30 November 2015

Our Lady of Haddington - St Andrew's Day

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As Saint Andrew's Day draws to a close, I am mindful of Our Lady of Haddington.

Our Lady of Haddington, Mother of God, Mother of Scotland, and our own Mother, pray for us to thy little Child Jesus that He in His great love for us may forgive us and save us and that we may be ready for that great Day of His appearing when He cometh to judge the quick and the dead. Amen.


Altar of the Blessed Virgin and the Three Kings, 
Lauderdale Aisle of Collegiate Church of St. Mary the Virgin, 
Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland

Due to the inspiration of Fr. Alfred Hope Patten and the dedication of Patrick Maitland, the 17th Earl of Lauderdale, the Shrine of Our Lady was rebuilt by the Earl of Lauderdale in its present location and reconsecrated in 1978 in the presence of dignitaries from the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Church of Scotland, the Catholic Church, and the Orthodox Church. 

The Honourable Patrick Maitland, Master of Lauderdale —a past Guardian of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, Norfolk— entered into the nearer presence of the Lord on 2 December 2008.  May he rest in peace and rise in glory.


Note of Interest:  At what was the Catholic Church of St. Mary, Haddington, a certain man was ordained priest.  His name was John Knox, and he would go on to destroy the Catholic Church in Scotland in the name of his religious revolution. 


Saint Andrew Christmas Novena

Hail and blessèd be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.