When I came here three years ago in 2008 to mark the 60th Anniversary of the erection of St. Fergus’ Parish, I recalled that my predecessor, the first Bishop of Paisley, James Black, dedicated the first Church of St. Fergus’ in 1950. Typically, a parish is erected and sometime later a church is built and opened. The Church is usually the first project of a new parish, and when the Church is opened, it is a sign that the parish has taken on a life of its own and, as it were, gives a signal that it is a living and worshipping and functioning Catholic community.
This is the second Church that this parish has built and opened. This Church of St. Fergus was solemnly opened by the second Bishop of Paisley, Stephen McGill, in 1971. By then St. Fergus was an established parish and the building and opening of a new church marked not so much the beginning of parish life, but a new phase in the life of St. Fergus’ Parish. At the same time, it retained the meaning of the opening of your first Church. The opening of a second church was still a statement that St. Fergus’ Parish was very much part of the landscape of Paisley and was making its own contribution to the life of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Paisley, to the common good of the town and to the of the local community. And we thank God that St Fergus’ Parish, with this fine Church at its centre, continues to make an important contribution to the Church, to the town and to the community.
The Third Sunday of Advent is also known as Gaudete Sunday because Gaudete is the first word of the Opening Antiphon of today’s Mass in the Latin original text. Gaudete means Rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord - Again I say Rejoice.” So today we gather with joy to mark the 40th Anniversary of the Solemn Opening of this second church of St. Fergus’ Paisley. Today we give joyfully thanks to God for everything that this Church has meant and continues to mean to this parish community: the church is the house of God, where the living God dwells in the midst of your community; a place of prayer and worship, especially where you come for Mass, for the celebration of Christ’s Sacrifice in the Eucharist; it means the presence of the Word of God and the Sacraments at the heart of this community; it is where children and adults come together to profess their faith and support one another in their Christian life; it is where children are baptised into Christ at the start of their lives, where men and women take one another in marriage, where at the end of life we commend our departed relatives and friends to God’s mercy and speed them on the eternal life. For all this today, for the mysteries of grace and holiness which are celebrated here, we give thanks and praise to God today. And we should not underestimate either the significance of this Church as an expression of the identity of the community of Ferguslie.
This anniversary falls in the Season of Advent. In today’s Gospel, St John the Baptist describes himself as a voice crying in the wilderness who invites us to prepare for the coming of the Lord. He was at pains to say that he was not the Messiah, but that he too was waiting for the one who would baptise with the Holy Spirit. John’s whole purpose was to be person who would point to Jesus, to the Lord, who would baptise with the Holy Spirit, and his message is that we too should prepare for the coming of the Lord.
So during this time, we prepare for Christmas with faith and with joy, and with a sense that the Lord is coming anew into our lives. This is not just the annual season of merriment loosely connected to the birth of Jesus when we splurge on gifts and on enjoyment and parties, but is a new coming of Jesus into our lives, a moment when we sense and engage with the mystery of God’s love for us, so much so that he sent his Son born of Mary, and in Jesus, we look upon the living God. You know, it would change us and change the world so much, I think, if every Christian person could grasp anew during Advent that we are truly preparing for the coming of the Lord.
When Bishop Black dedicated the first Church of St. Fergus’, Paisley, he said this: “You have achieved the building of a church. Now you must go forward to build a parish.” And on the 40th Anniversary of the Solemn Opening of this second Church of St. Fergus’, Paisley, when this parish community has undergone so many social changes and faces so many challenges made more difficult by the harsh economic situation of this moment, I as the present bishop wish also to encourage you by telling you: “Continue to build up your parish community, built it up anew, with this Church at its centre, with Jesus Christ as its centre.” Your Church is the physical sign that Jesus Christ is the centre of the Church and of this parish community. Let your parish life and community continue to be built joyfully and confidently on the Lord who always comes to save us. And never be dispirited or afraid. Today’s message is Rejoice in the Lord – again I say rejoice!
St. Fergus’ Paisley
11th December 2011