Page 5 - LOTN Advent issue 57

DIOCESE
Praise for dedicated SSVP President

n Monday 28th October all North East SSVP
(Scottish Society of St Vincent de Paul)
OConferences were represented at their quarterly
SSVP Diocesan Conference meeting, hosted by Holy
Family church in Aberdeen.
Sincere thanks were given to Elizabeth Herlihy for all of
her sterling efforts and commitment over the last eleven
years as she steps down from the role of Aberdeen SSVP
Diocesan President. She retains her role as President in
St Peter’s SSVP Conference, Aberdeen. As a token of the
members' appreciation Elizabeth was given a surprise
floral arrangement.
So, what does the SSVP do? Our Conference members
carry out home visits, lifts to Mass and to hospital, make
up food parcels to distribute, cook meals for the homeless,
and at times give some indirect financial help e.g. top up SSVP like to say it with flowers!
a heating card. They also organise some social gathering more volunteers. If you would like to find out more about
or outings. Please donate in our red boxes or similar which the SSVP charity please see our website: www.ssvpscotland.
you will find at the back of your church. com
Throughout our Aberdeen Diocese we are keen to recruit

Parishioners travel to Belgium to honour memory

of Shetland's first Post - Reformation priest

A
group of 15 pilgrims from Shetland travelled to
Belgium in early October to take part in the
unveiling of a plaque honouring Fr Theophilus
Verstraeten, who came to Shetland in 1860 from
Belgium to serve local and visiting Catholics and became
the first resident priest in Shetland since the Reformation.
His arrival at that time was considered by some local people
with suspicion, but the young man lived and worked among
them in love and service, and when he died from smallpox
ten years later the local Burgh Council recorded in their
minutes:
“their desire to put on record their deep sense of the loss of one
who during a residence of nearly ten years among a community of
strict Protestants had not only lived down all religious prejudice
but had personally won the respect and esteem of all classes by the Fr Ambrose with the Shetland pilgrims in St Anne's Church,
unobtrusive discharge of his professional duties, and his amiable Bottelaere [Photo: Lieven Detemmerman]
disposition.”
The parish church of St Margaret’s in Lerwick was built, 40 which was unveiled on 6th October.
years later, on the foundation of the money he had collected, The Lerwick group stayed in the nearby medieval city of
and after the late Mike Loynd rediscovered Fr Verstraeten’s story Ghent and had ample opportunity to enjoy its historical
architecture, canals and the wonderful 15th century Van Eyck
during the centenary celebrations in 2011, there is now a plaque Altarpiece. On the Sunday of the unveiling the group were
dedicated to him in St Margaret’s. However, after more research,
contact was made with Fr Verstraeten's home town, who knew thoroughly welcomed and looked after. A large choir, the local
brass band, and the church organist had all prepared musical
nothing of this young priest’s story. They did, however take it to
their hearts, probably due in part to a fascination with Shetland, accompaniment, and members of St Margaret’s took part in the
service, with translations provided where needed. Pat Loynd
and what it must have been like to come here in 1860. and Lieve Orye unveiled the plaque, and Fr Ambrose spoke and
As both folk in Belgium and Lerwick learned more about this
young man, there came a desire to mark his life in some way, prayed a blessing. After a reception and lunch, the rest of the day
was spent with local people involved in the project, including a
so money was raised in both countries and a marble plaque was
made in Bottelaere to be installed in his local church of St Anne visit to the home and studio of local artist Irmine Remue and a
guided historical tour of the village. As the Chief of Police had
taken a real interest in the story a celebratory evening meal was

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