Canon Edward McBride (Father Mac)

Canon Edward McBride (Father Mac (Mgr)) was born in Rosyth, Fife, on 20 June 1919. He died on Easter Sunday, 24 April 2011 and his funeral Requiem Mass was celebrated by Bishop Michael Evans at the National Shrine in Walsingham on 9 May. Father Mac studied at Blairs College, Aberdeen and went on to the Pontifical Scots College in Rome where he was awarded a Bachelor of Philosophy in 1939. He was ordained in Northampton Cathedral in December 1943: unfortunately his parents could not be present as their train was snowbound on the journey south. On 1 February 1944 he became a curate at St. John the Baptist Church (now the Cathdral Chaurch) in Norwich before being sent to High Wycombe. In 1951 he was appointed Parish Priest at the Sacred Heart Church in Southwold.

In September 1958 Father Mac arrived at St Peter's Gorlestone (which according to the Parish Website) was sent by "the Bishop, so it was rumoured, to wake up the parish." A branch of the C.W.L. was set up, as was also a branch of the S.V.P. These were soon followed by Scouts, Guides, Brownies and Cubs. Buildings included a Parish Hall and the creation of St Edmund’s Catholic Secondary School. The Church was designed by Eric Gill but lacked stained glass or suitable Stations of the Cross: these last were painted by Eric Gill’s son-in-law Denis Tegetmeier (Father Mac had known the Gill family, though not Eric, while he was a curate at High Wycombe). In 1963 a stained glass window at the east end was installed, it was designed by Joseph Edward (Eddie) Nuttgens, the leading stained glass maker of his time. Early in 1966 Father Mac was taken ill and was away from the parish until May.

In September 1966 Father Mac left for St. Pancras Church in Ipswich and was made Dean of Ipswich in 1967.

When the Diocese of East Anglia was formed in 1976 Canon McBride became the administrator of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Baptist and was made Vicar General of the new Diocese. At about this time he produced a booklet on the history of St. John's. He was a member of the Norfolk Education Committee and was involved in the rejuvenation of the Notre Dame High School in the City. He was chaplain of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital where he had been treated for cancer and was a committee member of the Big C appeal.

In 1988 he moved to Dereham and soon after took up his final duties as parish priest at St. Joseph's in Sheringham where he  was responsible for the sympathetic re-ordering. He remained in charge until the year 2000 and then retired to a flat on the sea front where he remained remarkably active making use of the local shops and local public library and saying Mass at St. Joseph's whenever he could. He was greatly loved including by many who predeceased him, some were far younger than him. If the congregation was especially blessed  at weekday Mass he would conclude with a half smile and perhaps a gentle wave.