Professor Donald Macleod, who died, aged 82, at his home in Edinburgh on Sunday, will be laid to rest on his home island of Lewis next week.
The leading Free Churchman had an international reputation as a writer and eminent theologian.
He taught a generation of Free Church of Scotland ministers, was an acclaimed preacher, pastor, author and journalist who loved cricket, gardening and fishing, and was an oft-
Until October, he was an ongoing lecturer at the Free Church College, putting in 44 years as systematic theology tutor.
Arrangements for his funeral have been confirmed.
A service of prayer and praise will take place at St Columba’s Free Church on the Royal Mile, in Edinburgh, tomorrow (Friday 26th May) at 3pm, conducted by Rev Alex MacDonald. A live stream of the service will be broadcast on the church’s Youtube channel.
Evening worship will be held in the Free Church, Kenneth Street, Stornoway, at 9pm on Monday, conducted by the Reverend James Maciver.
The funeral will take place from the Free Church, Kenneth Street, Stornoway, at 2.30pm on Tuesday, following worship in the church at 2pm. This will also be conducted by Mr Maciver and, at Prof Macleod’s express command, there will be no eulogy.
At the Stornoway services, there will be praise in both Gaelic and English.
Professor Macleod will be buried in Habost Cemetery, Ness, in the township of his birth.
Refreshments will afterwards be furnished at Comann Eachdraidh Nis in Cross
All acts of public worship will be live-
Prof Donald Macleod served as principal of the Free Church of Scotland College following two decades as professor at the institution.
In 2008, he was honoured as a Doctor of Divinity by the Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, USA -
He was born at 3 Habost, Ness, on 24th November 1940 and brought up in Laxdale and Stornoway. He was educated at Laxdale Primary School and later attended secondary school at the Nicolson Institute.
At the age of 23, after graduating from the University of Glasgow and the Free Church College, he was ordained as a minister and inducted to the congregation of Kilmallie and Arisaig Free Church in 1964.
Early the following January, he and Mary Maclean of New Shawbost were married.
In 1970, he became the minister of the Partick Highland (now Dowanvale) congregation in Glasgow where he preached five times a week, including two services conducted in Gaelic.
By then, his extraordinary academic gifts had become well established so, not surprisingly, in May 1978, he was appointed to the Chair of Systematic Theology at the Free Church College, Edinburgh. He was appointed principal in 1999, serving until his retirement in 2011.
He also authored a stream of theology publications over the decades.
The Free Church said it is “profoundly saddened” to hear of his death.
Rev Iver Martin, Principal of Edinburgh Theological Seminary paid tribute to Professor Macleod: “Our denomination and indeed the church at large is today mourning the loss of Donald Macleod.
“His immense influence as well as his contribution to the theological education of a whole generation of pastors is incalculable.”
Donald Macleod was also well known as a former editor of The Monthly Record of the Free Church and wrote a regular column for the Stornoway Gazette. He was also a former columnist in the West Highland Free Press and the Observer newspaper.
Mr Macleod leaves his wife, Mary, and their three sons: John, Murdo and Angus.
Funeral arrangements for Professor Donald Macleod
25 May 2023
