Sunday March 9th.

Station Mass in St. Margaret’s

I was delighted that so many came to the Station Mass on Wednesday evening, concelebrated by  Bishop Murray and eight priests from St. Mary’s deanery. We were delighted to welcome people from Fort William, Caol, Ballachulish, Arisiag, and Morar, and it was very encouraging that some of these people travelled such a distance for the occasion and had to drive home in the dark. One 82 year-old woman drove from Arisiag so as to make the Station Mass part of her Lenten devotions! Thanks also to the choir for their lovely music.

Stark reality of lack of vocations

During his homily, Bishop Ian referred to the seriousness of the lack of vocations to the priesthood in our diocese.

At the moment, we have one student in the seminary for our diocese. He is a late vocation, and gave up his work to study for the priesthood, and  will be ordained in three years time. We have no other students  in the seminary. The Bishop mentioned that, if another young man  wished to offer himself for the priesthood, it will take up to ten years before he will be ordained!

At the moment, we have two Dominican priests in charge of parishes, one at Acharacle and the other at Stornoway, a priest from Pakistan in Campbeltown, a Maltese priest in Morar and a Jesuit priest helping out in Oban. Without these our diocese would be in serious trouble.

Some of our priests are getting old, and there will be no one to replace them when they either retire or die. One of the most serious problems facing

whoever will replace Bishop Murray will be to decide  in the future which parishes to amalgamate!  One priest will have to take charge of two parishes, and masses will have to be reduced in parishes where there were two masses on a Sunday to allow a neighbouring parish to have mass.  Laymen will be encouraged to consider offering themselves for the permanent deaconate to help our in parishes. A deacon can hold a Eucharistic service (not mass), preach, baptise, marry couples,  bring communion to the sick and bury the dead. Where a parish house is separate from the church, and there is no longer a priest staying there, it may be leased as a source of income for the diocese. The situation has been deteriorating gradually over the years, and although we have been asked to pray regularly for an increase in vocations, like global warming, no one took it too seriously until now.

The seminaries in some African countries are full with young men offering themselves for the priesthood, and it is similar with young girls dedicating themselves to the religious life by joining an order of their choice. The situation is already being reversed, whereas in the past we sent missionaries to Africa,  Africa is now sending missionaries to help us sustain life in parishes throughout the country. Some weeks ago, when I had a few days break, I visited Pitlochry, in the Dunkeld diocese, where the parish priest is Fr. Tobias Okoro from Nigeria. He is a very popular young African priest who has been welcomed by the parishioners and is providing them with mass and the sacraments for which they are so grateful. If it were not for him, the bishop would have great difficulty in making an appointment.

It would be good if everyone said a prayer each day, especially at mass and holy communion, for an increase of vocations to the  priesthood. Our Lord’s words to the apostles at the Last Supper are as true today as they were in the infant Church: “The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Pray to the  Lord of the harvest to send more labourers into the harvest.”