Last Wednesday, for the first time since 2019, the Parish was able to gather at an uplifting, joyful Mass to celebrate and thank its volunteers for their contribution. In his homily, Fr Paul drew on the words of Pope Francis, ‘You are among the most precious things the church has. You, who every day, often silently and unassumingly, give shape and visibility to mercy. You express one of the most noble desires of the human heart, making a suffering person feel loved.’

He went on to say that through their presence they are ‘the hand of Christ held out to all, and reaching all’. After communion the volunteers who attended were presented with the gift of an umbrella as a token of the Parish’s appreciation for their efforts. As ominous rain clouds threatened, it was easy to sense God’s sense of humour at play! It was also hard to miss his divine presence in the camaraderie of the supper held in the Parish Hall afterwards.

You can read part of Fr Paul’s homily below. ‘In the different contexts of need of so many people, your presence is the hand of Christ held out to all and reaching all the credibility of the church is also conveyed in a convincing way through your service to all. Indeed, wherever there is a cry for help, there your active and selfless witness is found. The world requires persons who by their lives defy individualism, which is the tendency to think only of oneself and to ignore the brother or sister in need. ‘Be always happy and full of joy in the service you give, but never presume to think that you are superior to others. Instead, let your work of mercy be a humble and eloquent continuation of Jesus’ presence who continues to bend down to our level to take care of the ones who suffer for love “Builds UP” (1 Cor 8:1). Day after Day helping our community. ‘To summarise … as volunteers: Each of you is treasured by the Church.

Through what you do, each of you makes others feel loved like Christ when there is a cry of help, each of you responds like Christ, each of you works for the good of others. Each of you then is the hand of Christ in our world. The amazing thing is that Jesus knew that volunteers would be needed and that is why he formed the disciples and established a church. Jesus knew that it would be us – the ordinary, everyday Christians who would be the very backbone of the Church. Yes, we have a Pope, Cardinals, Bishops and hierarchy and so on, but, if the work of the Lord is to be done, if the Gospel is to be taken to others, then it will be us—the ordinary, everyday Christians, who volunteer to get it done who will do it. To each of you who are volunteers in our Parish, today is a time when we celebrate the treasure you are and celebrate that each of you is the hand of Christ in our community and our world here and now.

We especially give thanks to God, and to you, for all you have done and continue to do for our parish. I invite you to join with me in praying that God will continue to bless each and everyone of you. And on behalf of our community, thank you so much for all the wonderful work you have done and continue to do. It is and will always be deeply appreciated. God bless.’