History

The dream of an Edinburgh Tridentine Rite congregation started, not in Edinburgh or even Scotland, but in the capital city of our oldest friend and ally.

It was the 15th February 1975 and a Scots rugby fan was in Paris to watch Scotland play France In his pocket he had an article from a Catholic newspaper by Fr Bruckberger, a French Dominican, attacking the unsuccessful efforts of Cardinal Marti of Paris to suppress the Tridentine Latin Mass. Apparently a certain Monsignor Decund-Bourget was hiring a hall every Sunday and celebrating the Tridentine Mass before "packed houses", much to the annoyance of Cardinal Marti and to the approval of Fr Bruckberger.

Now this was electrifying news to the sad and confused Scot who, at that time, thought he was the only Catholic in the world whose faith was being corroded by the changes in the very Church he loved and trusted. On the morning of the match the knowledge that the Tridentine Mass was still being celebrated near at hand proved so compulsive that he dragged two uncomprehending companions right across Paris just to gaze at the place where the Mass of Ages was celebrated every Sunday - the Salle Wagram in the Rue de Wagram. But this was Saturday. There would be no Mass till the next day and he would be gone by then. Nevertheless, as he stood and gazed in wonderment and joy at the rather sleezy looking hall the notion of returning the Tridentine Mass to Scotland was born, right there.

It was a ridiculous idea, of course. At that time he wasn't even aware of the existence of Archbishop Lefebvre or his Swiss seminary at Econe nor that Tridentine Mass Centres already existed south of the border in England. It seemed that if he wished to attend the Mass regularly he would have to immigrate to France. Then, as if on cue, he saw a news item about a priest in Norfolk saying the Tridentine Mass in the face of hostility and difficulties. Was this some old crank or could he be a lifeline from the spiritual bedlam of Vatican II? To his amazement and joy, he discovered that his wife shared his feelings and hopes so they set off for Downham Market and a week of daily Mass. That week supplied the complete and irrefutable answer to their problems. They drove back to Scotland, happy, but knowing that their lives would never be the same. Emigration to France or England would not now be necessary because, somehow, the Mass was coming back to Scotland. Just how or when, they knew not, but they were certain it would happen, but how?

Then came the exhilarating discovery that they were not alone. There was a bishop! And a seminary! And a network of Mass centres already in existence throughout Europe, including England, operated by a Society of traditional priests, the Society of St Pius X. This was heady stuff, but reality had to be faced. The priests were bases 400 miles away but it was discovered that a single independent priest, working with the Society, ventured as far north as Newcastle. Also, there existed in Edinburgh a small private centre run by Una Voce. This was one of the pockets of resistance that had sprung up after the Latin Mass was suppressed. The local bishop was aware of the existence of this group in Edinburgh but turned a blind eye to it so long as there was no publicity or advertising of its existence. If there was no traditional bishop or seminary these little Mass centres would die out through lack of priests. This point arose among the Edinburgh group and the decision was made to put themselves under the care of the Society of St. Pius X in the hope that it could supply, not only the present needs but those of the future.

Some in the small congregation wanted the Mass kept a private affair while others believed that this great treasure should be made available to all who wished to attend. There was also the fear that as the Mass was celebrated by an elderly retired priest should he die then the Mass would die with him. In March 1977 a division took place with the two factions going their own way.

The group who had opted to place themselves under the SSPX were now faced with a problem. How to attract a priest 400 miles without a congregation, and how to attract a congregation without a priest. After several raids over the border to some of the SSPX Mass centres in the North of England, Fr Creswell, who was working with the Society at the time, agreed to come to Scotland to say Mass. On April 20th 1977 a Sung Mass was celebrated in Glasgow's McLellan Galleries. This could be said to be the first involvement of the Society in Scotland even though Fr Cresswell was not a member of the Society.

A month later a small delegation from Glasgow and Edinburgh Presented themselves at Highclere in Berkshire, the then HQ of the Society in Britain, to plead that a priest might be sent to them. They were received very kindly and given cause for hope. As a result of the visit to Highclere, Fr Peter Morgan, the then Superior of the SSPX in Britain, came north and said Mass in the Assembly Rooms Edinburgh on the 14th June 1977 and in Glasgow the next day. Shortly after this, Mass began being celebrated regularly in Edinburgh.

By 1986 Mass was being celebrated every Sunday in a number of different locations throughout the city. The Carlton Hotel, the Churchill Theatre, the Assembly Rooms, the English Speaking Union, the Y.W.C.A. and latterly the Edinburgh Society of Musicians. Every Sunday in these rented accommodation the halls had be to transformed in to suitable venue for the celebration of Mass. This required carrying back and forward everything needed for the Altar, cloths, Altar stone, cards, missal, candlesticks and crucifix, as well as the vestments. Every week the Altar would be set up for Mass and then dismantled again afterwards. As the congregation grew the search began for a permanent place of worship. Many disused churches and halls were looked at but either proved to be unsuitable or too expensive.

Then one Monday in 1992 a member of the congregation who ran a shop in the city was serving a regular customer when she asked if his congregation had found a church yet, she also mentioned that at her church the day before it was announced that the building was to close. "What church was this?" the lady was asked, "the United Reformed church over in the South Side." She replied. "Did she know what was going to happen to the building?" "No", but she gave the homeless but excited Catholic the name and address of one of the church elders.

That afternoon he sat down and wrote to the gentleman asking about the church and popped out to post the letter. The very next evening, Tuesday, he received a phone call from the elder who asked about his congregation. When asked if there would be any objections to selling to Catholics he replied "Oh of course not." The next day, Wednesday, the hopeful traditionalist was being shown round the property. Later that evening the then Superior, Fr Black was phoned to ask if he was interested. He was, and said that he would be celebrating Mass for the Edinburgh congregation on Sunday, June 14th - Trinity Sunday - which just happened to be the very day that the United Reformed congregation would hold their last service.

After Mass on Trinity Sunday, Fr Black and some members of the congregation set off to view the building where the Elders of the church were waiting to welcome us. They were kindness itself to us on what must have been a very sad day for them. The property was very suitable for our needs and the fact that it was less than a mile from Princes Street was ideal. The problem would be one of finance. The British District of the SSPX had recently purchased churches in England and the funds were down to £60,000. When we informed the Elders of this they said that was all they were asking. It was mentioned to them that if the building was put on the market it would go for a lot more but to their great credit these good people were adamant that the building should remain as a place of worship. They explained that the United Reformed Church headquarters in London had reminded them that the Charity Commissioners insist that U.R.C. property must be sold to the highest bidder regardless of what the property may end up being used for, but they in turn had pointed out to H.Q. that as the Charity Commission was an English organisation with no authority in Scotland they had no right to tell them how much they could sell their church for. With a handshake the keys were handed over there and then and at long last the Tridentine Mass would have a permanent home in the Capital.

Work started to convert the building into a Catholic church. Dry rot was discovered in the gallery area and had to be dealt with and while the work was taking place in the church the hall was set up as a temporary chapel. It was here on the feast of St Andrew, November 30th 1992 that the first Mass was celebrated in the new premises. For the next few Sundays the congregation gathered here until on Christmas Eve we moved into the church and the first Mass was celebrated at Midnight in our new home.

In the days preceding that great day there was a flurry of activity as the church was prepared. The previous congregation had been advised to put a false ceiling over the balcony in an attempt to conserve heat. All this had done was to stop heat circulating throughout the building and this had probably been one of the causes of the dry rot so it was decided to remove it. Then a temporary Altar was erected complete with tabernacle, crucifix and candlesticks. Temporary side altars for the Sacred Heart and Our Lady were next then statues were placed on the window sills and Stations of the Cross hung on the walls. The benches were spaced out to make kneeling more comfortable and kneelers put in place. The finishing touch was the placing on the altar of the cherished war memorial vases which had been commissioned by the Church of Scotland congregation who had built the church. They had left them in the care of the Churches of Christ when they took over the building and they had now passed into our keeping. Christmas Midnight Mass is always a joyous occasion but this one was even more so and many a tear of joy was shed that holy night.

On May 31st the following year, 1993, Bishop Fellay of the SSPX came to bless the church and dedicate it to St Margaret and St Leonard. A High Mass was celebrated and afterwards a buffet lunch was enjoyed by all in the hall.

In the years to follow more work was done to enhance the building. A permanent altar was brought from a church that was being modernised and a reredos erected above it. Side altars were built and a confessional installed. The kneelers, previously covered in carpet, were upholstered with foam and vinyl. Many who visit the church have commented on the prayerful atmosphere that exists there.

A library containing a great assortment of religious books was opened and the repository has grown from a table into a small shop selling books and religious items.

The congregation has continued to grow and flourish with many travelling long distances to attend. It ranges in age from a few weeks old to 103 and has become a real community with the feel of a small parish where families of three and four generations worship together. As the number of children continues to increase there are plans to create a cry room at the rear of the church.

We have much to be thankful for and face the future with optimism and hope. As more Catholics rediscover the beauty and dignity of the Tridentine Mass and seek it out, St Margaret's and St Leonard's stands waiting to offer them a spiritual home.