Sunday 12th February - St Margaret of Scotland, Castlepark, Irvine
A simple modern church of 1982 whose architecture reflects the surrounding houses of the Castlepark estate.
Maria has kindly offered to take me to St Margaret of Scotland at Castlepark, Irvine, for this my forty-first Mass of the pilgrimage.
We checked the Internet for directions and arrived there just before Mass started. Poor Maria was having to cope with driving and dealing with a nosebleed. Well done for getting us there under such circumstances.
After arriving at Castlepark Circle, we asked a man who was walking his dog for directions but when I said the word ‘church’, he didn’t seem to know where it was. However then when I said ‘chapel’ he pointed us in the right direction. It’s worth remembering that if you happen to be in North Ayrshire, or indeed in many places in the West of Scotland, the Catholic Church is referred to as the ‘chapel’.
What a vibrant parish community they have in Castlepark complete with a guide dog. Father Willie Boyd, your Aunt Winnie would have been so proud of you!
Father’s homily followed by his talk with the children certainly was food for thought. I found myself praying and thanking God for this part of my life, praying for my family and friends who are living with cancer and thanking Him for helping me to get to all the Masses on my pilgrimage and for all the lovely people I have met on the way.
People like Patrick O’Hara, Mrs Latham, John Forrester and his good lady, Margaret Welsh, Mrs Shepherd and Mrs Elliot, who welcomed Maria and I to St Margaret’s, not forgetting Joe Harkins, the owner of the guide dog. We enjoyed our tea and chat. God bless you all.
Where to next Lord? Hopefully I’ll manage to get to Kirkcudbright on Friday.
St Margaret of Scotland; Feast Day November 16th; Died 1093
Margaret was an English princess of the House of Wessex. Born in exile in Hungary c1045. Margaret and her family returned to England in 1057 and fled to Scotland during the Norman conquest of 1066. Around 1070 she married Malcolm III of Scotland, becoming his queen consort. Margaret was a pious woman and a blessing for the people of Scotland. When Malcolm saw how wise his beloved wife was he listened to her good advice and this led him to practice great virtue. The King and Queen gave a wonderful example to everyone by the way they prayed together and fed the poor. In her last illness, she learned that both her husband and her son, Edward, had been killed in battle. Yet she prayed, “I thank you, Almighty God, for sending me so great a sorrow to purify me from my sins".
Sadly, Since this website has been created, St Margaret's of Scotland has now closed.
A simple modern church of 1982 whose architecture reflects the surrounding houses of the Castlepark estate.
Maria has kindly offered to take me to St Margaret of Scotland at Castlepark, Irvine, for this my forty-first Mass of the pilgrimage.
We checked the Internet for directions and arrived there just before Mass started. Poor Maria was having to cope with driving and dealing with a nosebleed. Well done for getting us there under such circumstances.
After arriving at Castlepark Circle, we asked a man who was walking his dog for directions but when I said the word ‘church’, he didn’t seem to know where it was. However then when I said ‘chapel’ he pointed us in the right direction. It’s worth remembering that if you happen to be in North Ayrshire, or indeed in many places in the West of Scotland, the Catholic Church is referred to as the ‘chapel’.
What a vibrant parish community they have in Castlepark complete with a guide dog. Father Willie Boyd, your Aunt Winnie would have been so proud of you!
Father’s homily followed by his talk with the children certainly was food for thought. I found myself praying and thanking God for this part of my life, praying for my family and friends who are living with cancer and thanking Him for helping me to get to all the Masses on my pilgrimage and for all the lovely people I have met on the way.
People like Patrick O’Hara, Mrs Latham, John Forrester and his good lady, Margaret Welsh, Mrs Shepherd and Mrs Elliot, who welcomed Maria and I to St Margaret’s, not forgetting Joe Harkins, the owner of the guide dog. We enjoyed our tea and chat. God bless you all.
Where to next Lord? Hopefully I’ll manage to get to Kirkcudbright on Friday.
St Margaret of Scotland; Feast Day November 16th; Died 1093
Margaret was an English princess of the House of Wessex. Born in exile in Hungary c1045. Margaret and her family returned to England in 1057 and fled to Scotland during the Norman conquest of 1066. Around 1070 she married Malcolm III of Scotland, becoming his queen consort. Margaret was a pious woman and a blessing for the people of Scotland. When Malcolm saw how wise his beloved wife was he listened to her good advice and this led him to practice great virtue. The King and Queen gave a wonderful example to everyone by the way they prayed together and fed the poor. In her last illness, she learned that both her husband and her son, Edward, had been killed in battle. Yet she prayed, “I thank you, Almighty God, for sending me so great a sorrow to purify me from my sins".
Sadly, Since this website has been created, St Margaret's of Scotland has now closed.
Friday 17th February 2012 - St. Andrew and St. Cuthbert, Kirkcudbright
Small stone church of 1886, recently decorated and set in beautiful gardens.
Yes, Friday it is, and I found myself on the 246 to Dumfries at 6.45am chatting to David Gilius. I told him about the lovely people I had met in Castle Douglas that last time we travelled on this bus together. Have a good trip to Poland this summer, David. You deserve it.
I didn’t have long to wait for the 502 Kirkcudbright bus and was soon enjoying the pleasant countryside of the Solway.
As the bus came into the harbour area of Kirkcudbright I was transported back to the holiday Hugh and I had there about thirty years ago. I saw the harbour house where we had bed and breakfast and then I headed along the road to the church. I felt Hugh was with me and happy to know what I was doing.
I soon found St Andrew’s and St Cuthbert’s Church and followed the road to the church hall where morning Mass is held while the church is being refurbished. A pleasant gentleman called Bob, and his wife, were already in the hall, and soon many of my friends from the Castle Douglas Mass arrived. Friends? Yes. I had only met them once but the lovely welcome I received was heartfelt. Lovely people, in a beautiful part of our diocese of Galloway.
New faces today were Mary and Celia from the music ministry, Edwin and Morag, and Joan and Mary. Hopefully I’ll see them all again when I go back to see the refurbished church.
I felt very much part of the Catholic Church on this visit. Here I was at Father Willie McFadden’s Mass and I knew him from his days in St John’s Cumnock and before that when he was in my daughter’s class at St Joseph’s Academy. Another fellow pupil of that class was at Mass today too, Pauline Fulton nee McFadden, no relation to Father Willie I may add. Mary from the music ministry asked if I knew Father Graeme Bell who had been Parish Priest in Kirkcudbright before coming to our parish here in Cumnock. “Yes”, I said to Mary, “I know Father Graeme. He was my Good Shepherd”. There was a beautiful familiarity about it all. I felt part of something bigger, I was part of the family of the Catholic Church. Thank you Lord. Please help all the lovely people I know who are living with cancer.
St Andrew -Feast Day November 30th
Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter, both being sons of Jona, a Galilean fisherman. His vocation is one of the first to be mentioned in the Gospels, one account making him responsible for introducing Peter to Christ. His later history is uncertain, some traditions associate him with the evangelisation of Greece, where he is said to be martyred at Patros on a cross shaped like an x, the symbol in the flags of Greece and Scotland. Part of the cross is said to be in one of the four great piers which support the dome of St Peter’s in Rome.
Small stone church of 1886, recently decorated and set in beautiful gardens.
Yes, Friday it is, and I found myself on the 246 to Dumfries at 6.45am chatting to David Gilius. I told him about the lovely people I had met in Castle Douglas that last time we travelled on this bus together. Have a good trip to Poland this summer, David. You deserve it.
I didn’t have long to wait for the 502 Kirkcudbright bus and was soon enjoying the pleasant countryside of the Solway.
As the bus came into the harbour area of Kirkcudbright I was transported back to the holiday Hugh and I had there about thirty years ago. I saw the harbour house where we had bed and breakfast and then I headed along the road to the church. I felt Hugh was with me and happy to know what I was doing.
I soon found St Andrew’s and St Cuthbert’s Church and followed the road to the church hall where morning Mass is held while the church is being refurbished. A pleasant gentleman called Bob, and his wife, were already in the hall, and soon many of my friends from the Castle Douglas Mass arrived. Friends? Yes. I had only met them once but the lovely welcome I received was heartfelt. Lovely people, in a beautiful part of our diocese of Galloway.
New faces today were Mary and Celia from the music ministry, Edwin and Morag, and Joan and Mary. Hopefully I’ll see them all again when I go back to see the refurbished church.
I felt very much part of the Catholic Church on this visit. Here I was at Father Willie McFadden’s Mass and I knew him from his days in St John’s Cumnock and before that when he was in my daughter’s class at St Joseph’s Academy. Another fellow pupil of that class was at Mass today too, Pauline Fulton nee McFadden, no relation to Father Willie I may add. Mary from the music ministry asked if I knew Father Graeme Bell who had been Parish Priest in Kirkcudbright before coming to our parish here in Cumnock. “Yes”, I said to Mary, “I know Father Graeme. He was my Good Shepherd”. There was a beautiful familiarity about it all. I felt part of something bigger, I was part of the family of the Catholic Church. Thank you Lord. Please help all the lovely people I know who are living with cancer.
St Andrew -Feast Day November 30th
Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter, both being sons of Jona, a Galilean fisherman. His vocation is one of the first to be mentioned in the Gospels, one account making him responsible for introducing Peter to Christ. His later history is uncertain, some traditions associate him with the evangelisation of Greece, where he is said to be martyred at Patros on a cross shaped like an x, the symbol in the flags of Greece and Scotland. Part of the cross is said to be in one of the four great piers which support the dome of St Peter’s in Rome.
Friday 25th February 2012 - Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Kilmarnock
Large church opened in 1963 with distinctive stained glass windows and figure of Christ Crucified.
Here I am a week later on another Friday; the first Friday in Lent and I’ve just been to Mass at 7.00am in my church. I wouldn’t normally go to two Masses on the same day but 7.00am is my Lenten Mass and 10.00am is to be my pilgrimage Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Kilmarnock.
I set off on the 8.15am X76 Kilmarnock bus with my second Mass in mind and was soon heading for Onthank on the number 3. There’s one thing about this pilgrimage, I’m an authority on bus timetables.
Sadly, but not really sadly, there was no Mass, but what an uplifting Eucharistic Service we had with Sister Imelda, Sister Teresa, and parishioners of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
I found myself sitting between Eileen, originally from Catrine, who knew my husband Hugh from their days at Our Lady and St Patrick’s School, Birnieknowe, and Anne Cavanagh, who had worked at National Coal Board, Lugar, at the same time as me. I was transported back many years. Thank you Lord for today. And thank you to Susan and Senga. I will go back to Our Lady of Mount Carmel to celebrate Mass.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel should have been my forty-third Mass. So where will Mass 43 be Lord? At this moment in time, I don’t know. Only You know this Lord. What is to be will be. I pray especially today for Father Jerry Sheehy who is terminally ill.*
*Father Jerry Sheehy sadly passed away. May he Rest in Peace.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast Day July 16th
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land during the late 12th and early to mid 13th Centuries. They built a chapel in the midst of their hermitages which they dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, whom they conceived of in chivalric terms as the “Lady of the Place”
Large church opened in 1963 with distinctive stained glass windows and figure of Christ Crucified.
Here I am a week later on another Friday; the first Friday in Lent and I’ve just been to Mass at 7.00am in my church. I wouldn’t normally go to two Masses on the same day but 7.00am is my Lenten Mass and 10.00am is to be my pilgrimage Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Kilmarnock.
I set off on the 8.15am X76 Kilmarnock bus with my second Mass in mind and was soon heading for Onthank on the number 3. There’s one thing about this pilgrimage, I’m an authority on bus timetables.
Sadly, but not really sadly, there was no Mass, but what an uplifting Eucharistic Service we had with Sister Imelda, Sister Teresa, and parishioners of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
I found myself sitting between Eileen, originally from Catrine, who knew my husband Hugh from their days at Our Lady and St Patrick’s School, Birnieknowe, and Anne Cavanagh, who had worked at National Coal Board, Lugar, at the same time as me. I was transported back many years. Thank you Lord for today. And thank you to Susan and Senga. I will go back to Our Lady of Mount Carmel to celebrate Mass.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel should have been my forty-third Mass. So where will Mass 43 be Lord? At this moment in time, I don’t know. Only You know this Lord. What is to be will be. I pray especially today for Father Jerry Sheehy who is terminally ill.*
*Father Jerry Sheehy sadly passed away. May he Rest in Peace.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast Day July 16th
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land during the late 12th and early to mid 13th Centuries. They built a chapel in the midst of their hermitages which they dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, whom they conceived of in chivalric terms as the “Lady of the Place”
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Saturday 3rd March 2012 - St. Francis Xavier, Waterside
Brick and red sandstone church of 1895 built to cater for workers at the growing Waterside Ironworks.
Mass number 43 turned out to be at St Francis Xavier, Waterside at 5pm. I didn’t realise this when I awoke this morning. I did my usual Saturday morning thing of a trip to Asda around 8am to get my shopping plus my newspaper and Madge’s Lotto tickets. Then I set off for Mass at 10am and this was when the penny dropped “I could go to Waterside today”.Lord I’m so glad you guided me here today. I feel I was meant to be here.
I’ve still to meet Father Alan Wilson. Way back in June when I made my way to St Paul’s in Ayr for the second Mass of my pilgrimage, Father Alan was away for a few days, and I met Bishop Taylor, who has been very supportive since then, and interested to know how this wee pilgrimage is going.
I set off for Ayr on the 2.45pm bus to catch the number 52 Dalmellington bus and I enjoyed this journey through Dalrymple and Patna arriving at St Francis Xavier around 4.30pm.
Mass was said by Father John Kinsler. Yet again no Father Alan, but I must say it was lovely to see Father John and, Father Alan, I hope you are feeling better soon. Jim, Sheila and Denise, thank you for your friendly welcome. This was the first time I had been to this parish and I found myself thinking about all the families who had worshipped here over the years and the Cairns Family, especially praying for the repose of the soul of Frank Cairns whose widow Ann is a friend and fellow parishioner of mine in St John’s Cumnock.
I also prayed for the repose of the souls of Father John’s parents Mr and Mrs Bernard Kinsler. I remember them so well from our years in St Sophia’s Galston, I remember where they sat in church. I also prayed for our good friend Hugh Collins whose Requiem Mass I hope to go to on Monday. Lord I have been so lucky to meet all these special Christian people throughout my life.
Father John made sure I was getting a bus soon before he went off to celebrate another Mass. God bless him and all the retired priests who are helping in the diocese.
St Francis Xavier, 1506 - 1552; Feast Day December 3rd
After St Paul, the greatest foreign missionary the Church has yet known. He was born near Pamplona. While at Paris doing his university studies he yeilded to the magnetic influence of St Ignatius, and was one of the original members of The Society of Jesus (1534). In 1540, Ignatius ordered him to join Rodriguez in the East Indies, and thus decided the vast mission field in which Francis was to work for eleven years in India, the Malay Peninsula and Japan. Known as the Apostle of The Indies and Japan, he was named as the patron of all foreign missions.
Brick and red sandstone church of 1895 built to cater for workers at the growing Waterside Ironworks.
Mass number 43 turned out to be at St Francis Xavier, Waterside at 5pm. I didn’t realise this when I awoke this morning. I did my usual Saturday morning thing of a trip to Asda around 8am to get my shopping plus my newspaper and Madge’s Lotto tickets. Then I set off for Mass at 10am and this was when the penny dropped “I could go to Waterside today”.Lord I’m so glad you guided me here today. I feel I was meant to be here.
I’ve still to meet Father Alan Wilson. Way back in June when I made my way to St Paul’s in Ayr for the second Mass of my pilgrimage, Father Alan was away for a few days, and I met Bishop Taylor, who has been very supportive since then, and interested to know how this wee pilgrimage is going.
I set off for Ayr on the 2.45pm bus to catch the number 52 Dalmellington bus and I enjoyed this journey through Dalrymple and Patna arriving at St Francis Xavier around 4.30pm.
Mass was said by Father John Kinsler. Yet again no Father Alan, but I must say it was lovely to see Father John and, Father Alan, I hope you are feeling better soon. Jim, Sheila and Denise, thank you for your friendly welcome. This was the first time I had been to this parish and I found myself thinking about all the families who had worshipped here over the years and the Cairns Family, especially praying for the repose of the soul of Frank Cairns whose widow Ann is a friend and fellow parishioner of mine in St John’s Cumnock.
I also prayed for the repose of the souls of Father John’s parents Mr and Mrs Bernard Kinsler. I remember them so well from our years in St Sophia’s Galston, I remember where they sat in church. I also prayed for our good friend Hugh Collins whose Requiem Mass I hope to go to on Monday. Lord I have been so lucky to meet all these special Christian people throughout my life.
Father John made sure I was getting a bus soon before he went off to celebrate another Mass. God bless him and all the retired priests who are helping in the diocese.
St Francis Xavier, 1506 - 1552; Feast Day December 3rd
After St Paul, the greatest foreign missionary the Church has yet known. He was born near Pamplona. While at Paris doing his university studies he yeilded to the magnetic influence of St Ignatius, and was one of the original members of The Society of Jesus (1534). In 1540, Ignatius ordered him to join Rodriguez in the East Indies, and thus decided the vast mission field in which Francis was to work for eleven years in India, the Malay Peninsula and Japan. Known as the Apostle of The Indies and Japan, he was named as the patron of all foreign missions.
Sunday 11th March 2012 - St Mary’s, New Abbey
A listed building designed by Walter Newall and built in 1824, with a beautiful interior featuring wood panelling and many treasures. It is sited at the back of the Chapel House, now a retreat centre named after its founder and first priest, the Rev Thomas Bagnall.
Again Maria Quadri has been kind to offer to take me to New Abbey for Mass number forty-four. Mass is at 9.30am so we set off at 7.45 and headed for Dumfries on what started as a dull rain mist morning but as the Galloway hills came into sight, the sun was shining on this beautiful part of the country. Yes here I was back among my ancestors with a feeling of thanksgiving for these hard working labourers of the land. Thank you Lord.
As we drove towards the Solway Firth we were extolling the beauty of Mabie Forest and The Criffel.
New Abbey is unique, with its famous Sweetheart Abbey and the hidden gem of St Mary’s Church. Hidden because it was built at the time in history when Catholics could not advertise their faith and here it was almost one-hundred-and-ninety years later and still a beacon of light for christians and not just for catholics. The Thomas Bagnell Centre is in the front part of the building and can accommodate ten adults and is ideal for retreats or family gatherings.
The church is wonderful with its oak altars and a wonderful seal encased in a brass frame, which reads, Seal of Cardinal Patrizi, Cardinal Vicar of Rome. Thank you to Father Donald McLeod for the beautiful Mass and for a welcome cup of tea with Gerald, Bernadette, Derek, Patricia, Mary and John.
A listed building designed by Walter Newall and built in 1824, with a beautiful interior featuring wood panelling and many treasures. It is sited at the back of the Chapel House, now a retreat centre named after its founder and first priest, the Rev Thomas Bagnall.
Again Maria Quadri has been kind to offer to take me to New Abbey for Mass number forty-four. Mass is at 9.30am so we set off at 7.45 and headed for Dumfries on what started as a dull rain mist morning but as the Galloway hills came into sight, the sun was shining on this beautiful part of the country. Yes here I was back among my ancestors with a feeling of thanksgiving for these hard working labourers of the land. Thank you Lord.
As we drove towards the Solway Firth we were extolling the beauty of Mabie Forest and The Criffel.
New Abbey is unique, with its famous Sweetheart Abbey and the hidden gem of St Mary’s Church. Hidden because it was built at the time in history when Catholics could not advertise their faith and here it was almost one-hundred-and-ninety years later and still a beacon of light for christians and not just for catholics. The Thomas Bagnell Centre is in the front part of the building and can accommodate ten adults and is ideal for retreats or family gatherings.
The church is wonderful with its oak altars and a wonderful seal encased in a brass frame, which reads, Seal of Cardinal Patrizi, Cardinal Vicar of Rome. Thank you to Father Donald McLeod for the beautiful Mass and for a welcome cup of tea with Gerald, Bernadette, Derek, Patricia, Mary and John.
St Mary - Feast Day January 1st
Mary the Mother of God, Mother of Jesus, wife of St Joseph and the greatest of all Christian Saints.
“I believe in God, the Father almighty and in Jesus Christ, his only son, Our Lord, who was conceived of the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary”. This quotation from the Creed gives some indication of the prominent position that the Mother of Jesus Christ has always held in Christian belief. The information on Mary’s life, sparse as it is, nevertheless contains overtones which indicate that a theology of Mary was elaborated from very earliest times. St Luke makes Mary the central figure because he sees in her the fulfilment of the whole history of the Old Testament. St John goes even further, in two scenes she is the central figure. At Cana she is the means by which Christ manifests the Glory, which, except for her, would have been hidden, and at Calvary, where the Glory is shown in all its fullness. Christ appoints her as the Mother of John, who stands for all those “whom Jesus loved". She is not merely the personification of the old Israel, she is the beginning of the new Israel, the Church.
Sadly, Since this website has been created, St Mary's, New Abbey has now closed.