THE
P RTAL
December 2015
Page 7
Pluscarden Abbey
During their visit to Scotland Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane
went to the Abbey and spoke with Fr Martin OSB
P
luscarden is a community of Catholic Benedictine monks in the only medieval British
monastery still being used for its original purpose. Lying six miles south-west of Elgin, near the village
of Dallas (after which the American one is named) in Moray in the north east of Scotland, it enjoys the peace
and stillness of a secluded glen but is easily reached by road. The atmosphere of quiet reflection and of work
dedicated to the glory of God is the same now as it was in the thirteenth century, when a community of
monks first came to this part of Moray.
Fr Martin is a jovial man, hospitable and easy to
chat with. He is enthusiastic about the Order and
the Monastery and once we got him talking, he was
difficult to stop!
“The Order, Benedictines, is one of the oldest existing
monastic orders in the Catholic Church, founded by
Saint Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century. He came
from what we now call Italy and I suppose he was
from a middle class family. He went to Rome for his
education. He was short and from what we would call
now the secularised society.
Pluscarden Abbey in Autumn - Photograph: Peter Chalmers
goes back to 1896 when an Anglican,
Aelred Carlyle, founded an Anglican
Benedictine community. He was a
zealous young Anglican who had
the inspiration to try to re-establish
monastic life in the Church of England
after Henry VIII had dissolved the
monasteries.
“He fled to the country, to a place
called Subiaco, and lived in some
caves. He was what we would call a
hermit. Those who supplied him with
food spread his reputation for holiness.
This is always a dangerous thing.
They wanted an Abbot and said, ‘This
“Starting off in the East End of
guy is going to be our Abbot’. They
London they gradually worked into
persuaded him, and found that he was
the rural areas of the south of England
full of vigour and very demanding.
and then finally they were given Caldy
Eventually he founded about twelve
Island, off the south coast of Wales.
monasteries of which two still exist.
One is Subiaco, where the holy cave is, and the other Eventually most of them came over to the Catholic
one is Montecasino. His tomb is at Montecasino. It was Church.
untouched during the Second World War.
“Carlyle was a flamboyant character - charismatic.
Benedict wrote his famous rule, which is actually about You can imagine starting from scratch, from not
seventy three little paragraphs. Benedictine Monasteries having monastic life to building a Catholic abbey on
try to follow it in their own fashion. There are about an island. His benefactors were all Anglicans and that
nineteen different Benedictine congregations and each wasn’t what they’d signed up for. When the First World
has its own particular take on the Rule. The Rule is really War came along and money was tight, Aelred Carlyle
a boiling down of the Gospel of Scripture, of tradition was going around trying to gather money in the
and of the teaching of the Church. It is not something middle of a world war; not the best time! Meanwhile,
different, or in addition to, or another layer to follow on the former benefactors had pulled the plug and it was
top; it is just a way for a community to try to live the obvious the Abbey was going bankrupt. The Pope said,
Gospel. That was what Benedict was trying to do.
‘We can’t have that’, so he went to some Cistercians.
The Pope said, ‘These lads are struggling. Buy that
“Our buildings here date from the thirteenth century. island off them.’ So he more or less directed them.
As to ourselves, we came here in 1948, but our history The island was bought from the then Benedictine
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