St George's Celebrates
Lourdes at Home
Friday 14th July saw the Parish come together for a very special occasion, a Mass incorporating the Anointing of the Sick. As the Archdiocesan pilgrimage is in Lourdes so we as a parish have our own, ‘Lourdes at Home’ where we join in communion with the pilgrimage to pray for our sick and ask God’s blessing on all who need it. We remembered this year Fr Gerry Cobham, who was a regular at Lourdes for most of his priestly life, we were pleased that his brother John and his wife Sandra were able to join us for the Mass.
The preparations for the celebrations started many weeks ago with invitations being sent to all the sick and housebound who we were aware of, inviting them and their family to join us for the Mass.
As the congregation gathered there was a feeling of celebration across the church. A joyful expectation of something very special was happening; old friends were reunited; new friends were made; the parish came together for the celebration. Fr Chris was the main celebrant assisted by Fr Lister.
Fr Chris spoke of his own illness over the past year and how it has affected his outlook. His own lived experiences have changed his outlook on illness. He went on to say that he constantly sees the wonder of God’s love when ministering to those who are very ill and their loved ones.
Fr Chris reminded us of the Pope John Pauls words when he was in the UK in 1982 he preached about the Sacrament when he was celebrating it in Southwark Cathedral. He reminded us that the Pope said that, 'The wisdom of Christ and the power of Christ are to be seen in the weakness of those who share his sufferings.' He said that the Pope was pleading with us to adopt this attitude and that there are probably still groups and individuals who still need to hear the Pope’s plea
The celebration of the Sacrament took place; the priests moved through the congregation anointing those who wanted to be anointed. The congregation sang hymns, watched and prayed for each other, a very special moment. The liturgy was enhanced by the singing of Ave Maria and Panis Angelicus by Catherine Power, who has just finished her second year of university.
The celebrations didn’t stop at the end of Mass, everyone was invited to ‘The Venue St George’s’ for light refreshments There was a great deal of, ‘chat, and catching up. Feeling fully refreshed spiritually and physically people returned home with the memory of a very special day.
This was a mammoth feat of organisation, Fr Chris thanked all who have been involved in the planning and all the work on the day.
