Stained glass depiction of St. Margaret in the parish church
Biography of St. Margaret
St. Margaret of Scotland was born c. 1045, the daughter of Edward “Outremere” or “The Exile” and Agatha who was an in-law of St. Stephen of Hungary. Margaret was the granddaughter of Edmund Ironside, King of England but her parents were exiled to Hungary during the reign of Canute. She was likely born in Hungary. The family returned to England but with the conquest of William the Conqueror and the death of her father, Margaret’s mother decided to return to Hungary. On that voyage, the ship was driven by a storm to Scotland where King Malcolm III took the party into protection. Malcolm desired to marry Margaret but her desire was to become a nun in religious life, rather than to live in luxurious splendour as a queen. She delayed him but eventually fell in love and they were married some time between 1067 and 1070.
Malcolm was a warrior king, as was demanded by the times in which they lived, with threats from the Scandinavian countries and a new king of England. As Queen, Margaret softened Malcolm and brought a civilizing force to the Royal Court. She bore eight children, six sons and two daughters, all of whom were raised with deep Catholic faith. The family prayed together and engaged in acts of charity for the poor. Margaret promoted the arts, education and Church reform.
She constantly worked to help the poor and used her wealth to give generously. Beloved by the people, she was followed wherever she went by the city’s poor to whom she would distribute all she had. She built churches and the great Abbey of Dunfermline in which a relic of the True Cross was kept; although it was sacked in the Scottish Reformation, parts of the Abbey were restored and stand today. Margaret was constantly at prayer and dedicated herself to reading Scripture daily. She fasted frequently and slept as little as possible so that she could practice her devotions.
In 1093, King Malcolm was killed in battle, along with their oldest son. Margaret was herself in the midst of a severe and fatal illness. When she learned of their deaths, she cried out, “I give praise and thanks to Thee, Almighty God, for that Thou hast been pleased that I should endure such deep sorrow at my departing, and I trust that by means of this suffering it is Thy pleasure that I should be cleansed from some of the stains of my sins.”
She died on 16 November 1093 in Edinburgh, Scotland. She was canonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1250.
Brief History of the Parish
The parish of St .Margaret of Scotland, Arisaig, Antigonish County, dates back to 1792. It is the oldest parish of Catholic Highland Settlers in Nova Scotia and the second oldest parish in the Diocese of Antigonish. The present church is the third to serve the parish.
In 1795 the first landholder, Angus MacDonald from Morar, Scotland, received 500 acres of land and became the first permanent settler of Arisaig. Angus MacDonald is said to have named the settlement. Arisaig of old is on the west coast of Scotland and takes its name from either the Norse word for a bay or the Gaelic word for a house or mansion.
The first settlers on the shores of the Northumberland Strait started to carve out a community from the trees and the rocks. The area was barely mapped out. It was only after years of toil that log houses became surrounded by cleared fields and sway-backed barns marked the hill side.
In 1791, a group of Scots from the Isle of Eigg settled in Parsboro in Cumberland County. One of them was Mary Campbell who, together with two other women, used to walk once a year through a blazed trail 150 miles to Arisaig to make their Easter duty. Mary was married to Neil MacLeod and the grandmother of William B. MacLeod who she carried in her arms on one of the journeys so that he might be baptized at Arisaig. William B. MacLeod was to become the first native son of the Diocese of Antigonish ordained to the priesthood; he was also to serve as Parish Priest of St Margaret of Scotland on three occasions. He is the Pastor responsible for the construction and building of the present church.
One of the primary concerns of the settlers was to preserve the Catholic faith. The first church was built in 1792. It was a small and primitive building which was erected near the present Arisaig wharf directly adjacent to the present edifice. The church was begun and completed in one day by many of the local inhabitants who came from far and wide. The church was dedicated to St. Margaret of Scotland; the first Pastor was Father James MacDonald from Morar, Scotland. Father James was officially appointed in 1793 and the parish extended from Merigomish to Antigonish; according to the records of the time, there were 400 communicants. Father MacDonald was one of two priests serving all of the area which constitutes the present Diocese of Antigonish.
The second pastor was Father Alexander MacDonald who served from 1802 to 1816. While he was the Pastor, the second church building was constructed in 1812. It was located between the present church and the Glebe House. In 1821, the church was enlarged. The first Glebe House stood on Cemetery Hill on land which was deeded to the wardens of the parish in 1816.
Father MacDonald was appointed Magistrate by the government and in March, 1816, he travelled to Halifax to make his report. While in Halifax, he became ill and died on April 15. It was impossible to transfer his remains to Arisaig and so they rested in St Peter’s Cemetery, Halifax. However some months later, three chosen Highlanders journeyed to Halifax and carried the remains of Father MacDonald home upon their shoulders through all but impassable roads. The tomb of Father MacDonald is located on the brow of the hill of the cemetery of St. Margaret of Scotland.
In 1817, under the guidance of Bishop Burke of Quebec, a seminary was planned for Arisaig; land was purchased and a subscription programme begun. The seminary would provide an alternative to the practice of sending students to Rome or to the seminaries in Quebec. The early death of Bishop Burke ended this plan.
In 1821, under the Pastor, Father Colin P. Grant, the church was enlarged and elementary schools were established at Arisaig and McArra’s Brook. By 1826, the population totaled 1,451 Catholics.
In 1830, Father William B. MacLeod became Pastor, an office he was to hold on two further occasions. His tenure was the longest of any priest who served the parish. Father MacLeod’s parish duties included the church at Lismore, a chapel at Morar and a church in Maryvale.
When Father MacLeod returned to Arisaig for the third time as pastor in 1869, he began to make plans for the construction of the present church building. The work began in 1874. The chairman of the project was Dougald Grant of Malignant Cove and tenders appeared in The Casket on February 5, 1874. The architect was Sylvester Donaghue who had also designed St. Ninian’s Cathedral, Antigonish. The first of many picnics to finance the church was held on July 15, 1874. The church was completed and dedicated on July 16, 1878. Father Ronald MacDonald a native of Maryvale and who later became Bishop of Harbour Grace, Newfoundland preached the dedication sermon. At the time, Father William B. MacLeod was eighty years of age and was described by Father Ronald MacDonald as follows:
On the 31st day of October, 1830, your present reverend pastor said his first mass, as parish priest of Saint Margaret’s. Forty-eight long years have since come and gone. To him they were years of care, anxiety and toil that have changed the auburn locks of youth into hoary hairs and left their indelible impress on his venerable brow. Father MacLeod died at Arisaig in 1881.
The present Glebe House was constructed in 1882 under the guidance of Father John Shaw. Picnics were held to help finance the venture.
The parish celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the present church in July of 1928. Bishop James Morrison, Bishop of Antigonish celebrated the Mass and the sermon was delivered by Reverend John H. MacDonald a native son of the Parish who later became Archbishop of Edmonton, Alberta.
In the fall of 1928, fire destroyed the tower of the church. The efforts of John Ban MacDonald and others confined the fire to the tower area and thus the church building was saved. Construction of a thirty-three foot tower with a six foot two inch cross began in November of 1928.
The centennial celebrations marking the anniversary of the dedication of St Margaret of Scotland Church took place on July 16, 1978 with Most Reverend William E. Power, Bishop of Antigonish as celebrant and homilist. A special commemorative booklet was published on this occasion. The bicentennial of the establishment of the parish of St. Margaret of Scotland was celebrated on July 19, 1992 with Reverend John A. Barry, Parish Priest as celebrant and Reverend John Hugh MacDonald, a native son of the Parish, as homilist. To commemorate the bicentennial, a new baptismal font was constructed and placed in the church sanctuary. A native stone bearing a plaque was placed at the entrance to the Parish Cemetery.
The majestic church of St. Margaret of Scotland, Arisaig, stands as an enduring reminder that God dwells here in our midst. It commemorates the great faith which our ancestors brought to the shores of the ‘new world.’ The beautiful stained glass window, portraying St. Margaret of Scotland adorns the sanctuary. It was erected and dedicated in 1884 to the memory of Father William B. MacLeod, the priest “… who caused this Church to be built.”