The body of the late FR GRAHAM TURNER, FR ANDREW McKENZIE and Scots College ordained on Easter Monday, is brought seminarian NI CK WELSH offer insight and to St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh before inspiration ahead of the World Day of being laid to rest. Pag e 2 Prayer for Vocations. Pa ges 10-11 No 5464 www.sconews.co.uk Friday April 27 2012 | £1 Vandals target ‘On fire with indignation’ Carfin Grotto’s I Cardinal O’Brien urges Catholics not to be intimidated by persecution Glass Chapel By Ian Dunn By Martin Dunlop THE president of the Bishops’ Conference of THE Glass Chapel at Carfin Grotto in Scotland has called on Catholics to become Motherwell Diocese was the subject of ‘obsessed’ with defending their Christian val- a shocking act of vandalism last week. ues in a time of increasing ‘persecution,’ such Police are currently investigating the as the backlash over the Church’s defence of incident that took place last Thursday marriage. during which the chapel was broken into Speaking to the Knights of St Columba annual and damaged. business meeting in Clydebank on Saturday, Car- The Glass Chapel (below) and St Francis dinal Keith O’Brien praised the members of the Xavier’s Church, are located at Carfin lay Catholic group as fine examples of ‘what being Grotto, Scotland’s national shrine to Our a Christian is all about.’ Lady of Lourdes. He specifically cited their planned weekend of Sources from within the St Francis witness ‘in defence of Christian values’ that will Xavier’s parish community said that, take place at parishes across Scotland and the rest during the break-in, the Sacred host had been of the UK, beginning today. scattered across the floor of the Glass Chapel. The chapel (Our Lady, Maid of the Under attack Sea) is dedicated to those who lost their Cardinal O’Brien said that bold action was vital at lives in the Lockerbie disaster in 1988 and a time when Church leaders and other Christians Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is held were facing ‘verbal attacks and other attacks’ for there every morning. their position on issues that challenge Christian A spokesman for Motherwell Diocese values, such as same-sex ‘marriage.’ said: “The diocese is working closely with “The other side are being far more intolerant the police who are investigating the inci- than we are,” he warned. “We cannot speak out dent. We would appeal to anyone with any about what has been happening in the world since information to contact the police and assist time began, that a man gets married and lives with them in their inquiries.” one woman and raises a family.” Peter Kearney, spokesman for the The cardinal said that, while he still ‘wondered’ Catholic Church, said that the attack high- whether the consultations by the Scottish and UK lighted a ‘most persistent’ prejudice of governments on the issues were truly genuine, all Cardinal Keith O’Brien has called on Catholics to be sex ‘marriage’ and this week a group of Glasgow ‘anti-Catholic hate crime.’ he and other Catholics had done was ‘state what consistently strong in defending our Christian values Imams urged Muslims not to vote for any candi- “We are aware, for very understandable the teaching of the Catholic Church is about: mar- amid persecution PIC: PAUL McSHERRY date in next week’s council elections who reasons, that historically Catholics in Scot- riage and the fact that we cannot really ever change endorsed any redefinition of marriage. land have felt the need to keep their heads the meaning of ‘marriage’ to mean something else.’ tution of an ox and the hide of a rhinoceros.’ “This is a serious question that deserves very down, and often decide not to highlight The cardinal also highlighted that the defence Broad shoulders, the cardinal suggested, are serious consideration by the Scottish Govern- anti-Catholic hate crime in the hope that of marriage is just one of the many issues that something all Christians should try and develop. ment,” the Council of Glasgow Imans said in a things will get better and the bigotry will go Catholics have to give their full attention to. “You have to be thick-skinned,” he said. “And statement sent to mosques all over Scotland. away,” Mr Kearney said. “I am not obsessed about same-sex ‘marriage;’ I have to say to you that if you are aware that you “Accordingly, we urge the Deputy First Minister I Continued on page 2 I am on fire with indignation, as I am about are teaching the truth and are prepared to stand up Nicola Sturgeon to look very seriously at this fun- poverty in our own country,” he said. “I hear about and be counted and put your head above the para- damentally important issue and to reconsider the I St Anne’s Church, Thurso, vandalised for bankers’ bonuses and all these sorts of things seem pet, often there will be attempts to chop it off.” full implications of what she is proposing. We third time, page 5 to have crept back again, somehow or other, after However, he also said that despite these attacks, wish to inform both her and First Minister Alex all the furore just a short time ago about them. Christians would find allies in unexpected places. Salmond that we are deeply unhappy and vigor- “I am obsessed about poverty; I am obsessed The cardinal said he had been ‘most impressed’ ously opposed to the proposed legislation for about sectarianism and so on and so forth. We with the way the Glasgow Knights of St Columba’s same-sex ‘marriage.’ There is no scope for com- have got to be, as Christians, obsessed about these recent campaign against same-sex ‘marriage’ had promise on this issue and we simply say this: No things and we have got to work together on them been backed by local Muslims. to same-sex ‘marriage.’” to try to do something about them.” “It was good in giving many other people a feel- ing of strength and solidarity when you are fea- I [email protected] Allies on difficult path tured with the Muslim community who feel Defending these Christian values would not be easy, exactly the same way as ourselves about the same- I Additional reporting, Tom Knight the cardinal warned, adding that he often recalled sex ‘marriages,’” the cardinal said. the words of the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury The Scottish Muslim community has been I More on the Knights of St Columba meeting, that ‘to be a bishop you have got to have the consti- increasingly vocal about its opposition to same- page 2 CATHOLIC MIDWIVES SCHOENSTATT SCOTLAND TAKES appeal against centre hosts lead in HCPT ruling that forces special Pilgrim Lourdes events in them to supervise Mother rally, region’s 40th abortion staff schools take part anniversary year CONSCIENCE SCHOENSTATT SCHOENSTATT Page 3 Page 5 Page 7 PILGRIMAGE HCPT visit www.sconews.co.uk SCO, 19 Waterloo Street, Glasgow G2 6BT I tel 0141 221 4956 I fax 0141 221 4546 I e-mail [email protected] 2 PICTURE NEWS SUPPORT YOUR NATIONAL CATHOLIC NEWSPAPER SCOTTISH CATHOLIC OBSERVER Friday April 27 2012 Tributes paid to Fr Turner at funeral Mass in Edinburgh Cardinal Keith O’Brien remembers the life of the late priest who sadly passed away just one week after his ordination to the priesthood By Martin Dunlop THE Mass for the StAndrews and Edinburgh priest who died a week after being ordained on Easter Monday was celebrated at Edin- burgh’s St Mary’s Cathedral on Tuesday. A funeral Mass for Fr Graham Turner, 48, who died on Monday April 16, was celebrated at his home parish of St Brendan’s, Bolton, on Monday, before his body was brought to Edin- burgh ahead of its burial at the priests’ circle in Mount Vernon. Speaking in his homily at Tuesday’s Mass, Car- dinal Keith O’Brien—who ordained Fr Turner as Scotland’s newest priest at the chapel of Salford Royal Hospital—welcomed the late priest’s par- ents, George and Marie, his brother and sister, Ian and Sue, as well as priests from Salford Diocese. Chaplains and members of staff from Salford Royal Hospital, including Catholic chaplain, Fr Frank Waterworth, Mgr Rod Strange, rector of the Pontifical Beda College in Rome, where Fr Turner studied, representatives of the student body and representatives from the Scots College in Rome also joined clergy, religious and lay Faithful from St Andrews and Edinburgh Arch- diocese at the Mass. The cardinal said that ‘Graham longed to be cle of his loving parents Marie and George and The funeral Mass for the late Fr Graham Turner (inset) Ordination ordained a priest,’ adding that Fr Turner’s ordi- his brother and sister Ian and Sue,” he said. was principally celebrated by Cardinal Keith O’Brien and was attended by 50 archdiocesan priests, vicar Cardinal O’Brien told mourners that Fr Turner had nation on Easter Monday was ‘an unforgettable “When applying for the priesthood and asked general Fr Alistair Lawson, rector Mgr Rod Strange, been ordained into the diaconate in 2010 and that, experience for all concerned—none more than what he saw as the purpose of his life Graham deacons and students from Beda College in Rome and one year later, he was prepared for ordination to Fr Graham himself.’ replied: ‘What is the purpose of my life—a difficult parish priests from Fr Turner’s home town of Bolton, the priesthood on Wednesday June 29 2011. “Although his health was obviously failing he question to answer—but I’d say it is to love and Fr Frank Waterworth and Fr Michael Cooke (main) “However that ordination did not take place was fully alert during his Mass of Ordination and serve God—and to bear witness to Him to those PICS: PAUL McSHERRY because of the fact that Graham was diagnosed enjoyed the greetings of family and friends at the around me by the way I live.