The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-08-05
London, July %, 1911.

London, July %, 1911.
In the onward march which even
the enemies of the Catholic Church
cannot deny she is making in these
countries which were once her strong
hold, little mention comes to us of
Scotland, and it is generally con-
sidered, when the matter is thought
of at all, that she and Wales will be
the final standpoints and battle
grounds of the lifeless and lightless
religion of Luther and Calvin. But
however this may apply to Wales,
where a band of devoted priests are
doing what they can against the ma
tional fanatcism of this semi-pagan
people, it does not apply to Scotland.
The Royal visit has brought the "land
of brown heath and shaggy wood"
into the public eye very largely this
week And the contrast with the Irish
visit has been that there was no Cath
olic institute honored by Royal call,
although several of the Scottish Bish-
ops met their Majesties on more than
one occasion at banquet and garden
party to which they received Royal
commands.
ScotIands Catholic Traditions.
Scotland has as fine a Catholic ira
dition behind her as England. One
has only to go with the King through
the ruins of Holyrood and the recent
excavations made upon that site to
be reminded that it is the work of
that great Church builder, David I.
The recent work has unearthed the
foundations of the remainder of the
Chapel Royal from which the palace
takes it's name. The noble proper
tions of the original structure have
been laid bare, and it has been discov-
cred that beneath the medieval foun-
dations lie those of an earlier Church
which must have been built when
Christianity first dawned in the far
northern regions of Britain. This an
cient Church is all included in the
choir of the Chapel Royal as at pres
ent known. 1t is of the usual early
Christian rectangular cell type, being
forty feet in length by about twenty
wide, and appears to have been con-
structed of rough stones from the hill
side round about. But the perma-
nency of the work is vouched for by
the exceeding thickness of the walls
which are in some places as much as
ten feet in depth. An early Chris
tian place of sepulture was also found
adjacent to the chapel, in which some
forty graves, very shallow and near
the original surface of the earth, and
containing skeletons in a good state
of preservation considering the lapse
of centuries, have been discovered.
There is a controversy now as to
whether these remains point to a
cloister garth Of some early Abbey, or
whether they are those of general
burial ground.
catholicity in the Shetland Isles.
But to turn from the Catholicity of
the past to that of the present. 1t
is no new thing to hear of the conse-
Grafton of new churches, the building
of new schools and the creation of
new parishes. A notable event, how
ever, occurred last Sunday when the
first Catholic Church since the Refor-
nation was opened in Lerwick which
is the principal town of the Shetland
groups of isles up in the far High.
lands. For many years devoted
priest, Father Mcdonald of Orkney
has gone from island to island in his
boat ministering to the needs of his
scattered flock. Recently, the rever
end gentleman, see the growing need
for church in as central a location
as possible, made a tour throughout
Great Britain, preaching in the larger
towns and cities, on behalf of his poor
fisher folk, storm-tossed and isolated
far from all pleasures or consultations
save the holy and true ones of reli
gion This tour laid the monetary
foundation stone of the work which
has just been finished. Bishop CHS
holm of Aberdeen travelled up to Ler
wick to open the Church, which can
not yet be consecrated as it is no
quite free from debt. 1t is really (
noble structure dedicated to the Sa
cred Heart and St. Margaret of Scot
land, Queen The high altar which
comes from Antwerp is really nobl,
work of art. 1t is constructed of sole
oak, richly carved, with a representa-
ton of Da Vinci's Last Supper. Oh
either side of the handsome brass tab
ernacle are statuettes of Our Blessed