The golden jubilee of the opening of Holy Cross Church, Strathtay, Perthshire, was celebrated on Tuesday of last week. Fifty years ago, Mr. John Steuart, of Ballechin, on succeeding his uncle, Major Robert Steuart, as thirteenth Laird, found the building, which was on his property and had previously been in the occupation of the Episcopal Church of Scotland, standing empty, and he at once converted it to Catholic uses. It was providential that only a few months before his death Major Steuart, who was not a Catholic, had quarrelled with the Protestant incumbent, and the lease falling in about that time, had refused to renew it. The church was therefore closed until, on August to, 1876, at the invitation of the new proprietor, it was solemnly blessed under the title of Holy Cross Church by Bishop Strain, the last of the Scottish Vicars Apostolic.
The parish of Strathtay might perhaps better be called the parish of North-West Perthshire, since it embraces besides the towns of Pitlochry and Aberfeldy—respectively nine miles distant from the church on one side and six miles on the other—all the outlying districts beyond both, right up to the borders of Argyll and Inverness-shire. The permanent congregation is, of course, small ; but during the shooting season the little church is filled. It is a striking tribute to the qualities of Father John Coogan, the present parish priest, that, in this very Protestant district, he was recently elected to the post of Secretary to the Committee of the Strathtay and Grandtully Hall.
On the jubilee day last week, High Mass was sung in the presence of the Right Rev. Mgr. Toner. Bishop of Dunkeld. The celebrant was Father Robert Steuart, S. J., third son of the founder of the church ; with Father Robert Russell as deacon and Father Gilbert Fairlie, of Birnam, subdeacon—both of whom have long been connected with the district. Father Russell preached, giving a most interesting account of Catholic fortunes and misfortunes in that part of the Highlands, and pointing out the innumerable traces of former Catholic life in the placenames and ruins of the county.
The church was quite full, though it was a week-day, and there were non-Catholics among the congregation. The choir, composed of priests of the Dunkeld diocese, sang the plainchant Missa de Angelis beautifully.
Afterwards, his lordship the Bishop, with the clergy and Captain Steuart (eldest son of the late John Steuart), were the guests of Father Coogan at luncheon in the Strathtay Hall, at which toasts were proposed of the parish, the Steuart family, the host, and the Dunkeld clergy who had come far to assist at the jubilee. There were present the Bishop of Dunkeld, Captain Steuart, Canon McDonald, Fathers Russell, Noonan, Coogan, Lynch, Stuart, Fairlie, Molloy, Cassidy, O’Donoghue, Kelly, Steuart, S. J., and Kerr.