OUR PATH TO ST. OSWALD’S
B
oth Enez and I were born into Church of Scotland households.
Consequently, we were baptised, attended Sunday school, passed
through youth organisations, became first Communicants at the age
of 16 and in time Sunday School teachers.
However, with the passage of time, our Church attendance began to
dwindle. Eventually, we only went to the odd Service in Glasgow Cathedral
or a Robert Burns or Rotary Service.
Clearly, from that form of worship, something was missing, so far as we
were concerned.
But things were about to change. In 2000 we decided to have a holiday in
Funchal, on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
Enez sought out
information on our
destination. Among
her discoveries was
the fact that
Funchal had what
was locally known
as the English Church. Its proper name is the Church of the Holy a nd
Undivided Trinity. We decided to attend the Sunday Eucharist. Don't ask why
we made this decision on holiday; l doubt either of us could give an
adequate explanation.
It’s a difficult Church to find, situated as it is off the beaten track. But we got
there in the end.
It was all so different from the Church of Scotland. The liturgy was so
strange to us but at the same time, very appealing. Afterwards, it was tea,
coffee or wine on the lawn and a chance to meet with friendly people.
The garden is breath taking. Full of beautiful flowers which bloom in their
seasons. There is a bust of Philippa of Lancaster who was the oldest child of
John Cl’ Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. She married King John of Portugal in the
Cathedral in Porto and was the mother of Henry the Navigator.
We met with Elizabeth the organist, what a woman! She had sailed by
herself from England to Funchal at the time when Salazar was the dictator in
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