Charity registration No. SC002876
Sunday July 11th. 2010
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Scalan, the Hidden Seminary in Glenlivet
'The time by the
goodness of God will
come, when the
Catholic religion will
again flourish in
Scotland; and then,
when posterity shall
enquire, with a
laudable curiosity, by
what means any sparks
of the true faith were
preserved in these
dismal times of
darkness and error,
Scalan and the other
colleges will be
mentioned with
veneration, and all that
can be recorded
concerning them will
be recorded with care
...
(Rev. John Geddes,
Rector of Scalan 1762-
65)
Where students might
work and pray safe
from all harms”
The Year for Priests
ended in June, and it was
suitable that last Sunday
the annual pilgrimage to
the old seminary at Scalan, where people gathered from all over Scotland, including our own parish, for mass to recall the heroic
struggle of priests and students during the penal days to keep the old faith alive in Scotland, and also to pray for our priests of today.
Scalan is sacred in the history of the Church in Scotland, for without it the faith might not have survived. The book by John, Watts,
Scalan: The Forbidden Seminary 1716-1799, relates the incredible story of how the priests and students lived in such a remote area, in
the harshest of winters, attacked by the Recoats who burned down the college, only to be rebuilt again by the Catholics of the area. The
following short history is from the website of the Glenlivet Estate, which treasures the old college as a jewel in the estate’s history. I
was able to visit the college two years ago, and had the privilege to share a concelebrated with Cardinal O’Brien and other priests in the
ruins of the old chapel where mass was said throughout the penal days when it was outlawed. >>>>>>>>>>>>