This year we are celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of the opening and dedication of our beautiful Parish Church. The Centenary of the Parish was celebrated in 2012 when Bishop McMahon came to join with us in marking that important milestone. A very informative Parish History was published on that occasion and is available again at the back of church (priced five pounds). Before the present church was built, Mass was celebrated in homes and then in the army drill hall (which later became the Parish Hall) before the construction of the present building by Canon Francis Gilbert. It was opened and blessed by him on 8th September 1925 and consecrated later that year by the Bishop. The site was further enhanced in 2013 with the opening of the new Parish Centre, which architecturally mirrors the church itself. It is fitting that the feast of the Birthday of Our Blessed Lady signalled the opening of our church, dedicated to the Blessed Mother and St Joseph. Therefore on Monday, 8th September, we shall celebrated Holy Mass in Thanksgiving for all the graces that God has seen fit to bestow on countless souls in our beautiful church, these past hundred years.
The Church is the People of God and each individual Parish is a family of souls who gather for the worship of God in the Sacred Liturgy. Our churches are more than just bricks and mortar, since they represent God’s Faithful People who gather there to worship Him. St Peter says that you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. That is why the church building is also sacred and important, since the stones of the church and the Altar, have been consecrated (with sacred Chrism) and thus dedicated to God’s service. We shall remember all those who gave of their time and resources to make our church a place fitting for the praise of the Almighty. Do keep 8th September free for the Solemn Mass at 7pm.
On the following Sunday, 14th September—feast of The Triumph of the Cross—there will be an hour of musical celebration in the church from 3–4pm with contributions from Our Lady of Lourdes Primary, St Bernard’s & St Thomas More High Schools, and the Parish Sea of Voices Choir. Both of these occasions will be followed by a reception in the Parish Centre. With these celebrations we will mark another joyful milestone in the life of our Parish Family.