Founders and Benefactors
Good morning,
For those who are far from St Andrews, or were not up early, I thought I’d share some snowy scenes from yesterday morning, as a prelude to this Sunday’s ecumenical service of Commemoration of Founders and Benefactors.
Perhaps the oldest benefactor is St Andrew, Jesus’ disciple, whose bones drew pilgrims, wealth and, in time, our University to this corner of Scotland.
When the University was founded, the Cathedral was already thriving, consecrated in 1318, currently a picturesque and inaccessible ruin:
The bishops whose seat was the Cathedral lived in their palace – St Andrews Castle:
Our service on Sunday at 11 am will take place in St Salvator’s Chapel, consecrated in 1460, built as part of St Salvator’s College by Bishop James Kennedy.
Following the service, all are invited to follow the Chancellor’s Piper to St Mary’s Quad, where a wreath will be laid at the statue of Bishop Wardlaw, founder of the University:
The forecast for Sunday is for sunny intervals rather than snow. I hope you can join us in person or via livestream https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/chaplaincy/worship/ for this high point of the University year, with beautiful choral music, and a sermon from the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, who this year is Rt Hon. Lord Wallace of Tankerness, on Establishing Justice in the Earth. All welcome, whether you share the faith of the chapel or do not.
Yours,
Donald