Mass of Thanksgiving, St Anthony's, Johnstone 1969-2007

On Sunday 30th September, Bishop Philip celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving with the community of St. Anthony's Parish, Johnstone. This was the final celebration of Mass in the Church upon the amalgamation of the parish with St. Aidan's in Johnstone. The text of Bishop Philip's homily is given below.

  1.     Today’s Gospel contrasts the ultimate destinies of two personalities: the thoughtless and selfish rich man is condemned to an eternal torment, while Lazarus, the poor man, is comforted in heaven. This gospel serves to emphasise two things. Firstly it teaches us that our relationship to God and our treatment of each other are inseparably connected to each other so that religious faith and social justice go hand in hand. And secondly that the choices we make on this earth are relevant to how we will spend eternity.

2.     One of the choices or decisions I have had to make as Bishop of Paisley is to ask this parish to surrender its individual parish identity and become part of a larger parish community. In making this decision, I was comforted by the support of the Diocesan Pastoral Council, by the overwhelming agreement of the Priests’ Council, and by the understanding and unfailing courtesy of your parish representatives. But in the end this is a decision which was mine alone to take. It was and remains a heavy responsibility. And it was one I had to make in the sight of God before whom no man can hide.

3.     As the bearer of that responsibility, I wanted to be here today with you to offer this final Mass of Thanksgiving for the 38 year history of the Parish of St. Anthony’s Johnstone and to thank God for all the blessings he has given to this community through this parish. The Word of God has been preached; the Sacraments have been celebrated; the people have come together in faith, in prayer and in community; here God has been present to his people and among his people. For all of this, and much more, we give thanks to God today.

4.     Again as the bearer of that responsibility, what sustains me is the hope and intention of creating a stronger parish community with more people and more resources for the spiritual and pastoral good of the Catholic community. I think it is fair to say that in the last 12-18 months this parish has taken steps forward as a community of faith. With you I thank God for this. This encourages me that you are ready to come into a larger parish community, not cap in hand nor as the junior partner, but ready to offer your people and your experience and your spiritual gifts. And it consoles and please me that already representatives of groups of parishioners from the unifying parishes have come together to prepare the way for the future. For this too we give thanks today.

5.      And it was your recent progress as a parish which persuaded me that I should invite your own Father David, for whom many of you have expressed appreciation, to be the new parish priest of your new parish. So although there is understandable regret in the loss of individual identity of St. Anthony’s Parish, and there are no doubt some practical difficulties to sort out, there is much that is new, exciting and very hopeful about thus new situation. In truth your parish is not so much being lost, but is part of  the coming-into-being of a new life. And for this too we give thanks to God today.

6.     In the end choices about the opening of parishes and the restructuring of parishes are about helping God’s people to serve Christ and to serve the coming of God’s Kingdom. The deeper choices, as the Liturgy of the Word, teaches us today, are about loving God and each other, about social justice and about our eternal salvation. This is what St. Anthony’s Parish has always been about. This is what your new parish will be about too. This is what we have to be about whatever parish or community we belong to. We ask for the grace today to respond positively to these profound choices of Christian life.

 St. Anthony’s, Johnstone

30^th September 2007