HOMILY FOR THE FUNERAL OF FATHER JOHN ANGUS CANON MACDONALD

STMARY’S, FORT WILLIAM FRIDAY 12^th OCTOBER 2018

Fr John Angus stipulated that he wished his Requiem Mass to be celebrated here in St Mary’s, Fort William and to be buried at Cille Choirill, an area he believed his family were descended from. However, since he did not select his own readings the First Reading (Isaiah 49:1-6) was chosen by his relation Fr John Paul MacKinnon ; the Second Reading (Romans 8:31-39) by Mgr Donald MacKinnon, Parish Priest of St Mary’s and school friend of Fr John Angus while the Gospel (John 6:51-58) was chosen by myself. Although they were chosen quite separately, when I prayed over the passages I could see themes that were complementary and very appropriate for today.

I love today’s Second Reading! St Paul wrote with such conviction. Paul was a young man who had used his considerable energy and skills to crush the early Church but, after an encounter with the Risen Lord, his live was transformed. He came to realise that God loved him perfectly. Not only did Jesus die on the Cross - he died for sinners. Through the Resurrection Jesus restored Eternal Life. Paul, aware of his own sinfulness, was overwhelmed at God’s generosity. He was now convinced that nothing whatsoever could conquer or even water down the love of Christ for him. Filled with the joy of knowing how loved he was, Paul now dedicated his entire life to spreading the Good News, that others too would share in the hope and joy of the Christian message. When John Angus died I, along with the other bishops, was in Rome for the Ad Limina Apostolorum visitation. A central element of the visit is to offer Mass at both the tombs of St Peter and St Paul. When we visited St Paul’s Basilica I prayed at the High Altar where both the chains of Paul’s imprisonment and the grave in which he was laid after his martyrdom can be seen. Paul clearly meant every word that he preached. The Christian message brought hope to Paul, to countless others throughout history, to Fr John Angus during his life and to us gathered in sadness today.

Holy Mother Church. This is a very simple but beautiful description of the Church’s nature. The Church is our Mother. Our own mum cares and loves us, wants what is best for us. So does the Church. So today what does the Church first and foremost ask us to do for her son John Angus? – to pray for his soul. John Angus was a sinner. Everyone in this Church is a sinner. John Angus needs the mercy of God, as we all do, and therefore it is an act of love for us to ask God to forgive his sin. However we pray with confidence – we trust in God’s mercy but we also acknowledge that our brother, despite his weaknesses, strove to follow the Lord.

In our First Reading we heard how the Servant was chosen by God even before he was born. John Angus was born in Askernish, South Uist in 1945 and baptised in his home parish of St Peter’s, Daliburgh. Even as a young boy he felt, deep within his heart and soul, the stirrings of God’s invitation to serve him as a priest. After completing Primary School John Angus left Uist for the Junior Seminary at St Mary’s College, Blairs before attending Senior Seminary at the Royal Scots College in Valladolid, Spain. He was ordained in our own Cathedral of St Columba’s, Oban by Bishop Colin McPherson in 1970.

Fr John Angus served God and the People of God as a curate in St Andrew’s, Rothesay; St Columba’s Cathedral, Oban; St Mary’s, Fort William before joining the Staff at St Mary’s Blairs (where for five years he was my Vice Rector and Spanish teacher); then he was Administrator of St Mary’s, Arisaig before becoming Parish Priest of St Mary’s; Bornish; St Peter’s, Daliburgh; St Mary’s Fort William and finally at Our Lady of the Rosary and St Columba’s in Kingussie. In each of these parishes he touched many lives and led people closer to God. While at Blairs he helped prepare young men for priesthood or, if God led them on a different path, to be good lay faithful. The full Church today, made up of former parishioners and students, testifies to this.

When I reflect on John Angus’ ministry and spirituality a number of themes stand out. The first was his love of the priesthood, the Mass and the Eucharist. In our Gospel today Jesus declared “I am the living Bread come down from heaven; Whoever eats me will live forever; as I draw life from the Father so whoever eats me will draw life from me”. Since I became bishop John Angus would visit me and we would pray the Office together, celebrate Mass and then share a bite of lunch. Our conversations revealed his deep love and reverence for the priesthood and the Eucharist. Indeed, shortly before his sudden death I stayed overnight at his new flat in Bridge of Allan. In the morning we prayed the Office together and celebrated Mass. His deep respect for the Sacred Mysteries certainly struck me.

Our First Reading today, from Isaiah, speaks of preaching the Word to islands and remote peoples. Israel, being a mainland, saw islands as remote and dangerous to travel to. They were on the fringes. Pope Francis often reminds us that we must reach out to those on the fringes of society. People can be on the fringes in different ways and for many reasons but recently many people have spoken of how, when they were sick or struggling or low Fr John Angus helped them. There are many stories of his acts of mercy.

Another theme was pilgrimage. We are all on a journey together to God. For John Angus helped people on their journey by bringing them on pilgrimage to Lourdes as well as many Celtic Christian sites around our diocese.

As we all know, John Angus had a deep love for Gaelic and Celtic culture. He used his Gaelic background to evangelise. He spoke on television and radio and also helped write a modern translation of the New Testament into Gaelic.  It is already available on-line and will be printed soon.

A significant element of Christianity is building community. John Angus was great at keeping in contact with people. One important group to him was the Ambrosian Society. He had a great love of Spain and our seminary there and John Angus was a faithful devotee to the Ambrosian Society. I am glad that a number managed to be here today. John Angus managed to keep contact with people from throughout his life. As many of you know he loved to write letters and I find it extraordinary that he sent no less than 400 Christmas cards!

He studied Celtic Languages at Aberdeen University and still regularly met with the friends whom he met there. John Angus’ friendships were not restricted to the Church.

Isaiah speaks today of a servant of God who suffered. It seems that he had toiled in vain but God, working through him, would ensure greater success than ever hoped for. As Christians we identify Jesus as the Suffering Servant. When Jesus died on the Cross he seemed a failure but the Resurrection revealed his divinity and through the Cross and Resurrection we have been redeemed. We can draw strength from Christ’s example. It often strikes me that when people are elderly or sick or facing other trials and can no longer perform their former duties they may feel that their life now lacks purpose. In the latter years of his life John Angus at times also questioned his own value through a frustration of no longer being able to minister as he once did. In the Gospel Jesus speaks of how through the Eucharist God lives in us and we in him. For those who welcome Christ in faith the effects of his presence have a power and beauty that is so deeply mysterious that words could never explain it. So let me give just one example. As I have already mentioned John Angus, in these last years of his life, contributed to the writing of a modern Gaelic translation of the New Testament. From a cultural point of view, this is a great achievement for the Gaelic language. That it was an ecumenical effort is also praiseworthy and a sign of the Spirit at work. However, welcome as the cultural achievement is, a much greater achievement is that generations of Gaels can now read God’s Word in their mother tongue and so be led by into closer union with God. That is some legacy to leave behind!

As we pray for Fr John Angus let us also pray for his family and friends. There are many who will be effected in different ways by the death of John Angus. God knows our deepest hurts and he alone touches our hearts in the unique way which we need. So today we pray for the family and for all effected by John Angus’ death that, in their pain, they will be open to God and allow him to bring his healing, his peace, his hope in the way that God alone knows each person needs and in the way that he alone can do.

We also pray for ourselves. John Angus’ death reminds us that our own live on earth will not last forever. We too are on a pilgrimage through life. We are sinners but God has redeemed us. So let us, relying on his grace, turn away from sin and increasingly open up to God and each other.

However, most of all today, let us humbly ask the Lord to forgive Fr John Angus his sins and to reward him for his goodness so that our brother and priest may take the very place in heaven which Our Lord has won for him.

Right Reverend Brian McGee, Bishop of Argyll and the Isles