We were delighted to welcome Bishop Gregor as Celebrant and Preacher at our morning Sung Eucharist on Sunday 1st August. After the service we had the chance to chat to the Bishop, and enjoy a time of fellowship with each other, having tea/coffee and home-bakes in the hall. We hope it won’t be too long before Bishop Gregor is able to visit us at Maybole again.
On the A77 just south of Maybole, you will pass the ruins of Crossraguel Abbey. Owned by Historic Scotland, it is open from April to September with an entrance fee of just over £3.00. It is well worth a visit, as it is probably one of the best preserved set of monastic ruins in the country.
Founded in 1244, it was an extension of the monastic community of Paisley Abbey, with whom it had a continued close relationship. Paisley Abbey itself has an interesting history as being part of the revival of monasticism which centred around the great monastery of Cluny in France, founded in 950AD. The Cluniac reforms were brought about in the tenth century by Benedictines who wished to restore traditional monastic values where these had become corrupt and lax.
The Cluniac movement was one of the largest religious forces in Europe. At least as significantly as their political consequences, the reforms demanded greater religious devotion. The Cluniacs promoted pilgrimages to the Holy Land. An increasingly rich liturgy stimulated demand for altar vessels of gold, fine tapestries and fabrics, stained glass, and polyphonic choral music.
To celebrate the 1,100th anniversary of the founding of the Abbey of Cluny, trips, exhibitions and conferences are being planned. Many people from France will be joining the ‘Cluniac trail’, which will lead them to Paisley and Crossraguel.
The Maybole Council of Churches holds an open air service at Crossraguel each year to mark the start of Maybole’s Gala Week.
It was a privilege to have The Most Rev Dr Idris Jones – Bishop of Glasgow & Galloway and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church – with us at St Oswald’s on Sunday 21st December 2008 as celebrant and preacher. Assisted by Rev Dr Ian Meredith, Rector and Rev Canon Dr Bertie Collie, Assistant Priest our Dedication Sung Eucharist was a particularly joyous occasion in honour of the 125th Anniversary of the consecration of our building. After the service the congregation joined together in the hall for a well supplied Bring and Share lunch. Continue reading ‘St Oswald’s celebrates 125th anniversary’
The doors to the Lord’s house are always open, but in this age of security they are not always unlocked. On Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th September St Oswald’s unlocked its doors to all. Cards intimating notice of the event were delivered to approximately 1000 houses in Maybole and people came.
