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On a Final Note

On a Final Note

Tuesday February 12 2019

Thomas Chalmers pays tribute to an organist who crossed the denominational divide in Kilsyth.


On April 9 2018 we suffered the sad and tragic loss of our organist, pianist and choir leader, Maureen Divers.

Drawing on the words of that timeless song, American Pie, April 9 felt like ‘The Day the Music Died.’

Maureen’s musicianship was profound. She played from her heart, transposing Hymns into the individual hearts and minds of our congregation. She also captured our collective spirit, somehow able to mirror our mood in her music, especially during Communion Services when she would accompany the Elements with the deeply moving rudiments of whatever she chose to play in that moment. The French Composer Claude Debussy once said that ‘music happens between the notes’. In other words, the music is not in the notes themselves but in the silence between them and what Maureen did so well was to capture those contemplative silences.

Her musical talent was augmented by a loving demeanour and quiet smile. But what made our relationship with Maureen even more special was her membership of the Roman Catholic Church; special in the sense that she crossed the religious divide with the effortlessness of the pianist who spans a keyboard with consummate ease, bringing harmony from what might have been perceived as discord.

Maureen became one with us and she became one of us. When she passed away, her funeral service was held in St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church. But in the weeks prior to her passing Maureen - moved by the Word of God through our new Minister, the Rev Bob Johnston - chose to join us too, as a member of the Kilsyth: Burns & Old Parish Church. In hospital she received visits from both priest and pastor; clerical collars united in their grief. Perhaps unbeknown to Maureen, she was in herself the very epitome of ecumenism.

Like most Kirks across the country, we have had our challenges in recent years, not least of which were two back-to-back vacancies one year apart. The second vacancy was an especially debilitating experience which overlapped with our bicentennial year. At a time when we should have been looking forward to our 200-year anniversary celebrations, we found ourselves with an empty pulpit for the second time in three years. But in the depths of our despair God sang to us through our choir with Maureen at the helm. We were uplifted by their weekly anthem; a chorus of women who had formed life-long friendships through their love of God and music. Inevitably they were invited to share their talents with others beyond our church and parish – which they did with pride, love and compassion. Despite our vacancy, their unified voice made us proud of who we were and inspired our unification as a congregation.

And today, we are unified in our grief for Maureen’s passing; mourning for a vacancy at the piano as opposed to the pulpit. We recall how she embraced her illness with such faith and dignity, even playing for others in Strathcarron Hospice during her final days.

Although April 9 felt like the day the music died, Maureen’s cadence has transcended her passing. Because of her work commitments Maureen had previously recorded the choir’s repertoire on a mobile keyboard so that, even in her absence, the choir could both practise and sing at church and other events. The weekly choir anthem therefore continues to touch us now with an even greater resonance and reverence. The choir’s courage and bravery, singing in the midst and mist of their sorrow has been truly breath-taking. We sit and listen and absorb their soulful singing; pieces that were once chosen and recorded by Maureen. And during the anthem, when Maureen’s absence is at its most palpable we can easily imagine her at the keyboard playing and harmonising with her friends as she always did for us on a Sunday morning.

In recent years Maureen began to compose her own hymns and we are hopeful that at least one of them will be immortalised in a future church hymnary. In our bicentennial year Maureen wrote a hymn for us called ‘The Living Stones’ which is a wonderful testament, not so much to our building, but to the people who were, are and always will be our church. Maureen Divers will forever be a Living Stone in the Burns & Old. This has been her story. This is her song, which praises her Saviour, all the day long:

The Living Stones   

This Holy place provides a quiet time for prayer, Lord
A Shelter when the world is harsh and cold
A fellowship prevails amongst its people
With a sense of pride and service to God’s fold 

This is our Church and here we’ll sing Your praises
We are your people, listen to our prayer
Each generation strong in their devotion
The Living Stones, go marching on, within our church

We strive to lead our children in one faith, Lord
Encouraged by Your guidance day by day
For blessings on this church each soul rejoices
With faithful hearts, in song, we praise Your name

This is our Church and here we’ll sing Your praises
We are your people, listen to our prayer
Each generation strong in their devotion
The Living Stones, go marching on, within our church

The Living Stones, go marching on, within our church.

Mo Divers©


Thomas Chalmers, for the Kirk Session and Congregational Board of Kilsyth Burns & Old Parish Church