Scottish Catholic Observer

Good things come to those who wait. And all those who waited patiently for the re-opening of St Andrew’s Cathedral in Glasgow were not disappointed. After the cathedral re-opened last April, with a ceremony befitting its status,  parishioners and visitors from near and far came to relish its splendour.

As gazes fell on a grandeur never previously enjoyed in the cathedral, the full glory of the restoration became evident. For the cathedral’s parish priest, Mgr Chris McElroy, if the first flush of excitement and awe has passed, he is reminded of it almost daily as a steady stream of new visitors come into the much-loved heart of the archdiocese. All that was lacking since it was built nearly 200 years ago has been restored to what would have been the original architect’s vision.

“Now we can see how important it was that the restoration took place. People who loved it put up with it because it was their favourite church Mgr McElroy said. “Perhaps it held special memories, was a convenient city centre location or was just a great place for Mass and confession. The cathedral as it is now says ‘we are here and we have a message to proclaim, we are a service to the city and to the world.’ The Church is expressing something of itself through the very building.”

Despite a parish roll of only around 200 the cathedral attracts visitors and congregations in great numbers.

“People come into town for many different reasons and they are drawn to the cathedral,” Mgr McElroy said. “It’s very easy to find; people from overseas can have difficultly settling and perhaps they feel they don’t belong or they don’t know their local church. We welcome them all along with our own parishioners and those who, for whatever reason, look upon the cathedral as their parish. It is these regulars that we rely upon for all the parish ministries.

“They have all been so enthusiastic, so happy, and we are still meeting people who are seeing it for the first time, wanting to stop and say how beautiful it is. At the end of confession they’ll often simply say ‘the cathedral’s lovely, father.’ Seeing them see it for the first time and expressing their feelings is a source of great pleasure.”

In the months since the re-opening, the hopes that the new layout would give the opportunity for the full magnificence of the restoration to be appreciated, alongside prayerful reverence have been realised.

“The very fact that we don’t normally have side aisles occupied by seats means there is a greater possibility to circulate and lets visitors move around without being met by wall-to-wall seating that can seem uninviting if they are not used to churches,” Mgr McElroy said. “That can have its problems but for the most part the worship space is respected.”

It is testimony to the strong financial stewardship on the part of the archdiocese, and the efforts of the committed team of all the various disciplines they created around them, that the project was completed almost on budget, even despite a longer than planned closure as a result of the main contractor going into administration.

“The initial stage was to adapt the project to the funds available; it has been very significant that we managed to do this in such a tight budget,” Mgr McElroy said. “We would have liked to do a little more but we managed to achieve a very satisfactory result within the budget. That took a little bit of fine adjustment and consultation with the architects and quantity surveyors but eventually we had a workable project that began in August 2009. When the main contractor went into administration we faced quite a hurdle but fortunately things were far enough advanced for our own estates department to pick up the pieces with the architects.

“At every stage the archbishop had a big say and was a driving force, for example with the altar which he designed, and it is to his credit that every element was finished to such a high degree. His knowledge in the areas of history, culture and the arts stands for itself; everyone is aware of that and it has been wonderful that he has had the chance to put that knowledge and expertise to such good use.”

Any initial disappointment that the original Peter Howson, with its much-anticipated crowd scene, would not be completed due to the artist’s health troubles was short-lived.

“We had been happy to go with what he was proposing but we were keeping an eye on it as we could see that the initial painting may not have appealed to everyone,” Mgr McElroy said. “Its stark and dramatic appearance may have been more controversial. What we got in the end was very devotional and  people are drawn into prayer through gazing at the painting and we are very happy with the outcome.

As the daily life of the cathedral resumed, the old routines returned and familiar faces re-appeared at Masses. Not everything stayed the same; the traditional Thursday afternoon closure for the weekly cleaning session could no longer be justified. Some of the previous helpers along with new volunteers now come in on an evening and the cleaning regime continues without affecting the opening times of the cathedral.

Doors Open Day was something of a surprise as despite not opening officially because of wedding and other Mass commitments just short of 1000 visitors made their way into the cathedral and the Italian Garden. Always a popular choice for weddings, the cathedral’s new prestige has led to a doubling of wedding bookings for next year.

The final work of art to grace the cathedral will be the doors to the sacristy. Their installation and blessing is scheduled for the feast of St Mungo on January 13 2012. After that the next stage will be to take forward the completion of the cloister. The Lottery Fund’s decision not to award a grant meant the completion of the cloister was not possible in the initial phase. Anyone involved at any stage would attest to the mammoth task during the two-year closure but it was clearly a labour of love for Archbishop Conti whose patronage of the arts has been a significant feature of his episcopate. Retirement beckons but his legacy will live on.

Such was the scale and uniqueness of the project that there were many moving occasions along the way. Contractors and sub-contractors shared in the privilege of the restoration and Mgr McElroy says there was always the feeling that they were contributing to something special. Of all the moments he savoured the ones that will live longest with him are those in which the archbishop’s joy was there for all to see.

“His great pleasure was evident in the press interviews and you could really see his joy at the civic opening and the solemn Mass,” Mgr McElroy said. “As a celebrant, it is a wonderful space in which to preside and at the Mass you could see how he felt that it was good to be here and to share it with so many.”

School parties are among the many visitors to St Andrew’s Cathedral.  As part of a project on Glasgow a group of primary five pupils from Holy Cross Primary in Croy recently made the trip in what their teacher, Lucy Hamilton, described as a golden opportunity. Phone calls to Mgr McElroy and Mary O’Duffin, the RE adviser for primary schools, led to an invitation to participate in the bidding prayers and offertory procession at Mass during their visit.

“When arranging to see Glasgow cathedral for the purpose of viewing St Mungo’s tomb, I realised there could be a golden opportunity of visiting St Andrew’s Cathedral also,” Ms Hamilton said. “I thought it was important that we embraced this chance to visit the mother church of Glasgow Archdiocese and allow the pupils to see how all the Catholic churches are linked as a community with the cathedral being at the focal point.

“Before going to the cathedral I spent time in class teaching the importance of the cathedral for the Catholic Faith, the history of the building and allowing the pupils to learn about some of the features and artefacts, from the Peter Howson canvas of the Martyrdom of St John Ogilvie to the mosaic of the Glasgow coat of arms by Bethlehem artists. My intention was that the children would have a good basic knowledge of what they were going to see and have an understanding of the significance of many features.

“From the moment we entered the cathedral, the children were awestruck at the magnificence of the building. They immediately reacted to spiritual atmosphere by showing reverence and prayerfulness. The children told me that they felt close to God in the cathedral as it was such a beautiful place which made it easy to see God’s goodness and majesty. I couldn’t recommend a visit to St Andrew’s Cathedral enough. Mary O’Duffin called the children ‘Croy Pilgrims’ and praised them for their efforts of listening to God’s Word during Mass. This visit has had a tremendous impact on each and every child, with those of the Catholic Faith encountering a deep and meaningful experience, and affording the few non-Catholic children in the class an opportunity to have an understanding of and respect for the purpose of the cathedral. It certainly was a visit that has created life-long memories and has ultimately brought each child closer to God.”

Some of the Holy Cross pupils were fulsome in their praise of the new cathedral as they gave their opinions after their visit.

n “It made me feel privileged that I was part of the church and invited to be involved in the cathedral for a part of the day. I will always remember the painting of St John Ogilvie.” Aidan Connor

n “It made me feel more holy because it was such a Holy place, the baptismal font was massive and the mosaic tiles were from Bethlehem.” Liam Casey

n “I felt amazing because it was such a beautiful place and I thought it was special that the mosaic tiles were from the place where Jesus was born.” Gemma Coan

n “I felt amazing because you don’t get to go to the cathedral every day. I felt special, Mgr McElroy spoke to us and made us feel welcome and part of the church.” Daniel Agnew

n “I felt honoured to be in such a Holy place. I was amazed at the stained glass windows and the baptismal font which had Jesus’ life story all around it. The Italian garden was beautiful. When I went home I told my mum that we should go again for another visit.”  Declan Walker

n “I really felt like I was in the presence of God, it was a really beautiful cathedral.  I’ll always remember the angels faces beside the Holy Mother when people light prayer candles.” Niamh Lewis

n “The cathedral was beautiful and I was glad that I got the chance to go to such a holy place. I will never forget the baptismal font because it’s got all the pictures of Jesus’ life story.” Dionne Hart

n “It made me feel more holy than I’ve ever felt before because the cathedral was so big and we felt like the guests of honour.” Dylan Shields

n “I went up to do a bidding prayer in front of everyone, it made me feel so special to be able to do this in the cathedral.” Brooke Coyle

n “It made me feel special.” Olivia Flood

n “I really liked that we weren’t just squeezed in, we were part of theMass and it was special because the monsignor said the Mass and spoke to us.  I will never forget the tiles from Bethlehem.” Teigan Burns ­

n “It was really exciting because some people don’t get to go to the cathedral and I was doing a bidding prayer.” Aimee Maloney

Sidebar

A warm welcome for Bishop Gilbert

Welcoming a new bishop is not an everyday occurrence but, as with many things, Aberdeen did so in its own distinctive, warm and close-knit manner on August 15.

Catholics in Aberdeen Diocese welcomed their eleventh bishop with genuine warmth at St Mary of the Assumption Cathedral where members of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, religious life and dignitaries had gathered.

“I could not imagine a warmer welcome than the one I have received here,” Bishop Hugh Gilbert, the former Abbot of Pluscarden Abbey, told the 700 plus-strong congregation attending his Episcopal Ordination on the Feast of the Assumption, a congregation that included the monks of Pluscarden Abbey, who played an integral role in the bishop’s Ordination Mass.

When retiring Bishop Peter Moran welcomed the congregation to the celebrations, which had an intimate family atmosphere despite the obvious grandeur of such an occasion, he spoke of his last ‘two hours’ as Aberdeen’s bishop and of Bishop Gilbert’s life as a monk.

“Not only is Pluscarden the spiritual centre of our diocese, it acts as a magnet and focus for those seeking a deeper understanding of God’s love for them,” Bishop Moran said before adding ‘neither Pluscarden Abbey nor its abbot are remote from the pressures and concerns of the contemporary world.’

In his homily, Cardinal Keith O’Brien reiterated the message of the Holy Father when he visited Scotland last September by saying ‘we are all called upon to be saints’ and he also spoke of the new bishop’s experience and writing on vocations in life.

“The bishop is aware more than most new bishops of the needs of this diocese,” the cardinal said. “I know that Bishop Hugh is fully aware of what his particular vocation is to seek that knowledge and love of God which is indeed beyond all knowledge and to be filled with that utter fullness of God.”

The monks at Pluscarden, who elected Dom Anselm Atkinson as their new abbot, lifted their voices in Liturgical song throughout the ordination. In doing so they reminded the congregation of their new bishop’s roots and his first spiritual home. They performed in the presence of leading Scottish composer James MacMillan.

To those who have asked him how strange it must seem to be leaving the monastery after 37 years, Bishop Gilbert said that it was like ‘being on land and all of a sudden finding yourself on the sea.’