by

Bishop Liam S MacDaid

Bishop of Clogher

Sunday 10th March 2013

11.00am • Celebration of Eucharist

St. Michael’s Church, Enniskillen

and Com

missioning of Parish Pasto

ral C

ounc

il

Blessing of Aumbry

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St Michael’s Parish, Enniskillen & Lisbellaw

Dear Parishioners,

Today, especially in this Year of Faith, it is a privilege to welcome Bishop Liam MacDaid among us to share with us in celebrating another milestone on the journey of faith development in St Michael’s Parish, Enniskillen and Lisbellaw.

We mark the completion of the new Aumbry for the Holy Oils beside the Baptismal Font, which brings a new dignity to the baptismal space and gives due honour to the oils used in Baptism, Confirmation and the Anointing of the Sick. In particular, we thank and compliment the project delivery team for this fine piece of work: the architect, Mr Ciaran Mullarkey, for his elegant, sympathetic design and the other team members for the beautiful manner in which the Aumbry design has been realised.

It is also a time to celebrate the work of the Parish Baptism Team enabling those who approach the Sacrament of Baptism to do so with greater understanding and with a warmer sense of welcome. The Team was first formed under the stewardship of Monsignor Seán Cahill and continues in loyal service to parishioners, now with some new members, to this day.

Today we also see the commissioning of the new Parish Pastoral Council. This marks a new stage in a process that began in the parish during Lent 2011 when an invitation was issued to parishioners to join in a conversation about the future of the parish. Some sixty people faithfully made that journey over six weeks. Out of that process emerged, some three months later, both a Parish Pastoral Council and also nine new ministry groups to add to the more than twenty other long-established parish ministries. The process continues today in the search for new ways to respond to our baptismal call to live the Gospel and share the Good News.

The Commissioning of the Parish Pastoral Council today is a step towards a way of being parish which was set out by Pope Benedict XVI when he said of the laity, ‘They must no longer be viewed as ‘collaborators’ of the clergy but truly recognised as ‘co-responsible’ for the Church’s being and action.’ (Address given at The Opening of the Pastoral Convention of the Diocese of Rome on the Theme: ‘Church Membership and Pastoral Co-Responsibility’, Basilica of Saint John Lateran, 26 May 2009). At their best, Parish Pastoral Councils foster and give expression to a parish sense of community and ‘communio’ (a Latin word that expresses togetherness and connectedness). As Pope Benedict XVI said at Castel Gandolfo last August, ‘Feel the commitment to work for the Church’s mission to be your own, through prayer, through study, through active participation in ecclesial life, through an attentive and positive gaze at the world, in the continual search for the signs of the times.’

May God be with us as we strive together to welcome, communicate, listen, serve and encourage the participation of all in fostering a community of unity and faith in Christ Jesus, Our Lord.

Canon Peter O’Reilly, PP

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INTRODUCTORY RITE & BLESSING OF AUMBRY

Bishop: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.C: Amen

Bishop: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

C: And with your Spirit

A word of welcome from Bishop MacDaid

Presentation Of Holy OilsCommentary read by Dolores Quinn, Parish Baptism TeamThe vessels containing the oils of Catechumens (Gold), Chrism (Red) and the Oil of the Sick (White) are brought to the sanctuary by three members of the parish Baptismal Team.

Blessing of AumbryBishop MacDaid then goes to the Aumbry and blesses it saying:Gracious and loving God, you anointed priests, prophets and kings of old with the oil of gladness. You infuse your Church with Gift of the Holy Spirit, and heal, comfort and sanctify those anointed with oil in your name.Let this Aumbry (*) remind us always of your sacramental mysteries.May the holy oils kept here, the Oil of the Sick, the Oil of Catechumens and the Holy Chrism, confirm the unity of this parish in faith and prayer with me, your Bishop, and with all members of your Church, and may these oils also be effective signs of the love that you pour forth into our hearts.We ask this through Christ our Lord.C: Amen

The oils are then placed in the Aumbry.

Collect - Kyrie (McGuinness Mass)Bishop: O God, who through your word reconcile the human race to yourself in a

wonderful way, grant, we pray, that with prompt devotion and eager faith the Christian people may hasten toward the solemn celebrations to come.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.

C: Amen

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LITURGY OF THE WORD

First Reading Jos 5:9a, 10-12Read by Deirdre Quinn, Parish Baptismal Team

A reading from the book of JoshuaThe Lord said to Joshua, ‘Today I have taken the shame of Egypt away from you.’ Hence that place has been called Gilgal until now. The Israelites pitched their camp at Gilgal and kept the Passover there on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening in the plain of Jericho. On the morrow of the Passover they tasted the produce of that country, unleavened bread and roasted ears of corn, that same day. From that time, from their first eating of the produce of that country, the manna stopped falling. And having manna no longer, the Israelites fed from that year onwards on what the land of Canaan yielded.The word of the Lord

C: Thanks be to God

Responsorial Psalm (sung)

Second Reading 2 Cor 5:17-21Read by Mary McDaid, Parish Baptismal Team

A reading from the second letter of St Paul to the CorinthiansFor anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has gone, and now the new one is here. It is all God’s work. It was God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the work of handing on this reconciliation. In other words, God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself, not holding men’s faults against them, and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled. So we are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God. For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the goodness of God.The word of the Lord.

C: Thanks be to God

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Gospel Acclamation (sung)

The Gospel Luke 15:1-3,11-32

Priest: The Lord be with you.C: And with your spirit.

Priest: A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.C: Glory to you, O Lord.

The tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them:

‘A man had two sons. The younger said to his father, “Father, let me have the share of the estate that would come to me.” So the father divided the property between them. A few days later, the younger son got together everything he had and left for a distant country where he squandered his money on a life of debauchery.

‘When he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine, and now he began to feel the pinch, so he hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who put him on his farm to feed the pigs. And he would willingly have filled his belly with the husks the pigs were eating but no one offered him anything. Then he came to his senses and said, “How many of my father’s paid servants have more food than they want, and here am I dying of hunger! I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your paid servants.” So he left the place and went back to his father.

‘While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him tenderly. Then his son said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we are going to have a feast, a celebration, because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found.” And they began to celebrate.

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‘Now the elder son was out in the fields, and on his way back, as he drew near the house, he could hear music and dancing. Calling one of the servants he asked what it was all about. “Your brother has come” replied the servant “and your father has killed the calf we had fattened because he has got him back safe and sound.” He was angry then and refused to go in, and his father came out to plead with him; but he answered his father, “Look, all these years I have slaved for you and never once disobeyed your orders, yet you never offered me so much as a kid for me to celebrate with my friends. But, for this son of yours, when he comes back after swallowing up your property – he and his women – you kill the calf we had been fattening.”

‘The father said, “My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.”’The Gospel of the Lord.

C: Praise to you Lord, Jesus Christ

Homily

Liturgy of Commissioning and Blessing of Parish Pastoral Council

Bishop: I invite those who have been chosen to serve our community as members of the Parish Pastoral Council to stand.

Names of PPC members are read out by the Parish Priest as they rise from their place.

Bishop: You have been called from this parish community to serve as a member of the Parish Pastoral Council. Will you accept the responsibilities of parish leadership that we place on you?

PPC members: We will.

Bishop: Will you strive to be more like Christ so that you will be better able to serve his people?

PPC members: We will.

Then as Individual Candles are lit from the Paschal Candle, the Bishop continues:

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Bishop: Christ our Saviour is the light of the world. Be a beacon of light in the life of the Church. Your task is to walk in the light of Christ and to share it with others. May the light of these candles remind you of our mission to let the light of Christ shine out for all to see.

Bishop presents a lighted candle to each new member saying:

Bishop: I invite the members of the Parish Pastoral Council to express their commitment through the words of their pledge.

PPC Members: We are grateful for the trust you are placing in us and we accept this ministry within our community. We pledge ourselves to serve our parish with joy, love and enthusiasm. We will work to build the life of the Christian community in our parish and diocese. We will strive to be conscious of the needs of all our parishioners and to make Christ present for everyone, following his example as one who served. We ask your prayerful support, encouragement and insights as we commit ourselves to serve this community.

BlessingBishop: Ever-living God, you gather us together as St Michael’s Parish to carry the Gospel of Christ to all people. Bless (*) the members of this parish council. Let your Spirit enlighten their minds and guide all their actions, that they may be renewed in faith and united in love and bring to fulfilment the work of your Church to your greater honour and glory. We ask this through Christ our Lord.C: Amen

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Renewal of Baptismal PromisesBishop: Let us stand together to renew the promises of our own Baptism, by which we

once renounced Satan and his works and promised to serve God in the holy Catholic Church as together we say:

All: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I cherish and protect the earth as God’s creation. I give thanks for the spring and the summer, the sowing and the harvest, the sun and the moon, the wind and the rain, the mountain top and the seashore.

I reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises. I reject injustice, hatred, despair and bigotry. I reject all that undermines and destroys the gift of life.

I believe that Jesus Christ lived among us and preached the good News of the Kingdom of God. I believe that Jesus Son of God and Son of Mary is the Saviour of the World. I believe that Jesus died for us on Calvary and was raised from the dead to sit on the right hand of the Father.

I believe in the Holy Spirit who is present in humanity and that it is our destiny to share fully in God’s own life. I believe that when I was anointed with oil in baptism I received God’s Spirit. I believe in the Christian identity that was given to me in my name at baptism.

I believe in the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.

I believe that the Church, a community of saints and sinners, is the temple of God’s presence in the world. I believe in the final triumph of grace over sin, light over darkness, truth over lies, hope over despair, good over evil, and life over death.

Amen.

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Prayer of the FaithfulRead by Mary Keenan, Parish Baptism Team

Bishop: My dear friends, let us pray to God our Father who binds us together in the Holy Spirit.

R: For those in our parish who are anointed with the Oil of Catechumens and Holy Chrism; that, in union with the whole Church, they may resist sin and temptation and live their lives with faith, embracing Christ wholeheartedly. Lord hear us

C: Lord graciously hear us.

R: For those in our parish who are anointed with the Oil of the Sick; that they may be strengthened by the Church’s concern for them, and healed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Lord hear us.

C: Lord graciously hear us.

R: For the members of our Parish Council; that they may give witness to the presence of Christ by lives manifesting faith, hope and love. Lord hear us.

C: Lord graciously hear us.

R: For all gathered here; that we may live out our baptismal promises and reach out with compassion and care to those in need. Lord hear us.

C: Lord graciously hear us.

R: On this Mother’s Day, we give thanks for all our mothers, whether living or dead, and for the gift of life that came to us from you through them. Lord hear us.

C: Lord graciously hear us.

R: For all who have died, especially those we have known and loved: that together we may reach the life of heaven, promised to us in Baptism. Lord hear us.

C: Lord graciously hear us.

Bishop: We make these our prayers through Christ our Lord.C: Amen.

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THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

Offertory ProcessionThe gifts of bread and wine are brought to the altar by two members of the Parish Pastoral Council together with Danielle Hicks-Gallagher and Patrick & Tiarnan Mongan, who received Sacraments of Initiation in St Michael’s in the past year.

Bishop: Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.

C: May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.

Prayer over the OfferingsBishop: We place before you with joy, these offerings which bring eternal remedy, O Lord,

praying that we may both faithfully revere them and present them to you as is fitting, for the salvation of all the world.

Through Christ our Lord.C: Amen.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER

Bishop: The Lord be with you.C: And with your spirit.

Bishop: Lift up your hearts.C: We lift them up to the Lord.

Bishop: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.C: It is right and just.

Bishop: It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Christ our Lord. For by your gracious gift each year your faithful await the sacred paschal feasts with the joy of minds made pure, so that, more eagerly intent on prayer and on the works of charity, and participating in the mysteries by which they have been reborn, they may be led to the fullness of grace that you bestow on your sons and daughters. And so, with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the hosts and Powers of heaven, we sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim:Holy, Holy, Holy (McGuinness Mass)

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Bishop: You are indeed Holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness.Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.At the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his Passion, he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my body, which will be given up for you.In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the chalice and, once more giving thanks, he gave it to his disciples, saying:Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.

The Mystery of faith (McGuinness Mass)

Bishop: Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of his Death and Resurrection, we offer you, Lord, the Bread of life and the Chalice of salvation, giving thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you.

Humbly we pray that, partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ, we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit.

Priest: Remember, Lord, your Church, spread throughout the world, and bring her to the fullness of charity, together with Liam our Bishop and all the clergy.

Remember also our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection, and all who have died in your mercy: welcome them into the light of your face.

Have mercy on us all, we pray, that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with the blessed Apostles, and all the Saints who have pleased you throughout the ages, we may merit to be coheirs to eternal life, and may praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ.

Bishop: Through him, and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour is yours, for ever and ever.

C: Great Amen (McGuinness Mass).

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THE COMMUNION RITE

Bishop: At the Saviour’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:

C: Our Father...

Bishop: Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

C: For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and for ever.

Bishop: Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you, look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will. Who live and reign for ever and ever.

C: Amen.

Bishop: The peace of the Lord be with you always.C: And with your spirit.

Lamb of God (McGuinness Mass)

Bishop: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.C: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the

word and my soul shall be healed.

Prayer after CommunionBishop: O God, who enlightens everyone who comes into this world, illuminate our hearts

we pray, with the splendour of your grace, that we may always ponder what is worthy and pleasing to your majesty and love you in all sincerity. Through Christ our Lord.

C: Amen

BLESSING AND DISMISSAL

Bishop: The Lord be with you.C: And with your spirit.

Bishop: May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.C: Amen.

Bishop: Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.C: Thanks be to God.

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THE NEW AUMBRY

by the Architect, Ciaran Mullarkey of Mullarkey Pedersen Architects, Derry.When Canon O’Reilly asked Mullarkey Pedersen Architects to design a new Aumbry for St Michael’s Church he was clear that his intention was not simply to provide convenient storage space for the Holy Oils but rather to enhance the sacramental experience of Baptism itself. This broader symbolic and spatial understanding of sacrament is echoed in the words of liturgical theologian Mark Searle who states that ‘everything belongs to the sacrament, everything contributes to the sign value of the rite, which is the medium through which God communicates to us’. Canon O’Reilly saw clearly the need for a place of initiation that was more than a baptismal font located in a convenient corner but a place of significance which is clearly spatially and symbolically demarcated.

As architects our task was therefore to concern ourselves with both the form and the materiality of the Aumbry itself and also with its place within a larger, symbolically charged space. It should not draw attention away from the sacramental focal point of the font but instead help define its location within the spatial hierarchy of the church. The ‘servant’ relationship to the font suggested a recessive, modest formal expression, an expression which is perfectly articulated in the traditional medieval Aumbry, a recessed niche formed within the thickness of the masonry wall (see image below). How should such a niche manifest itself architecturally in St Michael’s? Fortunately the answer was close at hand in the form of the existing simple, dignified holy water fonts located in the vestibule of the church itself. These are formed by a simple sandstone arch enclosing within it a shallow, recessed space.

The new Aumbry takes the sandstone arch and forms a similar niche which is clad in white Carrera marble with a dark vein running through it to evoke the water at the centre of the baptismal sacrament. The white marble serves as a background against which the beautiful

Traditional Medieval Aumbry, Trim Castle, Co Meath. 12th Century.

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glass vessels, or ampullae, are displayed. Hidden up-lighters highlight the symbolically coloured undersides of each vessel. During use the ampullae are placed on a flat polished limestone shelf which will not absorb oil spillage or discolour over time.

As outlined above, the Aumbry is designed to be a modest intervention and its greater significance lies in its relationship to the font. The font, and the sacrament to which it is central, now manifests its presence, in the form of the Aumbry, on to the very architecture of the church, thus helping to define a clearly defined sacramental space within the larger whole. The integration of the particular and universal is symbolised by the Aumbry’s axial relationship with the stained glass window of the nave and of the overall structural geometry and is further emphasised by the hood moulding and associated architectural recess.

ST MICHAEL’S PARISH BAPTISM TEAMIn the 1990s, the Called By Name programme was developed as a result of the Parish Development and Renewal (PDR) initiative. Several parish groups were subsequently formed. A small core group, who had been in the Called By Name programme together, devised the current baptismal preparation programme and 1999 saw the emergence of the present Parish Baptism Team. The parish priest of the time, Monsignor Seán Cahill, and the other priests of the parish were very receptive of the concept and the programme, embracing it wholeheartedly. Some of the original members are active in the team today and they all see the Baptismal Team as essentially a ministry of hospitality and welcome. In recent times, the Team has worked together with present parish clergy to do a leaflet of the Rite of Baptism. The provision of an Aumbry had been hoped for and the Team were delighted to hear from the present Parish Priest, Canon Peter O’Reilly, that plans for it were to go ahead.

THE PARISH PASTORAL COUNCILThe main purpose of the Parish Pastoral Council is to maintain an overview of the parish: to provide a calm space where over a period of time parish priorities are identified, possibilities are considered & actions are taken and reviewed.

Broadly, it looks at the parish from the point of view of four areas of concern. Firstly, it seeks and supports whatever enables the parish to share the Good News. Secondly, it puts energy into community building. Thirdly, it is committed to having good liturgy in the parish. Fourthly, it seeks to promote the service of those who are in need in the parish. In this way, it aspires to be in line with the community of first Christians as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2: 42, 44-45). The Parish Pastoral Council takes a broad view of the parish, inclusive of all who consider themselves parishioners from those whose connection with the parish is regular to those whose connection is mainly for the significant events of their lives.

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The members of the Parish Baptism Team are (from left to right): Helen Mooney, Cecilia Burns, Dolores Quinn, Mary Keenan, Mary McDaid, Michael Mooney and Deirdre Quinn.

The members of the Parish Pastorol Council are:Back Row (left to right): Gerry McNamee, Martin Donnelly (Chair), Maureen Magee, Martha Smyth,

Canon Peter O’Reilly (President), Andy Palmer, Paddy Maguire, Kevin SloweyFront Row (left to right): Bernie Gallagher (Secretary), Rita McKechnie, Conor Lunny, Bridie Dolan, John Bennett

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Project Delivery Team for the New AumbryArchitect: Ciaran Mullarkey, Mullarkey Pedersen Architects, DerryClerk of Works: Noel James, Mullarkey Pedersen Architects, DerryBuilders: Tracey Brothers, Enniskillen.Stonework: Feely Stone Company of Boyle, Co Roscommon.Glass Vessels (Ampullae): Jerpoint Glass Studio, Co Kilkenny.Brass Work: Rathbanna Craftwork, Co Armagh.Lighting Specification: Lloyd Crawford, Chroma Lighting, BelfastElectrician: Paul Keenan, Enniskillen.

THE NEW AUMBRY