Celebrating Fr. Duncan Paul MacDonald's 50th Anniversary
next to St. Margaret of Scotland Roman Catholic Church, River Denys Mtn. in the summer of 1926
Seated: Sandy "Malcolm" MacDonald and his brother, Fr. Duncan Paul MacDonald
Standing (l. to r.): Anna MacDonald -"The Queen", wife of Sandy "Malcolm",
Mary (MacDonald) MacLellan (1881-1955) niece, Jenny MacDonald daughter of Sandy and Anna, and
Mary "Malcolm" MacDonald (Mrs. Joe Ranald MacDonald) (1847-1941) sister of Sandy and Fr. Duncan Paul

St. Margaret of Scotland Roman Catholic Church
River Denys Mtn., Inverness Co.

Interior

River Denys Mountain - A Sketch

by Allan J. Gillis © 1997

The first settlers on River Denys Mountain found themselves on a rough plateau of several miles breadth which consisted of tracts of marginal land interspersed with bogs, swamps and streams. One blessing was that there were, and still are, numerous small springs and streams that provided clear, cold water for themselves and for their livestock, as well as power for grist mills and sawmills. Also, there was an abundance of trees for building and for fuel. Perhaps, for some of the settlers from Arisaig and treeless South Uist, this abundance of trees was a dubious blessing at first. How could these inexperienced woodsmen conquer the primeval "Coille Gruamach"? Being stubborn, hard-working Scotch, they eventually proved themselves equal to the task. The pioneer community on the Mountain and on the River Denys Road consisted of some thirty families who had come mainly from South Uist, Eigg, Arisaig, Lochaber and Strathglass. As such, they were solidly united in both language and religion. Being devout Catholics, they very quickly decided that they needed their own place of worship and, with the encouragement of Fr. Alexander "Mór" MacDonell of Judique parish, they proceeded to erect a church on the Mountain. Completed in 1841 as a mission church of Judique, it was dedicated to St. Margaret of Scotland. It was among the smallest, but also the highest in altitude, of the churches in the diocese of Antigonish. When Glendale was established as a parish in 1875, with Fr. Donald MacIsaac as its first pastor, St. Margaret's became a mission of this new parish. Fr. MacIsaac, who was at Glendale from 1875 to 1901, enlarged "the Mountain church" around 1899. I believe that this was done by cutting the building across the middle and adding a centre section. This was probably during the period when the population on "the Mountain" had reached its peak. Shortly after, numbers steadily declined and, as was true in other less arable areas in Cape Breton, the last ones in were the first ones out. The altar now in St. Margaret's was designed and built by Alex Smith (first cousin of Mrs. Allan "Phadruig" Gillis) for St. Mary of the Angels in Glendale. When Fr. John MacLennan installed a new altar in that church in 1919, Alex Smith's original altar was moved up to St. Margaret's, where it can be seen today. Nothing is known of the fate of the first altar in St. Margaret's. According to the Genealogical History of Glendale (GG), Fr. Donald MacPherson (born in Boisdale, C.B.)- the pastor of Glendale from 1901 to 1915 - had a house built on "the Mountain" which he intended to use for his retirement years, However, he left the parish in 1915 to take up duties as an army chaplain overseas in the Great War. When he returned to the diocese in 1919 the bishop appointed him pastor of St. Peter's parish in Port Hood, where he remained for the next thirty-seven years. The little house he had built was sold for the sum of twenty dollars around 1920 (or 1940, according to some). On August 27, 1941, a gathering, which included Bishop James Morrison of Antigonish, celebrated the 100th anniversary of "the little church on the mountain". By the late 1940's there were very few families remaining in the area. The last regularly scheduled Sunday Mass was celebrated at St. Margaret of Scotland on June 1, 1950. As far as I know, the last two families on "the Mountain", the Sandy "Malcolm" MacDonalds and the MacLellans, decided to leave in the early 1950's. All, however, has not been lost! Thanks to Fr. Malcolm MacDonell and the late (and much lamented) Fr. John Angus Rankin, as well as other clergy, there has been a Mass said at St. Margaret's each August, on the Sunday nearest to the founding date, for many years now. It is always an occasion on which former residents, with their relatives and friends, gather to worship together and to renew old ties in a social atmosphere afterwards. As well, for some years, Fr. John Angus used to have a Mass at St. Margaret's in midwinter for local snowmobile enthusiasts. I think it is possible to say that the first Mass celebrated completely in Scotch Gaelic in North America took place in this tiny church. The following is an account taken from a newspaper clipping of September, 1967 (with some corrections added): MASS SAID IN GAELIC (River Denys Mountain) - St. Margaret's Church was the scene of a "first" as far as saying Mass was concerned in the Roman Catholic Church. With special permission, first obtained from Bishop William E. Power of Antigonish, Father Malcolm MacDonell, Dean of Arts at St. F.X. University, celebrated what is believed to be the first Mass said in Gaelic in North America. There is no knowledge of a Gaelic Mass having been celebrated on our shores before. The prayers of the Mass that are now said in English were read in Gaelic by Father MacDonell and were responded to in Gaelic by the Gaelic-speaking residents and visitors who had attended the memorial Mass at St. Margaret's Church. The church was built about 126 years ago, primarily by the MacDonald pioneers who came here from South Uist in Scotland. There is a memorial Mass said here each year to honour the pioneers who built the church so many years ago. The church of St. Margaret of Scotland was overflowing and it is estimated that there were over 400 at the Gaelic Mass. Many of the clergy in the area wended their way to River Denys to hear the Mass said in Gaelic for the first time in the history of the Church. It is hoped to repeat the same thing again next year at the annual memorial Mass. * * * * * In the years since that momentous occasion of 1967, Father John Angus and Father Malcolm have continued the Gaelic celebration of the mass at St. Margaret's (sometimes with assistant clergy) and all the people with any attachment to "the Mountain" look forward eagerly to this annual gathering. In August of 1991, the Mass to commemorate the 150th anniversary of St. Margaret's was celebrated with Bishop Colin Campbell in attendance. Unfortunately, a torrential rainstorm forced the organizers to postpone the outdoor social gathering which was to have followed the Mass. Sad to say, this unique and well-loved little church was vandalized by some mindless hooligans on the night of August 25/26, 1994. This outrage gave rise to no end of vehement language in "the two spokes" (Gaelic and English) from Sydney to California. Fortunately, most of the damage has been repaired through the efforts of local volunteers and with funds from people having local connections. However, with no one living close to the church, there is no guarantee that this will not happen again. The article of 1967 (quoted above) doesn't mention the other families who contributed their time and labour to the building and upkeep of the church from 1840 or so to the present time. Not all of these families settled on "the Mountain" but, for many, it was their church until St. Mary's was established in Glendale in 1875. Their family names, to my knowledge, are: Cameron, Chisholm, Fortune, Gillis, Henderson, MacAskill, various MacDonalds, MacDonnell, MacDougall, MacEachern, MacInnis, MacIsaac, MacKay, MacLellan, MacLeod, MacMaster, MacMillan, Morrison, O'Brien, O'Handley and Walker. There is even one MacFarlane buried on "the Mountain" but I think that is because his wife was from there originally. This is only a brief account of the settlers and their church on River Denys Mountain. Much more remains to be done to record these peoples' experiences and the history of their church. N.B. In 1973, I was privileged to be asked to attend the first Scotch Gaelic mass in the province of Ontario. This was celebrated by the late Fr. Allan MacInnes, O.M.I. (formerly of Loch Skipport, S. Uist, and Alberta). He was assisted by Katie MacDonald of Iochdar, S. Uist; Donald Rankin of Mabou Ridge, C.B., and Billy MacEachern of Judique, C.B. This mass took place at St. Joseph's parish in Ottawa. For a Transcription of St. Margaret of Scotland Cemetery Monuments click here.

A couple of canny Scots at Judique, 1997 (A.J.G. & D.F.MacD.).......................