text: HEARTS ARE IN THE HIGHLANDS AT MOUNT DORA CHURCH SERVICE - Orlando Sentinel
  MOUNT DORA -- Randy Wiseman on Sunday shook the hand of the man who said he was a descendant of the MacGregor clan.
  "My father told me if I ever meet a MacGregor to thank him," Wiseman said. "My family migrated from Wales to Scotland, and the MacGregors protected them."
  The ancient bond was reaffirmed at St. Edward's Episcopal Church, where several plaid-wearing worshippers paid homage to their Scottish heritage.
  With bagpipes playing, the celebrants carried tartan flags representing the various clans, or families, from which they hailed. The tartans, and those who carried them and wore the plaid patterns on ties, skirts and sashes, received special blessings as part of the church's fourth annual Kirkin' o' the Tartans.
  "It was a beautiful service," said Ronald Tarwater of Mount Dora. He said he can trace his family roots back to Kenneth I, traditionally seen as the monarch who became the first king to unite the Picts and the Scots. "It is a way of recognizing history, not only of the Scots, but of the Episcopal Church."
  Samuel Seabury was consecrated in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1784 as the first bishop to serve the Episcopal Church in the United States.
  "I enjoy, like anyone else, going back to my roots," said Maria McBride McCathran, one of the tartan carriers in the processional. Her interest deepened when she learned, as an adult, that she comes from a long line of Scots.
  "That explained why my dad always got teary-eyed at 'Coming Through the Rye,' " written by 18th-century Scottish poet Robert Burns.
  It was that kind of appreciation for Scottish heritage that set the tone for the Kirkin' o' the Tartans, loosely translated to mean the "churching of the families."
  While the ancient roots of the Kirkin' are not fully documented, it is believed the custom is based on Scottish tradition, marking the time when the English defeated Scottish supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1746.
  The wearing of the famous Scottish kilts was banned and the playing of the bagpipes eliminated because the English considered them expressive of the Scots' warlike behavior.
  The Scots defied the ban by hiding small bits of tartan in their clothing or between the thumb and forefinger when attending church. At a certain sign from the minister, they would place their hands on the bit of tartan as the minister recited a blessing.
  The late Rev. Peter Marshall, who was chaplain of the U.S. Senate and pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., introduced the service to America during World War II at the Washington National Cathedral, a cathedral of the Episcopal Church.
  It was to be a way of supporting in prayer the subjects of Britain who were affected by the war, while bolstering the morale of U.S. citizens. It continues to be an annual service of the cathedral, generally celebrated on the Feast of St. Andrew, Nov. 30.
  Locally, the service is celebrated annually at several Presbyterian and Episcopal churches.
  Ina Brown, a native Scot who arrived in the United States on Friday for a four-week visit, felt right at home amid the plaid, bagpipes and haggis, a traditional Scottish dish of sheep innards served Sunday after worship at St. Edwards.