Justin Evans, 24, known as Brother Ignatius, was wearing a white robe when he disappeared from the Golgotha Monastery on the remote island of Papa Stronsay, Orkney. The Diocese of Aberdeen has expressed its sadness at what it referred to as the disappearance and presumed death of the 24-year-old, who is originally from New Zealand and is a member of the Redemptorist Community. His church fears he came to harm in conditions involving the sea.
On Thursday, Police Scotland said searches of Papa Stronsay and nearby islands would continue in the coming days. Extensive and detailed searches using local police resources and partner agencies have been carried out on the islands of Papa Stronsay and Stronsay, including along the shorelines. Any further relevant information reported to police about Justin and the circumstances leading up to him going missing will be acted upon.
At this time there is nothing to suggest any suspicious circumstances or criminality. The monastery was founded in the late 1980s by the traditionalist Catholic order Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer. The order, also known as Transalpine Redemptorists, was founded to maintain the practice of celebrating the liturgy in Latin at a time when the Roman Catholic Church was encouraging priests to use local languages, according to the BBC.
Members of the Catholic order, modelled on the rule of St Alphonsus Liguori, were told to leave the diocese in July 2024 after a Vatican investigation into allegations of abuse and unauthorised exorcisms, the Catholic Herald reported. The order appealed the ban, but in August last year Bishop Michael Gielen of the Diocese of Christchurch said that it had been rejected, the Catholic Herald reported. The Diocese of Aberdeen said Brother Ignatius was known for his humility and charity.