MASS CELEBRATING THE 250^th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BEGINNING OF THE MOIDART MISSION

ST AGNES, GLENUIG 5^TH June 2019

Welcome on this special occasion when we celebrate the beginning of the Moidart Mission 250 years ago. I approach this celebration humbly and with awe, as I think of real heroes from this area who loved Christ and his Church so much that they were willing to lose everything for God.

I cannot but see the parallel between the first clergy and parishioners of the Moidart Mission and St Paul in his love for and commitment to Christ. In tonight’s First Reading we heard of Paul journeying to Jerusalem where (like Christ) he would be rejected and imprisoned and that it was intended that he be killed. Paul continued the ministry of Christ and so was treated like Christ.

We all know that St Finan first brought the faith to the Moidart area nearly 1,500 years ago and that it took deep root. At the Reformation it became illegal to be a Catholic. Simply celebrating or attending Mass carried harsh penalties, including death. The Catholic Faith survived in Moidart thanks to the endeavours of occasional missionaries and the deep devotion and determination of the laity, especially within families.

Then in 1769, two hundred and fifty years ago, Fr Austin MacDonald was appointed to the newly created Moidart Mission. With the missionary spirit of St Paul, Fr MacDonald walked through the mountains of Moidart in all weathers bringing together small communities for prayer and catechesis, despite the wider culture of intolerance towards Catholicism. Just like the Christians of Ephesus your forbears accepted Christ, gathered together in houses or in hidden places for Mass, prayer and instruction; again overcoming an environment hostile to the Faith.

Despite scant resources, within a short space of time three Mass centres had been built (although, due to the Penal Laws none could resemble Church buildings but instead were disguised as barns); a Seminary at Samalaman was opened for the training of priests and, for the education of its youth, three Catholic schools opened within the parish at Langal, Glenuig and Castle Tioram - and despite their poverty parents paid between 1d-2d per child per week.

For various reasons we live in difficult times to be practicing Catholics, and this evening I acknowledge and thank you for your fidelity to Christ and his Church. However, we can easily dwell too much on the struggles we face today as if we were the first disciples to suffer. Many powerful forces and circumstances made the success of the Mission seem unlikely. It is both humbling and uplifting to recognise that the Moidart Mission not only survived but positively blossomed against a background of poverty, religious intolerance, political distrust by civil authorities for Jacobite areas, famine and enforced evictions. We must never underestimate what God can achieve through those who cooperate with his grace.

Just as the Father sent Jesus into the world, so Jesus sent Fr MacDonald into Moidart 250 years ago and he sends us today! We are to continue the ministry of Jesus within this Peninsula and beyond. Perhaps we may feel very inadequate compared to those who have gone before us. In tonight’s Gospel Jesus acknowledges our weakness but promises that the grace God offers will make us triumph. Brothers and sisters, we need to be rooted in God’s Word!

Tonight we honour the men and women, youth and elderly, lay and clerical who risked all for Christ. They were no stronger by nature than anyone else but they surrendered to the Lord and were strengthened by him. Let us do the same.

As we celebrate the beginning of the Moidart Mission 250 years ago, let each one of us rededicate ourselves to union with Christ especially through the Mass, the Sacraments, personal and family prayer. Let us ask the Lord to send us holy and dedicated priests. Let us value and deepen the role of the laity. Let us encourage families to nurture faith. Let us ask God for the grace to serve others in their need, to always witness to Christ within our own challenging times, just as those who have gone before us did so beautifully.

+Brian McGee