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Among the passengers on
board the "Alexander" was Hugh Ban MacEachern of Kinloch, Moidart, in
Scotland, who with his wife and nine of his children had decided to try
his fortune in the New World. Two of the family remained behind in
Scotland, viz :-a daughter, Margaret who had married a short time prior to
the emigration, and Angus Bernard, the youngest child of the family, who
was left in charge of Right Reverend Hugh MacDonald, Bishop of the
Highland District. Angus Bernard, who was fourteen years of age when his
parents set out for America, made his early studies in Scotland, under the
direction of the Bishop, and later was sent to Spain, to the Royal Scots
College at Valladolid where he spent several years, and where he was
raised to the Priesthood on August 20th, 1787.
He immediately went back to
his native land, and took up the work of the Holy Ministry, dividing his
time between the mainland and several of the adjacent Islands. The people
amongst whom he labored were at the time decidedly dissatisfied with their
lot, and many of them were filled with the idea of emigration. They had
received glowing accounts of the comfort and happiness of their kinsfolk
in Prince Edward Island, and were looking forward to the day when they
would be able to join them in their adopted country. This condition of
affairs had gone on for a considerable time; but the death of Father James
changed the aspect of things, and went a long way towards cooling the
ardor of their desires.
Now however, new hopes rose
up within them. They thought within themselves; why could not Father
MacEachern come with them to America, as did Father James in the case of
the first emigrants. He was now in the prime and vigor of his early
manhood, filled with the spirit of his Divine calling, ready to brave any
hardships that would promote the glory of God and salvation of souls, why
could he not come out to the New World, whither so many of his kindred had
already gone, and who were now in sore need of priestly consolation? The
prospect thus opened before the young priest was not by any means a
pleasant one. It meant much labor and hardship: but above all other
considerations, he could not help recalling to mind the pathetic death of
Father James, and this thought was certainly well calculated to give him
pause. But other considerations lured him on. He fully understood all the
possibilities of service to God and humanity, that would lie within his
reach in the new country. He saw before his mind's eye the touching
picture of so many souls crying for bread and none to break it to them.
Amongst their number he saw his own father and mother bereft of Spiritual
consolation in a foreign land, and thus to the motives of religion were
added the more natural appeals of flesh and blood, till he seemed no
longer able to resist and so decided to come to America. Accordingly plans
for a second emigration were speedily made, and in the early Summer of
1790 Father MacEachern with a large band of emigrants set sail from
Scotland, and arrived in Prince Edward Island about the middle of August
of the same year.
The new comers received a
warm welcome from their friends at Scotchfort, who were fortunately in a
position to bestow upon them the kindly attentions so much needed after a
long ocean voyage. Father MacEachern was welcomed with special cordiality
by all the people, but particularly by his parents who had parted from him
eighteen years before. We may well imagine the joy of his mother to see
her boy of fourteen years grown to manhood, and vested with the character
of the Holy Priesthood. It was indeed a day of great rejoicing at
Scotchfort, when a Priest again appeared on the scene, and the walls of
the old church echoed back once more the thrilling words of Sacrifice.
With little or no delay
Father MacEachern entered upon his missionary career in the new Colony. He
took up the same round of arduous duties that had sapped the energies of
the lamented Father James, and brought him down to an early grave. In fact
these labors were more difficult now, because the people were more
numerous and were spread out over larger areas, for many of them, on
leaving the Tracadie Estate had settled in remote places to which access
was very difficult. But Father MacEachern quailed not at the sight of
labor. He was above all things else a man of duty imbued with the true
missionary spirit, and neither labor nor difficulty could stay his ardor,
and so without delay he took up the work interrupted five years previously
by the untimely death of Father James, and by the blessing of God, he was
able to carry on the same without rest or pause for a period of forty-five
years. Wonderful changes took place in Prince Edward Island in those
fortyfive years, but throughout them all he changed not, he ever remained
the same gentle, humble follower of the Divine Master whose life he strove
to imitate, as "He went about doing good." |
