Fr. Dale Matson
One of the
greatest gifts that I have received is the legacy of lineage. In many families
there is one person who assumes the role of the custodian of the family history.
At some point in our lives, we begin to appreciate those who came before us and
contributed to who we are. Our ancestors provided a genetic endowment that
causes physical characteristics and pushes us more quietly in other ways. How
many regret not asking grandma or grandpa the questions about the family before
their passing? My wife Sharon videotaped an interview with her grandfather and parents
before they passed.
Our personal
path may seem linear but our journey is actually more circular. You can go home
again. There is almost a mystical quality that emerges when one investigates
the family history. It is a treasure hunt assisted by the hand of God.
Celtic Cross On Grosse Isle
My father’s family left Ireland and arrived in
Grosse Isle, Quebec, the year the immigration point opened, in 1832. They had a
land grant parcel near Cranbourne, Quebec from the King of England for service
in his military. The title to this cruel “gift” of land was entitled
“Wastelands of the Crown”. I could not put a shovel into it. It was unsuitable
for farming. The current owner’s new home rested on the old Matson foundation. An infant Matson died on the journey in what
were later dubbed, “coffin ships”, during the potato famine. Grosse Isle has a
large anachronistic Celtic cross overlooking French Canada. The cross is also a
symbolic tombstone for the British plantations in Quebec. Matsons were buried
in Cranbourne and later moved by the French to a consolidated gravesite at
Christ’s Church of Springbrook near Frampton. The last Anglican families left
in 1952 after planting forget-me-nots around the church. We retraced their steps further and found
ourselves back in Ireland.
St. Salvator's Church
My family
came from Cornacreeve and Glaslough in County Monaghan in Ulster. County
Monaghan is one of the three Ulster counties in the Republic of Ireland. My
family came from an area of County Monaghan that juts into Northern Ireland
like a peninsula. They were tenant farmers on the Leslie estate. The Leslie
family history is lengthy and full of bishops. The Glaslough cemetery is full
of Matsons. I returned home with dirt from their graves and put it in my yard.
Bishop John Leslie erected St. Salvator’s Church (Church of Ireland) on his
estate about 1665. Although many public records were destroyed by fire in the
1922 uprising, many records remained in the local churches. My family history
was recorded in ledgers contained in cardboard boxes in the belfry of St.
Salvator’s church and the Sr. Warden trusted us to make photocopies in town.
Sanctuary of St. Salvator's Church
We attended
Sunday services and communed at the same rail of my ancestors’ centuries
earlier. I was a part of the communion of saints who had gone before.This was a
journey that continued to unfold before us as word of mouth spread that the
Matsons were visiting. We were directed from place to place and family to
family. In Ireland, we were family. I
was reconnected to the vine. Some Matsons had stayed and I met cousins no
longer named Matson. Another branch left for South Africa. Time was set aside
for us by those that remembered my family. I was edified and warmed by the kind
words said about them.
And Ireland
itself welcomed us. What a verdant land of history. The very soul of Ireland is
represented in the Trinity College Library that includes the Book Of Kells, the
Book of Durrow and the Brian Boru Harp. The countryside is a living monument to
Christianity. We visited the Fore Abby after a rainstorm and the mist
surrounding it provided a portal to the 7th century.
In
discovering the history of my family, I discovered parts of myself along the
way. It is not just about us. It is about us in the context of family. It is a
true gift to have and to know and to acknowledge. Thank You Lord. Amen
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