Maitland Moir
John Maitland Moir (18 June 1924 – 17 April 2013) was a priest of the Orthodox Church of St Andrew in Edinburgh, and founder of several Orthodox communities in Scotland. He was Orthodox Chaplain to the University of Edinburgh.[1]
Life
He was born in Currie in the south-west outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland, 18 June 1924, the only son of the wealthy Rose Ochterlony and her husband local doctor Henry Maitland Moir (grandson of John Moir[2])[3] He suffered from a weakness of the knees his whole life which meant he was isolated from other children by his parents.
He attended Edinburgh Academy before going on to study Classics at the University of Edinburgh. He was not fit enough to serve during World War II. After the war he briefly served as Classics Master at Cargilfield School before deciding to return to studies at Christ Church, Oxford and Cuddesdon Theological College, having sparked at interest in the Eastern Orthodox Church whilst in Oxford. From 1950-51 he took this interest further, travelling to study at the Halki Theological College in Istanbul, where he studied the Orthodox church. During this period he also travelled to the Holy Land and other sites of religious significance in the Middle East.[1]
He returned to Scotland in 1952, but adopted a role in the Episcopalian Church, being ordained at the age of 27,[4] serving as honorary chaplain in St Marys Episcopalian Cathedral in western Edinburgh. In 1967 he moved to Moray as chaplain to the Bishop of Moray, and then to St Andrews Cathedral, Inverness, serving as Canon. Here he famously won the chastisement of the Bishop for wearing a kilt beneath his cassock.
In 1981 he resigned from the Scottish Episcopalian Church, desiring a purer form of devotion and travelled to
A parallel service was given to the
In private life he followed a regime of prayer and fasting. He ate only once per day. He would often be found sheltering or feeding the homeless. He avidly wrote in opposition to torture and imprisonment on religious grounds. He was an early advocate of recycling.[6]
In 2001 he hit the national newspaper headlines, when (against a court ruling) he aided an 8 year old child and her mother escape a violent father, finding them secret accommodation in Greece.[4]
He rose to the role of
In his final year he went blind and almost totally deaf.[citation needed]
He died at
The Dean of Gibraltar, Canon W. Gordon Reid, described him as "a great man, though so humble that he kept it hidden".[1]
The funeral service was conducted on 24 April at St Peter’s Episcopal Church on Lutton Place, the Orthodox Chapel being too small for the purpose.[8]
He was buried in the northern 20th century extension to Dean Cemetery, near the west wall. A second, grander memorial was added by the edge of the western path in Currie churchyard, close to his original home.
References
- ^ a b c d Scotsman newspaper:Obituaries:27 April 2013
- ^ Moir, Alexander L. "Moir genealogy and collateral lines, with historical notes". www.ebooksread.com.
- ^ a b "Home". Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain.
- ^ a b "Priest dies just weeks after completing his "life's work"". Deadline News. 26 April 2013.
- ^ "Blendo - past and present". reidandwrite.com. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ "Domain parked by OnlyDomains". www.orthodoxscotland.co.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ "Obituary: Archimandrite John Maitland Moir, priest". Glasgow Churches Together.
- ^ St Matthew Parish (19 April 2013). "Fr John Maitland Moir's Funeral". St. Matthew Orthodox Parish Aberdeen, UK.