MRS. CATHERINE MACLEOD, or “Granny,” as she was familiarly called among her friends, was born at Ness, Lewis, in the month of June, 1831. Both her parents were removed by death when she was about three years old, but God, who is “a father to the fatherless,” took care of her, and she was taken to the home of her uncle, Donald Morrison, where she was brought “up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Donald Morrison was a man of God, and was for some time teacher and catechist in Ness.
During the first years of Mrs. MacLeod’s life that eminent servant of Christ, the Rev. Finlay Cook, was then minister of Ness, and, when still an infant, she was baptized by him.
When Mrs. MacLeod was about twenty years old she decided, along with many others from Lewis, to emigrate to Canada. They sailed in a sailing ship from Loch Carloway, on the west side of Lewis, and after a voyage of six weeks landed at Quebec. Shortly after her arrival in Canada, in the kind and good providence of God, she was able to get a position as a servant with a godly lady in Ontario. With this lady she was not only well off as regards temporal matters, but she was also taught and guided by her in spiritual matters, and we are of the opinion that she was still with this lady when she was converted.
Mrs. MacLeod was very reticent as regards her own conversion, but from some things we were able to gather from her we understand she was for many a day in deep waters. She knew, although she lived somewhat carefully outwardly, that no real change came over her. She believed the words of Jesus to Nicodemus, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Another portion of Scripture that was often on her mind at this time was Rev. iii. 16, “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold not hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” These portions of Scripture, with others, drove her to her knees in secret to plead with the Lord for mercy, and in His own good time, which is the best time, she was enabled, out in the woods, to taste “that the Lord is gracious.” She would then be twenty-three or twenty-four years old.
After leaving the service of this lady she married and settled down on a homestead in Bruce County, Ontario. During sixteen years of her time in Ontario she had the privilege of sitting under the ministry of the Rev. Adam MacQueen, a native of Skye.
Mr. MacQueen was an able and faithful servant of Christ, and Mrs. MacLeod greatly valued his preaching, and of him she had many pleasant recollections. When in Ontario she lost her husband and a daughter, who was a Godfearing young woman. She came to British Columbia about eleven years ago, and perhaps she had more troubles and trials during this last period of her life than she had at any other time during her sojourn in this wicked and cold world.
After living for some time in Lulu Island, a few miles out of Vancouver, she was taken away far north to the Peace River country, where she neither had the public means of grace nor any of the Lord’s people to speak to. Her eyesight also had failed so much that she could not read the Scriptures, neither could she get anyone else to do it for her. Her desire was to submit to the Lord’s holy will, and bear her cross as well as she could, but very often she felt like the “sparrow alone on the house top.” At one time in this place, when she was much cast down in her mind, and being afraid that she would have to spend the rest of her days in such a place, the Lord spoke to her with these words in Genesis xlvii. 4, “I will also surely bring thee up again, and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.” She took this as a promise from the Lord to her, but could not at that time see how this could be fulfilled; but the Lord fulfilled it in His own time, for shortly after this she was brought to Vancouver, where she was able to be in the house of God every Sabbath and also at the weekly meetings. She also had the company of some of the Lord’s people, which was a source of comfort and help to her until she closed her eyes in death. She confessed herself, after the first meeting she attended in Vancouver, that she felt in her own soul that the Lord was now fulfilling His promise to her. She was greatly attached to our mission, and to the deputies sent out by our Church to supply it.
She loved the Lord, His people, and His cause in the world, but she mourned and was grieved at heart, not only for her own sinful nature and shortcomings, but also for the fearful height to which all kinds of sin and ungodliness had come to in our day, and especially Sabbath breaking.
Mrs. MacLeod knew her Bible well, and having a retentive memory, even to the last, she could repeat nearly whole chapters and a good many of the Psalms. This was a great comfort and help to her when she lost her eyesight and could not read. She, also, could repeat from memory the most of the hymns and songs of Grant, Buchanan, and Dr. Macdonald, and she read more than once a good many of the best Gaelic books she could find.
She was very discerning, deeply exercised, and very warm-hearted, especially towards the Lord’s people, but she gave no quarter to formalists and graceless professors. On one occasion, having met one of these, he began at once to show his displeasure at her for being a Free Presbyterian, and to backbite one of the Lord’s servants to whom Mrs. MacLeod was very much attached. She listened to him a little while, and then answered him by saying, “You can say what you like, but although you would smite him with your sword under the fifth rib, still he is my minister.”
Although she was getting very frail she was able to attend the public means until about November last. When she was not able to come out we visited her as often as we could. Not only was it that she was delighted with these visits, but to us it was a great pleasure to read to and pray with her. Indeed, it would be profitable for any one to be in her company, for her mind was often on “the things that are above,” and her “speech always with grace, seasoned with salt.”
Her last illness was not very long, for she was only about a fortnight on her deathbed. Friends were very kind to her, and attended to her needs as well as they could. We would like here to thank these friends, and especially Mrs. Smith, Seventh Avenue, Mrs. Jamieson, Grandview, and Mr. and Mrs. Elder, at whose home Mrs. MacLeod passed away.
In visiting her one day a little while before she died we found her very weak and not able to say much. We said we hoped she was able to lean upon her Beloved. She repeated in Gaelic the words in Psalm cxliii. 6, “Mo lamhan shin mi riutsa suas; an geall tha in’anam ort” (I stretch forth my hands unto thee; my soul thirsteth after thee). At times she suffered some pain, but her patience and calmness was wonderful to the end.
Many were the troubles and trials she went through in this world, but she had the promise from the Lord that He would take her out of them all. Some time before she died she made known to Mr. Hugh Mackay, our elder, that her desire was that the following verses of Psalm cvii. would be sung at her funeral service:—
“The storm is chang’d into a calm
At his command and will;
So that the waves which rag’d before
Now quiet are and still.
Then are they glad, because at rest
And quiet now they be;
So to the haven he them brings,
Which they desir’d to see.”
She entered peacefully into this desired haven on Tuesday morning, 2nd of August, at the ripe age of ninety years.
Her mortal remains were laid to rest in Ocean View Cemetery, Vancouver, on the following Thursday. Her death is a great loss to our mission in Vancouver and to the cause of Christ at large, but to her it is great gain. “Them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” D. M.