A Scottish Silver Jubilee

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 18, 30 April 1903, Page 1

A Scottish Silver Jubilee

The recently celebrated Silver Jubilee of the restoration of the Scottish Catholic hierarchy furnishes a fresh reminder that

' Beneath this starry arch Nought resteth or is still.'

The re-establishment of Scotland's Catholic episcopate was one of the first official acts of Pope Leo XIII. Since then-— and, in fact, during the past hundred years — there has been no stand-still, but, on the contrary, steady progress in the Catholic Church in Scotland. It is a far cry back to the time when, just a century ago, Scotland had a poor and scanty and scattered Catholic population, with 12 small chapels, three Vicars-Aposto-lic, and 40 priests. In the year of Emancipation (1829) the ' little flock ' had grown to 70,000. Of these 25,000 dwelt in Glasgow. The churches had at that time run up to 31, and there were 50 priests, two seminaries, and about 20 elementary schools. In 1878, when Leo XIII. restored the hierarchy, the Catholic population had risen to the comparatively imposing number of about 360,000. It is now over 510,000. During the same period the number of parishes or missions has increased from 140 to 222 (60 per cent.), churches and chapels from 266 to 359 (35 per cent.), the clergy from 272 to 462 (70 per cent.), and Catholic schools from 159 to 245 (about 55 per cent.). Progress has been defined as one motion compounded of many. In Scotland the Catholic CEPrch has progressed all along the line— spiritually, materially, and socially. Floreat !