Sunday January 13th. 2008
Tom Mackintosh
Our parishioners, and Tom’s many friends, will be delighted to know that Tom has been transferred from the Southern General to the Belford Hospital. Tom still has a long way to go, and is not ready yet to receive visitors, other than his own family and close relatives.
We will continue to keep Tom very much in our prayers. I remember him daily in my masses, that God may grant him renewed health and strength.
Christmastide is over
I am grateful to our parishioners for removing the cribs, Christmas trees and floral decorations in our three churches. It creates such a vacuum for the first few days, but we soon get back to the reality of ordinary every day life.
This year, several parishioners decided to make a donation to Mary’s Meals instead of giving family Christmas presents. £200 was sent from the parish to SIR.
Cancellation of masses
I apologise for cancelling masses during the week, but I fell victim to the bug that seems to be affecting many people all over the area. I am very grateful for the kindness that I have received, and I hope to be back to normal again by this weekend,
Choir -
Although the heating in the church is excellent, there seems to be a draft coming down from the windows at the back of the church and affecting the choir members—although, fortunately, not their singing!
A carpet was laid during the week, and I hope this will be the first thing to add to their comfort and warmth. Very shortly, the back windows will be glazed from the outside to prevent any drafts penetrating the leaded windows, and this should make quite a difference.
I am very grateful to the parishioners and a friend who had the very difficult task of removing the benches and kneelers for the carpet layers, and then replacing them. It was a difficult and sensitive task, for any error or mishap could seriously have damaged the organ consul.
I must say that I am delighted at the tone of our digital organ, and it is difficult to distinguish it from a genuine pipe organ. We have a superb organist, Peter Rose, who shares the playing with his sister, Margaret. Last Sunday, I thought the accompaniment to the final hymn “We three kings from orient are” showed the organ at its best.
Many churches have great difficulty in obtaining an organist nowadays, and we are more than fortunate in having three organists in our parish—Peter and Margaret at St. Margaret’s, and Ian Campbell at St. Joseph’s.
Deanery Meeting
We had a very successful deanery meeting of the Lochaber clergy last Wednesday in St. Margaret’s, and I am very grateful for all the help I received and for the gifts handed in at the Chapel House
Our Hierarchy.
There was a very interesting short article in last week’s Tablet, an excellent Catholic publication, concerning the age of our present bishops.
By 2013, only two of the present bishops will still be in office, as the rest will have reached the statutory retiring age of 75. Cardinal O’Brien will offer his resignation in 2013, but I am sure the Holy Father will ask him to continue in office for a little longer as he has played such an important role representing the Church in Scotland and in different parts of the world.
Preparation for a diocesan presentation to Bishop Murray.
We don’t know how long it will take to nominate a successor to Bishop Murray, but
it could be within the next two to three months.
It has been suggested that the diocese makes a presentation to him in recognition for all the good work he has done during the past eight years he has been our bishop.
Each parish in the diocese is invited to have a collection for the bishop’s presentation. We will have our collection some time before Easter.
The Holy Father’s Apostolic Delegate in London
has invited the diocesan clergy to write to him to suggest the name of a successor to Bishop Murray. But a a great deal of work will have already have gone on privately by the Delegate to search for a suitable candidate. He will obviously consult the Scottish bishops, and other high important members of the clergy in Scotland. Usually, three names are selected, and these are sent to the Holy Father, with all the necessary information for him to make the choice of our future bishop.
Bishop Murray’s successor will find the diocese in an excellent state, especially as regards administration and finances. The bishop asked Mr Roy Maxwell, >>>>>>