FATHER MATT'S CELEBRATION
OF SIXTY-FIVE YEARS OF LIFE AND FORTY YEARS OF PRIESTHOOD
The well-wishers who
attended the celebration included:
Margaret Adamson
Alfie and Evelyne Agostini
Billy and Celia Andrew
Sister Annette
Josephine Atkins
Jaques and Marian Beleveret
Moira Bingham
Rose Bowers
Father Willie Boyd
Jim and Sheila Boyle
Sadie Boyle
Benet and Elsie Brodie
Benet, Karen, Paul and Jane Brodie
Don and Helen ( -2013) Brown
Gerry and Janet Brown
Mary Brown
Betty Burns
Ronnie and Marie Cairns
Anne Calvert
Anne Clarke
Patricia Connor
Anna Conway
Robert and Rosina Cooper
Frank and Doris Coulter
Gerard, Sheila, Lucy and Patricia Coulter
Jean Coulter
Tommy (1957-2010) and Esther Coulter
Frances Crawford
James Crichton
Marlene Crichton
Mary Cunningham
Lillian Devine
K Donahoe
Jim and Cathie Donnelly
Matt and Moira Donnelly
Sheila Douglas
Peggie Duffy
Drew Duncan, Provost of North Ayrshire and his wife Rosemary
Willie, Anne and Michelle Duncan
Kate Dunn
Flora Dynes
Alison Erskine
June Farrell
Angelo Farro
Natalina Farro
Gavin and Margaret Finnegan
Peter and Catherine Finnigan
Wendy and Niamh Fisher
Father Eamonn Flynn
Joan Forsyth
Tom, Catherine and Geraldine Gallagher
Douglas and Carole Gee
Billy and Liz Giffney
Leslie Gordon
Phyllis Gribben
Lorna Hamilton
Anne Harrison
John Harrison
Anne Higgins
J and R Higgins
George and Maria Hilferty
Addie Hissey
Bill and Anne Holden
Maisie Hough
Aidan Hughes
Andrena Hughes
Annie Johnston
Marion Kelly
Maureen Kelly
John and Anne Kennedy
Phyllis Kennedy
Father
Gabriel Kigozi
Father John Kinsler
Ian and Angela Kirkpatrick
Veronica Lewis
Maria, Sarah and Katie Lind
Marie Lindsay, Father Matt's housekeeper
Margaret Logan
F and A Lundie
Harry and Elizabeth Lundie
Stephen and Margaret Lynn
Jack Madine
Cath Mair
Nan Maloney
Sister Marian
Agnes Martin
Millie McCann
Tommy and Eileen McCann
Mary McCormack
Ian and Anne McCormick
Elizabeth McCrae
Michael McCulloch
Kathleen McEvoy
Pamela McGlynn
Janey and Henrietta McGonigle
Alice McGrattan
George and Anne McGrattan
Tom and Greta McGreevy
Frances McInnes
Amy McLaughlin
Erin McLaughlin
Father
Matt McManus
Tony and Julie McManus, Father Matt's brother and neice
Michael and Catherine McManus, Father Matt's brother and sister
in law
Peter McNamara
Pam McNeill
Oonagh McVeigh (1928-2011)
Patricia McVeigh
Michelle Millar
Patricia Milligan
Robert and Annie Montgomery
Nora Moore
Cecilia and Sarah Morman
Margaret Mullen
David and Margaret Munn
Piero and Avril Narducci
Susan Neil
Betty Northcote
Julia Paterson
Josephine Peppard
Liz Petrie
George Poole
Alan and Gertie Priestly
Jim Prior
Canon Denis Quinlan
Cathie Quinn
Marian Quinn
Marion Quinn
Peter Reilly
Jean Robertson
Susanna Ross
Catherine Russell
Harry, Myriame and Michael Sammons
Father Stephen Sharkey
Elaine Shaw
Sadie Sloss
Allan, Sharon and Eric Smith
Calvin Smith
Robert and Veronica Stevenson
Mamie Stewart
Margaret Sweeney
Margaret Swiercz who baked the birthday cake
Bob, Pauline and Aimee Taylor
Monica Taylor
Sam Taylor
Annie Thompson
Andrew Timmons who played the bagpipes
Mary Timmons (1916-2011)
Peter Timmons
William and Rotha Timpany
Brian Towie
Joan Usher
Sheena Walker
Bernard and Sheena Walsh
John, Helen, Peter John, Mary, Sarah and Cecilia Walsh
Jim and Annie Watt
Bert and Jean White
If you know
of anyone else who should be included in the above list, please contact WebsiteAuthor@SaintPeterInChains.net.
The
Management Committee of the Parish Centre has asked me to make a short address
on this happy occasion and I am pleased and privileged to do so. We are here to
celebrate three things - firstly, a belated welcome to Father
Matt from the parishioners of Saint Peter's; secondly, forty years
of Father
Matt's priesthood and thirdly sixty-five years of his life.
This is an informal occasion with the emphasis on a community gathering and socialising with each other. There will, however, be a few minor formalities. We will sing 'Happy Birthday'. We will make a presentation to Father Matt. Father Stephen Sharkey from Holy Trinity Church, Lockerbie will make a speech to give us some insight to our parish priest. I suspect that Father Matt will say a few words too - perhaps even a lot of words - because one of his gifts is eloquence. For the most part, the emphasis is on enjoying yourselves and having a blether with folk especially those you haven't seen for a while.
When Father Lynch died in July 2004, there was deep sadness and emptiness in our parish. Because Father Lynch had set up so many groups and good practices, the parish was able to function for nearly five months with the support of visiting priests. Regardless of how committed parishioners are, we need the stability of a permanent priest.
On Saturday 27 November 2004, at 5 30 pm, in the Church of Saint Peter in Chains, the music started for the entry hymn. The altar servers processed to the sanctuary followed by Father Matt. The hymn ended with the congregation eagerly anticipating our new parish priest's introductory remarks. His first words were "Are you happy to see me?". I remember thinking "That's a risky question. What if they say no?". The parishioners, however, replied with a sincere 'yes' which Father Matt answered with "Well, I'm happy to see you, too." and the mutual affection has continued since.
For the first few months, as Father Matt processed to the sanctuary for Mass, I remember being aware on each occasion that we had a new priest - a new priest. I think that it was around February when I was conscious of the fact that, with each service, I was losing the notion of regarding Father Matt as our new priest - rather I simply thought of him as our priest. This was obviously because Father Matt was performing the multiple roles of leading us, integrating with us and, in a sense, becoming one of us.
There are two ways to look at tonight's gathering. On the one hand it could be regarded as surprising that we are sharing in Father Matt's double celebration because he has only been with us for ten months; on the other hand it is a tribute to the sincerity, warmth and good nature with which he has embraced his new parish that so many people want to be here with him even though he was only been with us for less than a year.
I
ask you, therefore, Reverend Fathers, Ladies and Gentlemen to join with me in
welcoming Father
Matt
as our Parish Priest, thanking him for his forty years of service to the Church
and congratulating him on becoming a senior citizen.