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St.
Machan's, Campsie
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An account of the life of St Machan is given in Latin in the
Aberdeen Breviary, an ancient church prayer book. It was translated
by Father John Honorius Magini, Parish Priest of St Machan's
from 1866 until 1881 and an excellent classical scholar. Father
Magini's translation was used by local historian John Cameron
in a lecture to the Campsie Mechanics Institution, on 4th December
1885
"Machan was well born of parents of Scottish descent.
In his youth he was trusted to Irish preceptors to be educated
by them in bonus artibus, literally in the `good arts'. Under
their teaching he soon reached an advanced stage of virtue and
learning. By continued practice of corporal austerity and study
he cultivated his intellect, while by moderation he preserved
his physical health. He confined his pursuits of knowledge mainly
to those sciences best adapted to the gaining of souls to God,
which was continued in all the subsequent acts of his life.
Having become well learned in the Christian faith, he left Ireland,
desirous by teaching and preaching to instruct those in Scotland
amongst whom he had been born, who were living in Pagan darkness.
He persevered in subduing his flesh by assiduous work and prayer
night and day. Afterwards he went to Rome on a pilgrimage, and
there, on account of his own merits, was invested with episcopal
dignity much against his will, although his great merits entitled
him to honour and pre-eminence. His modesty was as great as his
meekness, which caused him to think of himself last,
and as the servant of all. His compassion towards the wretched
was as great as his modesty. Thus divine grace and supernatural
power were granted to him on account of his virtue, by
which he wrought several miracles. One is reported which deserves
mention. He kept some cattle for the cultivation of land, using
the produce chiefly for the benefit of the poor. He had a yoke
of oxen which some robbers had stolen. Machan was informed of
this by a servant, and he betook himself to prayer. The robbers
could not be pursued on account of the distance, but the virtue
of his prayer overtook them and the oxen suddenly disappeared,
being, as the robbers thought, turned into stones."
Unfortunately, no information is given in the Breviary concerning
the specific period of years when St Machan lived and flourished,
or even the century. However, Forbes' Kalendar of Scottish
Saints suggests that Machan was a disciple of St Cadoc,
a Welsh prince born in AD514. The entry for St Machan in the
Kalendar is quite brief:
"St. Machan was early sent to be trained in Ireland.
He addicted himself to nothing but what could benefit souls,
and returning to his native land, he desired to teach his own
countrymen, who were living in gentile ignorance, and forthwith
he was raised to the priesthood that he might offer to God `worthy
victims for his parents sins'. After traversing various provinces,
preaching and exhorting, he went on pilgrimage to Rome, where
against his will he was raised to the episcopal office. He was
gifted with the power of miracles, one of which was that certain
oxen of his that were stolen by robbers, were in their presence
turned into stone. He was a disciple of St. Cadoc. He was buried
at Campsie in Lennox."
Forbes' dating would place St Machan in the late sixth
century—a very interesting period when Christianity was
being introduced into different parts of Scotland by St Columba
and St Mungo. St. Machan could, perhaps, have brought the Christian
message to Campsie at this time. However, it should be mentioned
that another authority, the sixteenth century historian Adam
King, located Machan in the ninth century AD. The Breviary,
Forbes' Kalendar and Adam King all concur in giving
Machan's Feast Day as 28th September, probably the day of his
death. St Machan is associated with several other localities
in Scotland, besides Campsie. These include Dalserf (Lanarkshire),
Ecclesmachan (West Lothian) and Clyne (Sutherland). The later
years of his life, however, seem to have been spent at his primitive
cell or monastery at the foot of Campsie Glen, and there he
was buried. In Norman times, when the country was divided into
parishes and each provided with a parish church, the site of
the grave of St Machan was considered a suitable location for
the Parish Church of Campsie. It was erected about the year
1175 and dedicated to the Saint. St Machan's Well, nearby, was
widely known and often visited, until quite modern times.
From the middle years of the sixteenth century, the Reformation
heralded a total eclipse of Roman Catholicism in Campsie. According
to John Cameron's Parish of Campsie (1892), it seems to have
been completely eradicated until the early years of the nineteenth
century. At this period, Irish immigrants into Scotland found
work as farm servants and labourers. In the Campsie area the
bleach fields, chemical works and weaving and mining industries
were all developing and expanding at the time. Many Irishmen
found employment in these occupations. According to Cameron
the first Irishman to settle in Campsie was a man named Felix
McKewn who married a Haughhead woman and whose family grew up
as protestants. Later on, about 1815, another Irishman, named
Loughrey, found employment in Torrance and took up residence
there. He worked with a man named Hume in mineral extraction,
and in time further labourers were brought over from Ireland
to work alongside him. As an Irishman, Loughrey was the centre
of some attention and curiosity when he first arrived. At weekends
groups of people from Lennoxtown would walk to Torrance to "stare
at the stranger and hear him speak in his native brogue".
As the number of Irish immigrants steadily increased, the need
for a Catholic church to meet their spiritual needs soon became
apparent. In January 1831 the Rev. Dr McPherson was sent to
Campsie by Dr Alexander Paterson, Vicar Apostolic of the Eastern
District, to ascertain the number of Catholics in the locality.
He consulted with families resident there as to the possibility
of establishing a Mission. He determined that there were already
about 1,000 Catholics in the area and reported this fact back
to the Bishop. On 23rd January 1831, in a private house at Torrance,
Dr McPherson celebrated Mass for the first time in Campsie since
the Reformation - i.e. for the first time in 271 years. He also
baptised three children.
Following Dr McPherson's visits and reports Bishop Paterson
established a Mission "for the benefit of Irish Catholics
employed in the public works of that Parish and neighbouring
districts". This included Lennoxtown, Torrance, Kilsyth
and . The Rev. Paul MacLachlan, newly ordained in Edinburgh,
was sent by Dr Paterson to Campsie on 10th September 1831. According
to John Cameron's Parish of Campsie, Rev. MacLachlan found religious
prejudice so strong on his arrival that he was refused a night's
lodgings at the public inn.There were many setbacks for the
new Mission at Lennoxtown. The sudden demise of Bishop Paterson
and the increased responsibilities
of Rev. MacLachlan, for Catholics scattered over other areas
of Stirling, meant that the Mission was soon in a "very
precarious state".
By 1839 Lennoxtown of Campsie was listed in its own right and
not as part of Stirling in the Catholic Directory. Rev. Paul
MacLachlan's successor, the Rev. Charles Green, made a heartfelt
plea to his Administrators in his 1841 Mission Return: "I
must clearly and distinctly state that if a Chapel be wanted
anywhere it is in this Mission". The congregation were
at that point worshipping in a "kind of weaver's shop"
with a yearly rent of £10. Sadly, Rev.Green did not live
to see the completion of a Church building. He was forced to
retire, through ill health, and died on Christmas Day 1845,
in Edinburgh. After many negotiations Bishop Andrew Carruthers
eventually secured a plot of land for the Church, with a 99
year lease. This lease was signed on 29th August 1844. The feu
was granted by John Lennox Kincaid Lennox of Woodhead and Kincaid.
The extent of the ground was 2 roods, 15 poles, 13 yards imperial
measure. The boundaries of the plot were (on the east) by a
piece of ground held in lease by John Macpherson, (on the north)
by the farm of Slatefield, (on the west) by ground held in lease
by the heirs of the late Dr Robertson, (on the south) partly
by ground belonging to John Lennox Kincaid Lennox, partly by
the roadway of Croft Street, and partly by the northernmost
house of Croft Street.
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St. Machan's Church, Lennoxtown (Formerly St. Paul's),
opened in May 1846, St. Machan's was one of the earliest
post-Reformation Catholic churches in central Scotland. |
Just fifteen years after the establishment of the local Mission,
the Church of St Paul's, Lennoxtown of Campsie, was solemnly
dedicated and opened by the Right Rev. Dr Carruthers, Bishop
of Edinburgh and Eastern Scotland. The date was Sunday 24th
May 1846, Feast of Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians.
The opening of this Church, in the year 1846, made it among
the earliest post-Reformation Catholic churches to be built
in central Scotland. Within a defined area between Edinburgh
in the east and Paisley in the west, Stirling in the north and
Airdrie in the south, the following Missions were established
at the beginning of the nineteenth century: St Mirin's, Paisley,
1808; St Mary's, Edinburgh, 1813; St Andrew's, Glasgow, 1816;
St Mary's, Stirling, 1838; St Francis Xavier, Falkirk, 1839;
St Mary's, Abercromby Street, Glasgow, 1841; and St Paul's,
Lennoxtown, 1846. In the corridor between the two cities of
Glasgow and Edinburgh, the Catholic church at Lennoxtown was
preceded only by the one at Falkirk.
Dr Carruthers believed strongly that "neat but plain churches
erected in every locality where there are Catholics will promote
the interests of religion more than splendid and costly establishments,
confined merely to large towns". The Catholics of Campsie
at that time had little money to spare and for this reason a
substantial part of the funding for the building was provided
by the Society of the Propagation of the Faith. The new Church,
including Chancel and walls, was 100ft long by 40ft wide, conveniently
accommodating 600 persons. The presbytery provided ample accommodation
for two clergymen. At the official opening His Lordship was
accompanied by the Rev. John Gillon, Parish Priest; the Rev.
John Macpherson and the Rev. Stephen Keenan of Dundee, and the
Rev. Paul MacLachlan of Falkirk, who had spent his early days
as a priest ministering to the Lennoxtown people. The assembled
congregation were welcomed by Dr Carruthers, who described the
Ritual Service about to be performed, for the benefit of all
present. When the Ritual Service was conducted the Bishop then
celebrated High Mass. Mr Montignani of Edinburgh and Miss Margaret
Lutenor were two of the distinguished musicians who contributed
to the important day. The service closed with Pontifical benediction.
The Rev. John Gillon later entertained the Bishop, other clergy
and guests, at dinner.
When Mr Gillon was appointed to Campsie, one of his first thoughts
was to establish a school, which he looked upon as essential
to the interests of religion in a place where the Catholic population
was so numerous. He applied to the Christian Brothers in Cork
for a teacher educated and trained by themselves. The school
was established during the year before the Church opened, with
an average attendance of fifty children. Besides the Day School
there was a Sunday School attended by about 150 young people.
Although the Church was originally dedicated to St Paul, the
Rev. John Honorius Magini, who during his time at Lennoxtown
became intimately acquainted with the ecclesiastical history
of the Parish, received permission from Archbishop John Strain,
in 1881, to rename the Church after the local saint, St Machan.
Over its long history - St Machan's is the oldest Catholic church
in the Strathkelvin District - the church has undergone numerous
changes. These began in 1871 and have continued over the years.
When the church was opened in 1846 it was described as a neat
and plain building in accordance with the policy advocated by
Bishop Carruthers. Peter Anson, the architectural historian,
has described it as an experiment in what was then known as
"Norman style", the principal feature of which was
rounded arches and windows, as distinct from the more usual
pointed ones (in Gothic style). In 1871 a church bell was installed
at St Machan's. It was then a time to celebrate the conclusion
of Vatican Council I and the declaration of Papal Infallibility
which it formulated. The parishioners of Campsie gathered to
hear Bishop Strain preach on the subject.
The changes began during the time of Father John Honorius Magini
(1866-1889) at Lennoxtown. As mentioned earlier, one of his
first acts was to obtain the Archbishop's permission to re-name
the church "St Machan's". He then began his programme
of alterations. The original Sanctuary had comprised a High
Altar with the tabernacle as the central feature. He closed
up the windows over the altar and placed a statue of St Machan
in their place. Afterwards he put up statues of Our Lord and
Our Lady of Lourdes, the latter in gratitude for his recovery
from a severe illness after drinking some of the water from
Lourdes. It was he who constructed the present ornamental wood
ceiling (probably lower than the original one) and painted the
interior from his own drawn-out designs.
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Plaque commerorating
Rev. John Gillon,
St. Machan's Church |
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Memorial to
Rev. John Honorius Magini,
in St. Machan's. |
A gallery which had been incorporated in the original layout
was removed. Other changes instigated by Father Magini included
the building of a porch, erecting the Calvary at the back of
the church, also the Stations of the Cross, and the opening
up of new window provision in the Sanctuary. This may have comprised
the two stained glass windows on the right-hand side, hidden
from view. One of these depicts St Joseph and the other St Francis
Xavier. There are two other stained glass windows in the Sanctuary
- one on the left-hand side depicting St Andrew, Patron of Scotland,
and one on the right-hand side depicting St Patrick of Ireland.
According to Father Magini's notes:
"the cost of this renovation and improvements amounted
to nearly £1000 towards which the congregation contributed
about £70".
He died on 1st February 1889, and in compliance with his own
request was buried in the Lady Chapel.
Father Magini was succeeded by Monsignor Francis McKerrell (1889-1898),
who according to his obituary made "certain expensive additions
to the church". In order to strengthen the walls buttresses
were erected all round the building, those in the corners being
double and terminating in handsome and prominent turrets. An
outside porch was also added, and an inside porch was converted
into an organ & choir gallery. Re-opening services took
place in October 1894. Admission to the morning service, to
hear Bishop John Maguire of Glasgow preach the inaugural sermon,
was by ticket only. According to the Kirkintilloch Herald of
17th October 1894 "The attendances were large and the collections
liberal. Several gentlemen in the neighbourhood also sent liberal
donations towards the expenses of the alterations".
.JPG) Canon
Turner (pictured
on the right) arrived as parish priest in 1903. During the period
1916-1924, when Father David Robertson was Parish Priest, cleaning,
renovation and painting work was carried out by Messrs J.Clark
& Sons of Dublin, at an estimated cost of £583 10s,
raised by the congregation.
Although Canon Michael Whelahan came to St Machan's in 1936,
he had to wait until after the War before continuing the alterations.
The Centenary of the founding of the Mission was marked in 1946,
when Canon Whelahan celebrated Solemn High Mass with Father
Patrick Doyle of St Joseph's, Milngavie, Father John R.Tennant
of St Ninian's, Kirkintilloch, and Father Michael Downey of
St Patrick's, Kilsyth. The childrens' choir under Father Peter
Donati, Senior Curate at St Machan's, took up the refrain of
"0 Sanctissima" in response to the singing of Father
Sydney McEwan, of St Andrew's Cathedral, Glasgow. A Solemn Benediction
service was conducted in the evening. Throughout 1946 the parishioners
of St Machan's had been contributing towards funds for the erection
of a new altar. By the time of the Centenary over £1,300
had been raised. Further alterations followed, in preparation
for the Consecration of the Church, which was scheduled for
the feast of St Machan, in September 1949. The statue of St
Machan was removed from above the High Altar and placed at the
back of the Church. The ornate Sanctuary was altered to a much
simpler form. The pulpit was renewed and altar rails containing
plaques of the Four Evangelists were installed (these were later
incorporated in a new lectern, designed by Monsignor James Brennan,
in 1984). The Consecration was intended to be a most significant
occasion in the life of
the parish, so further preparations were made, including redecoration,
and the attaching of special candlesticks to the wall of the
Church, at the points where anointing took place. The men, women
and children of the parish gifted the monstrance, the chalice
and the ciborium, at a cost of £27, £17 and £13
respectively. Although the War had finished, shortages were
still evident, so a request was made for clothing coupons to
renew vestments. The Centenary Fund Committee gathered monies
from each household to pay for the renovations (a pre-requisite
for Consecration, at the time, being that the Church was free
of debt). Unfortunately, Canon Whelahan died on 11th September
1949, at Lourdes, only two weeks before the Consecration Ceremony
was due to take place. The Consecration was accordingly postponed,
and in fact was not carried out until 1986, thirty-seven years
later.
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Interior of St. Machan's Church. as laid out in Father
Magini's time.
The figure of St. Macham is a central feature, with stained
glass windows on either side, depicting St. Andrew and
St. Patrick. |
 Father
William (later Canon) Maccabe (1949-1979) replaced Canon Whelahan.
A native of West Calder, he was educated at Blairs College and
the Scots College, Rome, where he was ordained in 1922. After
serving in many different parishes in the Archdiocese of St
Andrews & Edinburgh he came to St Machan's in 1949. The
following year he was appointed a Canon of the Metropolitan
Chapter of St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh, by Archbishop Andrew
Joseph McDonald. During his three decades in Lennoxtown further
changes were made. In February 1959 the Church was tastefully
decorated. Following the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s
he arranged for the altar to be moved forward, allowing the
priest to face the people. In 1971, with the introduction of
the New Liturgy, it was decided to make this altar (then only
temporary) more permanent. The back was taken down, a plinth
put in its place and the tabernacle placed there. The floor
was raised, a new lighting system installed and the altar furniture
replaced; work was completed in October 1971. One task which
Canon Maccabe loved deeply was to visit people in their homes.
He also paid regular visits to the younger members of the congregation,
at St Machan's Primary School, and to the patients at Lennox
Castle Hospital. A devout priest who loved to celebrate Holy
Mass and say his breviary and prayers, he was considered by
some to be old-fashioned and out-of-date. But as Archbishop
Keith O'Brien pointed out at his Requiem Mass "the Canon
was only old fashioned and out of date if it is old fashioned
and out of date to pray, to visit one's people, to try to be
a good priest". It was love of the exercise of his parish
ministry that kept him working; it was love of the people of
his parish and his desire to serve them. Thanks to the unfailing
help of Father Daniel Boyd and later Father William Forrester,
he was able to continue his work at Campsie into old age. He
died in February 1979, at Leith.
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Baptismal font at St. Machan's Church, Lennoxtown, 1995.
This font was formerly located at the old St. Machan's
Church, Campsie Glen, later at Campsie High Church. |
Canon Maccabe's successor as Parish Priest was Father John
McAllister, who was born in Leith and educated at Blairs College
and St Sulpice, Paris. He was ordained at Edinburgh in 1955.
Following appointments in Falkirk and Edinburgh and a period
in the missions of Nigeria, he came to Lennoxtown in 1979. During
1984 a most ambitious and comprehensive programme of renovations
was carried out, under Father McAllister's guidance. The work
was so extensive that the building was out of use for several
months. Masses and other services—funerals, First Communions,
Confirmations and weddings—were conducted in the church
hall at this time. The work was completed by late 1984, in time
for the official re-opening and blessing ceremony, conducted
by His Eminence Cardinal Gordon Joseph Gray, on 2nd December
1984. Much of the work centred around the Sanctuary. The terrazzo
paving was removed and the floor raised. The canopy over the
altar and the alabaster in the Sanctuary were removed. The plinth
and tabernacle were transferred to the Lady Altar and incorporated
into new woodwork panels. The only decoration left was a large
crucifix, with the two stained glass windows on either side.
The wood panels were placed all round the church, including
the Sanctuary. The Lady Altar was moved further down the right-hand
side, along from the memorial to Father Magini. The seating
was arranged in four sections (with the back seating raised)
divided by a central aisle and transverse passage, forming a
cross shape. The organ is located between the front and back
seating. A glass panelled entrance porch provides protection
from the main doors. Within it is a marble plaque dedicated
to Rev. John Gillon (1845-1866), the first resident Parish Priest.
The baptismal font, which has a stone base and wooden cover,
is now in the centre of the church. It came from the original
St Machan's Church at the Clachan of Campsie, and is of mediaeval
date. The font was located at Campsie High Church, while that
church was in use for worship, but following negotiations between
Father McAllister and the Church of Scotland it was gifted to
St Machan's at the time of the 1984 refurbishment. St Machan's
was solemnly dedicated by Archbishop Keith Patrick O'Brien,
on 27th September 1986.
Father McAllister moved to St Ninian's, Edinburgh, in 1987 and
was succeeded by Father Thomas Power, who had been educated
at St Modan's High School, Stirling, and the Dental College
in Glasgow. After National Service in the Army he attended Osterley
and St Edmund's College in Westminster, being ordained in 1956.
He gained considerable experience in Edinburgh parishes over
the years, working with students, youth clubs, hospitals and
religious orders. He also worked as Chaplain to the Young Offenders
Section of Saughton Prison and had involvement with the Catholic
Marriage Advisory Centre, as well as fulfilling the role of
Private Secretary to Archbishop Gray. A gentle giant (he was
six foot four inches tall), he loved Lennoxtown—the parish,
the church, the parishioners, the school, its teachers and its
children. The whole community was deeply saddened by his passing
in April 1994. The present Parish Priest, Father William Conway,
is a native of Carfin. He was educated at Our Lady's High School,
Motherwell, St Illtyd's College, Cardiff, St Mary's, Aberystwyth,
and Drygrange, being ordained in 1968. Following appointments
in various parts of the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh
and a period as Professor at Drygrange, he came to Lennoxtown
in 1994. At the time of writing St Machan's looks forward to
commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the opening of the
Church, with a principal celebration on the Feast of St Machan,
28th September 1996. |
