The Mass included a Ceremony of Enrolment of Altar Servers into the Guild of St Stephen ( the International Organisation of Altar Servers).
At the Offertory, a procession with music reflected our parish’s cultural diversity which was a colourful and spirit-filled addition to the celebrations.
At the Mass and throughout the weekend, we were invited to raise funds for children and young people living with genetic disorders supporting ‘Jeans for Genes’. Many parishioners donned their jeans to support this charity.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today, we give thanks to God on the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the church on 24th September 1975, on the feast of Our Lady of Ransom with a Solemn Blessing of the New Church of Our Lady of Lourdes Cove, Farnborough by the Right Reverend Derek Worlock. The foundation stone for the new church was laid on 10 December 1974. We thank God not only for the Church but especially for the clergy, religious (particularly the Salesian community) and parishioners, past and present, who built this church, who have served here and who have built up the Catholic community in Cove, Farnborough.
We rightly call a Catholic church the ‘house of God’ and the ‘gate of heaven,’ since here Jesus lays down his life for us in the Mass and makes Himself available to us in the Blessed Sacrament. This is why it is important to keep our churches open. In Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis said that the Church is called to be “the house of the Father, with doors always wide open. One concrete sign of such openness is that our church doors should always be open, so that if someone, moved by the Spirit, comes here looking for God, he or she will not find a closed door” (47). To mark this fiftieth anniversary, I ask you as a community to find new ways of doing this, so that everyone in Farnborough can easily come here to meet the Lord and to adore Him in the Holy Eucharist.
Our parishes never ends in themselves. They exist to serve the needs of those around, especially those without faith and hope, and those who are poor or on the margins. Today, as we thank God for this church, let us also give thanks to God for all the Christian service that has been given in this place. Let us ask Him to make us an ever more holy family.
I am grateful to Fr Gerry Briody, Provincial of the Salesians of Don Bosco, for presiding at this Mass. I look forward to visiting you all very soon so that I can view the renovations and celebrate Mass for the parish. I know there will be a number of events and activities throughout this coming Year that will commemorate this 50th Anniversary and celebrate this vibrant parish.
With my prayers and very best wishes to you all on this very happy occasion.
In Corde Iesu,
Philip
Bishop of Portsmouth
