Carse clergy’s Toronto ties

Surveying the Scottish influence on worship in the so-called New World, Donald Abbott points out that the Roman Catholic Church remains Canada’s largest Christian denomination.

However, taking a different tack, the Carse of Gowrie scholar goes on: “An important Protestant church is the Presbyterian Church in Canada, whose HQ is in Toronto.

“Its early formation was Scottish-based, with several ministers of the early Scottish Secession as well as from the later Free Church of Scotland having major influence and participation in its formation.

“The minister of Carse of Gowrie’s Pitroddie Secession Church from 1813 until 1832, William Proudfoot, and Alexander Burr of Pitroddie Free Church – as it had developed – are examples, serving for a short period of years from 1869.

“As to the latter, he moved later to Bismarck in North Dakota, USA, and both he and a son, a judge of the Supreme Court of the USA born in the Pitroddie manse, became strong promoters of the Presbyterian Church there.”

Warming to his theme, Mr Abbott adds: “In 1925 a breakaway from Canada’s Presbyterian Church coalesced with the Methodist Church to form the United Church of Canada.

“This is now the largest protestant church in Canada. Services in both denominations’ churches are most similar in content, with the Scottish influences of years back as is evident to the worshipper.”

The Invergowrie denizen concludes: “The HQ of the Presbyterian Church in Canada contains a most fantastic archive with details of the histories of its congregations throughout the nation and its congregation in Taiwan.

“Within the fonds of William Proudfoot there are contained various items relating to Pitroddie Secession Church, which attracted several visits over the years. Facing the visitor in that archive is a full-length depicture of Rev Dr Thomas Chalmers, the first moderator of Scotland’s Free Church of 1843.

“This is merely more confirmation of the influence of Scots in earlier eras, carrying with them to their adopted countries some of the religious and background practices of the Auld Country.”

Dundee Scouts entertain their uniformed Faroese counterparts at the worldwide youth movement’s Scottish International Patrol Jamborette at Blair Castle, Perthshire, in July 1968. Sixteen countries were represented at the gathering.

John Crichton enjoyed the evening heat when he passed by V&A Dundee on Tuesday.