Kilcullen Diary: A special day for Kilcullen Parish

The parish church in Kilcullen is a representation of the faith of generations of Kilcullen people, parishioners were told at the celebration today of the 150th anniversary of the building, writes Brian Byrne.

The Archbishop of Dublin, Dermot Farrell, said the sacred building enshrines the religious experience of all present, of their forbears for generation after generation. "It bears witness to the faith that has been handed on, and nurtured through the proclamation of the Word of God and the good example of Christian living. Together, these provide a unity that binds us very closely together."

The Archbishop was the principal celebrant of the mass for the anniversary, with parish priest Fr Gary Darby and Fr Martin Harte, concelebrated with priests who had previously served in Kilcullen, Fr Enda Lloyd, Fr Tim Murphy, and Fr Niall Mackey. They were joined by Fr Gavin Landers, son of Gerard and Marie and grandson of the late Tom and Lizzie Landers of Kilcullen, who works in Manchester.

Welcoming all, Fr Gary Darby said it was a special day for the parish and for the faith community of Kilcullen. "A faith community that goes back much longer and deeper than when this church was built," he said, "when people have come together to express their faith and pray, in times of sorrow, in times of gladness, and of happiness."

While acknowledging that the church building is a beautiful architectural expression of the religious life of the parish of Kilcullen, Archbishop Farrell said it is much more than a 'world of statues and holy water, of rosary beads and holy pictures'. "These Catholic sacramentals are mere hints of something deeper and more pervasive, which entitles us as Catholics to see the holy in all of creation," he said. "And one day, even a special day such as this, does not give meaning to your church. Beyond the rattle of the Rosary beads, the glimmer of the holy candles, the sound of the bell and the whisper from the confessional, the cry of the child at the font, there's something that only the years can give. In the faith history of the parish, this is your life, your church, anointed by your presence and the presence of your parents and grandparents and great grandparents."

He said it was a day to give thanks for those who have handed on the faith, keeping it alive in the parish through far more challenging and difficult times. "People who had to struggle to make ends meet, who had to struggle under the bonds of a foreign country to say their prayers. Let us give thanks for their fidelity, that they had the courage and persistence to profess their faith, and to hand it on to their children."

Concluding his homily, he said his prayer for Kilcullen and the people of the parish is that they will always find an open door, that all who come through the church door will find acceptance and hospitality. "In particular, our church does not close its doors to any person no matter what their creed, their colour, their orientation, or their thinking or way of life," he said. "Even for those who might appear to have strayed away, our church has to be open to those people. Let this Church of the Sacred Heart and St Brigid always be a church of care for the broken-hearted, a church of mercy for the faltering step, a church that always has open doors to all people."

Music for the mass was provided by the choirs of Kilcullen and Gormanstown, St Joseph's NS Choir, the Kilcullen Folk Group, and members of the Dublin Choral Foundation, with Peter Moloney playing the organ. Pupils of Scoil Bhride read the Prayers of the Faithful.

At the end of the mass Archbishop Farrell asked for prayers for vocations to fill the need for priests in the diocese. He also thanked all who had helped in the preparation for the celebrations of the day.

Afterward there were refreshments for all in the Parish Centre, where a cake was also cut and shared to mark the occasion.