World Mission | Historic Communion

We recently celebrated the Sacrament of Communion, the first time it has been conducted by a female minister. In 1900 Lady Frances Balfour, a leading Scottish Suffragette, gifted our Communion table to us. She was a daughter of the Duke of Argyll and a leading aristocrat. She was married to Estace Balfour brother of Tory Prime Minister Arthur Balfour. Lady Balfour came from a Whig background and was a regular visitor to Nairn visiting Lord Finlay of the Newton. The leader of the Suffragette movement in Nairn was our first minister Rev. W. R. Pirie. Lady Frances was a staunch supporter of the Church of Scotland and always attended the Assembly. She was a great believer of women's position in the church and after 116 years, a woman has celebrated communion at the very table she gifted. Our thoughts and prayers were with the Rev. Alison on this historic day.

Recognition of Faithful Service

The KIRK VIEW Office is are temporarily administration location, situated in the Eco Cabinto the West of the church and our church administrator will be based there afternoons, Tuesday to Friday 9.30-12.00. Telephone 01667 452382.

The story behind the hymn tune.

A few Sundays ago we sang Hymn 342 to the tune "Une Jeune Purcelle". This is the tune used for The Huron Carol which has an interesting story to tell.

The song is regarded of one of the early carols from Canada. It was written in 1643 by father Jean de Brebeuf, a Jesuit Priest who left the shores of France to the Newlands of Canada to the land of the Huron Indian. He did not speak Wendat, the language of the Huron and he had no idea of their beliefs or they his. Wendat was not a written language so Father Jean sat down and created a dictionary, which is still in use today. When he had learned enough words he decided to write poems and songs in their native tongue. Wendat does not have the letter M or its sound which makes telling the story of Mary & Joseph a wee bit difficult, but the nearest sound was that of the French oui, so Mary became wairie. It became the Huron Carol and the original Huron title is "Jesous Ahatonhia" ("Jesus, he is born"). Usually when sang it starts in Wendat then it is translated into French as it was written and then English. The Huron Carol - checkit out in Youtube.