Page 10 - LOTN Autumn Issue 48 2021

DIOCESE

bishops eventually banned the practice in 1838 – the fact the
Anglican liturgical chants were banned indicates their use must
have been widespread at this time.
Thankfully in the Apostolic Constitution of 2009,
Anglicanorum coetibus, the document commends the use of
’liturgical celebrations according to the books proper to the
Anglican tradition, which have been approved by the Holy See,
so as to maintain the liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions
of the Anglican Communion within the Catholic Church, as a
precious gift nourishing the members of the Ordinariate, and as
a treasure to be shared.’ That ‘treasure’ was certainly shared at
the Mass at Tynet.
After a picnic lunch, we heard a little of the history of the
church at Tynet and then we made our way to St Gregory’s
Brs Andrew, Patrick and Edmund, novices from Pluscarden Preshome. We learnt of its history and importance in the rebirth
Abbey served at Mass of Catholicism in Scotland. The party were amazed to discover
the Catholic Church from the Scottish Episcopal Church. such a beautiful church that time has passed by. The visit was
The day began at St Ninian’s, Tynet with a glorious Sung
Mass according to the Ordinariate Rite. St Ninian’s, sometimes
referred to as ‘the Bethlehem of Banffshire,’ is a place where the
Catholic faith was ‘cradled’ during the harsh and difficult days
following the reformation in Scotland. The church itself was
built in 1755 and is the oldest surviving Catholic Church in
Scotland to have been built after the Reformation. The offering
of the liturgy was enriched by a small schola of talented singers,
brought together for the day by Dr Shelagh Noden. Matthew
McVey played the organ superbly, which his grandfather actually
built, and which had its first public performance at the Mass.
The principal celebrant of the Mass was Fr Len Black, Group
Pastor of the Scottish Mission of the Ordinariate with fellow
Ordinariate priests, Fr Cameron Macdonald and Fr Stanley
Bennie concelebrating. It was a great joy to be able to welcome
three novices from Pluscarden Abbey who, with Fr Abbot’s
permission, joined us for the day pilgrimage and served at the
Mass.
The church had been beautifully decorated with floral
arrangements by Suzanne Jobson. The flowers were arranged in
a style used in Holland by Catholics to secretly honour Our
Lady when it was not possible to set up images to her. The
arrangements were crowned by white lilies, so long associated
with Our Lady, and within the foliage there was an abundance
of flowers with a Marian reference.
The musical setting of the psalm was composed by Thomas
Errington and was one of a number of Anglican psalm tunes
that Dr Shelagh Noden has discovered in a long-forgotten choir
book belonging to the Catholic seminary on Lismore. This
seminary was founded in 1803 on the Island of Lismore off
the west coast of Scotland, and it was very moving to hear it
sung again in the context of the liturgy. Thomas Errington was One of the beautiful floral arrangements by Suzanne Jobson
a seminarian from the northern English College of Ushaw in
County Durham in the early 19th century, who had been sent completed with a group photograph and a fine rendering of the
to Lismore to aid his health. He was a composer and musician hymn, Faith of our Fathers.
who went on to study for the priesthood in Rome but sadly died The last visit on the mini pilgrimage was to St Ninian’s
before being raised to the priesthood. In her talk at Preshome, churchyard in the Braes of Enzie, where the group had the
Shelagh was able to point out other Catholic churches, such opportunity to see the beautiful Dawson Mausoleum. This
as St Cuthbert’s Durham, which were using Anglican liturgical octagonal building was built in 1939 to the design of Reginald
chants in the early 19th century. The group found this surprising Fairlie as a requiem chapel. The stark interior contains a simple
- but of course it was of particular interest to those who had stone altar and carving of Christ the King by Hew Lorimer,
themselves come from an Anglican background. The practice himself a convert from an old Episcopalian family. Hew Lorimer
of using Anglican psalmody in the Catholic Mass seems to trained with the famous Catholic stone-carver Eric Gill, who
have spread further than Lismore and Ushaw, and the English had influenced his decision to become a Catholic. Our visit
Page 10