Gathering to give glory to God

Celebrations to mark the 25^th anniversary of the dedication of the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Mickleover, Derby 

When the church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Mickleover was dedicated by Bishop James McGuinness on 7^th October 1982, the parishioners were delighted with their new church and looked forward to the future with confidence.  From September 23^rd to October 7^th 2007, some of these same people, together with those who have since been welcomed to the parish, celebrated the 25^th anniversary of their beautiful church. 

On Sunday, 23^rd September, Bishop Malcolm presided over a Celebration Mass at which our parish priest, Father John Sherrington, concelebrated. Based on the theme for the fortnight, Gathering to Give Glory to God, it was built around a very moving Offertory Procession during which members of the many groups in the parish, excited young as well as older, more calm parishioners, laid symbols of their work at the foot of the altar.  

On Friday 28^th September, there was a Liturgy of Evening Prayer, centred on the theme Celebrating our Story.  Our three surviving former parish priests, Fathers Tim O’Sullivan, John Younger and Frank Daly, joined Father John and his parishioners, and clergy and friends from the other Christian Churches in Mickleover and Etwall for what turned out to be a very ecumenical celebration. 

We heard an account, containing some humorous vignettes of parish life, of our journey in faith and community since the foundation of the parish in 1961.  The interlinking of this with bible readings, hymns and psalms produced a liturgy of great power and joy, a joy which continued as parishioners and their guests had supper in the  Parish Centre afterwards.  This had been decorated, as was the church Gathering Area, with displays telling our story in words and pictures.  Father John Younger, the priest who had masterminded the building of the Church, cut the celebration cake and old friendships were renewed and new ones made as conversation buzzed. 

Everyone drew breath for a few days until the weekend of 6^th and 7^th October when the celebrations were given over to the children and young people who are such an important part of our parish and, as the Bishop told them, our hope for the future.   

A great deal of preparation by our young people went into the liturgy for Saturday evening Mass.  In an introduction which highlighted the dangers of judging by appearances, about 25 members of the Challenge Team Unit, the parish youth group, moved into church with their hoodies covering their faces, with My soul gives glory to the Lord by CJM playing in the background.  Then, turning down their hoods, they revealed their faces – faces of our young people whom we know and trust.  Another thought-provoking drama followed the Gospel.  When the church was stormed by “disrupters”, it was shown very clearly that, though people working on their own could not repel them, they could be driven out once individuals started to respect each other’s different gifts and work together. Bidding prayers, written by the young people and introduced by the song, Something inside so strong, reinforced these themes. By their involvement, these young people, many of whom were confirmed last year, have shown themselves willing to continue to “step out of the boat” in liturgy and service.   

It was then time to party, sharing food and fun with pizza and cake, games and a chat. The evening summed up the wonderful and moving contribution that our gifted young people make to the parish.  They now look forward to a weekend retreat at the Briars and to taking part in a pilot project in leadership for Youth Ministry being set up by Our Lady of Lourdes and the Briars team.  

Next day it was the turn of the under 12s.  The liturgy at the 10 a.m. Mass celebrated by Fr John was led very reverently by the children, though most were in their sports gear for the following fun event.  It was good to see Gerard and Rooney at Mass!  The Under 7s had their regular monthly liturgy, after which they brought to the altar a cardboard tree with May our faith grow like a tree written on it and pictures of children watering small plants, just as Bishop Malcolm had done the previous week.  At the end of Mass, Father John gave all the children a daffodil bulb to plant as a symbol of faith growing from small beginnings. The following three hours were given over to the serious fun on which a dedicated team including many from CTU had been working for many weeks.  There were races, a bouncy castle and a parachute, face painting (rather frightening as there were a lot of tigers around), indoor games and competitions – some amazing hats were produced!

  The highlight of all this was when we all linked hands in a long chain and hugged the church.  This was hilarious but also an expression of our affection for Our Lady of Lourdes. While the children raced around for three hours, pausing only to grab a sandwich or a cake, parents sat together and, fortified with many cups of tea and coffee, got to know each other.  The murmur of conversation at 11 o’clock became noticeably more animated and punctuated by much laughter as the hours passed. 

To bring to an end the celebrations which nourished and strengthened the whole community, a group of forty parishioners, led by Father John, set off on a 5 day pilgrimage to Lourdes in the very early hours of the next day.  There we prayed for the parish at the Shrine of Our Lady and gave thanks for our wonderful church and for all the blessings that we have received during the past 25 years.  

Despite the exhaustion brought on by such large-scale celebrations, they were so enjoyable that many people would like to do it all over again!  Fortunately they won’t have too long to wait as October 2011 will mark the 50^th anniversary of the foundation of the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes, Mickleover.  Meanwhile, strengthened as a parish family by our joyful celebrations, we put ourselves prayerfully and ever more confidently into God’s hands as our future story unfolds.  

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