Welcoming Address of Pat O'Brien, Chairman of St. Patrick's Church Management Committee

Lord Mayor, Guests,  Parishioners,  Canon Dan has asked me to ensure that you are all most welcome to this our 175 Anniversary Mass of the building of St. Patrick's Church.

Thank you all for coming, I know  a number of people came a long way to be with us. Welcome also to a number of people who are visiting this Church after a long absence.

I must also say a huge Thank You to the Committee of Rosemary  O'Leary, John Keating ( who initiated the Anniversary Mass ), Bernard Forde and Paddy Lane who no church should be without, and of course Canon Dan.

Thanks also to the Defence Forces , an Garda Siochana , COPE Foundation, City Hall, the Local Boys Scouts  St. Patricks Unit , The Altar Committee, and all those who helped in any way to make this evening a Success.

And last, but by no means least, I must thank our Choir under the leadership of Joe Leake, Organist and Choirmaster, and also all those involved in the dressing of the Altar which looks so splendid

We will not have an Offertory collection during Mass but we will have an exit collection as you leave the Church. We would like to make this collection as silent as possible.

We will also have a Souvenir of your visit,  one per Household  .

In that envelope you will also find details of our new  fundraising activity.

Remember your loved ones and Buy a plaque

Please join us for Tea & Coffee at the Gresham  Metropole  Hotel in MacCurtain St.  after the Mass.

Thank you all again.

Words of Welcome (Canon Dan)

A very warm welcome to you all this evening, to our Mass of Thanksgiving, celebrating 175 years of faith and worship here at St. Patrick's Church. This is an opportunity to remember all who were involved in the building of this splendid church in most difficult times, before and after the Great Famine.

As we gather at St. Patrick's we remember too all those who have gone before us, 'Marked with the sign of faith'. We remember them for their loyalty, devotion and dedication to the Lord, to their faith and to this Church. Their live faith ought to inspire and help us to renew and rekindle our faith in these times.

We acknowledge too the committment of the priests who ministered to God's People, Pobal De, in this church over 175 years. We thank, this evening, the many people who worked so diligently in order to mark this very historic occasion. A very special word of thanks is due to the St. Patrick's Church Management Committee for their long hours of hard work to prepare for our joyous celebration.

In celebrating the 175th. Anniversary of our church we fervently pray that our faith and that of all our parishioners may be renewed and encouraged for now and the future

Beannacht De oraibh go leir,

Can Dan Crowley P.P.

Canon Liam Leader A.P.

Vy. Rev. John Cotter A.P.

Homily by Archdeacon Kerry Murphy - O'Connor

I'm delighted to be here for this special anniversary.

It is nice to be back. This Parish, this Church has so many memories for me - we lived half way up Summer Hill - I remember my first confession, my confirmation with Bishop Cohalan. My brothers and I were altar servers here. Fr. Noel O'Callaghan who also lived up the Hill and I were the first altar servers in Holy Family Church in 1949

Yes memories - my first Mass here, my parents funerals here.

The Parish Priests I remember and held in awe were Dean Sexton, we loved coming to the his 10am children's Mass. He was the first dead person I ever saw in Nov. 1945, Dean Scannell, who acquired Holy Family Church from the Methodists in 1949. Archdeacon Duggan, he left from here to go as a missionary to Peru, he died a few weeks after arriving in Peru in 1961.

Coming back to my home Parish in 1988 was strange. I renewed old friendships and made new , I see many of them here this evening.

We gather this evening to recall the opening and the 175 years of worship here in this magnificent building. The 1st Sunday Mass was celebrated here in the unfinished church in October 1836

A young architect from London George Pain designed the Church, his brother James designed other buildings in the City, one being the Courthouse in Washington St. The facade of both buildings are very similar, neoclassical with Corinthian detail, built of Cork limestone.

At the time all this area was part of the Cathedral Parish and the new church was to be a chapel of ease to the Cathedral, it was to replace the old Brick-field Mass-house nearer the river, it stood further down the Strand Road in the vicinity of the present Railway Station. A brick factory occupied the site down there so it was called Brick-field Chapel. It was the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829 that encouraged Catholics of the area to select a prominent site for their new church.

To put it in context, the North Chapel, the old one that we remember, was built about 30 years before this Church

It is fitting this evening to mention two curates from the North Chapel & St. Patrick's, Fr. Sylvester Mahony & Fr. Pat Coffey who did so much in the building of this church. They were the driving forces. They organised collections and meetings and pushed on the completion of the more decorative parts of the work. A plaque in the mortuary mourns the death of Fr. Coffey at the age of 42 - he fell victim to the famine-fever while attending the famine victims in this area 1847.

St. Patrick's was made an independent Parish in 1848. The first Parish Priest was Fr. Michael O'Shea, who came across the river from S.S. Peter and Paul's.

What we are celebrating this evening is a faith that extends back into the mist of past centuries, a faith that is, thank God still vibrant in this community. This Church is your sacred place.

The heart of the Church lies in its prayer life, its liturgy, the communion of young and old gathered together when we celebrate the Eucharist. Where new members are welcomed in Baptism; Where our children growing in faith, go to Confession and Communion for the first time. Where Young People are Confirmed in their faith. Where Couples exchange their vows in Marriage.

Where we bring Our Dead, as we pay our last respects in the rituals of Christian Dead. Where the Sanctuary Lamp flickers as a sign of God's presence among us.

So it is right that we should remember with joy and pride the faith that has fueled the life of this community going back to some of the difficult times of our history, those who gathered down at the old "Brick-field Mass-house" to attend Mass during Penal and Famine times.

So we remember this evening the faith, hope and love that made this Church possible those who organised the different collections, those who contributed to the various fund-raising events down the years and who continue to do so. May I compliment those who have done so much for this church in recent years and continue to do so. Repairing the organ, refurbishing the church, the new entrance doors maintaining and decorating the church so tastefully inside and outside. I say well done to all concerned.

Our remembering is also about preparing for another generation to carry the flame of faith into the years ahead. St. Paul says, 'You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundation and Jesus himself is the cornerstone.'

The responsibility for the maintenance of this Faith, this Apostolic Faith is shared by all of us. This celebration of the 175 anniversary, is a time of renewal of this faith and an understanding that this faith, this missionary faith, must be fresh and new for every succeeding generation.

It is here in St. Patrick's that the memory of the Apostolic Faith, of those who have gone before us is assured and celebrated and authenticated. This house built of living stones. The dwelling place of God on earth

We speak of the Church as the living memory of Christ. It is here - now - that Jesus is saying to all of us, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you and know that I am with you always, yes, to the end of time”.

These are difficult and challenging times for the Church, but it seems to me that these are also good times, good times to be a true follower of Jesus. Pope Benedict said recently when he returned to his homeland Germany “We must go forward, go through the tunnel with patience, with the certainty that Christ is the answer and the Church will overcome the great challenges that it is currently facing. The light will shine”.

There is new witness to be given, new approaches to be made, as you can see happening in your parish and throughout our Diocese. Living tradition must be fresh - must be new - a wind of change is blowing, The Church in crisis is a good model. This is not a time to despair but to imagine and reawaken the great examples of those who have gone before us - whose life stories are contained within this Church

With a new spirit of communion, of collaboration and of hope, may we strike out boldly and with confidence in the Holy Spirit to face the new challenges that confront and attack our Church from without and within at this moment. St Paul said “ The Holy spirit working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask for or imagine”

This Church, your Church is a sign of this living hope. There will always be a Shepherd, Jesus Christ. There will always be the Apostolic Faith symbolised in our bishop and his priests. There will always be the People of God to answer the invitation of Christ to go and give witness to Him and to be aware that He is with us to the end of time. Let us never forget that.

My words to you this evening are of congratulations and encouragement. Be proud of your history and of the faith given to you by Christ. Be full of hope, that God still works powerfully in the hearts of His people. Be so proud of your Church.

This evening, let us give grateful thanks for this Church

“How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord God of Hosts”.

“This is none other but the House of God and the Gate of Heaven"

Archdeacon Kerry Murphy - O'Conner

Getting the banner ready a few days prior to the big day.

Left to right: Ken Forde, Pat Lane, Frank Forde and Bernard Forde

The Con-Celebrants were;

Canon Dan Crowley P.P., Canon Liam Leader, Fr. John Cotter, Fr. Bernard O'Donovan, Fr. Tim O'Herlihy (Columban), Fr. John Gavin, Fr. Christy Harrington P.P. & Fr. Michael Kidney SMA, Archdeacon Kerry Murphy O'Connor