Fr Richard Reid CSsR Silver Jubilee of Priestly Ordination 2023

Fr Richard Reid CSsR Silver Jubilee of Priestly Ordination 2023...

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Three masses were celebrated to mark the

Silver Jubilee of Priestly Ordiation

of our Provincial,

Fr Richard Reid CSsR.

One was celebrated in Bishop Eton, Liverpool on the Feast of Ss Peter and Paul. Another was celebrated in St. Mary's Redemptorist Church in Clapham on Sunday 2nd of July and the third Mass was celebrated on the actual anniversary itself, the 4th July in St Mary's Clapham.

Here is an extract from his homily,

"My heart is full of immense gratitude as I celebrate being a priest for these past 25 years."

"My Ordination was celebrated on the 4th of July in St Mary's Parish Greenock. It was a wonderful ceremony and the ordaining bishop was Bishop John Mone, a wonderful man who has since gone home to the Father's house. Alongside him was another wonderful bishop, Bishop Stephen McGill PSS who was the Emeritus of Paisley. He was a Bishop at the Second Vatican Council, so I trust that I am covered on both sides - pre and post the Council!"

Many wonderful words were used at my Ordination, however three things were said that made a profound effect on me.

The First: Bishop John Mone addressed my mum at the begin of the ceremony.

“Jean, you give single mothers a fantastic name.”

My mum was a single mother, not because my dad ran away, rather he died at the age of 36 years, leaving my mother as a widow at the age of 33. So my mum was a single mother to four children, the eldest was 12 and the youngest was 4 years old. I was so proud to hear the Bishop address my mum in that way, because it certainly was true, she was a fantastic mum. I want to remember her and thank God for her today, because many of you will know that her funeral we celebrate just two months ago. So today I give thanks to God for a ‘fantastic’ mum and an inspiring dad.

The Second: As Bishop John read the homily from the Sacramentary, giving all the instruction to the newly ordained, he stopped and said,

“Richard, you will spend the rest of your life preaching about the love of God and plentiful redemption, remember that is for you first of all.”

So when I preach I hear those words of the Bishop and I realise how much the love of God is for me personally and how unworthy I am to receive it and yet the Lord gives it to me in copious amounts! When I preach I don’t do it to make myself seem clever and erudite; no I preach something that I know and experience from inside myself!

The Third: The Homily from the Sacramentary was continued and again Bishop John stopped and looked me straight in the eye and said,

“Richard, for God’s sake be a happy priest!”

When times have been tough over the past quarter of a century I have heard Bishop John quietly in my ear with this command. I hope and pray that you do experience me as a happy priest! Pray that Lord will continue to allow me to be a happy and a holy priest.