through in almost every every letter he wrote wrote later to Rome)’. Rom me)’. He He was accepted for study France Priest stud dy in F rance and was ordained ordain ned P riest in January January . After some years of drifting about the Vatican years e Vatican and attacking the Jesuits Jesuits at every every possible opportunity, o oppor tunityy, Stephan Stephan Djunkovsky Djunkoovsky had been appointed Prefect Prefect of the Apostolic Apostolic Prefecture Prefectture of the Arctic Arctic Pole Pole by by Pope Pope Pius Pius IX on its foundation Norway n in . After his first yyear earr in N orway in late where he was in Rome Rome again a where he iss rrecorded ecorded in the memoirs of an a A ustrian Count Hohenlehe Hohenleh he ....‘ R Rome ome Austrian D ecember ... the clev er and energetic P ère Étienne Étienne December clever Père Djunko wskyy, P refect e of the N orth, who talk ked to us of Djunkowsky, Prefect North, talked his experiences in i Lapland. H w with the Hee too is at war JJesuits...’. esuits...’. A d Middle Ages both h Caithness, Att one time during the Middle and O rkney and d SShetland hetland had been dioceses diocesees within the Orkney M etropolitan Ar A chdiocese of T rondheim in Norway. Norwayy. Metropolitan Archdiocese Trondheim Although this area area was not included within the geographical hi l lim li mits it originally i i ll sett by by the th V atican attican t ti f the th limits Vatican for P refecture, Djun nkovsky was alr eady rresponsible esponsible for lands Prefecture, Djunkovsky already abutting the N orrwegian Sea Sea and the N orth Sea Sea including Norwegian North the whole of N o wegian and Swedish or Swedish Lapl and also for Norwegian Lapland the North North Atlantic Atlan ntic fr om B affin Bay Bay to the t M elville from Baffin Melville
Peninsula, including in ncluding the N orth Atlantic Atlanticc island groups. groups. Peninsula, North He thought that there there could be sense in n incorporating He medieval arrangement a went further furtheer to contemplate the medieval and went Kirkwall or W ick being made the centre centre of o his missionary missionary Kirkwall Wick In the t early summer of he visited v Torshavn activities. In Torshavn Faeroee Islands Islands and dedicated a new new chur ch. F rom in the Faeroe church. From here he sailed d to Britain Britain and arranged meetings meeetings in London here Cardinaal Wiseman Wiseman and then with thee A dministrators with Cardinal Administrators Aposto postolic olic Vicariates Vicariates of the N ortheern and Eastern of the Apostolic Northern Districts of Scotland, S B ishops K yle and d G illies. IIn n his Districts Bishops Kyle Gillies. report to hiss superior dinal Alessandro Alessan ndro B arnabò at report superior,, Car Cardinal Barnabò Vatican, Djunkovsky D Djunko vsky stated that Kyle Kylee and Gillis Gillis were were the Vatican, Shetland, Orkney Orkney and a Caithness to both keen to transfer Shetland, Arctic Pole Pole o P refecture as they were were not able at the the Arctic Prefecture service v this remote remote ar ea. Djunkovsky Djun nkovsky set out time to service area. Kirkwall wher aarrived ed on th immediately for Kirkwall wheree he arriv August although the Pope’s Pope’s approval approval a for the change August gran nted on th October October . was only granted On the st of October October , a J.W. J.W W. SSpence peence wrote wrote fr om On from L wickk ‘Among Ler ‘Amo A Among ong the h passengers bbyy the h st eamer yesterday yesterday d Lerwick steamer Roman n Catholic, who I hear cam me oover ver for the was a Roman came Baptising a child of O’Brien’s O’Brien’s (the man who purpose of Baptising Zetland H otel and who married maarried M argaret keeps the Zetland Hotel Margaret Marshall, Ch harles D uncan’s late ser van nt) and for the Marshall, Charles Duncan’s servant) oselytess to papacy as purpose of getting as many pr proselytes Shetland can n pr oduce. I do not think that th hat he will hav Shetland produce. havee . successs. I trust trust not.’ not.’ On On the st off October October Father Father much success. Djunkowsky was joined by by his V icar General, General, e the Abbé Abbé Djunkowsky Vicar Bernard Bernard Bernard and a young young Belgian Belgian n priest, F ather Bernard Father Verstraeten who had sailed from from Torshavn. Torshavn. Theophilus Verstraeten On the same day Djunko wsky wr ote to Bishop Bishop K yle..... On Djunkowsky wrote Kyle..... ‘My Lord, Lord, during my stay at Kirkwall Kirkwalll I have have had the ‘My Sacramentss to a far greater greater satisfaction too administer the Sacraments C expect, some of them number of Catholics than I would expect, town and others oth hers that came from from the surrounding surrounding o country town country where many of them had remained remained for years years and been where g by by the th he social intolerance of the P resbyyterians to obliged Presbyterians were Catholic. For For thiss reason reason my stay conceal that they were Kirkwall was w rather long, and I just gott time enough to at Kirkwall weekk in this place before before the autumnal autu umnal gales will spend a week very sea sick when wh hen crossing crossing the commence. I am always very different seas of the North, North, but still I could cou uld at my arrival arrival different here the samee morning say the h. Mass, Mass, for f the first time here probably since sincce the Reformation, Reformation, and I believe beelieve it my duty probably your Lordship Loordship know know in a few few words wordss that everything everything to let your ver e y well. well. ell I have have had here here twoo baptisms, baptisms some is going on very ann nounced DG. When I come back from from these marriages announced shaall have have the pleasure pleasure of writing w your islands I shall to your Lordship more moore fully about the fruits fruits of my m mission here, here, Lordship can probably probably also announce your your Lordships Lordships and then I can