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    Our Lady of Aberdeen
    Our Lady of Aberdeen
    Our Lady of Aberdeen
    Ebook119 pages1 hour

    Our Lady of Aberdeen

    By Ron Smith

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    About this ebook

    "The remarkable story of the survival of this unique statue"

    A result of 8 year's research, this book tells the story of the remarkable survival of a wooden statue from Aberdeen.

    It has survived the religious persecution of the 16th and 17th century, was smuggled into the Low Countries, and was again hidden there during wars and persecutions. It is in a church in Brussels today, where it is held in high regard.

    This book unveils a lot of the mystery and secrecy that has surrounded this statue over the centuries. It is a fascinating story, much of which has not been told before.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRocket Systems
    Release dateDec 27, 2013
    ISBN9781310291456
    Our Lady of Aberdeen
    Author

    Ron Smith

    Ron Smith is the author of eleven books on management issues, business improvement, and business history. He lives in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

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      Book preview

      Our Lady of Aberdeen - Ron Smith

      5cf1773c710176c51e994569d7f93b9df6e5b417.jpg

      Our Lady of Aberdeen

      The Statue in Exile

      By R. I. Smith

      First published in 2013

      Ron Smith

      Rhus, Banff Road

      Keith

      Banffshire

      AB55 5ET

      Phone 01542 887235

      email Ronald-smith@lineone.net

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, of by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      © Copyright 2013 R. I. Smith

      The right of Ron Smith to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

      This book is available in print direct from the author.

      Published by Ron Smith at Smashwords

      Table of Contents

      Acknowledgements

      Preface

      Foreword

      A word from my former Parish Priest

      Introduction

      Early Days

      In the Beginning

      The Reformation

      The Hidden Years 1560 to 1625

      The Spanish in Belgium

      Arrival in Belgium

      Hiding Again

      Notre-Dame du Finistère

      Attempts to Return the Statue to Aberdeen

      Appendix l

      Appendix II: Newspaper Notes

      Appendix III: The Statue Today

      Appendix IV

      Acknowledgements

      In researching this book, I have had wonderful help from many people. The initial encouragement came from Father Mark Impson, our priest at St Thomas’ Church, Keith at the time. Sarah Henderson gave inspiration, advice and did a lot of work correcting and interpreting. Research in Brussels was aided by Corine Versari of the Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, Elisabeth Hamvas, at the Church of Notre Dame du Finistère, and Isabelle de Lovinfosse, of Animation Chrétienne et Tourisme Bruxelles. Chris Croly of Aberdeen City Council, Andrew Nicoll and Caroline Craddock of the Scottish Catholic Archives in Edinburgh, Niamh McDonnell of the Archives of the Society of the Sacred Heart, Dublin, also provided much valuable data.

      Sister Alda Civiera, of the Society of the Sacred Heart, Aberdeen, Joyce Webster of the Bishop’s House, Aberdeen, Irene Melling, who was Archbishop Mario Conti’s PA when he was Bishop in Aberdeen, and Archbishop Mario Conti himself, all contributed to the gathering of information. Alastair Coull did a great job in translating the Medieval Latin of an ancient book; the results of this are in the appendix.  Rhoddy McPherson spent a lot of time reading through and correcting the manuscript, and Isobel Rugg gave it a proof read, while Teresa Kinnear has greatly helped with extra information and advice. Professor Ray Macaleese of Aberdeen has provided a lot of inspiration, and Keith Jones found a lot of interesting data as well. Thanks also to Eileen Grant for editing and formatting the text and centrefold for the printer.

      I thank them all, and all the others who helped, and any that I have omitted.

      It is a testament to the inspiration that the statue gives, that so many people are still interested in it.

      Preface

      It is a pleasure to hail Ron Smith’s labour of love, Our Lady of Aberdeen, the Statue in Exile. Our Lady of Aberdeen is the patron of a city, which is the third city of Scotland and has risen to new significance since the discovery of deposits of oil and gas beneath the North Sea in the 1970s. She is the patron of a diocese which is the northernmost in the United Kingdom, stretches from the North Sea to the Atlantic and covers one third of Scotland. She is now celebrated, on 9th July, throughout Scotland, and graces the pages of the English translation of the Roman Missal. She deserves to be known.

      Ron Smith has provided a highly readable account of the mysterious statue now in Brussels, one of the most striking devotional artefacts to survive the Reformation, and in its various copies throughout the diocese a focus of devotion for contemporary Catholics. He has brought together a wealth of diverse information. He has not been afraid to provide the wider context, where appropriate, nor to explore hypotheses and possibilities where hard facts elude us. This is a tale of both history and legend that touches on many aspects of human life and of the history of northern Europe. I hope it will find an appreciative readership. Above all, may it help us sense more vividly the gracious and continuing presence of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the life of the Church and of each one of us.

      + Hugh Gilbert OSB

      Bishop of Aberdeen

      13 November 2013

      Foreword

      This book started as a personal journey of discovery inspired by the mysterious story of a statue of Our Lady which came from Aberdeen (in the 17th century) but is today in a church in Brussels. This led to asking questions and finding clues in all sorts of documents. Over the years this has resulted in this vivid picture of a remarkable statue that has inspired generations of Catholics and still does today. I am sure it will continue to do so in the future. Some of these sources give clues to aspects of the story that just had to be investigated. However, much of the story cannot be verified or cross checked. For example, there is no record, as far as I know, of exactly where the statue was kept or moved during the many years when it was hidden in the north-east before finally being shipped to the Low Countries. As it was a secret, with death the punishment if discovered in one’s possession, it is no wonder there are not any records.

      While researching the details, I have found several contradictions, some myths, and some quite evident exaggerations or errors. I have tried to cross-check everything from different documents, to provide the most accurate record of this remarkable survivor from pre-reformation Scotland. Any errors are mine.

      The statue, as a work of art, is inspiring, with a very human aspect to it. Perhaps it is the combination of the sacred and the very touchingly human that has endeared this statue to the faithful over so many centuries, and thus assured its survival.

      I hope that this story will inspire you as much as it has me, and show how the Faith has survived and flourishes still, despite the many troubled times that have periodically attacked it, symbolised by a simple wooden statue.

      I

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