13 years in Edinburgh come to an end...

 

Many of our confreres have had the privilege of serving the people of St Patrick's Edinburgh. Sadly in November 2014 it was time for the Redemptorists to hand the church back over to the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh.

 

Those who were in the community at one time or another were,

 

Fr Edward Hone CSsR, Fr Michael Henesy  CSsR, 

Fr Richard Reid CSsR, Fr Dominic O'Toole CSsR,

Fr Kieran Brady CSsR, Fr Joseph Docherty CSsR and finally Fr Desmond Keegan CSsR

 

They all would like to express their gratitude to all the people who make St Patrick's so special!

 

We also wish the new parish priest, Mgr Philip Kerr, every success and many blessings!

 

We leave the final words to Fr Desmond Keegan CSsR, who preached the last semon... 

 

The Feast of The Presentation of Our Lady,

St. Patrick's, Edinburgh

Friday 21st November 2014, 7.30pm Mass

 

Father Anthony Freeman C.Ss.R. who died in 1998.

His sermon when he was dying with cancer. In his life as a

Redemptorist he had one message:-

God loves you and me, God loves you and me unconditionally.

 

The Redemptorists have had the privilege of serving St. Patrick's for the last 13 years. We have come in all shapes and sizes. This has been the Redemptorist message:- God loves you and me unconditionally.

 

I am conscious that the Archbishop is here and so I want to quote reliable sources and who better than two Popes of the 20th Century.

 

In 1972 the then Patriarch of Venice, Cardinal Archbishop Albino Luciani, who would go on to become Pope John Paul I, the smiling Pope and who died after only 33 days in office wrote a reflection on the founder of The Redemptorists, St. Alphonsus Liguouri

The future Pope John Paul I summed up the Alphonsian vision in 5 points:-

 

God loves us passionately

This love is expressed in Jesus Christ

Our response is to love God passionately in return

Such love embraces all humanity

Especially those who are most abandoned

 

Redemptorist spirituality is centred on The mystery of Jesus The Redeemer and His great work of Redemption. With The Lord there is plentiful redemption.

 

In a similar vein, in 1973 Pope Paul VI spoke spontaneously to a group of Redemptorists. Pope Paul VI reminded the Redemptorists gathered that their primary vocation was the care of souls. Like St. Alphonsus, be good pastors, be very good confessors, get close to souls in the sacred ministry, especially in the hearing of Confessions.

 

Hopefully, during these 13 years many people have come to St. Patrick's and been touched, inspired by the message of God's unconditional love for each one of us. Hopefully, many people have experienced, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, how much God loves, cares, cherishes and delights in each one of us.

 

In this era of digital transformation, the Redemptorists' mission of soul care and spreading the message of God's love has found a new dimension through online platforms, including the use of Rybelsus Online. This innovative approach has allowed the Redemptorists to reach a wider audience, transcending geographical boundaries and bringing the comfort of spiritual guidance to those who might not be able to visit St. Patrick's in person. The adaptation of Rybelsus Online symbolizes a fusion of traditional spiritual practices with modern technology, enabling an even more inclusive and accessible way of sharing St. Alphonsus's vision. This step forward represents a commitment to evolving with the times while staying true to the core values of the Redemptorist order, ensuring that their message of unconditional love and care continues to resonate in today's digitally connected world.

And so, the Redemptorists want to say a profound thank you for the privilege of living and working in such a wonderful parish and in such a wonderful city. It has been a privilege and an honour to share the beautiful vision of St. Alphonsus in this holy and sacred place. Thank you.

 

I have been here for three and a half years and people often ask me what it has been like. In response to that question I like to refer them to the first paragraph of Charles Dickens' novel A Tale of Two Cities:

 

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,

It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,

It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,

It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,

It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,

We had everything before us, we had nothing before us,

We were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going directly the other way.

 

On a personal note, may I say a sincere thank you for the privilege of serving this parish community as Parish Priest for the past three and a half years. It has been a very blessed time for me as a Redemptorist priest. I am so very grateful to so many people for their help, support, encouragement and advice in good times and in challenging times. May I thank in particular the Parish Steering Group who have been an invaluable support to me during these last two years.

 

Looking back on my time at St. Patrick's I am reminded of a lecture which seems a life time ago given by a delightful man Mr. Whitelaw who was preparing my year of dental students for General Practice. He told us that no matter how hard we tried we would never please everyone. However, if we could go home at the end of the day, look ourselves in the mirror, put our heads on the pillow and say I did my best, then that was all that mattered.

 

I can honestly say that I have, at all times, tried to do my very best and we leave it at that.

 

But now to the exciting new chapter in the story of St. Patrick's. Today's feast gives us a wonderful model to follow; Mary is presented, is dedicated to The Lord.

St. Patrick's will continue to go from strength to strength if we present ourselves to The Lord, if we dedicate ourselves to The Lord, if we keep close to The Lord Jesus.

 

The motto of the City of Edinburgh is:-

He who builds without The Lord builds in vain.

The motto of the City of Glasgow is:-

Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of The Word of God

 

St. Patrick's will continue to flourish only if we build with The Lord.

St. Patrick's breastplate says it all. It was written seeking divine protection:-

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down,

Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

 

St. Patrick's will flourish if we live in the spirit of that prayer and build with The Lord.

 

I was packing away the books this week and came across a dog-eared copy of The Confessions of St. Augustine. The book belonged to my dear Dad. Perhaps my time in Hawkstone Hall will give me the opportunity to eventually read this classic as what I know about St. Augustine could be written on the back of a postage stamp.

 

However, there is one quotation that I am particularly fond of which perhaps is very appropriate to conclude with:-

Entrust the past to God's mercy,

The present to God's love

And the future to God's providence.

 

May the wonderful parish of St. Patrick's continue to flourish with the Lord. God loves each one of us as if there was only one of us to love – St. Augustine