CRUCIS Magazine of St
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CRUCIS Magazine of St. Salvador’s Scottish Episcopal Church Dundee May 2016 “Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.” Galatians 6:14 In the Beginning… what challenges were left? Monastic life was the response by the Spirit in the I recently received a nice postcard from one Church. of our members visiting Pluscarden Abbey near Forres. It got me thinking about the There is something austere at the core of calling of some Christians to the Religious Christianity. It is the call to respond to Our Life. Lord’s invitation to leave everything be- hind, take up the cross, and follow Him. He- We seldom think about monks and nuns, do roic holiness is an authentic part of the we? Monasteries and convents are often in Christian vocation. The Religious Life is a “out of the way” places. And what goes on reminder to us of this. in them is largely unknown and often mys- terious to most people. We may be attracted As with all ministries in the Church, certain to the perceived tranquillity of the life, but callings exist for the good of all. They em- rebel at the thought of its discipline. We phasise to an intense degree something may fear boredom. The Religious Life may about the life in Christ that all of us share to fascinate and yet at the same time repel us. a lesser extent. All of us are Priests, but Hardly anyone we know may have actually some are called to the Sacred Ministry to tested their vocation to it, or know anything exemplify that aspect of Christian living. much about it. Others are particularly given to good works, which is something all of us do in our own Monasticism originated in the Egyptian de- little ways. Still others are evangelists, sert in the fourth century. This was the point preachers, and teachers, but all of us are in history when persecution of the Church committed by our common Christian disci- in the Empire had come to an end. Christi- pleship to speak up for our faith as opportu- anity was moving from being merely toler- nity allows. Certain vocations provide a fo- ated to being favoured. Under the patronage cus and a reminder to all of us of the full of the wealthy and powerful, churches were spectrum of Christian living. being built everywhere. Once a religion only for the marginalised, Christianity was The feast of Pentecost that we shall cele- becoming fashionable, and large numbers of brate this month marks the overflowing of converts were being baptised. spiritual gifts for mission and ministry. May all of us find our particular calling and fol- Christian veterans of the years of persecu- low it, for the good of us all. tion looked on in wonder. Not a few felt a certain disquiet. They feared that standards With every blessing, and commitment were being lowered. Christians could now live a comfortable Fr. Clive life. Christian Faith was meant to be tested: BATTLE OF JUTLAND CENTENARY tle Squadron of the British Grand Fleet. Uniquely, HMS Malaya flew the red- At the end of April I was invited back to white-black-yellow ensign of the Feder- Invergordon (where I served as Rector ated Malay States. At the Battle of Jut- of St. Ninian’s from 1990 to 2000) to at- land she was hit eight times and took tend their commemoration of the cen- major damage and heavy crew casual- tenary of the Battle of Jutland on 31 ties. A total of 65 of her complement May 1916. The little Episcopal congre- died, in the battle or later of their inju- gation there began its life during the ries. Several were buried in the Ross- Great War as a naval chapel when In- keen churchyard, near Invergordon. vergordon was a significant Royal Navy base and dockyard. Many of the ships At the end of May 1916, the British that fought in the battle left from the Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Cromarty Firth, and quite a few re- Fleet were attempting to set a trap for turned to Invergordon afterwards – in- one another that would lead to a deci- cluding the ship on which my grandfa- sive encounter. The British wanted to ther served. eliminate the threat presented by Ger- man sea power in the North Sea and the Some years previously, my daughter Germans wanted to break the British Lucy had shared with her primary blockade of German ports that was hav- school class at Invergordon my grand- ing such a bad effect on the German father’s written account of the battle home front. As it happened, neither from his perspective in the engine room trap worked, and both fleets blundered on the battleship HMS Malaya. Excerpts into one another off the Danish coast on from “Grampop’s” memoir, compiled the afternoon of 31 May. by Lucy for a class project on local his- tory, were a feature of the displays at the commemoration event I attended. HMS Malaya was built and launched in March 1915. She was named in honour of the Federated Malay States in British Malaya, whose government paid for her construction. The Malaya served in Rear -Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas's 5th Bat- 2 man forces, and nightfall at about 8:30 PM, the two fleets – totalling 250 ships between them – directly engaged twice. Fourteen British and eleven German ships were sunk, with heavy losses on both sides. Throughout the night, Jelli- coe maneuvered to cut the Germans off from their base, hoping to continue the battle the next morning, but under the cover of darkness the German fleet re- turned to port. Both sides claimed victory. The British lost more ships and twice as many sail- ors, but the German plan of breaking the blockade failed. For the remainder A running battle ensued, and it soon of the war, the German fleet remained became apparent that German gunnery, bottled up in their ports. The German ship design and equipment outclassed Navy instead turned its efforts and re- the British. German Admiral Hipper sources to the destruction of Allied and successfully drew the British vanguard neutral shipping using submarines. By under Admiral Beatty into the path of April 1917 the outrage this policy gen- the whole High Seas Fleet. By the time erated in the USA triggered the Ameri- Beatty sighted the larger force and can declaration of war on Germany. turned back towards the British main fleet, his ships took heavy losses. The After the battle, the Malaya limped in to battleships, commanded by Rear- Scapa Flow, and then on to Invergor- Admiral Sir Hugh Evan-Thomas, were don. My grandfather having been re- the last to turn. The enemy gunners ported missing after the battle, the fam- having the range, my grandfather’s ily back home in “Pompey” was re- squadron took the heaviest of the Ger- lieved to hear that he had survived, man fire. As the last to make the turn, when a relative drafted from the Ports- the Malaya was the worst damaged, hit mouth dockyard to Invergordon ran below the waterline twice and on fire. into “Grampop” on the town’s High Nevertheless, the battleships managed Street! to form a rearguard as Beatty withdrew, now drawing the German fleet in pur- suit towards the main British fleet, un- der Admiral Jellicoe. Between 6:30 PM, when the sun was lowering on the western horizon, back-lighting the Ger- 3 Caithness, and there was a reception at the Royal British Legion afterwards. It was a real pleasure to return to St. Ninian’s for this special event, and I was proud of my former parishioners who worked so hard to make it a suc- cess. In St. Ninian’s Church itself there are memorials to the brave little destroyer It was also good to catch up with my HMS Shark (above), sunk in the battle old friends at St. Ninian’s, but espe- with heavy loss of life. In other places in cially to honour the memory of my the town, there are still a few other re- grandfather’s service, and the sacrifice minders of the Royal Navy and Jutland his shipmates made whose last resting- place is the little Highland port where With the modern-day destroyer HMS “Grampop’s” great-grandchildren grew Sutherland visible through the windows up. of the church, the afternoon of the event began with a presentation by an ama- Fr. Clive teur historian of the battle. After that, we went to the local cemetery to honour those from the battle who died from their wounds upon their return and who were buried locally. I had the hon- our of placing a floral tribute on the grave of one of my grandfather’s ship- mates from the Malaya. The fallen were commemorated by an honour guard from the Sutherland , two minutes si- lence, and a piper’s lament. Next was scheduled a parade of sailors and marines from the ship, as well as local Cadet, Scout, and Guide groups, from the old dockyard entrance to In- vergordon’s war memorial. There as- sembled, the fallen were again remem- bered. Finally, there was a short service of prayers and hymns back at the church, My grandparents Alma and Charlie Clap- led by the Bishop of Moray, Ross and son on their wedding day: 24 April, 1918 4 A Sermon Preached by the Rector On the Fifth Sunday of Easter, 24 April, 2016 “God has given even to Gentiles the repen- Christians worshipped, ministered, and suf- tance that leads to life.” Acts 11: 18b fered uneasily side by side.