Former Sisters priest visits Scotland

Fr. Adrian Morrin and Fr. Tom Faucher in Penrith, England, on their way to Scotland.

Although the Diocese of Idaho has invoked its prior claim on former Sisters priest Fr. Tom Faucher, it will still have to wait a while before getting him back.

Instead of Boise, Faucher is currently preaching his message in Scotland as part of a well-earned sabbatical.

Faucher arrived in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, on July 12, where he is filling in for Scottish priest Fr. Neil O'Donnell, who himself is on sabbatical in the southwestern United States.

O'Donnell also visited Sisters in June of this year.

Kirkcudbright, which Faucher described as "a little teeny fishing village," is midway along the southern coast of Scotland. The directions are simple: "Drive north to Scotland and turn left."

The only town of any size in the area is Dumfries, which lays claim to Scottish poet Robert Burns.

Lockerbie, which achieved notoriety as a result of the Pan Am jetliner bombing, is also nearby.

In addition to St. Cuthbert's Catholic Church in Kirkcudbright, Faucher is also conducting Masses at nearby Catholic churches in Castle Douglas and Gatehouse of Fleet.

Faucher actually arrived in Britain a few days before reporting to Kirkcudbright and spent some time working his way north.

Much of that time was spent as the guest of Fr. Adrian Morrin, parish priest at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Buckley, Wales.

The two have been friends for many years, and Morrin has also visited Sisters.

As it happened, Faucher arrived in town on the eve of the 146th "Buckley Jubilee." Morrin told Faucher that the parade and crowd of thousands were there to welcome him.

In actuality, the annual event, which began in the mid-1800s, is a community display of Christian solidarity, in which all denominations march together.

"I saw one lady explaining to her granddaughter how the parade was when she was a little girl," said Morrin

Morrin acknowledged that the role of religion is changing in the United Kingdom.

"In the past," he said, "people went to church tribally, and religion was a form of self-definition. We're no longer a religious country. Being Catholic in England, however, is still part of being in a tribe."

Before heading north to Scotland, Faucher also took time out to visit St. Winefride's Well and Shrine at Holywell in Wales.

The new prayer garden at St. Edward's Church in Sisters is dedicated to St. Winefride of Holywell.

Kirkcudbright is a neat and compact little Scottish town. It has several impressive brick and stone churches, but some of them also stand empty.

Faucher concedes that centuries of religious wars and infighting may have contributed to some of today's apparent disenchantment with religion in Britain.

Still, many churches in Britain, such as St. Cuthbert's, continue to play an active role in the community and in people's lives.

Prior to leaving the Isles, Faucher will be leading a "Cathedrals of Britain Tour" from September 27 to October 15.

The tour will include highlights of London, Stonehenge, Bath, Winchester Cathedral, Shakespeare Country, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Glasgow and many other sites.

Tour participants include residents of both Central Oregon and the Boise area.

At present, a few slots still remain open for the tour. For further information contact Darlene Gratton at (208) 888-1013.

Faucher will be returning to the United States in late October and plans to visit Sisters on October 28.