Dear Parishioners, The Re-dedication of St. Peter’s gives us great joy and hope. It is good for us to be “back home” as our splendid church begins another chapter in its history. We feel very proud of St. Peter’s because its beauty comes, not just from its impressive architecture, but more importantly, from the faith, the love, the hopes, the sacrifices and the goodness of previous generations of parishioners. In refurbishing St. Peter’s we are honouring those who have gone before us and at the same time looking to the future with faith and trust. It is our heartfelt hope and prayer that St. Peter’s will continue, for generations to come, to be a sacred place where people will hear the Word of God, celebrate the Eucharist and receive the other Sacraments, meet Jesus Christ in prayer, and be inspired to live the Christian faith. The Re-dedication Mass was a very significant and historic event which involved many people, including representatives of parish and local organisations and groups. On behalf of our parish community and on my own behalf, I would like to express our gratitude to every person who contributed to the preparations for and celebration of the Mass. We are also appreciative of St. Peter’s GAA Club for putting their superb facilities at our disposal, for the bakers who provided ‘goodies’ in abundance, to Topping’s who donated the beautiful celebration cake, to Tony McCann and his very efficient band of volunteers who did a superb job for the catering, to Arthur Greene for donating the bunting, and Michael Bell and his helpers who put it in place. As usual, our Parish Secretary and Sacristans gave their ever willing service. We were very pleased to welcome the Principals of our schools, local public representatives, members of the Brownlow Family, leaders of the Protestant community in Lurgan, including Bishop Harold Miller, Church of Ireland, Bishop of Down & Dromore, as our guests. We thank the Professional Team, led by Mr Paul Monaghan, Architect, the Contractors O’Neill & Brady Ltd, the sub-contractors and every person who worked on the site. On a personal note I express my very sincere appreciation to the members of the Parish Finance Council, the Parish Pastoral Council and the Parish Fundraising Committee for their advice and support and also to Bishop McAreavey, the Diocesan Chapter and Diocesan Finance Council for their encouragement and approval. Now we face the enormous challenge of paying off our very large debt and, more importantly, renewing the Faith in our community. When we put our trust in The Lord He never lets us down. Let’s all re-dedicate our lives, as well as our Church, to Him. Monsignor Aidan Hamill, P.P. |
