Saints celebrated on the 9th of July
O glorious Virgin, Mother of God, blessed among all nations, worthy of praise and the greatest of praise, intercede for me with thy beloved Son. O honoured Lady, Mother of the King of Angels and Archangels, assist and deliver me from every difficulty and danger.
O Blossom of the Patriarchs, the Virgins and the Angels, Hope of Glory, Beauty of Virgins, Admiration of the Angels and Archangels, remember me, and forsake me not, I beseech thee, at the terrible hour of my death. O Star of the Sea, Gate of Heaven, Temple of God, Palace of Jesus Christ, Harbour of Safety, Power of all Nations, Pearl of all Sweetness, Hope of the Faithful; O Queen who shelters the guilty, who surpasses in radiance the Virgins and the Angels, thy presence gives joy to all the hosts of Heaven.
Therefore, O Mother of Mercy, I place in the protection of thy holy hands my going out, my coming in, my sleeping, my waking, the sight of my eyes, the touch of my hands, the speech from my lips, the hearing of my ears, so that in everything I may be pleasing to thine own beloved Son. Amen.
THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF ABERDEEN IN SCOTLAND
Since the Restoration of the Scottish Hierarchy in 1878, devotion to Our Blessed Lady in Aberdeen, throughout the diocese, and further afield, has focused on copies of an ancient statue which was saved from destruction in Aberdeen during the Reformation and hidden in several different countries. Copies now stand in St Mary’s Cathedral and St Peter’s Church in Aberdeen – the original can be seen at Notre Dame de Finistere in Brussels.
PRAYER:
Grant we pray, almighty God,
that this your Holy Church in Scotland,
gathered in your name to honour
Our Lady of Aberdeen,
may shine forth with that fire of faith and charity
which the Spirit dwelling in her set ablaze.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity
of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
THE MOVING STORY OF THE STATUE OF OUR LADY OF ABERDEEN
The story of this small wooden statue is a fascinating tale of survival. The statue was made from oak in Aberdeen [Scotland] sometime in the early 1500s, and was placed in St Machar’s Cathedral in Aberdeen, where it was known as Our Lady of Pity. It is four feet three inches high and was probably overshadowed by three other statues of Our Lady in the cathedral at the time, one of silver and two of gold. The statue still reigns today in a church in central Brussels [Belgium], where it is known as Notre Dame du Bon Succes.
NOTRE DAME DU BON SUCCES
There are countless thousands of statues dedicated to Our Lady, but few with such humanity and charm as Our Lady of Aberdeen.
Mary is holding the baby Jesus up on her right arm, with her elbow slightly bent to provide support for him. In her right hand she carries a sceptre, a symbol of royalty, and a bunch of grapes, a symbol of the future and the enduring covenant in the communion of the blood and wine. Her left hand is holding on to Jesus’ right foot, with true maternal care for the safety of her baby. Just as any baby, feeling a little insecure up his mother’s arm, Jesus is shown to have his left hand firmly gripping on to his mother’s gown, while she has her head turned slightly towards him, keeping an eye on her precious child. Altogether it is a wonderful image of the intimate tenderness, love and care, trust and compassion between a mother and her baby. Jesus has a closed crown on his head, indicating that there is no higher authority, while Mary has an open crown. So we have the imposing authority and power of the crowns, the sceptre and the message of the grape and salvation, with the touching human tableau of a mother and her son, caring and trusting each other.
A WONDERFUL IMAGE OF LOVE, CARE, TRUST AND COMPASSION
Bishop Gavin Dunbar was the Bishop of Aberdeen from 1518 to 1532. Straight away on his appointment, Bishop Dunbar hired Father Alexander Galloway to design a bridge over the river Dee. However, there was the difficulty of exactly where to put the bridge. Bishop Dunbar was a very devout man, he prayed to Our Lady for inspiration. Then he saw, in a vision, the exact location to build the bridge, and that is where it was built, and where it is today.
OUR LADY'S BRIDGE
This inspired him to dedicate the bridge to Our Lady, which is pivotal to the story of the statue.
Eventually, in 1527, the bridge was completed. In honour of Our Lady and her help in identifying the location for the bridge, a chapel was built on the south side of the bridge, the ‘country’ end. With great ceremony, a statue of Our Lady was carried shoulder high from the cathedral of St Machar to the chapel and installed in 1527.
THE STATUE WAS BEING HIDDEN AND TREASURED BY THE FAITHFUL IN THE NORTH EAST OF SCOTLAND
The Reformation came slowly to north east Scotland. It was a turbulent time in our history. On November 12, 1593 a decree was passed that Catholics must either give up their faith or emigrate.
It is against this tumultuous background, that the statue of Our Lady of Aberdeen was being hidden and treasured by the faithful in the North East of Scotland. It was secretly moved from location to location, and brought out at clandestine masses. However, it was becoming increasingly difficult, and the faithful decided that it must be sent abroad for safe keeping.
AFTER 65 TUMULTUOUS YEARS, NOT MUCH OF THE ORIGINAL PROPERTY REMAINED
George, the 5th Earl of Huntly continued to support masses, and priests, and kept the statue hidden. The Gordons knew very well that they had been entrusted with the greater part of the precious property of the cathedral in Aberdeen, with the solemn undertaking to restore it when asked to do so by the Bishop. However, after 65 tumultuous years, not much of the original property remained, in fact, only the wooden statue remained in their care. It was also looking extremely doubtful if the old faith would ever be allowed in Scotland again. It had now been banned and persecuted for three generations. The only way to ensure the survival of the statue was to send it abroad.
THE ONLY WAY TO ENSURE THE SURVIVAL OF THE STATUE WAS TO SEND IT ABROAD
The Gordon family had long standing connections with Spain, which continued into the 20th century. Henrietta was a friend of Archduchess Isabella Clara Eugenia, the daughter of King Philip II of Spain.
Isabella was the Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, which included parts of northern France. She lived in Brussels.
Isabella agreed to accept the statue as a gift and to keep it safe. It was not sold to her. Arrangements were made in the greatest secrecy to send the statue to Isabella Claram
WILLIAM LAING SMUGGLED THE STATUE ABOARD
In Aberdeen, there was an important merchant, called William Laing who liaised with Father Barthelemy de los Rios, an Augustinian Friar who was the chaplain to the Archduchess. They arranged for a Spanish ship to come to Aberdeen harbour. William Laing smuggled the statue aboard, saying only that it came from an important family who adhered to the old faith, and that it was to go to Isabella. The journey down the North Sea was dangerous. Dutch pirates, or privateers, roamed the seas, attacking anything Spanish, including innocent cargo ships.
THE SHIP'S MAST AND SAILS WERE DESTROYED
The North Sea is renowned for being stormy, and during its passage the ship suffered from a short sharp storm that destroyed the mast and sails. While they were drifting and trying to make some repairs, a Dutch pirate ship decided that they were a soft target and attacked. The Spanish guns were still in full working order, and the Dutch were soon seen off.
Dutch ships were blocking the ports of Antwerp and Calais, and the only one still open was Dunkirk.
THE HARBOUR MASTER WAS AMAZED TO SEE THE BATTERED SHIP LIMP INTO PORT
The harbour master was amazed to see the battered ship limp into port in 1625. When they landed, the sailors loudly praised the statue. They said that they had prayed for the deliverance from the storm and the attacking Dutch. Father Barthelemy immediately took the statue to Isabella, who was overjoyed to see it. Isabella sent a message to William Laing to record as much history of the statue as he could find out, and also record the miracles that were attributed to it, and to let her know.
Just at this time, Isabella won a decisive battle against the Dutch United Provinces. She declared that this great victory was due to the arrival of this marvellous statue, and immediately named it “Notre Dame du Bon Succes”.
IN 1695, BRUSSELS CAME UNDER ATTACK BY THE INVADING FRENCH ARMY
Having survived such a turbulence, the statue now settled down to a period of peace in the imposing Augustinian monastery in Brussels, where it was the centre of prayers for many years, until war threatened it once again.
In 1695 Brussels came under attack by the invading French army. The area around the monastery suffered from heavy artillery bombardments, with many buildings destroyed, but the monastery itself was saved.
THE STATUE WAS UNDER THREAT AGAIN
The French once again threatened Belgium in 1792, when they captured Brussels. The French revolutionary troops kicked the Augustinians out of their monastery, and used it as stables and a hospital for their wounded soldiers. The statue was under threat once again, and this time an Englishman, resident in Brussels, called Jean-Baptiste Joseph Morris, took the statue and hid it in his house in Brussels for eight years. In 1805, Napoleon I, Emperor of France, granted permission for the Augustinians to go back to their monastery, and the statue once again was restored to its rightful place of honour.
TWO STAINED GLASS WINDOWS
The Augustinians did not last long there, however, and so on April 7, 1814, the statue was moved once again, this time to a nearby church, Notre Dame du Finistere.
The artist Pluys commemorated the origins of the statue in 1850. He created two stained glass windows which were put up in the church. One shows Aberdeen, and the other the journey to Brussels. So many people came to pray at this statue, that it was decided that a separate chapel would have to be built. This was opened in 1852. A niche was built at the far end, and in this the statue reigns today.
A CONSTANT STREAM OF WORSHIPPERS AND VISITORS
After the First World War, the constant stream of worshippers and visitors to see the statue meant that the church had to remain open at all times.
Today this part of Brussels is a pedestrianised shopping area. In 1989 the church was closed for a complete renovation, opening again in 1996. When the church was reopened, the statue resumed its rightful place in the side chapel.
July 9 is the day in Scotland of the Feast of Our Lady of Aberdeen. The attachment of the faithful of Scotland to this one remaining relic of the church from before the Reformation is still very strong. Maybe one day…..
From The Crusader Magazine, July 2012, paper edition
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