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Issue 37, Spring 2018
Light of the North: the magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Aberdeen
Blairs Piranesi Exhibition p10 A Convert’s Journey p19 The Nagasaki Martyrs p21 Land of the Thunder Dragon p30
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A Letter from Bishop Hugh Gilbert O.S.B. Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, May I wish you happy reading of the Light of the North and even more a happy Easter. And not just for a day or a week or fifty days. ‘It is always Easter for us, said St Leo the Great, if we abstain from vice and sin.’ In February, I was in Washington and had the opportunity to visit an exhibition at the headquarters of the National Geographic. The exhibition, surprisingly, was on The Tomb of Christ. Visitors and pilgrims to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem will recall the small shrine, called the Edicule, which surrounds the traditional location of Christ’s burial. It is a free-standing church (or chapel) within the greater building and underneath the high rotunda. This Edicule was built in 1810. In the 1950s it was strengthened by steel girders, as the building had been shaken by earthquakes and was far from secure. The ecclesiastical and civil politics of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre are notoriously fraught. However, a few years ago agreement was reached on the need to restore and clean the Edicule. The work was entrusted to experts from the Technical University of Athens and was completed between 2016 and 2017. The girders were removed, fresh mortar was injected, frescoes were cleaned. Most adventurously, the medieval slab covering the site of the rock-tomb underneath was temporarily removed. It revealed another slab further down, dated to the 4th c., the time of the building of the original church. Beyond the slabs can be glimpsed the walls of what was certainly an ancient Jewish burial-place. We cannot be sure that this tomb was Jesus’, but it is located in the area where the Gospels have him laid in a “new tomb”. This area is known to have been a limestone quarry on the edge of the city, beginning to be used in Jesus’ time as a cemetery. What is now certain is that Christians had been venerating this site for at least 1700 years. The National Geographic Exhibition in Washington gave a fine account of the recent work of restoration, as well as a 3D virtual tour of the Church and its Edicule. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (which also embraces
Calvary) is sometimes called the holiest place in Christendom. But I wonder if we ponder enough that as the ‘frame’ or the ‘background’, as it were, of our faith, there is this empty space. It was this that the women disciples, and then Peter and John, first discovered that unexpected Sunday morning. Isn’t it striking that ‘the holiest place in Christendom’ is, ultimately, a hole? Disconcerting, surely? What might it suggest? St Paul remarks that if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then the preaching of the apostles (and of the Church) and our personal and communal faith is ‘empty’. Perhaps, in the face of this emptiness, we feel what a free, frightening, fateful and courageous decision it is to believe. Either there is an emptiness, a black hole, at the heart of it all, or the explosion of a quality of life that the ordinary spaces of our world simply can’t contain, that even empties death. In the beginning, out of void and darkness, says Genesis, the world – the universe – was raised into being from nothingness. Out of dark wombs comes new life. Our own bleak moments can turn into new beginnings. And at Easter? ‘But in fact’, says St Paul, ‘Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died’ (1 Cor 15:20). ‘Nuni de’, ‘But in fact’, ‘But the fact is’. Who’d have thought two or three small, most ordinary Greek or English words could carry so much: such a message, such a reality? They have even been called a ‘return to reality’, that is, the Resurrection. So, is it perhaps when our hearts and minds are emptied of clutter and vanity that they can ‘host’ the risen One? Does that ‘hole’ suggest that there is nothing in us or the world, no darkness or emptiness, from which Life can’t re-emerge? May the Lord show us who he is this Easter! “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” A full and happy Easter to you all. Yours devotedly, + Hugh OSB
“YOU HAVE COME TO MOUNT SION” THE CHRISTIAN PILGRIMAGE IN THE LETTER TO THE HEBREWS The 2018 Pluscarden Pentecost Lectures – Four talks by Fr Richard Ounsworth O.P. 22 – 24 May 2018 at Pluscarden Abbey, near Elgin These four lectures at Pluscarden Abbey, will explore aspects of the uniqueness of Hebrews, concentrating upon what the Letter has to teach the Church today rather than on historical questions. Biblical studies and theology have suffered from a long estrangement, and typological readings dismissed as old-fashioned and even “supersessionist”. I hope to show that Hebrews offers Christians a very positive way of reading the Old Testament in the light of Christ, and some exciting ways of understanding Christ in the light of the Old Testament. There will be no charge for these lectures and all are welcome to attend. To register for the talks, make further enquiries, or book accommodation, please write to: Pentecost Lectures, Pluscarden Abbey, ELGIN, Moray IV30 8UA enclosing a SAE; fax 01343 890258; or email guestmaster@pluscardenabbey.org Page 2
Contents A letter from Bishop Hugh Gilbert OSB ..............................2 DIOCESE News ............................................................................................4 LITURGY The Water, the Spirit and the Blood ................................17 Canon Bill Anderson’s favourite hymns ............................18 WITNESS A convert’s journey of faith ...............................................19 EDUCATION AND FORMATION Doubting Thomas .................................................................20 FAITH AND CULTURE The 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki ..............................................21 What was Lent all about? ...................................................24 Revival of the May processions ........................................25 The Benedictines at Glenmoriston .................................26 Befriending in God ...............................................................28 Land of the Thunder Dragon .............................................30 Growing old ............................................................................31 Food and Faith - Easter in Colombia ..............................32 Humour ...................................................................................33 Crossword and Sudoku .......................................................34
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ur cover for this issue features the “Risen Christ”, the15th Station of the Cross from El Rosario Church in San Salvador. It is the work of the Salvadorean sculptor Ruben Martinez who designed the church which was built between 1967 and 1971 in Parque Libertad in the downtown of San Salvador. From the outside the church resembles an abandoned factory but when seen from the inside it is easier to understand why the building is considered to be a masterpiece of Latin American contemporary architecture. If you’d like to see more of the interior of the church there is a short documentary on YouTube, “El Salvador, Iglesia El Rosario, a Church that touches your soul” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-vcqQ4jUdY).
up front
Managing Editor Deacon Tony Schmitz Editor Cowan Watson 07816344241 editor@lightofthenorth.org Editorial Advisor Dr Glen Reynolds
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ne of my favourite readings is the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Downcast and confused they have left their community in Jerusalem. Their friend Jesus in whom all their hopes had rested has been crucified. They are trying to make sense of what has happened, so that somehow they can put the tragic experience behind them. Jesus himself approaches the two men, but they take him for a stranger. Sensing their dejection, he explains to them how the Scriptures had foretold that the Messiah had to suffer and die to achieve glory. They invite the ‘stranger’ to eat with them but when they sit down at table and he blesses the bread and breaks it the disciples’ eyes are opened and they recognize the stranger as Jesus. Pope Benedict XVI once remarked that the fact that archaeologists have never positively identified the location of Emmaus held for him a certain value: it “suggests that Emmaus is really everywhere, the road that leads there is the path of every Christian, indeed, every human being.” While we may not go on the same physical road taken by the two disciples, still we travel the same road from doubt and despair to belief. Indeed, for some of us, we seem destined to make this trip over and over again. Sometimes we are so caught up in our doubt and despair that we fail to see Jesus as he travels with us. Even though there may be times in our lives when we don’t feel the presence of God, it doesn’t mean that he has abandoned us, even when the path we are following becomes difficult; for he has promised that he will remain with us until journey’s end. I do hope that you will find something in this Easter issue which will encourage you on your journey to Emmaus by that road most travelled. A very happy and blessed Easter, Cowan
The Light of the North is free of charge but a suggested donation of £1.00 will be gratefully received and will be used directly to benefit your own parish. Advertising Manager Jim Skwarek 01233 658611 j im.skwarek@geeringsprint.co.uk The Light of the North St Mary’s Cathedral 20 Huntly Street Aberdeen AB10 1SH www.lightofthenorth.org Page 3
DIOCESE
Installation of new acolyte for Diocese
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n the 17th December, Gaudete Sunday, Christopher Doig, a seminarian in his fourth year at the Scots College, Rome, from the Diocese of Aberdeen was installed as an acolyte by Archbishop Jorge Patron Wong, the secretary of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy. The ministry of acolyte is another significant step for seminarians on the journey to priesthood and during Mass on the Third Sunday in Advent, four men were installed as acolytes. The job of an acolyte is primarily associated with assisting the priest and deacon during Mass. However, they will also bring the Blessed Sacrament to the sick and housebound as well as distributing communion during Mass. They may also, under the guidance of a priest, present instruction to the faithful as well as expose the Blessed Sacrament for adoration. During his sermon, Archbishop Wong spoke about the Joy of Gaudete and how it was fitting to be celebrating the installation of four new acolytes on this day. The joy that we celebrate for the coming of Our Lord is also a joy we can share as more men repeat their yes to ministry to the Lord, ministry that allows a growth in the personal relationship with Christ.
Christopher Doig (third from the left) continues his journey to the priesthood Those admitted as Acolytes by the Archbishop were Christopher Doig from the Diocese of Aberdeen and Joseph McGill from the Diocese of Paisley whilst Martin Eckersley and Robert Taylor are both from the Archdiocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh. NB On the 6th July Bishop Hugh Gilbert will ordain Emmet O’Dowd & Rafał Szweda to the priesthood and Douglas Duncan to the permanent diaconate in St Mary’s Cathedral, Aberdeen.
Beauly Confirmations Lighting up the North
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ishop Hugh Gilbert was in St Mary’s Beauly for the confirmation of 14 candidates on 9th December, 2017. The confirmandi included candidates from St Mary’s Beauly; Our Lady & St Bean, Marydale, Cannich; St Martin’s Ullapool and Poolewe Catholic Community.
New Spiritual Director for the Royal Scots College in Salamanca
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r Stuart Chalmers has been appointed by the Scottish Bishops’ Conference as Spiritual Director of the Royal Scots College in Salamanca.
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n Sunday 28th February 30 children were invited to turn on the recently renovated lights outside St Ninian’s, Inverness. The children crowded excitedly into the sacristy, pressed all the required buttons, then hurried outside to check that all was well. They were thrilled at making St Ninian’s the Light of the North.
Commenting on his appointment, the Bishop of Aberdeen, Bishop Hugh Gilbert said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Fr. Stuart for his great dedication and support, both to me personally and to the Diocese, and I wish him every blessing and success in his forthcoming Iberian endeavours.” Bishop Gilbert added: “The members of the Bishops’
Conference are most pleased that he has accepted this appointment and wish him every blessing and success in his new responsibilities.” Responding to his appointment, Fr. Stuart said: “I am delighted to have been appointed to this post and look forward to the new challenges it will bring. I hope to build on my experience of teaching in Salamanca over the last five years and supporting individuals in the Diocese of Aberdeen as they are
prepared for the priesthood.” “I am very grateful to the Scottish Bishops for appointing me and to the parishioners of St. Joseph’s in Woodside and Holy Family in Mastrick for their support.” Fr Stuart Chalmers
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord at St Mary’s Cathedral, Aberdeen “Today the Church does several things: she commemorates the presentation of the child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem 40 days after his birth, she blesses the candles that will be used at the liturgy, symbols of Christ our Light, and she gives thanks to God too for the gift of the consecrated life of religious women and men. These three things are all interwoven.” Bishop Hugh Gilbert
Children from Holy Family, St Joseph’s and St Peters Primary schools attended the Mass in the Cathedral and the blessing of the Cathedral candles in the Main Hall on 2nd February, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Fr Giles Conacher
Bishop Hugh with some of the Religious of the Diocese who attended the Candlemas celebrations.
Fr Giles Conacher Page 5
AoS Port Chaplain honoured with Pride of Aberdeen award
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inning an award was the furthest thing from Doug Duncan’s mind when he first began supporting the crew of the Malaviya Seven ship back in June 2016. But on November 4th, the Aberdeen port chaplain from seafarers’ Catholic charity Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) swapped his hardhat and hi-viz jacket for black tie, and picked up the Award for Tourism and Hospitality at the Pride of Aberdeen Awards 2017. The winners were announced during a ceremony at the Aberdeen Beach Ballroom. The win, following a vote by the public, came as a surprise to Doug. “I’d like to thank everyone who voted for me. It came as a huge surprise when my name was called out. While I’m grateful for being chosen, we must not forget the many others from local parishes, communities and groups who were involved in the support of the Malaviya Seven crew,” said Doug. Little did Doug know that receiving a phone call on the evening of June 14th 2016 asking him to be available during the night to a ship arriving into Aberdeen would be the start of an 18-month ordeal for its crew. For more than a year, Doug and his team have provided practical and pastoral support daily to the seafarers who were left to fend for themselves. This included providing a generator to ensure heat and electricity, food parcels, toiletries, warm clothing and other practical things such as getting the men haircuts and dentist appointments, to ensure their extended stay in the Granite City was made as comfortable as possible. More than that, Doug realised what the crew needed was friendship and emotional support, so he arranged for days out to local tourist attractions such as Balmoral, Crathie, Fyvie and Dunnottar castles, and visits to Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Stonehaven. They also
Doug Duncan and his son Danny with the award. went to Pittodrie Stadium and to an indoor cricket match. Doug also took them to Mass, the Stations of the Cross during the Lenten period, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services and Easter Mass during Lent and Easter. Last November he arranged for Bishop Hugh Gilbert to go on board the ship and spend time with the crew, share a meal with them and bless the seafarers and the vessel. In September last year, AoS Scotland Bishop Promoter Stephen Robson visited the men on board and spent time speaking with them. They later joined in AoS’ Stella Maris Mass in St Mary’s Cathedral, Aberdeen. One crew member says, “We are extremely pleased to know that Doug has been announced the winner of the award. In him receiving it, we feel like we have been awarded the honours.”
Orkney pilgrimage
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even pilgrims from the parish of Saint Peter and Saint Benedict, Fort Augustus, set forth by car on the 6th of November 2017, destination the Orkney Isles.The intention, to celebrate 900 years since the martyrdom of Saint Magnus and to pray for the needs of our parish. We had missed the Diocesan pilgrimage earlier in the year but wanted to mark this important centenary. The drive North through Sutherland and Caithness, following the coast, gives a real sense of the map of Scotland North of Inverness. At that time of the year, with the harvest safely off the fields and the cattle already inside for the winter, to the right the grey North Sea, flecked with “white horses”, it seems somewhat bleak and deserted but has a rain-washed
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The seven Orkney pilgrims in St Magnus Cathedral.
beauty reminiscent of Neil Gunn. We arrived in Kirkwall just before dark and went straight to the Catholic Church of Our Lady and Saint Joseph where we were warmly welcomed by Fr Peter Kelly. After Mass Fr Peter entertained us with tea and biscuits, much needed, before we set out to find our lodgings. We had booked to stay for three nights in what proved to be a perfect cottage in Rendal, warm and with every comfort looking across the bay to the lights of Kirkwall. Our first day began at Birsay at the church of Saint Magnus, the first burial place of the Saint. Not the original Christchurch but a plain rectangular, post-reformation church,perched on the edge of the cliff and, therefore, on the edge of Europe, a blustery wind and rough sea throwing Atlantic spray to our feet. From there we crossed the road to look at the ruined Earl's Palace, built in 16th century by Robert Stuart, illegitimate son of James V and half brother of Mary Queen Of Scots, a famously evil and tyrannical Earl Of Orkney. Following the "Saint Magnus' Way" we came upon the picturesque Barony Mill, the only water-mill in the world still producing beremeal. Although the mill was officially closed to visitors, it was working and we were kindly welcomed and shown round and were able to buy beremeal and oatmeal. Our next stop the Bay of Skails and Skara Brae and then on to Stromness, that gem of a town where pedestrians share the ancient cobbled streets with the traffic (restricted to 5 mph) and small fishing boats are pulled up between the houses safe from Winter storms. A welcome “cuppa” and visit to the famous book shop and an opportunity to purchase wool from North Ronaldsay (now gracing the person of a small great grandson) and a quick dash to Kirkwall for Mass at three o'clock where we were once again welcomed by Fr Peter and friendly parishioners. Wednesday dawned calm and sunny, though short lived. Our first port of call was the Italian Chapel, that miracle of ingenuity and skill engendered by the faith of the Italian prisoners-ofwar; a truly unique testament to hope in adversity and a lasting
reminder of the devotion these young men had for the Mass. We returned to Kirkwall in time for the mid-day Parish Mass and having eaten our picnic and partaken of hot chocolate we arrived at the climax of our pilgrimage, Saint Magnus Cathedral. Saint Magnus Cathedral, the final resting place of Saint Magnus, one of the smallest as well as the most northerly cathedral in the UK, was built in the early 12th century by Saint Magnus' nephew, Rognald Halkenson, to house the bones of the Saint. The stone- masons and master builders who built Durham Cathedral were employed to build Saint Magnus'; the similarity can be observed in the geometric carvings in the pillars and arches. This ancient, weather-beaten church is a deeply spiritual place: a haven of safety and protection against the onslaught of danger be it from storm or invasion; its warm, pink sandstone enfolding one in nine centuries of holiness and peace. Saint Magnus Cathedral has been untouched by the ravages of the Reformation. It belongs to the people of Orkney and stands as a beacon of Christianity in these far flung islands, nearer to the arctic circle than to London. Having spent most of the afternoon in the Cathedral, as darkness fell and the weather deteriorated we made our way back to our cottage and our last evening together. The wind rose to gale-force during the night and we learned in the morning that the ferry had been cancelled.This, however, gave us the opportunity for another visit to Our Lady and Saint Joseph's for Mass and, as the wind had dropped a little with the tide, we caught the 3o'clock ferry for Scotland and, after a rough crossing, arrived well after dark, thankful for the skill of the ferry crew who landed us safely. We stopped off en route with kind friends who plied us with hot soup beside a warm fire and eventually arrived back in Fort Augustus late but greatly uplifted after three memorable days. Libby Grey
Shrine of St John Ogilvie is officially recognised
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ishop Hugh accepted with joy our parish's request for our shrine to St. John Ogilvie to become officially the diocesan birthplace shrine, and sent his decree to Fr. Max, our parish priest at St Thomas’, Keith. You can read both the decree and the statutes in the photographs placed alongside the shrine's statue. We had a quiet first celebration on the anniversary of St.John's canonisation last year on October 17th, just for our parish, and will in future years open the invitation to this Memorial Mass to everyone. St John Ogilvie S.J. was born at Drum na Keith in 1580, the son of a local laird. Educated in Douai, in the north of France, and ordained as a Jesuit priest, he returned in 1614 to Scotland. Betrayed by a false “friend”, he was arrested and charged with treason. After 16 days of argument, false
The Shrine of St John Ogilvie at St Thomas’, Keith. accusation, blandishments and torture, he was hanged at Glasgow on March 10, 1615, and buried in a felon’s grave to the north of Glasgow Cathedral. His statue is dedicated to reconciliation, not to the memory of this injustice. His great courage and gentle forgiveness of enemies are increasingly needed in our days, and we hope to increase our knowledge of his life in Keith, and its contribution to his years as a priest. Do come and visit! Page 7
“I even tried to sing in Polish!”
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n Sunday 21st January a Polish Carol Concert another remarked, “We want a concert like this every year.’’ was held in St Mary’s Cathedral, Aberdeen. The Thanks must go to all the performers and a special mention concert was organised by Lidia Konar and the to Cathedral Sacristan, Jackie Armstrong who put much effort musical direction by Paweł Fujcik and Seweryn Wzgarda. into promoting the event. She commented, “Traditional events The music was provided by Lidia Konar (vocal), Kamila such as this carol concert, the Epiphany blessing of households, Costaschuk (vocal), Paweł Fujcik (guitar), Seweryn the blessing of food for the Easter meal, the Christmas Eve Wzgarda (guitar), Maciej Kamiński (bongo drums) and vigil supper all help to bring together the Polish and “Scottish” Katarzyna Wesołowska (flute). communities of the Cathedral. Learning about and incorporating Some of the Scottish parishioners may have been a little each other’s traditions adds vitality to the liturgical, devotional surprised to learn that their Polish brethren in the faith were and community life of St. Mary’s Cathedral.” holding an evening of carols at such a late date. However, event The concert can be viewed on YouTube using either of the organiser Lidia Konar explained that it is a Polish tradition to following link: get together as a community to sing Carols ( Polish – kolędy) during the Christmas season which, in Poland, lasts until the https://www.youtube.com/ 2nd of February, the Feast of the Presentation or Candlemas watch?v=bQl5YQqx70U&feature=youtu.be Day. The evening began with the most popular Polish Carol – Wśród Nocnej Ciszy/In Midnight Silence, a favourite of Pope John Paul’s. In his book, The Life of Jesus he wrote the following about it: “...A carol I used to sing in Poland as a young man and which I still sing as the Pope, a carol about the birth of the Saviour. On Christmas night, in every church and chapel, this song could be heard.” Apart from the carols which were in both Polish and English concert-goers were treated to a short history of Polish Christmas carols. The concert-goers were very appreciative of the performance. One enthusiastic parishioner exclaimed, “I’m so glad I came. It was a pleasure Musicians and concert-goers after the performance at St Mary’s Cathedral. to listen to this concert. I even tried to sing in Polish!’’ while
Monastic Experience Weekend 2018
“What can be sweeter to us than the voice of the Lord inviting us, dearest brothers? Behold, in his loving kindness he shows us the way of life. Having therefore girded our loins with faith Page 8
and the performance of good works, with the Gospel as our guide, let us walk in his paths, that we may deserve to see him who has called us into his Kingdom.” Rule of St Benedict, Prologue, 19-21
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he Benedictine monks of Pluscarden Abbey each year offer a special opportunity to see at firsthand what monastic life is about, this year during the weekend Friday 3rd to Monday 6th August 2018. The invitation is extended to single Catholic young men, aged 18-35, who practise their faith. There will be no charge for the weekend. They will participate in the liturgy (the Work of God) and in the community’s everyday work in church, house and garden. There will also be opportunity to learn and to ask questions. All meals are provided in the monastic refectory, except for breakfast which is self-served in the guest house, where tea and coffee are always available. If participants have any important dietary requirements, please let us know in advance. Bedding
and towels are provided, and each of the individual rooms has a wash basin. Showers and toilets are on each corridor. Participants should bring with them whatever they need for a weekend stay. It would also be useful to bring clothes suitable for outdoor work, as this will feature in the programme. As far as possible, an environment of quiet and recollection should be maintained; so it would be a good idea if participants are prepared to forego their internet and social media contacts for the duration of the weekend. After the final prayer service of each
day, silence should be maintained and all conversation avoided if possible. Arrival is best timed between 3pm and 4pm on Friday 3rd August, to allow for allocation of rooms and settling in. An introduction to the weekend programme is scheduled for 4.30 pm. Anyone interested in taking part, or obtaining further information, is invited to contact Fr Benedict Hardy OSB: novicemaster@ pluscardenabbey.org www.pluscardenabbey.org
Holy Family Sisters of the Needy celebrate 10th anniversary of their mission to the UK
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he Holy Family Sisters of the Needy, who have a convent in Aberdeen, celebrated the 10th Anniversary of their Mission to the United Kingdom with a thanksgiving Mass on 9th December, 2017 at St Anne’s Catholic Church in London, followed by a reception in the parish hall. The Rt Reverend Alan William SM, Bishop of the Diocese of Brentwood, was the chief celebrant. Fr Keith Herrera, representing the Diocese of Aberdeen, concelebrated. The Sisters play a very active part in St Mary’s Cathedral parish community: feeding the hungry and homeless; supporting pro-life activities; providing free counselling and a shoulder to cry on and helping liturgically and pastorally in the church itself.
Women from the age of 18 who are interested in finding out more about the Holy Family Sisters of the Needy in order to serve God through service to those less privileged are invited to contact either: The Holy Family Sisters of the Needy, 23 Huntly Street, Aberdeen AB10 1TJ, Tel: 01224 970 812, Email: hfsn@rcd-abdn. org or The Holy Family Sisters of the Needy, 2 Routh Street, London E6 5XX Tel. 01224970812 or 02036898870.
Cathedral awarded funding for repairs
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t Mary’s Cathedral, Aberdeen has been awarded a grant of up to £74,600 from the Heritage Lottery Fund matched by an award of a similar amount from Historic Environment Scotland. The funding has been awarded in order that urgent roof
and masonry repairs can be made to ensure the building is structurally sound and weather tight. A start date for the work of 9th April 2018 has been agreed with the Contractor who anticipates that it will take up to 16 weeks to complete. Page 9
Blairs to showcase Piranesi prints
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ehind the scenes at Blairs Museum a new exhibition is taking shape that invites visitors to imagine themselves as 18th century tourists on the Grand Tour of the Eternal City of Rome. The exhibition is jointly hosted by the Scottish Catholic Heritage Trust and the Diocese of Aberdeen and will showcase a collection of prints from the famed 18th century engraver and architect Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720-1778). The prints come from Piranesi’s Vedute di Roma on which he worked from 1747 to the end of his life. The Views were published as individual sheets and in compendiums as books of Vedute. In total there were 135 individual views by Giovanni Battista and 2 by his son Francesco. The collection being shown at Blairs includes 60 prints. These will be divided over 2 seasons. In the first season (2018), Part 1: The Eternal City, includes buildings from and around the Ancient Roman Forum, including temples, bathhouses and triumphal arches. The second season (2019), Part 2: Monument and Fantasy demonstrates the movement from monumental buildings of the ancient city through to the more fantastical representation of the Imperial buildings of Tivoli. Blairs Museum curator, Dr Alison Burke explained the rationale behind the exhibition. “Piranesi produced individual and books of prints of views of Rome for the tourists undertaking the Grand Tour in the second half of the 18th century and this exhibition invites you to become one of those tourists. The views however, are not an early version of a photograph, they are an impression, a recording Visitors are invited to take an 18th century Grand Tour of the Eternal City through the eyes of Piranesi.
The Colosseum with the Arch of Constantine in the foreground of an emotion, a response to grandeur; they are a memory, a moment of inspiration where real, solid masonry is interpreted as theatrical spectacle. This was what the Grand Tourist was buying, a means of capturing the emotion of walking in the final footsteps of Julius Caesar through the Roman Forum, or listening to the orator Cicero making speeches on the steps of the Senate, or imagining the roar of the crowd within the Colosseum as the gladiators commenced battle, before coming back to real time, surrounded by the light, warmth and smells of the 18th century.” Blairs Museum is also an ideal location to show these perfectly preserved prints. Alison Burke explained the connection. “The permanent collection at Blairs Museum Page 10
holds a number of iconic Royal Stuart portraits undertaken when the Stuarts were resident in Rome in a palace given to them by Pope Clement XII. At the time that Piranesi was etching his views of Rome in the mid 18th Century, the Stuart court had long established itself there and both Charles Edward Stuart and his brother Henry Benedict (Cardinal Duke of York) were both born in Rome. Their palace was near to where Piranesi set up his studio on then-called Strada Felici, close to the Scots College in Rome and in the heart of a thriving community of Scots who had moved to Rome to be near the Stuart court. Tourists on the Grand Tour from the 1720s onwards, would hope to catch a glimpse of the Royal Stuarts as they either passed their palace or at the Opera. Indeed, any Scot visiting the Stuart Court would be reported to the British ambassador in Florence. Therefore, it seems appropriate to display the prints alongside the images of the Stuart Royal family. THE GRAND TOUR: Part 1 The Eternal City opens in spring 2018 at Blairs Museum. The Museum is open weekends. On Saturday 10 am to 4.30 pm and on Sunday from 12 noon to 4.30 pm. Admission charges apply: Adults £3.50, Concessions £2.50. For more details contact curator@blairsmuseum.org. uk or Tel: 01224 863 767 or follow www.facebook.com/ BlairsMuseum/ Blairs Museum is located at Blairs Estate, South Deeside Road, Aberdeen. AB12 5YQ
News from the Ogilvie Centre
For New Evangelisation & Catechism the RC Diocese of Aberdeen
The Ogilvie Centre exists to encourage, strengthen and build the faithful in encountering Christ, becoming intentional disciples, and using their gifts to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It does this by providing on-going support and resources for evangelisation, catechesis and adult formation. “If you are what you should be, you will set the world on fire!” was a famous saying of St. Catherine of Siena. As the Ogilvie Centre for New Evangelisation and Catechesis begins 2018, it takes inspiration from St. Catherine’s passionate appeal. Setting hearts on fire with the love and knowledge of the Lord is a noble desire, and the events and opportunities offered through the Centre hope to do just that. Catholic Distance University Local catechists-in-training and adult students interested in deepening their faith knowledge alike have been benefitting from the diocese’s partnership with Catholic Distance University. Caireen Ros, who is working towards her catechesis certificate testifies: “Being able to access such quality Catholic catechetical certificates in Scotland is a HUGE gift! It will undoubtedly deepen the understanding and strengthen the faith of all who spend time with God through this study program. This will then surely flow to others as the Holy Spirit multiplies the fruits via more securely formed catechists. I would highly recommend ALL catechists to undertake such training and think that parishes should consider setting some money aside for it.” We would love to see more adults join the program which
Youth ministers from across Scotland gather to reflect on their ministry.
Last year’s “Power of Grace” at Greyfriars Convent drew over 100 youth from the Diocese. due to the diocese’s agreement, allows participants to take a 3-lesson class for only £22. To look at course offerings and find out more information, follow the links for the Diocese of Aberdeen at: https://cdu.edu/group-subsidy. Retreats and Gatherings Fifteen mothers benefitted from the luxurious accommodation, spiritual input, and joyful fellowship at the yearly Retreat for Mothers run by Fr. Tad Turski, the Dominican Sisters, and the staff of Kilcoy Castle near Inverness in October 2017. The retreat offers a perfect way to reconnect to one’s spiritual life and deepen one’s faith and knowledge of the Lord. November 2017 saw thirty catechists and children’s liturgy leaders at Greyfriars Convent for the second “Filled to Overflowing Retreat.” An opportunity for renewal in faith and inspiration from others, the retreat also gave practical tips for running children’s liturgy and sacramental preparation. One participant wrote: “I came away on Sunday with renewed energy and – most important – more confidence about what I was doing and why.” Then this past January, fifty current and potential youth ministers from across Scotland met for reflection on and development of youth ministry at the Ogilvie Centre’s Youth Ministry Gatherings. Led by Erin Doughty, a youth minister from the Archdiocese of Birmingham, participants in Inverness and Aberdeen reflected on the special call of the youth minister to journey with young people on their faith journeys, develop programs which meet the needs of each group, create unique faith experiences through Youth Masses, youth groups, and retreats, and work with others to sustain these ministries across Scotland. NET Ministries, based in Glasgow, also gave input about their work of running secondary-school-age retreats and a couple of such retreats are already being planned for youth in the Diocese of Aberdeen as a result.
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Future Events The Ogilvie Centre has plans for the spring as well. Families are invited to an afternoon of faith formation together at St. Francis in Aberdeen on Sunday 29 April for a “Praying as a Family Workshop.” Men of the diocese are invited to a Men’s Retreat at Kilcoy Castle near Inverness 25-27 May. The Dominican Sisters will also be running the yearly Power of Grace retreat at Greyfriars Convent for post-confirmation youth on 9 June. This event drew over 100 youth from the
diocese last year, supporting youth groups and youth across northern Scotland. Children’s liturgy leaders and sacramental preparation catechists will benefit from new links in these areas on the Ogilvie website as well. Please check the Ogilvie Centre web site at www.ogilvie.rcda.scot for the latest updates. It is the Ogilvie Centre’s hope that with these supports for faith formation, many will have an opportunity to be “set on fire” with a knowledge and love of the Lord.
A loo series k pra s at s which o c and tical me iss c eve once ues ryd rns ay l of ife.
Here’s how ........... to deal with a bereavement In the second part of this guide on how to deal with a bereavement, Amy Watson an Associate Solicitor with Raeburn Christie Clark and Wallace, explains the further practical steps which you may be required to take after somone dies. Dealing with the estate In many cases, and depending on the nature and value of the estate assets, access to the deceased’s money and property is suspended, and their accounts frozen, until such time as the Executors obtain “Confirmation” to the estate. Readers may be more familiar with the term “Probate” which is heard widely in the media and refers to a similar process followed in England & Wales. Confirmation acts as a link between the person who has passed away and their Executors. Obtaining Confirmation allows the Executors to actually deal with the estate assets, including ingathering funds from bank accounts, having life policy proceeds released, and selling or transferring shares or property. Confirmation The process of obtaining Confirmation can be complex and time-consuming – even a straightforward estate is likely to take between six months and one year to deal with and more complicated estates can take much longer. It is for this reason that many Executors choose to use the services of a solicitor who is familiar with the procedures involved. In order to apply for Confirmation it will be necessary to prepare a complete Inventory of the deceased’s assets and their value as at the date they passed away. This will involve writing to banks, insurance companies and fund managers in order to investigate the estate. Similarly, any debts due by the deceased should be identified so that these can be repaid once the Executors have access to estate funds. The Executors should also ascertain whether Page 12
the deceased made any gifts within the seven years prior to their death as these will require to be taken into account when completing the estate tax forms. Once all this information has been gathered, the Confirmation forms and estate tax return can be completed and an application submitted to the Sheriff Court for Confirmation to the estate. The relevant Sheriff Court will be the Court in the area where the deceased person was domiciled (in most, but not all, cases this will be the same as their place of residence). The Sheriff Court provides a bound Confirmation document together with individual Certificates of Confirmation for each asset forming part of the estate. Inheritance Tax Thought must also be given as to whether the estate is liable to Inheritance Tax and to ensure that any relevant reliefs are applied for. Under the Inheritance Tax rules, where an individual leaves their estate to a spouse or charity, no Inheritance Tax is payable. In other circumstances, a married couple can ultimately leave up to £650,000 of assets to children or other beneficiaries before there is a liability. New Inheritance Tax rules were introduced in April 2017 meaning that, where a married couple leave their home to direct descendants, an additional Inheritance Tax allowance is available (this is currently £200,000 per couple and due to increase to £350,000 per couple by April 2020). The new rules are complex and outwith the scope of this article but it is recommended that professional advice is sought in relation to their application. Legal rights As part of the process of dealing with the estate, it will also be necessary to bear in mind the question of legal rights. Legal rights are the rights that children have in the estate of a deceased parent, even if the Will states that the
whole estate is to pass, for example, to a spouse or other individual following the death. These rights are enshrined in the Succession (Scotland) Act 1964 and they state that, where someone is survived by a spouse and children, the children are entitled to claim a one-third share of the net moveable estate amongst them. The share increases to a one-half of the net moveable estate if the person is survived by children only. In most cases, net moveable estate means the whole estate except for any flat or house owned by the deceased, after deduction of any funeral expenses and other debts due. Children have twenty years in which to claim their legal rights and so it is sensible to address this issue earlier rather than later in the course of the estate administration. Ingathering the estate Upon obtaining Confirmation, the Certificates of Confirmation can then be sent to the deceased’s bank, any life assurance company, investment provider, or other asset holder, together with authority to close the accounts and to either ingather the funds held or to transfer assets such as shares to the beneficiaries. It is very important that all estate money is kept separate from the Executors’ own personal funds. However, it is not necessary for Executors to open a separate bank account if a solicitor is dealing with the estate for them. Once any debts due have been paid and there are sufficient funds to do so, any pecuniary (financial) legacies can be settled, and the remainder of the estate distributed. However, the Executors should not
pay out the estate until a period of six months has passed since the death took place. This is because creditors have six months within which to make a claim against the estate for unpaid debts. In the event that a claim is made and the Executors have already distributed the estate, they may find themselves personally liable to pay the sums due. Accounting to the beneficiaries All Executors have a duty to account to the residuary beneficiaries for the way in which they have dealt with the estate. In practice, this means producing accounts showing the estate assets that have been ingathered, any debts that have been settled, or legacies paid, as well as the costs of the administration process, including court and solicitor fees. It is important that the residuary beneficiaries can clearly see from the accounts the amount that is due to them at the end of the day. The accounts should be approved by the residuary beneficiaries before the final amounts owed to them are paid. Conclusion Dealing with the administration of the estate of a family member or close friend can add to the stress of an already difficult and emotionally draining time. Much of the burden can be relieved by asking for the help of a solicitor with expertise in the field who can guide you through the legal processes with kindness and efficiency.
Understanding Practical The passing of friends or family members is an emotional and distressing experience and dealing with the personal affairs of the deceased can be challenging. Our Private Client team understand this and can help guide clients through the legalities of administering the estate with sympathy and efficiency.
Raeburn Christie Clark & Wallace Solicitors 1/2 page Call Douglas Crombie today on: 01224 332 400 or visit raeburns.co.uk
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Canon Bill Anderson funeral homily BY BISHOP HUGH GILBERT OSB
T
hat Gospel (The Good Thief) has not been read by chance. It was chosen for this occasion by the muchloved man whose life we are here to be eucharistic about: Fr. Bill Anderson, remembering him, giving thanks for his goodness and commending his soul to the mercy of God. It’s the Gospel of the good thief. It was the Gospel that featured in the sermon that won him the Times Preacher of the Year Award in 1996, ‘A Humble Heart’. And a Gospel he glossed, in true Fr. Bill fashion, with an anonymous 17th c. poem that might not have been on the tips of our own tongues: Say bold but blessed thief That in a trice slipped into paradise And in plain day stol’st heaven away, What trick couldst thou invent To compass thy intent What arms, What charms? [And the answer comes:] ‘Love and belief’.
Father Bill Anderson (1931 - 2018)
seems among the less weighty. But is it? And what the There’s our man, we might say: ‘Love and belief’. thief precisely says is, ‘this man has done nothing out of A funeral homily is famously supposed not to be a eulogy. place’ (atopos), nothing improper, nothing unseemly. Not And were one to fall into the trap, one can imagine exactly only is he not a criminal; there has been nothing out of Bill’s reaction: the cocked head, the pained expression, the order, out of place, altogether nothing. I wonder if Canon pleading: ‘No, bishop, please no.’ Bill, classicist as he was, so sensitive to words, lingered on But we are more than allowed to stay with this Gospel. ‘It’s this? I wonder if he thought of quasi-parallel texts: the a graphic cameo, and it’s profoundly moving’, said our man beautiful bene omnia fecit of the Gospel of Mark: ‘he has on that occasion. ‘Our Lord’s sublime forgiveness of him done all things well, beautifully, nobly’ (Mk 7:37) or, again whom tradition calls “the good thief”’. ‘You will remember from St Luke, ‘they were astonished at the gracious words the Gospel’s words: “And he said, ‘Jesus remember me that came from his lips’ (Lk 4:22) or again of the boy Jesus when you come into your kingdom’. Here was a man who did who ‘increased in wisdom, in stature, and “And he said to him: ‘Truly I say to you: in favour (grace) with God and men’ (Lk today you will be with me in paradise.’ … not do things ‘out of place’, who 2:52). I wonder because here is a cluster our blessed Lord is reacting even here, had an innocence about him; of characteristics Bill himself had so amid the torture and humiliation of not a naivete, but innocence in visibly absorbed from his Master. Here crucifixion, with his characteristic blend the Latin sense: a capacity not was a man who did not do things ‘out of directness and grace that abounds in to do harm. And this is no small of place’, who had an innocence about the pages of the Gospels. “Your faith has thing, especially in a priest. Here him; not a naivete, but innocence in the made you whole” is as usual underlying was a man of gracious words Latin sense: a capacity not to do harm. his reaction…to a repentant sinner. Only and one who inspired them in And this is no small thing, especially in a this time, because time is short, there is others. I don’t think I’ve ever priest. Here was a man of gracious words no need to add, ‘Go and sin no more’. This known any priest, any person and one who inspired them in others. I time, time and eternity are nearly at one – even, of whom people speak so don’t think I’ve ever known any priest, any uniformly well. a good line too for this morning. person even, of whom people speak so If Fr. Bill saw himself in the good thief, so sublimely uniformly well. Here was a man with very little ‘atopos’. He forgiven, I wonder if he lingered on a suggestive word that was critical of his own liturgical prowess, but the willowy, Luke puts on the brigand’s lips: ‘he has done nothing wrong’ bespectacled figure at the lectern, with his Edinburgh the translation goes, in Greek ‘ouden atopon’. The thief here accent and his deft choice of words, with his sympathy for is adding his voice to a counter-chorus in St Luke’s narrative the human condition and a radiant love of the Lord, was of the Passion. Beyond the jeers and mockery, there is also someone perfectly in his place. There was something more a quiet, steady, polyphonic underswell of recognition that than niceness in this priestly ministry or the mere good this man on the Cross is innocent. Of all the things that can breeding of a cultured gentleman. There was a reflection be said about Christ on the cross, that he was innocent
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of Christ. There was something imbibed from the Crucified. Canon Bill had learned his ‘arms and charms’ of ‘love and belief’ from the One full of grace and truth. This gracious 86 year old could have echoed the magnificent response of another, St Polycarp of Smyrna, who, when asked to deny Christ, replied: ‘I have served him for 86 years, and he has never done me any harm. So how could I blaspheme my King who saved me?’ That is the Christ before whom Fr Bill built so few barriers, and to whom he turned: ‘Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ At some lateish point in his life, and filling in some kind of CV, he wrote in the final slot for ‘personal reminiscences / reflections’: “Only this: that I thank God for wonderful parents, great educational opportunities, many good kind friends and relations, and, above all, the gift of the Catholic faith. Ancillary gifts have come in the form of lovely
“
What a good fragrance he has left behind, what an affirmation of priesthood from one who helped form so many priests himself! But perhaps it wasn’t always as painless, effortless as it seemed to be. classical music and fine English literature, especially poetry. I am also indebted to my training in the Classics early on. My brother’s companionship and support have been marvellous over the years. What the priesthood has meant is best thought of in terms of joy and service, the power of prayer and the sacraments.’ Edinburgh, Cambridge, Blairs, the BBC, the Scots College, Aberdeen University, retirement in Mannofield and Cults: these were the memorable stations of his life. But they and other postings were not without their griefs. He was a sensitive man, fragile, even frail at some levels and he felt the pain of others. He knew the more desolate passages of Gerard Manley Hopkins, from the inside too. Reprimand and confrontation, intervention and the grasping of nettles were not his favourite sports – except perhaps for the odd flash in the classroom! I think that what we enjoyed about him had not always come easily. Preaching could wrack him, and how much more other things! Pressed grapes lay behind the fine wine he dispensed so liberally. The sign of victory was his humour. Who can pass through the Banffshire hamlet of Maggieknockater without remembering comic verse? (Consult Bishop Peter Moran for the details). I did not know Jericho 11/11/15 Pageof1you the Fr BillInns:Layout of Blairs or the1 Scots College,08:58 as so many did. But I did know from these last years what a range of folk
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went to him (and the cats!) for confession and counsel and comfort: old and young, burly Poles and delicate maiden ladies, clergy and laity. One could linger on the word ‘com-passion’. ‘Splendid example of preacher and priest’ as Bishop Peter said in a poem of his own marking one of his friend’s significant birthdays. What a good fragrance he has left behind, what an affirmation of priesthood from one who helped form so many priests himself! But perhaps it wasn’t always as painless, effortless as it seemed to be. No, this is not a eulogy; it’s a Eucharist. And the Eucharist gathers up everything, from the beginning to the end, and offers it to God in the cause of gratitude, transformation and also completion. And when a priest celebrates the Eucharist, he doesn’t stretch out his hands at the epiclesis simply over the gifts but over the whole world. It’s patently a sacrifice, a making sacred, a lifting up ‘through him, with him and in him.’ And we want to join in this with and for Fr. Bill. We want the merciful confessor who absolved so many to receive the great absolution of the welcome of Christ! ‘Today you will be with me in paradise.’ The biblical ‘today’ is an elastic concept. It is ultimately the day, the light, of resurrection. This is what we ask for Canon Bill: ‘Receive his soul’ into that Today, into the place prepared for him from the foundation of the world. He is the first priest of my diocese I have buried, despite more than six years as bishop. But last year I did bury two monastic brethren I had known for 43 years. And they were moments of fullness and peace. We shouldn’t be glib about whatever purifying remains to be done in any of us - the total makeover of grace - but a sense of consummation and journey’s end prevailed. They were joyful occasions. May some of that joy touch us today. Let’s not grieve as the pagans do. Bill had had enough and completed his work. So, forgive me a Benedictine kind of conclusion, with a dash of the liturgical. He died on the eve of his 87th birthday, on the threshold therefore of his real dies natalis, the birth into heavenly life. He died in time for 1st Vespers of the Epiphany. That seems immensely ‘in place’, well-timed. Wasn’t he, a penitent thief and a wise man, someone of ‘love and belief’, who followed the star of faith and became a star to so many? And after they entered the house, there was no more star – just the Child and his mother. ‘There is ultimate consolation to be found, Bill once wrote, in the final lines of Siegfried Sassoon’s poem, Redemption: I think; if through some chink in me could shine But once – but one ray From that all-hallowing and eternal day, Asking no more of Heaven, I would go hence.’ Yes, go hence Christian soul…go to the place prepared for you from all eternity by the One who did nothing ‘out of place’. Go into his great Day and be with him. Amen. St Peter’s, Morningside, Edinburgh, Friday 19 January 2018
Fr. James Monastery of Jesus, Harelaw Farm KILBARCHAN Renfrewshire PA10 2PY
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LITURGY
MY F A VO UR I T E H YMN S In Memoriam Father Bill
I
first met Father Bill Anderson when visiting Blairs College fairly soon after I arrived in Aberdeen. I taught organ playing to one of the young seminarians, and came across the person in charge of the garden – yes, you’ve guessed it! A few years later I got to know him much better when he became Chaplain to Catholic students at the University of Aberdeen. I was a lecturer in the Music Department with special responsibility for music in the Chapel of King’s College – a building directly opposite the Catholic Chaplaincy. Inevitably I saw less of him when he moved to St. Mary’s Cathedral, but our paths crossed from time to time and I remember Father Bill occasionally saying Mass for the Catholic students in the University Chapel on Sunday evenings. My most recent meeting was just a few months ago when he outlined his favourite hymns in a lengthy but delightful conversation one afternoon – the article is appended to these words as tribute to a warm and generous priest. In all the time I knew him, Father Bill always remained the same – calm, welcoming, curious, appreciative and with a deliciously gentle humour. As we see from the article below, he was a highly cultured person, extremely well read, with a wonderfully rounded knowledge of poetry which he could quote at length. His own command of words was second to none, and his homilies were models of the genre, delivered with coherence and precision. He will be much missed, but those of us who knew him over an extended period are truly thankful for the great privilege of having known such a special man. Dr Roger Williams MBE January, 2018
My Favourite Hymns - Canon Bill Anderson “One of my favourite hymns of praise since boyhood is Holy, Holy, Holy, with words by Bishop Reginald Heber – a great hymn writer - to the tune Nicaea by Dr. John Bacchus Dykes, Page 16
Canon Bill Anderson (1931 - 2018) [the founder of the Cambridge Musical Society, precentor of Durham Cathedral, and composer of about 300 hymns]. There is a simplicity of expression and awe in this hymn which tells of God’s grandeur. The depths of this mystery are caught well in this paraphrase of the Sanctus for the morning. The words of Behold the Mountain of the Lord have a real poetic quality and the partnership with the noble tune [Glasgow, from The Psalm Singer’s Pocket Companion of 1756] is truly inspiring. I particularly like the words of the fifth verse: ‘They hang the trumpet in the hall and study war no more’. [For more about the origins of this hymn please see the previous article of favourite hymns by Professor Iain Torrance] Praise to the Holiest in the Height with the words by Cardinal Newman have a special association for me. I heard Elgar’s great oratorio The Dream of Gerontius in my early twenties, with the part of the Angel sung by the incomparable Kathleen Ferrier, and will always remember the great outburst of this hymn in Elgar’s setting. But I greatly admire the delicate reference to Our Lord’s Passion in the sixth verse ‘And in the garden secretly’. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty [a free paraphrase of Psalms 103 and 150, first published in Bremen in 1680, translated by Miss Winkworth in 1863, and music, Lobe den Herren, from 1665] has a particular memory for me. From 1969-77 I worked as B.B.C. producer for, among other things, the series of television programmes Songs of Praise. With a church full of ecumenical and enthusiastic singers we began as often as we could with this glorious hymn. The grandeur of the truly congregational hymn Praise my Soul, the King of Heaven [a paraphrase of Psalm 103 from 1834, music by Sir John Goss first published in 1869] demands, likewise, a discernible, collective and uplifting togetherness. Finally in this group of hymns of praise, Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun [from Isaac Watts’ Psalms of David 1719] was lustily sung at the end of my last school concert (in 1948!), to the tune Warrington [composed by Ralph Harrison, 1784] The graphic words of verse 3: ‘The Prisoner leaps to loose his chains’, ending ‘and all the sons of want are blest’ have a vivid,
affirmative quality. I particularly recall the tenors enjoying the end of this hymn and singing the conclusion of the verses with gusto! Hymns of reflection and contemplation such as Lead Kindly Light [words by Cardinal Newman] with its sense of wistfulness and yearning concluding in the sense of ultimate reunion [‘And with the morn those angels smile, which I have loved long since, and lost awhile’] – I find this touching. Jerusalem the Golden [words taken from an enormous poem of almost 3,000 lines by Bernard of Cluny of the twelfth century] and the way that the voice is lifted up seems to me symbolical of raising our thoughts to God. The paraphrase of Psalm 84, How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place with its sense of a relaxed spirituality I find helpful in the sense of reinforcing a personal encounter with the Lord. Dom Gregory Murray composed lovely music for it. I next choose a quartet of seasonal hymns beginning with Harold Darke’s sublime setting of Christina Rossetti’s words In the Bleak Midwinter which I heard when I was a student in Cambridge sung by the wonderful choir of King’s College, Cambridge, under Boris Ord. The Passion Chorale O Sacred Head Sore Wounded [words from the seventeenth century and music by Hans Leo Hassler, but famously harmonized by J.S.Bach] is an all encompassing hymn, touching on the major factors behind Our Lord’s Passion and the intensity of his suffering. For Easter the hymn Breathe on me, Breath of God [words by Edwin Hatch from 1878] to the tune Veni Spiritus [by Sir John Stainer] speaks of the still voice of God’s Spirit. Quite a contrast to the holy swagger of Thine be the Glory set to Handel’s music. And for the season of Advent God is working his purpose out [words by A.C.Ainger in 1894, music by Millicent D.Kingham] is remarkable for its sense of
anticipation. The hymn to Our Lady Ave Maris Stella [Office hymn for Feasts of Our Lady dating probably from the ninth century] always comes into my mind when walking or driving in one of the high regions of Aberdeen and looking down to the sea. I think of Our Lady in the beautiful images in the doctrinal exactitude of this hymn. In a very few lines of text the whole image of the Resurrection is incorporated in the twelfth century Regina Caeli. Mary Immaculate, Star of the morning is a comprehensive expression of Our Lady’s role in the work of salvation, the essence of this hymn being, for me, the words at the close of the third verse - ‘measure thine aid by the depth of our need’. I do not like what are sometimes referred to as ‘ditties’ – contemporary pieces of spiritual verse often set to a guitar, and generally lacking in depth. On the other hand when words and music come together, as, for example in the setting of George Herbert’s words King of Glory or Let All the World in Every Corner Sing, the experience can be truly beautiful and uplifting, stimulating thought and helping to deepen the experience of what it means to be a believer. With whimsical insight, Herbert himself wrote: ‘Of all the creatures both in sea and land Only to Man hast thou made known thy ways, And put this pen above into his hand, And made him Secretary of thy praise’” The late Canon Bill Anderson was in conversation with Dr. Roger B. Williams MBE, former Master of Chapel and Ceremonial Music at the University.
The Water, the Spirit and the Blood BY EILEEN GRANT
God of everlasting mercy, Who, in the very recurrence of the paschal feast kindle the faith of the people you have made your own, increase the grace you have bestowed, that all may grasp and rightly understand in what font they have been washed, by which Spirit they have been reborn, by whose Blood they have been redeemed.
S
o runs the Collect of the Mass for the Octave Day of Easter. It appeared publicly for the first time in a sacramentary produced around 700, but later fell out of use. Providentially it was preserved in the Vatican Archives and at the post-Vatican II revisions of the Missal, the prayer was rediscovered, rescued from obscurity, and inserted in the 1970 Missal as the
Opening Prayer of the Mass for the Second Sunday of Easter. In 1972 came the renewal of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, the RCIA, and this prayer took on a new, stronger resonance. In 2002 the revised Missale Romanum was published and here we find the text of the prayer totally unchanged since its original appearance. In ancient times, catechumens were not taught before reception about the sacraments; now they are but, ideally, that instruction is continued – life on the other side of the border can seem very different, even bewildering, and it is good to take time to reflect on the changes. There are so many echoes in this beautiful prayer to remind new Christians of the glorious blessings they received on Easter night; and it reminds the rest of us of the blessings we have received in the more distant past, but which are being continually renewed. A direct address is made to God, a ‘God of everlasting mercy’. These words define the very nature of God and the attribute is found in many places throughout scripture, particularly in the Psalms and the Prophets. There is plenty Page 17
of scope for following up the allusion but, in the context of this Mass, the invocation could well allude to Psalm 135 [136], entitled in the Christian Psalter A Paschal Hymn: “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endures for ever.” As this psalm recounts salvation history, the second line is repeated alternately: for his mercy/loving-kindness endures for ever. His everlasting mercy causes Him to, in the very recurrence of the paschal feast, kindle the faith of the people you have made your own, literally, consecrated/made holy to yourself. This calls for an ongoing fanning of the fire of the faith of God’s people on an annual basis. Paschaltime is an opportunity for rekindling that fire. The people are not just any people, but those made holy, consecrated to God, with obvious allusion to scripture: to Exodus 19:6 – “you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation”, “a holy nation”, repeated several times in Deuteronomy, “for his [God’s] possession”. These words are in turn echoed by St Peter to the newly baptized: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people” (1Pt 2:9). Surely these words, the people you have made your own, must resonate. And what does God do for his people? He sets them on fire, enkindles their faith, giving it renewed energy. There follows the actual petition of the prayer, increase the faith: God’s grace, described in the New Testament in superabundant terms, is not a little thing; here the verb could imply far more than simply “increase”, but rather heap up on us, enrich. The word used in the original Latin, Augere, in classical literature had various uses: “to cause to grow”,
Craig Lodge Family House of Prayer
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as in crops; “to strengthen”, as in munitions; “to cause to rise, to swell up”, as in rivers. Grace/Gratia signified charm, kindness, favour, in turn prompting kindness, gratitude to others, grace and gratitude having the same root. The little clause nestling here – “[which] you have bestowed” – tells of the favour given to us by God, not once only in the past, but a continuous, ongoing gift; and so we may confidently ask Him for an increase of this gift of grace. Why is God so generous with his grace? In order that “all grasp and rightly understand”. What is meant by all?
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Why is God so generous with his grace? In order that “all grasp and rightly understand”. What is meant by all? All who have been given the gift of faith, the gift of God’s favour: those recently baptized on Easter night and those baptized in the past. All who have been given the gift of faith, the gift of God’s favour: those recently baptized on Easter night and those baptized in the past. The Latin word used, Comprehendant, is a powerful word: “that they should grasp strongly”, literally seize, lay hold of, make it their own, with a worthy understanding, not mere notional knowledge, but a real heartfelt appreciation. There is an echo here of the Introit, from 1 Pt 2:2: “Like newborn babes, long for the pure, spiritual milk”: that is, long for the unadulterated spiritual nourishment that will lead to a deeper and more mature understanding of what they/we have received from God. And what have they/we been given? The grace to know in faith “in what font they have been washed, by which Spirit they have been reborn, by whose Blood they have been redeemed”. Through these beautiful, eloquent phrases, we are led to see how, through God’s gift of grace, ever increased in answer to continual prayer, we may be able to grasp the reality of the awe-inspiring significance of these three actions in our lives – the actual washing (the water), the actual Spirit, and the actual blood, corresponding to the three sacraments of Christian initiation which we have all received at some point in our lives: in the water of Baptism, in the Anointing of the Spirit, in the Eucharist given through Christ’s sacrificial shedding of his blood. Here, there is a direct allusion to 1 John 5:8: “There are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree”: three witnesses to Jesus on earth – powerful testimony indeed. 1 Pt 1:3 talks also of being “born anew”, the rebirth we have through Christ’s death and resurrection to “an inheritance that is imperishable”. Our Amen should be most heartfelt.
WITNESS Dr James R. A. Merrick, a former Episcopalian priest was received into the Catholic Church in Aberdeen last year. In the following article Dr Merrick outlines some of the factors which influenced his decision to become a Catholic. BY DR JAMES MERRICK
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t’s important to begin by acknowledging the kindness, welcome, and generosity of many, many Catholics. When you convert, there is the real possibility of becoming estranged from family and friends who disagree, feel disregarded, or feel threatened/challenged. Being welcomed with a smile and joy helps one see that other friendships await. We can’t say enough about Deacon Tony Schmitz and Bishop Hugh Gilbert of the Diocese of Aberdeen, who shepherded The Merrick family with Bishop Hugh Gilbert and us into the Church. Augustine’s Godparents, Andy and Sarah Deacon Tony Schmitz Swafford, also deserve mention. When I (James) was completing my graduate degrees, Andy, who was known as “Catholic Andy” our earthly encounters, how much heaven comes to earth. because he was the only Catholic student at my Protestant Another catalyst would be the Catechism. This is truly a seminary, was patiently but joyfully telling me of the beauty lively document, with faith and reason, scripture and tradition of the Catholic Church and making me reconsider some of my singing a chorus of doctrine. Voices from every era of the Protestant prejudices. At the very least, his friendship allowed past are integrated with contemporary insights and Church us to see that he loved the same Lord. But he also opened our teachings. And the scriptures come to life as they address eyes to the meaning of the liturgy, the sacredness of the Mass, contemporary questions and issues. I had the same impression the wisdom of the Tradition, the great history of the Church of the dynamism of the Christian faith reading the Church’s before the modern world. Evangelism is a delicate thing. You Social Encyclicals, the Theology of the Body by St. John Paul need to know your stuff well enough to be confident. But you II, and Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI. Likewise, also have to treat the other person as a friend, watching Pope Francis’ joyful love of the poor But if all who are in not just as a means to feel vindicated. Andy and marginalized. But I struggled to imagine and Sarah possessed the right mix of zeal and Christ are truly one body, one a Protestant church producing something generosity. But the seeds they planted didn’t family, shouldn’t we feel at comparable to these documents and bishops. blossom until over a decade later when they home when we are with those How great it is to have a faith that confidently who have gone before us and were watered by Hugh and Tony. engages with the world, that does not simply There were many things that moved sacrificed much to give us our address a sect but addresses the human race as us to Catholicism from Episcopalianism, faith? In encouraging devotion a whole, past and present! even as Episcopalians share much of the to the saints, Catholicism At the end of the day, if Christianity is Catholic faith. Perhaps they could all be encourages all to see how true, then it will be true in all times and in understood as different ways of discovering much of the past lives on in all places. There must be consistency and how Catholicism is alive (likely not the first us, how much of who we are continuity over time. In the Catholic Church description that comes to many people’s is a mystery that goes beyond we see the comprehensiveness and eternality minds!). Take the saints. Episcopalians our earthly encounters, how of Christian truth. One of the things that acknowledge the saints, name churches after much heaven comes to earth. pained me greatly was seeing the Anglican saints, and, in some cases, venerate them and Communion breaking up. As you may be seek their intercessions. But, like all Protestant churches, they aware, in the US, the Episcopal church has seen a major split, have no way of canonizing saints today. It’s a bit strange, and a split that is replicating itself throughout the world. Just now suggests Episcopalianism is a nostalgic but not traditional faith. the Scottish Episcopal Church is being divided in the same way. I was struck by the way Catholics cherish the memory of the There are now so many different denominations, different ways saints and see them as part of their daily lives. When someone of interpreting the Bible, different moral frameworks, that the you love dies, you try to pass on their legacy and cling to the possibility of unity in the Protestant world is becoming more of things they left behind that remind you of what they loved. a fantasy than a hope. Episcopalians don’t have quite the same devotion to the memory Protestantism, then, is going the wrong way. For as the West and relics of their spiritual ancestors, and it’s interesting that becomes more fragmented and ideologically rigid, it’s crucial many Protestants feel alienated when in the presence of a shrine that Christians not only preach peace, but demonstrate it. or a prayer to a saint. Especially Mary! But if all who are in In our divided times, Christians must present a unified and Christ are truly one body, one family, shouldn’t we feel at home coherent witness, not just for the sake of credibility - which is when we are with those who have gone before us and sacrificed important - but also for the sake of unifying increasingly divided much to give us our faith? In encouraging devotion to the saints, neighbourhoods. We need the Catholic Church today, a church Catholicism encourages all to see how much of the past lives on that is truly universal. in us, how much of who we are is a mystery that goes beyond
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EDUCATION AND FORMATION
BY EILEEN GRANT “You believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen me and yet believe” (Jn 20: 29).
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oor Thomas, forever to be known as “doubting”, is very much the human face of the Church. Wanting is not believing; desire is not faith. Like the other disciples, Thomas would not have understood the Lord’s actions at that Last Supper; he too would have fled in fear of the authorities; and he too must have felt so very deeply the destruction of all his hopes and dreams for the future. We should not forget either that he must have been hurting badly at the loss of the man who had become his dearest friend and teacher. Such a bereavement can, at times, dent the faith of any one of us. How could God have let this happen? How could He give us such hope and then so cruelly snatch it away? If such terrible things can happen to the best of men, where does that leave me? And so, “unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they have made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.” It is the cry of every serious doubter – and of many a seeker after truth – in one form or another, in any age. Thomas must have longed with all his heart and soul to believe that it was true, that the incredible had happened, that his Lord was indeed risen from the dead; but hurt and longing do not necessarily lead to faith. Fear of further hurt and disappointment can cloud our senses. And poor hurting Thomas was not the only disciple to be wary of opening himself up to more pain. On the Octave Thursday we hear Luke’s account of Jesus’ response to the other disciples’ doubt (presumably Thomas was absent then too): “Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts rising in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet… Touch me …” He ate some fish – ghosts do not, cannot eat – and finally he “opened their minds to understand”. Even John in his later testimony is eager to affirm the evidence of physical senses – because this is what doubting humanity demands – “something which has existed from the beginning, that we have heard, and we have seen with our own eyes; that we have watched and touched with our hands…” (1 Jn 1:1). What we are privileged to observe, during the first days of Easter, is the gradual arousal of faith in those first followers of Jesus; the gradual lessening of reliance on physical senses; and the awakening, under the Lord’s patient tuition, of the spiritual senses. This is how faith comes to most of us and it is how our faith must be daily awakened, aroused to new heights. We are
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hampered by our physical senses, even crippled at times; it is only through our spiritual senses – the sight, hearing, touch and taste in our hearts – that we can see, hear, touch and taste the sweetness of the risen Christ. And so, even before we listen to John’s account of Thomas’s awakened belief, we have heard from Peter of the effects the disciples’ transformation, from fear and doubt to faith and joy, has had in their lives and in the lives of those to whom they have preached the good news. Peter, writing to the neophytes, those first converts after that first Easter, is able to compliment them on their faith: “You did not see him, yet you love him; and still without seeing him, you are already filled with a joy so glorious
Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano, ‘The Incredulity of St Thomas’, ca.1503
FAITH AND CULTURE that it cannot be described, because you believe…” (1 Pet 1: 8). The difficulties we face today in our own country are different from the difficulties faced by those first Christians. Not for us the fear of a knock on the door, denouncements before the occupying authority, the lions in the arena; instead, we face the trials and tribulations of everyday existence in our own time and, especially, the scorn and mockery of a disbelieving society. To doubt is to be human; to doubt is to know faith when we find it; to doubt is to find joy in a cry of wondrous recognition. This scene in which Thomas faces the Risen Christ and is invited to test the proof for himself, is one that has been depicted many times by artists. Two examples of “The Incredulity of St Thomas” are to be found in the National Gallery: one by Guercino in the early 17th century, and another, painted a
century earlier by Cima. The latter painting was originally an altarpiece, set at the place of Christian sacrifice, for the Guild of St Thomas in a church near Venice. Christ is their light, his body already shining amongst them; the disciples are depicted in various shades of dark, but growing lighter the nearer they stand to the Risen Lord. John has seen the empty tomb and “believed”; he is now all light and adoring contemplation. Thomas leans forward, the darkest figure, scarcely daring to move closer and believe, Peter on the other side anxiously protective. The others are either conversing about these strange events, gazing at their Lord, or quietly reflective. Christ’s eyes look steadily at Thomas whose own eyes light up in recognition, a delighted recognition, dissipating his anxiety and doubt, and awakening faith: “My Lord and my God.”
The 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki Oot an Aboot with Ron Smith Ron Smith, the Light of the North's roving correspondent, has visited many of the most significant religious landmarks in Europe. However, for the next two issues Ron will be reporting from further afield, namely from Japan and the monumental shrine in Nagasaki which commemorates the martyrdom of 26 Catholic missionaries and Japanese Christians in 1597.
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he history of Catholicism in Japan is one of great growth and then savage repressions. The first landfall for ships from Europe, or India, is the south western Japanese island of Kyushu, at Nagasaki. This has always been a trading port, open to the world and to new ideas. This area became the main part of Japan to embrace Christianity, and it is claimed that over half of all pre-WW2 Christian churches in Japan are in the Nagasaki area. The first missionary was St. Francis Xavier, who with two companions, arrived from Spain at Kagoshima on the 15th of August 1549. On the 29th of September he approached the Daimyo (feudal lord) of Kagoshima for permission to build a church. The Daimyo agreed; he saw that this could lead to lucrative trade with Europe, and if this new religion took root, it could lessen the power of the Buddhist monks. Other missionaries began to arrive and in 1585 the Jesuits obtained from Pope Gregory Xlll, authority to be the sole Catholic missionaries in Japan. However, Franciscans arrived in 1593 from Manila in the Philippines, which
It took four years for Japanese artist Angelico Yasutake Funakoshi to create the striking bronze figures on the monument which was completed in 1962. Page 21
had been taken over by the Spanish. The governor of the Philippines wanted to establish trading relations with Japan, and the Franciscans brought his greetings, and would stay in Japan to preach, convert, and build hospitals. This concerned the Shogun, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who ruled over all the Daimyo in Japan. He was suspicious of Spain’s territorial ambitions, and was becoming concerned at the success of the Catholic missionaries. He didn’t mind if the peasants were turning to Catholicism, and were finding a new community spirit, but now upper class people and even some of the army were joining this religion. They were saying that they “belonged” to a higher power, and would obey “him” rather than Hideyoshi. In July1587 he issued an edict expelling all the Jesuits and although most left, some returned and worked in secret. Now fate played a hand. In 1596 a Spanish galleon loaded with rich silks, left Manila for Acapulco, Mexico. It was at the end of the typhoon season, but one storm broke the masts and they lost the rudder. On the 19th of October, the ship, the “San Felipe” nearly made it to the shore of Japan but sank. Some of the cargo was lost, but much was taken ashore, along with the Spanish crew. The local Daimyo reported events to Hideyoshi, who was happy to have such a fortune land on his shores. At that time, he was very much in need of money. He had an army in Korea, attempting to conquer that country, and it was proving a long battle. He was needing money for this, and also a large earthquake in Kansai in September of 1596 had caused much destruction. This rich cargo was just what he needed! Hideyoshi was becoming increasingly unhappy about the activity of the priests. He had heard that the King of Spain always sends missionaries to a country at first but later sends in troops. As more and more people flocked to be baptised and confirmed, he saw that this was a force that united people. Christian principles, he decided, As a warning to the population the condemned men were to have their ears and noses cut off, and made to walk to Nagasaki, a distance of around 780 kilometres! were a threat to his position as absolute ruler. Spain had recently conquered Portugal, and he was concerned about possible foreign invasion. He decided that he would ignore the requests for a ship to return the cargo and the crew to Manila, instead he would keep it for himself, and once and for all ban Christianity from Japan. At that time, the Franciscans were based at Kyoto and Osaka. Soldiers surrounded their houses on the 9th of December, and they were imprisoned. There was some confusion and procrastination among the officials. Then on December 31st Hideyoshi arrived and ordered that the prisoners must be sent to Nagasake. In all, 24 men were rounded up and condemned to death by crucifixion. As a warning to the population the condemned men were to have their ears and noses cut off, and made to walk to Nagasaki, a distance of around 780 kilometres! This took from January the 9th to February the 5th. In the event, some leniency was shown and only the men’s left ears were cut. The walk was terrible. Winter weather, bare feet, and hostile guards and people made it a constant
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Relics of St Paul Miki, St John Goto and St Jacob Kisai in St Philip’s Church. agony. The guards were changed as they entered another Daimyo’s territory. Generally the guards were more concerned that the passing of the prisoners might cause riots or disturbances. Overnight they would be put into a local prison, barn, or wherever somewhere could be found. Food was scarce and irregular. Sometimes they travelled by boat, where necessary, sometimes on horses, but mostly by foot. The group was always preceded by a wooden panel upon which was the decree condemning the 24 of them. It was on January the 26th that Peter Sukijiro, a young man from Kyoto, joined them. He had been sent by Father Orgatino to accompany the group and help where he could. The guards simply added him to the prisoners, as they wanted to grab the money that he was carrying. Francis, the Franciscans’ carpenter, also joined the group at this time, for some unknown reason. For the guards, it was unbelievable that these men all seemed happy to go to their deaths with joy in their hearts. Eventually they reached Nagasaki and their place of execution was chosen, on a hill overlooking the town. Today this is called Nishizaka Park. The crosses were assembled, and the men, including three young boys, were attached to the crosses with iron clamps, then they were killed with long lances. The cruel treatment of these men, and their barbaric deaths, did not have the desired effect of course. Designed to show the population that Christianity was prohibited and anyone professing it would be harshly killed, it had
the effect of reinforcing people in their faith, and helped to spread it further. The persecutions increased, and even more barbaric methods of killing Christians were implemented, when the Shogun saw that Christians were happy to die as their Saviour had died, the crucifixion was dropped. The ban was extended by the next Shogun, in 1614, to cover the whole of Japan, and the last priest was found and martyred in 1644. From 1619 to 1800, over 600 Christians were martyred on this spot in Nagasaki. During the period of the ascendancy of the Shogunate, the emperors were powerless figureheads. However, this changed with the Emperor Meiji. He decided that its was time for Japan to make contact with the outside world to trade and increase industrialisation. Two French Fathers from the Paris Foreign Missions Society were sent in 1862, Father Louis Theodore Furet and Father Bernard Thadee Petitjean. They were given permission to build a church in Nagasaki in memory of the 26 martyrs, but only for the use of foreigners, and they were not allowed to proselytise. They put the name of the church on the facade in Chinese letters, and incorporated the IHS and Jesuit symbol. They hoped that, in this way, they might attract any Japanese Christians without showing the Church names in Japanese. To their surprise, just three weeks later, a group of around 15 Japanese people came to see Fr. Petitjean. They wanted to make sure that the rumours were true, that there were actually Catholic priests in Japan again. They approached him and said “We are of one heart with you”. For just over 250 years, faithful Catholics had kept the Mass alive. During that period, they had faced many trials, For example, it was a common test that once a year from 1629 to 1857, all the people of Nagasaki had to walk over and wipe their feet upon Christian icons. The people had to do this, and would atone for it by saying special prayers afterwards.
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In the “hidden years” statues like this one of Our Lady with the infant Jesus were given a Buddhist or Shinto appearance. The monument in Nagasaki today is striking. Of course, it was all destroyed in WW2 by the Atom bomb, but has been rebuilt. The Martyrs Park was rededicated in 1956. Japanese artist Angelico Yasutake Funakoshi took four years to create the striking bronze figures on the monument, inaugurated in 1962. Behind it is the museum, designed by Kenji Imai, which was renewed in 2012. Inside are many striking artefacts. There are many items from the “hidden years” when statues of Our Lady were made to look like Buddhist figures, the original letter from St. Francis Xavier to the King of Portugal, and many other precious things that tell of the heroism of the many martyrs. Behind the museum rise the twin towers of St. Philip’s Church, which contains relics from St. Paul Miki, St. John Goto and St. Jacob Kisai. These were rescued from the site and sent to Macao in 1630, and onwards to Manila in 1632. They were returned to Nagasaki in 1962. There is so much Catholic history in Nagasaki. It is well worth a visit, or a pilgrimage. There are walking routes linking the many churches including the ones on the islands nearby. The 26 martyrs died on 5th February, 1597. They were beatified on 14th September, 1627 by Pope Urban Vlll, and canonised on 8th June, 1862 by Pope Pius lX. Their feast day is February 6th (as February 5th is already the feast day of St. Agatha) For more information go to www.26martyrs.com. The stories of the individual men who were martyred are extraordinary accounts of faith and courage; especially moving and humbling are the deaths of the young boys aged only 12, 13 and 17.
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Lent was about... BY SR JANET FEARNS FMDM
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y career as a jogger lasted from Monday until the following Friday morning. My jogging endeavours came to an abrupt halt because it was raining and I didn’t want to get wet. That was in 1982. Since then, I have only jogged for a bus, and that, only if I can reach the bus stop without too much effort. Of course, not wanting to be soaked by the rain was just a convenient excuse. I’m from Britain… isn’t it almost a surprise that we are not born with fins and flippers? There are many joggers around London, and I have not the slightest inclination to join their number. One of my excuses is having seen a young woman trip on the uneven road surface and the next moment, her feet waved in the air as a jogger’s feet are not intended to do. It appeared to be quite a nasty fall and yet, to my surprise, almost instantaneously, she was upright and running once more. During the course of life there are many times when we fall. Sometimes it’s an actual physical tumble that leaves residues of skin and blood in unanticipated places, with bits of gravel creating patterns on rather sore knees. Some falls leave little damage. Some years ago a Glaswegian friend’s 9 year-old son fell 100 metres over a Cairngorm cliff edge that had been hidden by snow. The father expected to see the child’s broken body far below him. Instead, when he looked
A toddler falls many times. Sometimes it laughs. Jamie campbell Sometimes it cries…but it learns! over the cliff, he found his son had fallen into a small pool of water. He survived with only a cracked elbow to show for his fall! The falls that cause most harm are the ones that hurt us inside, often where nobody can see. Those are often the most difficult ones. They are the ones when it can take great courage to stand up again. Yet, without that strength, it will not be possible to walk. I once had the privilege of watching a paraplegic walk for Page 24
the first time. A cumbersome experimental gadget was strapped around his waist, whilst electrodes from that black box extended to his leg muscles. An electric current stimulated muscles that everybody had thought were dead. The man was exhausted and dripping with perspiration from the effort, but he had walked against all odds. The doctors had said he would never walk again. Yet he went against all predictions. We, who watched, also wept for joy. It is wonderful to see someone convert failure into success, but the conversion doesn’t necessarily have to be something that the rest of the world will measure. The jogger pulled herself up and continued running. The paraplegic walked for about twenty paces. One of my successes was that I learned to eat (and enjoy!) tomatoes. It’s not significant to the universe, but it was to me.
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The falls that cause most harm are the ones that hurt us inside, often where nobody can see. There is a Chinese proverb that says that a journey of one thousand miles starts with a single step. It is that step that takes the courage, strength and determination, but after that, we’ve all learned to walk. A toddler falls many times. Sometimes it laughs. Sometimes it cries…but it learns. As the saying goes: Don’t walk ahead of me: I might not follow. Don’t walk behind me: I might not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend. Lent is about having a belief and a commitment that is so precious that it’s worth more than life itself. It’s about a search for truth beyond the convenient, and a willingness to suffer beyond any normal limits in its attainment. It’s about a readiness to experience opposition and even the destruction of every hope and dream except the overpowering dream of attaining the deeper truth, the most important reality that drives every breath, every instant of life. Lent is about realising that, whatever fortunes and opportunities might cross my path, I can never sound the deepest regions of all that is truly valuable: it is realising that all the advertisements and promises of wealth, beauty, fame and fortune are valueless and a complete waste of time and energy compared to the true wealth that is in my grasp, but at the same time, slightly beyond it. Lent is about loving and yet knowing that there is so much more to learn, so much more to experience, because, “so far, I have done nothing”. It’s knowing that, inside my own heart, there is a yawning, God-shaped emptiness that only God can fill. Lent is about coming to terms with my own weakness and about trying to do something about it. Some people obtain spinal injuries through their own recklessness and stupidity. There’s more than one young man who has broken his neck through diving into a shallow lake when drunk! Well, deep inside our hearts, we know when we have been weak when we should have been strong, but just because we fall over, it doesn’t mean that we have to stay on the ground. When a toddler is learning to walk, it falls many times, but it stands up and keeps on going. There is a book, Life after Life, which describes the out-ofbody experiences of people who have been declared dead and have come back to life. Whether or not you believe in such events is immaterial. What struck me was an account in which a
woman related that she saw the whole of her life pass by her and heard a voice saying “But you were only learning.” I expect to make mistakes when learning a new skill. I expect to practise until I reach some degree of proficiency. The biggest skill that any of us ever acquires is that of living. I’m crazy if I expect to go through life without making mistakes. Some, I will
live to regret for the rest of my days. That’s tough, but true. A late, very dear friend of mine, a Redemptorist Brother for 30 years before he was ordained a priest, used to say that it doesn’t matter how many times you fall, how many sins you commit, provided that, at the end of the day, you are able to put yourself in front of the Blessed Sacrament and say sorry. There’s something in that…..
Marian procession in 1958
Revival of the May processions
outmoded ‘folk religion’. Yet in some places May processions are being revived. So what are the origins of May Devotions and processions, and are they worth reviving? Devotion to Mary goes back to the origins of the Catholic Church, and images of Mary wearing a golden crown are found in the earliest forms of iconography, especially in the Eastern Churches. Previously, in ancient Greece there were special devotions to the goddess Artemis associated with spring, and in Rome similar ceremonies took place at that season to venerate the goddess Flora. It is not surprising that this practice, like many others, was taken over by the Christian Church and a number of traditions link the month of May to Mary. However, it was not until the end of the eighteenth century that Fr Latomia at the Jesuit College in Rome formally instituted the practice of dedicating this month to the Virgin Mary. From Rome, the May devotions spread throughout the Jesuit colleges, and eventually throughout the whole church. The practice of publicly crowning an image of Our Lady gained popularity in the 19th century. While May devotions differ in various regions, the Marian title ‘Queen of the May’ exists in several countries as shown in Marian songs. In English
BY Dr SHELAGH NODEN
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lder readers of Light of the North may well have nostalgic memories of taking part in May processions, often culminating in the crowning of a statue of Our Lady, and accompanied by a selection of well-loved, mainly Victorian hymns. The scent of spring flowers always takes me back to those days, when (weather permitting) we processed round the field between the church and the primary school, following a life-size statue of Mary gallantly borne by the more stalwart members of the Legion of Mary. Sadly this practice, like so many, seems to have fallen victim to misguided interpretations of the ‘Spirit of Vatican II’ when it was seen by some as mere
May procession at London Bridge, 2015 Page 25
speaking countries one of the best known is ‘Bring Flowers of the Rarest’ with its chorus ‘O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today, Queen of the angels and Queen of the May.’ This hymn, written by Annie E. Walsh, first appeared in ‘The Wreath of Mary’ in 1871. The Catholic Emancipation Act of 1828 granted freedom of worship to Catholics in Britain, and it is not surprising that May processions soon became popular as British Catholics sought to demonstrate the richness of the Church’s ceremonies, which had long been absent from their worship during penal times. Many of the hymns associated with May processions date from this time, for example Fr Faber’s ‘O purest of creatures’ or ‘Mother of Mercy’ His contemporary, Fr Edward Caswall, like Fr Faber a convert from the Anglican church, contributed the popular hymn, ‘This is the image of our Queen’. Fr Caswall’s original has been greatly toned down; today few hymn books include its original lines: ‘When at the judgement seat I stand and my dread Saviour see; When waves of night around me roll, and Hell is raging for my soul, O then remember me.’ Some hymns are of more ancient origin. ‘Daily, daily sing to Mary’ is a translation of a hymn dating from the 13th century, written by St Bernard of Cluny, and even older is ‘Ave Maris Stella’ (9th century) translated by Edward Caswall as ‘Hail thou star of ocean.’ Other writers of Marian hymns include St Alphonsus, who created the well-known ‘O Mother blest’ and ‘Look down, O Mother Mary’, while John Lingard’s ‘Hail, Queen of heaven’ and John Wyse’s ‘I’ll sing a hymn to Mary’ are both favourites dating from the nineteenth century. And
no May procession was complete without the Lourdes hymn, ‘Immaculate Mary’, written in 1873 by the French priest, Jean Gaignet (with 120 verses!). British Catholic musicians rose to the challenge. The Newcastle-based composer, H. F. Hemy was particularly prolific, composing tunes for ‘Daily, daily sing to Mary’, ‘I’ll sing a hymn to Mary’, ‘Mother of mercy’, ‘This is the image of our Queen’ and ‘Hail Queen of Heaven’. This last tune tends these days to be sung at a slow pace with long pauses in the chorus. I was interested to see the composer’s original manuscript at Ushaw College near Durham; Hemy had chosen a time signature of
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May saw some very impressive efforts as Our Lady was carried through high streets and city centres as an act of witness.
6/8 which tends to suggest a far more lively rendering! What is the future of May processions? There are encouraging signs. A priest blogger recently wrote that ‘Many parishes have reintroduced this devotion and this May saw some very impressive efforts as Our Lady was carried through high streets and city centres as an act of witness.… People stopped and watched as we passed by and cars pulled in to make room for us. It certainly reminded the local population that the Church was alive and kicking.’ If you have any special memories of processions that have taken place in the past Shelagh would love to hear from you: music@cathedral-abdn.org
The Benedictines at Glenmoriston In the last issue of the Light of the North Alasdair Roberts wrote about the ministry of Fr Coll MacDonald who, in later life, served the area between Fort Augustus and Glenquoich at the head of Glengarry. Fr Coll was not enamoured with the arrival of the Benedictine monks at Fort Augustus whom he considered to be “interlopers poaching in his special field of endeavour”! BY ALASDAIR ROBERTS & ANN DEAN
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ather Coll MacDonald found himself at odds with the monks who had come into the mission he served from Fort Augustus. ‘Too canonical’ was his view, but the Benedictine side must be told. Germans joined a community which claimed descent from the Schottenklöster at Regensburg. The monk Cyril Dieckhoff went among the old people of Glengarry to produce a Pronouncing Dictionary of Scottish Gaelic. Mark Dilworth, eighth and last abbot, recalled him listening for fricatives. These newcomers to the glens produced books. There was an Abbey Press, and Teutonic lay brothers (distinguishable from monks by their beards) acted as printers. East of Glengarry is Glenmoriston. Years before, a simple
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Fr Paulinus’ Resurrection Altarpiece executed in the Beuronese style of religious painting. Mgr Robert McDonald chapel had been raised there for some eighty souls along with accommodation for priests. This Mass-centre was at Torgyle on the road which leaves Loch Ness at Invermoriston. Odo Blundell knew the site: ‘The chapel and the little priest’s house are beautifully situated on the banks of the river just below one of the most picturesque bridges in the whole of Scotland. If the beauties of Nature were sufficient to attract a population back to the land then certainly Glenmoriston would soon be thickly populated. I have visited it hundreds of times and have taken many visitors across the hill, always to hear the same delighted enthusiasm for the beautiful valley which seems even more attractive now that the ruined cottages and deserted homesteads add a touch of sadness.’ Torgyle was on the border of the Northern and Western Districts of the Catholic Church in Scotland, and priests from
both found it a challenging mission. Alexander MacSwein (who also preached to the Lovats at Eskadale) went ‘begging’ in England to raise the walls. Alexander MacDonald, resident in the 1840s, followed him and Scotland’s vanishing Highland Catholics to Nova Scotia. By the time the monks arrived Torgyle was an out-station of Stratherrick on the other side of the loch. Soon the Catholic Directory was announcing Mass and catechism every three weeks provided by the monastery, with seating for a hundred worshippers. Never crowded, the chapel nevertheless came to be beautifully adorned – which is the point of this story. As first abbot of what began as priory, Leo Linse led a willing community to changed ways at Fort Augustus. He came (via England) from the Benedictine abbey of ‘black monks’ at Beuron on the upper Danube. There a stricter turning away from the world was observed. As Michael Turnbull’s Ann Dean’s delightful watercolour of the Mass Centre and Priest’s House at Abbey Boys shows, the boarding-school by Targyle. In the distance is the famous Torgyle bridge. Loch Ness gave way to a class for boys aiming at the monastic life. The community grew to a remote chapel whose people have left Glen Cannich, her nearly sixty members, with new habits and corona tonsures for Resurrection grew out of exchanges with priest and people monks who were encouraged to undertake the ‘discipline’ of at Beauly. As she explained in Light of the North, Summer self-flagellation. 2012, ‘The iconographer sacrifices personal ideas and private Frederick Blundell was clothed about this time, taking the imagination to express the teaching of the Church.’ Dom name Odo in religion. With wine no longer served at table, Paulinus would have agreed. his occupation of cellarer became redundant. His personal pilgrimages as described in The Catholic Highlands of Scotland in two volumes reflect a more outgoing spirituality. Another monk who made journeys from the cloister was the convert Edward Gorwood from Beverley in Yorkshire. He was ordained as Dom Paulinus just before Abbot Linse took charge. Prizes as a youth at Kensington School of Art caused him to be sent for a year to the abbey of Emmaus in Prague where he studied the Beuronese style of religious painting under Fr Desiderius Would you like to become a Teacher of the Billings Ovulation Method ® ? Lenz. It became known for murals with ‘muted, tranquil and seemingly mysterious colouring.’ Geometry determined Are you a user or have been a user of the proportions in a way reminiscent of Egyptian, Byzantine and Billings Ovulation Method ® ? early Christian art. Are you an interested Health Professional? Back in the Highlands Paulinus was given responsibility The Teacher Training Course is RCGP for the extensive mission attached to the abbey, including a Accredited. new chapel for Glengarry. Despite a lack of Gaelic, ‘his zeal, Fertility Care Scotland welcomes you to find out simplicity, piety and devotion to duty greatly endeared him to more about the Teacher Training Course 2018 his scattered flock.’ At Torgyle he worked on a building which happening 31st May – 3rd June 2018. We aim to needed a new roof. That gave shelter for the inner walls. The help couples achieve or postpone pregnancy. Benedictine journal of Sir David Hunter-Blair, who was to follow on as Abbot Oswald, records painting by Fr Paulinus The Billings Ovulation Method is a simple scientific and highly effective natural way to plan a family. Gorwood at Torgyle in July 1886. His Resurrection altarpiece Developed by Australian Doctors John & Lynn was photographed by Mgr Robert McDonald for the 2000 Billings and taught in over 100 countries around diocesan calendar. the world. The work of Fr Paulinus in the abbey itself includes a Trinity now in the parish chapel near the road and another Crucifixion Please Contact: Fertility Care Scotland, on the wall of his cell. He died at Fort Augustus in 1917. The 196 Clyde Street, Glasgow G1 4JY monk also added beauty to another church, which provides 0141 221 0858 info@fertilitycare.org.uk a link with icon-writing Sister Petra Clare. Formerly based at
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Thinking out loud
Befriending in God
God. ln their desire for holiness, their asceticism could go to extreme lengths e.g. Simeon Stylites on his pillar. It is said that in 4th century Antioch there were 3000 nuns and an equal number of monks in a city of 25,000, much of which was pagan. St. John Chrysostom - a native of Antioch - lived as a hermit for two years until his extreme fasting and ascetics broke his health and he had to return to Antioch where the Bishop of Antioch took him into his care. He was ordained by the Bishop and subsequently became Patriarch of Constantinople. As a young man, he persuaded his friend Theodoret to break off his relationship with a young woman on the grounds that women are "nothing but whited sepulchres whose beauty will decay." However, the more mature John Chrysostom wrote to another young man, "To find a young woman, intelligent, discreet
BY CANON ALISTAIR M. DOYLE
“
We do not have a heart that loves God and another that loves our neighbour, we have only one heart that loves.
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n his introduction to a series of lectures on Spiritual Friendship, Fr. Max de Wasseige OFM writes: "lt is truly tragic that centuries of fear and legalism have given rise to an aridity of affection which has virtually atrophied Christian sensitivity and emotion". He lists the great spiritual friendships through the ages: Angela da Foligno and Frère Amaud, St. Paula and St. Jerome, St. Clare and St. Francis and Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal among others. Human beings are created to form relationships. The Trinity is a relationship and we are created in the image of the Trinity - “Let us make man in our own image” - Gen 1:26. However, in an imperfect world, relationships can be imperfect - or even dangerous. The story of Adam, Eve and the Serpent has been used by many of the Fathers as a cautionary tale. For example, Tertullian wrote to warn his "sisters in Christ": ‘Do you not know that everyone of you is an Eve?'. The early centuries show a great fear of friendship between Christians, especially between men and women, as distracting from the love of God. In their desire to follow Christ no other relationship could be allowed to develop. The Desert fathers (and Sisters) sought solitude to be alone with Page 28
directors had a touch of Jansenism even into the 1950's. l remember being told in a lecture "De Sexto Praecepto:” “Nunquam solus cum sola” (The Sixth Commandment: Never be alone with a woman). Somewhat ridiculous when 75% of Mass going Catholics were women! Even particular friendships were discouraged. ln "the Four loves" C.S. Lewis remarks that authority has always found particular friendships subversive. Cf. 0rwell’s “1984”. It is a relief to turn to the other thread of spirituality in the Church as found e.g. in Aelred of Rievaulx, Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal, Simone Weil and Fr Peyrat, O.P. and Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin. Unlike classical and renaissance humanism, Christian humanism focuses on a humanity created in the image of a God who shared that humanity in Jesus Christ. The writers
and pious is worth more than all the money in the world." The fear of friendships distracting from our following of Christ is a thread that runs through the spirituality of the centuries. St. Boniface, apostle of Germany, had requested to be buried with an Anglo-Saxon friend but this was thought inappropriate because it was a woman. ln the 18th century, French spirituality, influenced by Cardinal de Berulle, the Oratorians and Abbé Olier and the Society of St. Sulpice advocated "complete adherence to Christ to the detriment of more mundane friendships. Did this lead to Jansenism?1 Certainly, in my opinion, many seminary spiritual 1 Jansenism was a Catholic theological movement, primarily in France, that emphasized original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination
in the humanist tradition focused, not on the individual and God, but on the Divine Presence mediated through human experience and interaction with others. In the Mystical Body, befriending eases the journey to God. Aelred's book "On Spiritual Friendship" was written for his Cistercian brethren. He writes: "What joy to have someone to whom you dare to speak on terms of equality...before whom you can lay all your plans." Aelred, Francis de Sales and others see friendship as a form of love. Saint Francis de Sales says “We do not have a heart that loves God and another that loves our neighbour, we have only one heart that loves.” Mainly by letter, for 18 years Francis de Sales was Jane de Chantal’s friend and guide. We have his copious correspondence because Jane kept all his letters but, on his death, ordered hers to be destroyed. ln one,
which escaped the flames she wrote: “l no longer pray for you because when l pray, our prayers go to God as one.“ In his analysis of the concept of love, C. S. Lewis calls the love of friendship "one in which two people share the same interest. Friends stand side by side and have the same vision." He then moves to what he calls Eros (distinguished from Venus – sexual desire). ln his opinion this Eros is more than friendship – “By Eros the whole person is loved with deep care, wishing the other's growth in personality: “People now look at one another and love what they see. It is a mirror-image of Divine Love.” This analysis does not seem, to me, too far removed from the Salesian concept of spiritual friendship. ln the “Devout Life” Francis de Sales writes "how good it is to cherish one another in this world as we shall do eternally in the next" Francis knew that as we mature, our Faith matures and develops. The Faith we had as a child will have been developed by our life experiences. In the history of spirituality we can see how friendships complement one another.
Saint Jane de Chantal and Saint Francis de Sales In her book “Mystics of the Church", Evelyn Underhill, taking the example of Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal writes: "Their long and intimate friendship brought into existence the Visitation Order....in return St. Chantal opened up for St. Francis reaches of spirituality he could not have reached alone and made the author of the “Devout Life” capable of writing “Treatise of the Love of God“. In modem times, without her
friendship with Peter Maurin, Dorothy Day would never have had the courage and support to found the Catholic Workers Movement in New York and begin her work of radical hospitality for the homeless of her city and the struggle for workers rghts in the mid20th century. May God teach us that the many ways we love each other are the ways we also love God.
Society of the little Flower half page The mission of the Society of the Little Flower is to promote devotion to St.Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Carmelite Nun and Doctor of the Church. Through prayers and donations, friends of St.Thérèse enable Carmelites to continue her “Shower of Roses” in their ministries throughout the world and in their education of young Carmelites. Carmelite priests, nuns, brothers and sisters serve people in parishes, medical clinics, women’s centres, schools, retreat houses, hospitals, catechetical centres, prisons, housing, job and skills development programmes and sacramental celebrations around the world. Society of the Little Flower Barclays House 51 Bishopric Horsham RH12 1QJ
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On a Wing and a Prayer with Father Peter Barry Land of the Thunder Dragon Fr Peter Barry’s latest expedition has been to Bhutan, the tiny and remote kingdom nestling in the Himalayas. Almost completely cut off for centuries, it has tried to let in some aspects of the outside world while fiercely guarding its ancient traditions. The Bhutanese name for Bhutan, Druk Yul, means "Land of the Thunder Dragon".
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shering is a young bird guide with an exceptional ability to find rare species. We’re up at 4,000 metres, looking for that most iconic of birds: The Satyr Tragopan. If the bird is exotic, so is the etymology. “Satyr” was the half man, half goat in Greek mythology. “Tragos” is the Greek word for a devil, and “Pan” was the Greek god of music. Good and evil spirits abound in the Buddhist texts. The slightest rustle of an icy leaf draws our attention, and we wait patiently. Two female birds creep along the undergrowth, and eventually the male bird appears in instalments: bright blue face, red chest, white spotted body, russet tail. These birds are the most shy of the mountain pheasants, so we watch as if we have taken a vow of silence.
Fr Peter with Namgay. In the background is Gangkhar. At 7,570 metres, this is the world's highest unclimbed peak – Out of respect for local Buddhist beliefs, mountaineering over 6,000 metres is forbidden in Bhutan. Page 30
The Satyr Tragopan: the most shy of the mountain pheasants. Our driver is Namgay, a man of 39, the only child of a broken marriage. He lives with his mother, whom he describes as a farmer. For “farmer”, don’t think “fields of corn, herds of goats, barns filled to overflowing”. Their habitation would be best described as a shed, which they share with a single milking cow. Namgay is embarrassed to talk about his situation. Tshering has a degree in Political Science from a university in North-East India, while Namgay is unlettered. I feel an empathy for this humble man, and at the end of the trip I give him ten Euros. “Go and buy something for your mother, some flowers and chocolates, and give her my love.” I look away quickly to save his embarrassment, for now a tiny tear has formed in the corner of his cheek. We drive to a lower elevation, and watch golden trout in a fast-flowing stream. People feed them from a bridge, but in the Buddhist country of Bhutan, it is forbidden to catch them. I joke with Tshering that this is the best country in the world to be a fish. If reincarnational theory is their belief, what a lovely way to be re-born! He chuckles and tells me he lodged with a Catholic family when studying in India, and went to Mass with them on Sundays. Rather candidly, he says he doesn’t have the patience for Buddhist meditation. We meet other visitors to this mountain kingdom: women from Tibet come in the winter months, arriving on horseback after a two-day ride through mountain passes. They will return in the spring. And we visit the Valley of the Cranes, where 300 Blacknecked Cranes spend the winter, having flown from the frozen Tibetan plateau. They are all welcome, for this is the land of the Thunder Dragon, where G.D.H. (Gross Domestic Happiness) is the greatest value. At night, I celebrate Mass using my cell-phone. The words of a psalm seem so apposite: “The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness. . . . . Birds of the air, and fish, that make their way through the waters”. (Psalm 8, Verse 8 )
Poetic Licence
Canon Bill Anderson delves into some of his favourite inspirational verse
As readers of “Poetic Licence” will know, the late Canon Bill Anderson, who died recently and who authored this column for many years, had a great love of poetry which he delighted in sharing. In tribute to this kindly, erudite priest and gentleman we are planning to publish a selection of his “sermonettes” in the future, but the following gives a flavour of his unique and accessible prose style.
Growing Old Robert Browning once offered this invitation: Grow old along with me: The best is yet to be, The last of life, for which the first was made.1
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or those of us presently octogenarians or more some measured response may be in order. That we are on a pilgrimage, that we are travellers with an eternal end in view. Yet precisely what our poet meant by “the best” is problematic. Old folk like myself are only too aware of the limitations and frustrations of our years. Some are afflicted by illness, sometimes chronic and painful, and those of us blest still to be reasonably fit cannot do what we would like to do in former times. We simply lack the staying-power and are more readily subject to tiredness. More than ever do the sombre words of Ecclesiastes (ch. 13) ring true as they open thus: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.” The fact is that we cannot go uphill now with ease, we cannot carry heavy shopping as once we did, and we dare not attempt to run for a bus or a train! Perhaps most unnerving of all is to read in school or College magazines the obituary lists, wherein are the names of what Shakespeare called “precious friends hid in death’s dateless night”, some of whom are younger than ourselves and who in their day were noted for prowess both
“Pull for the shore”, John George Brown ca. 1878 1
“Grow old along with me: The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made”. (Robert Browning) Dan Keck mental and physical. Charles Lamb put it touchingly: I have had play-mates, I have had companions, In my days of childhood, in my joyful schooldays – All are gone, the old familiar faces. Or as Henry Vaughan wistfully declared: “They are all gone into the world of light, / And I alone sit lingering here.” On the other hand, Browning’s “best” is based upon hope and faith. It is a theme taken up in a number of hymns, less poetic maybe, but equally persuasive. One of the best, “Through the night of doubt and sorrow” has this splendid fourth verse: One the object of our journey, One the faith that never tires, One the earnest looking forward, One the hope our God inspires. Such an aspect of “the best” implies the presence of an ongoing challenge, of being sustained by the Lord with a spirit of fervour and courage. The weariness we experience is part of the prescription. We need not be ashamed, for instance, of that post-prandial state where “forty winks” is no longer a temptation but a necessity! Nor need we wince when we read that verse in Psalm 71, a verse we once thought so inapplicable: “Now also, when I am old and grey-headed, O God, forsake me not.” The time has come. Grow old along with me! Whimsically, Thomas Campion’s lines: “Never weather-beaten sail more willing bent to shore, Never tirèd pilgrim’s limbs affected slumber more” find an evangelical prop in Sankey’s hymn: “Pull for the shore sailor, pull for the shore!”
Rabbi Ben Ezra by Robert Browning Page 31
Food and Faith
with Margaret Bradley
Home for Consuelo Mackenzie, a parishioner of St Mary’s Cathedral , Aberdeen, is the Santander region of Colombia. Consuelo shares some of her memories of celebrating Easter in Colombia with Margaret Bradley.
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oly Thursday in the region of Santander, in Colombia, was traditionally a time of feasting. Every family would have a special lunch consisting of seven different courses which they would share with the underprivileged. The starter would be a soup or consommé, the second course stewed fish or deep fried trout, the main course chicken (boiled and the stock used for the soup course) served with rice and salad. There would also be a potato dish such as Papas Rellenas, in which large potatoes were hollowed out and stuffed with mincemeat and seasoning, stuffed peppers, meatballs, a pasta dish, beans or lentils, fried plantain as well as a dessert and fruit juice. After such a feast Good Friday was a day of fasting. There would be no soup or main meal, just bread and water, which would be a welcome change. On Good Friday in other areas of Colombia where feasting on Holy Thursday wasn’t practised, a fish soup called a fasting soup was made with cod or similar fish,
Easter Procession in the Santander region of Colombia 4winds Blog fish generally being the food for Friday. Each region and each home would have their own particular recipe. In areas where fresh fish was not available, dried cod would be used, the fish steeped first in water for several hours, changing the water often, to get rid of the salt.
Fasting Soup Recipe Fasting Soup is made with a large piece of fresh cod, or dried cod which has been desalinated and well rinsed, about 1 ltr fish stock, made before hand by boiling the fish heads etc, 4 tomatoes chopped, 4 potatoes chopped, 1 onion chopped, 4 garlic cloves, chopped parsley, lemon juice and seasoning. The success of this soup depends on making a good fish stock. To make the soup first fry the chopped onions and garlic in a little oil for a few minutes. Then add the peeled and chopped tomatoes and potatoes and cover with the fish stock or water and cook until tender. Next, add the cod and boil for a few minutes until cooked. When cooked, season the soup, add the chopped parsley and lemon juice and serve. The cod can also be removed and served on its own with peppers, rice and potatoes and the sauce can be added, with double cream, to a plate of cooked potatoes, and eaten with rice. To make a sauce to serve with the cod, mix a little of the fish stock with some cream and then pour the sauce over the cod.
If you know somebody who is unable to get to church to pick up a copy of the Light of the North please let them know that for just £10.00 they can be put on our subscribers’ mailing list, and we will send them a year’s issues of the magazine by post. All cheques should be made out to: “RC Diocese of Aberdeen” Page 32
Humour from the Vestry
Phlebotomist: I’m here to draw some blood. Patient: But I just received blood yesterday. Phlebotomist: You didn’t think you’d get to keep it, did you?
Parental Wisdom “When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.” “One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like “He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to you. Then you’ll see what it’s like!” laugh at.“ (Epictetus) Culture Caper Acting Up In Church My wife says I’m unsophisticated and uncultured, so to prove One Sunday a young child was "acting up" during the morning her wrong, guess where I’m taking her. Hint: It starts with “B” worship hour. and rhymes with “wallet.” The parents did their best to maintain some sense of order in the Ruff Count pew but were losing the battle. After a talking sheepdog gets all the sheep in Finally, the father picked the little fellow up and walked sternly the pen, he reports back to the farmer: “All 40 up the aisle on his way out. Just before reaching the safety of the accounted for.” foyer, the little one called loudly to the congregation, “But I only have 36 sheep,” says the farmer. "Pray for me! Pray for me!" “I know,” says the sheepdog. “But I rounded them up.” Sign in Hairdresser’s Window "During holiday of owner, a competent hair “Next time I send a damn fool, I’ll go myself.” stylist will be here." Sgt. Louis Cukela reportedly said at the Battle of Belleau Wood during World War I Baggage Bother After his return from Rome, Will couldn't Tortilla Wrap find his luggage in the London Gatwick airport I've just written a song about tortillas; actually, it’s more of a rap. baggage area. So he went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that his bags hadn't shown School Report Cards up on the carousel. She smiled and told him not to “The improvement in his handwriting worry because they were trained professionals and has revealed his inability to spell.” he was in good hands. “For this pupil all ages are dark.” 'Now', she asked Will, 'Has your plane arrived yet?' “Would be lazy but for absence.” Statistician Makes a Splash “Since my last report, your child has Hear about the statistician who drowned crossing a river? reached rock bottom and has started to dig.” It was three feet deep on average. “Your son sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them.” William Tell Overture? “Works well when under constant supervision and cornered There is evidence that William Tell and his family, as well like a rat in a trap.” as great bowmen were also avid bowlers. Unfortunately, “This student should go far, and the sooner he starts, the all the league records were destroyed in a fire. Thus, better.” we'll sadly never know: for whom the Tells bowled. “This young lady has delusions of adequacy.” “He has lots of good ideas but needs to learn that others do Groan, groan... too.” A mummy covered in chocolate and nuts has “It would seem that he thinks he is running the school and been discovered in Egypt ................. not me. If this attitude persists one of us will have to leave.” Archaeologists believe it may be Pharaoh Rocher... “This student is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot.” My wife told me I had to stop acting like a The Chase flamingo. So I had to put my foot down. Nicola, eight years old, told her parents that David Parsons had kissed her after lessons. 'How did that happen?' asked her What do you call a dog that does magic tricks? mother.' It wasn't easy, 'admitted the young lady, 'but three girls A labracadabrador. helped me catch him.' What did the pirate say when he turned 80 Great Expectations years old? My boss arrived at work in a brand new Lamborghini. Aye matey I said, Wow! That’s an amazing car!” He replied, “If you work hard, put all your hours in, and Why don’t ants get sick? strive for excellence, I’ll get another one next year.” Because they have little antybodies. Page 33
WORD No.37
This issue’s competition winner will receive a copy of The Shadow of his Wings, the gripping true story of Fr Gereon Goldmann OFM, a Catholic seminarian (then priest) who is forced into the SS during WWII. Just send your completed entry by the 1st May to: Light of the North, 20 Huntly Street, Aberdeen AB10 1SH. First correct entry drawn out of the hat is the winner.
4. Lit during the Easter vigil as a sign of Christ's resurrection. (7,6) 5. To walk the boundaries of the parish and to pray for protection and blessing of the land at Rogationtide. (4,3,6) 6. Site of Bristol's Roman Catholic cathedral, consecrated in 1973. (7) 7. “Bring us, O Lord God, at our last awakening into the house and gate of heaven.....
where there shall be no darkness nor dazzling, but one ----- light;” Donne (5) 13. Deficient in light; indistinct. (7) 15. There have been fourteen Popes of this name, the last one died in 1774. (7) 17. The love of it is said to be the root of all evil. (5) 19. Meaning black in Spanish and Portuguese, a number of rivers have this name. (5)
Answers to crossword No. 36 Across 1. Hyssop 5. Podium 8. Amen 9. Near East 10. Alkaline 11. Doth 12. Papers 14. Fontal 16. Noah 18. Idee Fixe 20. Nagasaki 21. Idol 22. Trompe 23. Garish Down 2. Yamalka 3. Senna4. Pontius Pilate 5. Peace Offering 6. Dresden 7. Upset 13. Ephraim 15. Anxious 17. On Air 19. Friar
Little Horror Sudoku No. 24 If you prefer sudoku to crosswords then you still have a chance to be a prize winner with our super tough sudoku puzzle. Name ............................................................................. Address ......................................................................... .......................................................................................... Telephone ...................................................................... Across 1. A high-ranking Christian cleric, usually in charge of a diocese.(6) 5. Archbishop of Canterbury, assassinated in Canterbury Cathedral. (6) 8. King of Israel, husband of the infamous Jezebel. (4) 9. “The -------- firmament on high, With all the blue ethereal sky” hymn (8) 10. A quarter note equal to two quavers. (8) 11. “Seven for a secret never to be ----” children's rhyme (4) 12. “------ around the grounds until you feel at home, and here's to you, Mrs. Robinson, Jesus loves you more than you will know.” (6) 14. “And the ------ answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other
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man?” (6) 16. One of the minor prophets of the Old Testament who prophesied while Uzziah was king of Judah. (4) 18. “Hail to the Lord's ----, great David's greater Son!” hymn.(8) 20. To free from or relieve of a load or a trouble. (8) 21. “For He is our childhood's pattern; Day by day, like us, He ----;” hymn (4) 22. “And as they came out, they found a man of -----, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.” (6) 23. “The sun was shining on the sea Shining with all his might He did his very best to make the billows ------ and bright” Carroll - Walrus and the Carpenter (6 Down 2. “The meek shall ------ the earth”. (7) 3. Monk or nun's clothing. (5)
Name ............................................................................. Address ......................................................................... .......................................................................................... Telephone ......................................................................
Congratulations to our last competition winner, L. M Bell from Tain
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