Bishop delighted to return to Croy

Bishop Emeritus Peter Moran was evacuated from Rutherglen to his gran’s house in Greenfaulds in 1941 in the wake of the Clydebank blitz.

As Holy Cross Primary in Croy was the nearest Catholic primary school at the time he joined the school roll in April 1941.

Bishop Moran retired to the town of Fortrose in 2011 and having arrived in the village a few days early took the time on Friday to visit the pupils of both Holy Cross and St Andrew’s Primary.

This was his second visit to the village since being told it was safe enough to go home in 1943, having attended the funeral of Monsignor Hugh Bradley a couple of years ago and he was pleased to return under more joyful circumstances.

He said: “I would have been six when I starting to attend Holy Cross, the last time I was here they were good enough to look through their record and found my first day was April 21, 1941.

“As well being at the school for around two years my first Confession, First Communion and Confirmation all took place at the church so my life within the Catholic church really all started in Croy.

“For years I’ve travelled through the village on the train so it is nice in the last few years that I’ve been able to reconnect with it and I was delighted that Father Joseph Sullivan invited me back to lead the procession.

“As well as being a priest I was also on the teaching staff at Blairs College for over 20 years so I’ve always had a great interest in the education system and enjoyed the opportunity to visit the children at both Holy Cross and St Andrew’s.”