DIOCESE
A Letter from Bishop Hugh Gilbert OSB
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Light of the North is 20 years old this year. Over that time it has established itself as one of the high-quality diocesan magazines and has won the readership and appreciation of many. Many too have contributed to it over the years, some most faithfully. A special expression of gratitude, though, must be extended to Cowan Watson, its patient, gifted and hard-working editor. His is a wonderful example of a quiet persevering contribution to the life and work of the Church. I want to thank him in the name of all readers, past and present, as we pray for his health and well-being. Thank you. Cowan, for continuing to serve our diocese in this creative, colourful, informative, edifying and entertaining way over so many years!
DIOCESE
Diocese celebrates Rene de los Reyes' ordination as a 'transitional' deacon
On Monday, 16 February at Allen Hall Seminary in London, Rene de los Reyes was ordained a deacon for the Diocese of Aberdeen. Bishop Hugh Gilbert, OSB celebrated the Mass of Ordination and gave a moving homily, encouraging Deacon Rene to see the diaconate as not simply a stepping stone to the priesthood, but as a foundation stone on which he will build a life of service as a priest.
WITNESS
Following the Lord wherever he leads
It all started with my 'Yes' to the Lord back in July 2024 to become a missionary in the West Highlands of Scotland at Craig Lodge House of Prayer. My life has been changed forever.
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A Letter from Bishop Hugh Gilbert OSB
I am writing this three weeks before Easter. It’s a measure of our current uncertainty that we can’t guess how things will be in the Middle East, not to mention elsewhere, when the great Feast comes.
Even in largely peaceful Scotland, we are learning to live with unfamiliar levels of insecurity, with little sign of tensions and conflicts easing. Even if warfare as such may cease, the consequences continue.
So we do naturally look for things to hold on to. This is not to be an ostrich; it need not be dismissed as escapism. It is a taking up of St Paul’s advice to “make the best use of the time”, sometimes translated “redeem the time” (Eph 5:16). The idea is of “buying back” our situation from futility and seizing the God-given opportunity hidden, as always, in our circumstances. It is salutary to be driven back to the essentials. Each of us enjoy a few key relationships which hold us together: those of the family and of close friends, most notably. There are connections we don’t want to lose, loyalties we don’t want to renounce. Our faith can be one of them, foundationally so. It is our link to the Lord. It has a unique power to steady us, to be a rock on which we can build something lasting in our life: prayer, the Church’s unity, service, hope, love. We can “buy back” the confusion around us and make it a place for seeking God afresh.
In our Cathedral, it is usually the African Choir which leads the singing on Easter Sunday. As the liturgy ends and the ministers process from the sanctuary, the Alleluia Chorus breaks forth. This is an uplifting moment. It is as it were a musical version of the famous 2-line dialogue of the Christian East: “Christ is risen. He is truly risen.” These can be memorable liturgical moments, but the rest of life can provide them too – they are blessed stab-wounds of the Resurrection, rollings-away of the stones that confine us, divine interjections. In a flash, they can convey the essential of Christ’s victory over sin, Satan and death itself, the sure and certain hope which the Resurrection brings. At one level, the uncertainties remain, but now we know there is something other and greater than them. It is they who are confined, not the risen Christ.
Sure that there is a Father who sustains and awaits us, a Son who accompanies us and a Spirit to revive us, we can go on.
Yours devotedly in Christ,
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Diocese celebrates Rene de los Reyes' ordination as a 'transitional' deacon
Rene was surrounded by the support of his aunt and uncle who travelled from Texas, priest formators, friends, and fellow seminarians, including Richard Webster and Anh Nguyen, who are also studying for the Diocese of Aberdeen. Sr Francesca Therese and Sr Rosario of the Apostolic Sisters of St John and the Dominican Sisters in Elgin were present, bringing the prayers of many others who know and love Deacon Rene in Aberdeen.
At the reception after the Mass, Deacon Rene offered profound words of gratitude for the faithfulness of God and for the inspiration and encouragement of all who have accompanied him on the long journey to this momentous day.
We rejoice with Deacon Rene and promise our continued prayers as he progresses through his final semester of studies at Allen Hall.
BY SR MARY GIANNA OP
Following the Lord wherever he leads
I felt a pull to missionary work when I had encountered several missionaries when I lived and taught English in Budapest, Hungary. They were full of the love of Christ and following Him wherever He led them. I admired their bravery and willingness to walk in faith as they followed God’s plan for their lives. Simultaneously, I wanted to follow Christ with all my heart and grow in relationship with Him.
Upon returning from Hungary to Saint Louis, Missouri in the United States, I had the seed planted in my heart about becoming a missionary one day. I didn’t know if that would ever be fulfilled, but God knew it would be. While I was back in Saint Louis, my faith and desire to know the Lord in a deep way began to blossom. I was going to Mass every Sunday along with participating in several formation groups, silent retreats, conferences, and social events. I met some of my dear friends during this time in my life who helped to deepen further my relationship with Christ.
At the beginning of summer 2024, I felt a very gentle nudge reminding me of Craig Lodge, a house of prayer in the Scottish Highlands that I had discovered on 'Google' two years prior. I was taken aback at this sudden prompting one day after work. However, I followed this prompting to the website. There I was reminded of what they were offering for young people; to do mission work for an entire nine months in the Highlands, and being taught a course through Encounter Ministries. Immediately, I scrolled down to the bottom of the page, and saw they were still accepting applications for the mission year 2024-2025. I sent in my enquiry and left it in the hands of the Lord.
Within a week one of the team leaders reached out to me scheduling our first 'Zoom' call. Following that call, they asked if I would fill out a formal application and would call me back for a formal interview with the two team leaders of the mission team. At this second interview I met with the two team leaders, and they went on to ask me why I desired to come on mission in the Highlands? I shared more of my desire with them of what had brought me to this point of wanting to do missionary work and leave everything I had known behind. I felt an assurance from the Lord to continue with the process and I felt a true peace, no matter what the outcome might be, as this interview ended.
In less than a week I was accepted to the missionary programme in the Highlands in July 2024. The programme was to begin in September 2024. I knew this was Jesus inviting me on an adventure with Him as I followed Him into the unknown. I knew that it meant leaving everyone I loved behind, my home, along with my teaching career. Nevertheless, I knew Jesus was asking me to follow Him. I learned that as we continue to build our faith and 'trust muscle' in the Lord, we continue to take leaps of faith to where He leads and needs us.
During my time at Craig Lodge, I was formed and refined in my Catholic faith. I learned to love others in a deeper way, be bold and pray when I felt prompted to, and lived in an intense community setting which shaped me to be the woman I am today.
My time in the Highlands ultimately is what led me to St Mary’s Cathedral in Aberdeen. I wanted to continue my evangelisation and mission work in the United Kingdom if possible.
In May 2025, Fr Keith from St Mary's Cathedral was visiting Craig Lodge where we had less than a two-minute chat in the tearoom. He asked me what I would do after I finished at Craig Lodge? I said, I am open to continuing to do mission in the UK if it were possible. He then invited me to do parish mission support work at the Cathedral.
This was the turning point for me where the Lord was inviting me yet again to follow and trust in Him as I took this leap of faith. My 'Yes' to the Lord is what has brought me to St Mary's Cathedral and I am so grateful. Accepting these two invitations from Jesus has brought me on a truly wonderful adventure in serving Him and following His beautiful plan for my life.
"Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, 'This is the way you should go,' whether to the right or to the left." Isaiah 30:21
BY NINA GARCIA