Peter Aloysius Grant
(Eastern District) Born at Blairgowrie, 15th March 1841, the son of Peter Grant and Margaret Brown; ordained a priest, 20/27th May 1864, and left for Scotland, 13th June 1864; died in Dumfries, 14th December 1875.
| Date | Age | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Mar. 1841 | Born Blairgowrie | |
| 20 May 1853 | 12 |
Arrived in the College |
| 20/27 May 1864 | 23 |
Ordained a priest, Valladolid |
| 13 Jun. 1864 | 23 |
Left for Scotland |
| 1864 | 23 |
St Mary's, Dundee |
| 1864-1867 | 23 |
Dunfermline |
| 1867-1872 | 26 |
Lochee |
| 1872-1873 | 31 |
In France and Spain for health reasons |
| 1873-1875 | 32 |
Dumfries |
| 14 Dec. 1875 | 34 |
Died, Dumfries |
Report of the ordination of Peter Aloysius Grant in the Scottish Catholic Directory of 1865.
The Rev. Peter Aloysius Grant was born in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, 15th March 1841. He was sent to the Scots College of Valladolid in May 1863*, and on completing his studies, was ordained Subdeacon on the 20th February 1864, by Don Juan Ignacio Moreno, Archbishop of Valladolid; Deacon in Avila, 12th March, by Don Fernando Blanco y Lorenzo, Bishop of that city; and Priest on 20th May, by the Archbishop of Valladolid. He returned to Scotland in June, and was stationed at St Mary’s, Dundee, till, towards the end of October, he was sent to Dunfermline.
*This report has the date wrong. He went to Valladolid in 1853, not 1863.
Obituary of Peter Aloysius Grant in the Scottish Catholic Directory of 1876.
Pray for the soul of the Rev. Peter Aloysius Grant, who died at Dumfries on the 14th December, 1875, in the 35th year of his age, and the 12th of his priesthood.
The Rev. Peter Aloysius Grant was born in Blairgowrie on the 15th of March, 1841. At an early age he showed a decided vocation to the priesthood; and in May, 1853, be was sent as an ecclesiastical student to the Scots College, Valladolid. Having finished the usual course of studies, he was promoted to tire priesthood in 1864, and was sent home in the same year to commence his labours as a missionary. On his return to Scotland, he was stationed for some months in St. Mary’s, Dundee; and in October, 1864, he was appointed to the full charge of the mission of Dunfermline. Here his zeal found ample scope; and amid trials and inconveniences of no ordinary kind, he laboured assiduously for the souls committed to his care. Continual exertion, however, soon told on a frame naturally weak; and he was struck down with fever, caught in the discharge of his duty. His cheerful disposition and buoyant spirit carried him through his illness; and before his strength was properly restored he was at work again amongst his people. In Nov. 1867, he was removed to the more important mission of Lochee. The increased demands made upon his strength in this new sphere of labour seemed only to increase his zeal. His assiduity in every work of the ministry, his unsparing sacrifice of himself—when an enfeebled constitution called for indulgence—his unaffected piety, and genial disposition, endeared him to every member of his congregation. To the poor he was more than a father; and his name shall long be fondly and gratefully remembered by the Little Sisters in Wellburn, and the poor under their charge. Notwithstanding the pressure of a heavy debt upon his parish, he determined to supply a crying want under which the mission of Lochee was labouring. With some aid from Government he succeeded in building schools for boys, girls, and infants—thus making the machinery (so to speak) of his mission complete. He was not, however, to enjoy long the fruits of his labours. With concern his friends and his people remarked that his strength was surely failing; and well they knew that, though his spirit was undaunted, his physical strength could not much longer withstand the steady advance of lung disease, which had unmistakably declared itself. Still he laboured on cheerfully, heedless of self. The long hours of labour in the confessional seemed actually to revive him; and he would rise early in the cold winter, after a sleepless night, to celebrate Mass in Wellburn—a considerable distance from the Presbytery—though he was frequently compelled to halt on the way through sheer exhaustion. At length he was forced to yield; and in September, 1872, he went abroad, spending the winter in the south of France, whence he passed into Spain, visiting once more his Alma Mater in Valladolid, and settled down for some time in the genial plains of Murcia. Feeling his strength somewhat restored, he returned to Scotland in March, 1873. Though still evidently under the fatal power of consumption, his sole desire was to be employed in missionary work; and to satisfy this desire he was sent to Dumfries, where, it was hoped, lighter work, genial climate, and the fatherly care of the Rev. Archibald McDonald, might prolong a life so useful. Thanks to those kindly influences, his strength was so far restored, that he was able to assist materially in the work of the mission. In Dumfries, as in Lochee, he endeared himself to all: his generous and cheery self-sacrifice, his piety, and especially his devotion to the Sacred Heart, and to the Blessed Mother of God being the admiration of the people. For two years Mr. Grant continued his labours in Dumfries, in spite of occasional attacks of weakness. But in the summer of 1875 alarming symptoms presented themselves, which plainly told that the end was near. For months he bore his infirmities with cheerfulness and saintly resignation. Nothing could damp his spirit, and up to the very last he continued to take a lively interest in the affairs of the mission. At length Almighty God freed him from his sufferings. Having received the Sacraments with the most edifying dispositions, he calmly expired on the 14th of December, 1875. The funeral obsequies were celebrated by Bishop Strain; the Rev. A. Gordon, Dalbeattie, the Rev. James McGinnes, St. Joseph ’s, Dundee, and the Rev. John Smith, Portobello, being Assistant Priest, Deacon, and Sub-deacon respectively. After the Mass, His Lordship passed a high eulogium on the de ceased, characterizing him as a most self-sacrificing Priest, and a model of devotion to duty. His remains were consigned (as he re quested) to the Catholic Cemetery of Dumfries ; and the crowds of mourners that followed them thither bore testimony to the high esteem in which this good Priest was held.