St Ninian’s first 40 years front page

In Honour of Saint Ninian

Before the Legions marched away.

And chaos darkened all,

The Lord sent Ninian back to us,

With gospel fire, from Gaul.

Though much is buried deep in time,

And much has been outgrown,

Today we meet to celebrate

This saint who is our own.

From here, in Scotland, Ninian built

His Mission Church of stone,

And cells as white as purity

For those who pray alone.

And here he trained evangelists,

And sent them far and wide -

None knows how great their sacrifice,

Save him, the Crucified.

The facts and mysteries of faith

That drove Saint Ninian on,

Sustain us still, in heart and will,

And make all Christians one.

May we defeat, as he did then,

Those dark satanic powers

That war against the souls of men,

And daily threaten ours.

Say not that Ninian toiled in vain,

That all he gained was lost;

The Light is never overcome,

Though skies be overcast,

In fellowship with all the saints

Take courage from the past;

Before us lies eternity

And Christ shall reign at last!