Scottish Catholic Observer

Bishop Brian McGee of Argyll and the Isles met with staff and pupils at the Nicolson Institute, where he talked to 6th Year students undertaking their RMPS advanced higher exam this year.

Rector of the Nicolson Institute, Frances Murray, said the visit came about after she met the bishop during his last visit to Lewis.

“He discovered I was the rector of the high school, the Nicholson Institute, and he said he would love to come into the school,” she said.

It marks the first time that a bishop has ever visited the school, which although non-denominational has a number of Catholic pupils in attendance.

Bishop McGee was on Lewis for Confirmations later that evening, and decided to visit the pupils earlier that day.

“I went to our principal teacher of RMPS, Richard Fraser, who organised that the RE class, the RMPS 6th Years who are sitting their RMPS advanced higher, could have time with the bishop to talk about issues that they were interested in,” Dr Murray said.

She added that the visit went ‘very well,’ and that Bishop McGee praised the pupils later that evening at the Confirmations. “I spoke to the bishop that evening at the Confirmations, and he said that they were lovely young people, and he had really enjoyed talking to them and looked for ward to maybe meeting more pupils at another occasion,” she added.

The Nicolson Institute in Stornoway is the largest school in the Western Isles, and is the only six-year secondary school on Lewis.

It has 1,000 pupils and 120 teaching and non-teaching staff.

The school was founded in 1873, after five brothers from the island donated money to set it up.

The school is non-denominational, but has Catholic pupils, some of whom have families with links to the Southern isles or Ireland, and others from the Polish community on the island.