Mass of Thanksgiving, 25^th Anniversary of the Parish of St. Bernadette’s, Erskine, 23^rd April 2008

First of all I would like to say how pleased I am to be here with you – the parish community of St. Bernadette’s, Erskine, men, women and children, together with your parish priest, Father Oliver Freney, for this Mass of Thanksgiving to mark the 25^th Anniversary, the Silver Jubilee, of your parish.  I also welcome with pleasure Bishop John Mone, my predecessor as Bishop of Paisley, Canon Sean Cunney, the first parish priest of St. Bernadette’s, Father Des Berry who was also parish priest here, and the other priests who are here this evening from nearby parishes and elsewhere. Together we thank God for the up-building and for the life of this parish community over these last 25 years.

The twenty-fifth anniversary could be said to be the first major milestone in the history of a parish. Opened in 1983, you are this parish’s first and second generation of parishioners. Some of you will have been the first parishioners of the parish. You will remember the opening of the parish, its first Masses and its first tentative, hopeful, excited steps as a parish community. You will remember the people and the personalities who worked so hard to pull the parish together and to make it work. Right away you will have begun to plan for a church, opened four years later in 1987, the church we are gathered in now to thank the Lord for the first 25 years of this parish.

In that time, you will have learned that the parish is the place where the Church is at its most real for you. If people do not experience Christ and his Church here in their parish, they may have to go far to do so. That’s not to say that they will never do so, but it is far better if people begin to have a good experience of Catholic life from their own parish.

To borrow from tonight’s readings, it is in the parish that Christ the Good Shepherd brings together his flock. Your priest is the shepherd of the community in Christ’s name, and he shares your joys and sorrows, and leads you to Christ. It is in the parish that we first sample the life of Christ as a community of faith beyond our family, and it is the parish that gives us a taste of the Church founded by Jesus Christ as one, holy, catholic and apostolic. It is in the parish that we experience all the important things of Catholic life. We learn to listen to the Word of God and be faithful to the doctrine the apostles as it is transmitted in the teaching of the Church. We learn to value our communion of life in Christ and to develop a sense of what the Church is. We come together to celebrate the Eucharist and the sacraments. We learn to deepen our interior life, the life of prayer. We begin to appreciate the place of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and of the saints, in Catholic life. There are other things too that are associated with parish life- friendship, belonging, mutual support and social activities – we give thanks for all these too, for they are God’s gifts to us in the life of Christ that we share.

So on this 25^th Anniversary of this parish, I want to bring you a message of hope and encouragement. There are many challenges and difficulties which the Christian people need to face in today’s world. But the crucified and risen Christ, the Good Shepherd, tells us, “I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.” Let this parish continue to be a community and a place where people can be nourished by Christ Jesus. Let your children and young people be guided and led to safe pastures by Christ the Good Shepherd. Let this parish be a house of prayer and a community of love. I encourage you along with your parish priest to continue to build up the life of this parish now and into the future.

This parish is dedicated to St. Bernadette who trusted so much in Mary the Mother of God. May St. Bernadette pray for you. May you enjoy the intercession and protection of the Blessed Virgin. May Christ the Good Shepherd lead you all to eternal life.

 St. Bernadette’s Erskine, 23^rd April 2008.