Fr Barrie O'Toole C.Ss.R - Golden Jubilee

Saturday the 9th January 2016 marked the Golden Jubilee of Ordination to the Priesthood of Fr. Barrie O'Toole. 

Fr. Andrew Burns C.Ss.R gave the following Homily

Barrie’s Golden Jubilee - 9 January 2016

On October 16^th, last year, Fr Tim and I celebrated the Golden Jubilee of our First Profession of Vows as Redemptorists. We had completed our novitiate and we moved on to our house of studies at Hawkstone, where we met with such worthies as Jimmy Smale in his third year, Tony Hunt in his fourth year, Brian Russell in his fifth year and Barrie O’Toole and Jan Milcz in their sixth and final year and the memories of Tony Johnson and Jim Casey were already legendary.

Less than three months after our arrival, Barrie was ordained a priest alongside three others in a year when there were to be ten ordinations. To us as first year students, it was a great encouragement to see our elders and betters as they began their priestly ministry while still students themselves. We still had five or six years to go before our turn would come. But while it seemed an eternity stretching out ahead of us, we could see signs of hope.

And here we are today, fifty years later, all legends in our own time, all Redemptorists, but all with a very different experience of Redemptorist life and ministry, not only here in Britain, but all over the world. None of us could possibly have imagined fifty years ago that life in the Church and in the world would be as we experience it today. From a time when there were fifty Redemptorist Students to today when there are four, counting two novices and a postulant. From a time when the church was full of young families, to today when the average Catholics in this country must be in their seventies, with dwindling congregations and aging clergy.

We might be tempted to look at it and say, What has gone wrong? We might start blaming the Second Vatican Council or the Social Revolution which has transformed society over these fifty years. Or we might rather look at the progress that has been made and marvel at how the Church has changed in order to respond to the needs as they arise. Fifty years ago, we were all pretty confident about the Church and its place in the world. We knew the answers, or thought we did, to every question under heaven. Today we are less sure. We have been humbled by our many failures, by the exposure of our weaknesses. But still we believe, and we are encouraged by the enduring fidelity of people like Barrie, who today celebrates fifty years of priestly ministry.

Our God is faithful. We have just celebrated Christmas and our reflection on the mystery of the Incarnation reminds us that Jesus was born into a messy world, to heal it, not through power and wealth and efficient organisations, but through love and compassion, forgiveness and reconciliation. Every year, we come back to the beginning. We start again to remember that on our own, we human beings continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. We never learn from history. We never listen fully to the message of God’s love and salvation. It doesn’t matter who we are, we need to be reminded that God is always faithful. The continuing cycle of the liturgical year helps us to understand that no matter how many times we stray off course, no matter what wrong choices we make, God’s never failing offer of life and love is open to us. Jesus is that word. He is that sign. He is that promise. It is through him and with him and in him that we find the only way to God our Father. St Paul asks how this Good News is to be heard. It has to be preached. It needs a preacher. A preacher needs to be sent. And thanks to be God, throughout the history of the Church, this is what has happened, and this is what we are celebrating today. For fifty years the saving message of God’s mercy and love has been lived and preached by Barrie, and so today we thank God for him, for his perseverance, for his fidelity. And, we pray, long may it continue.

You are fire; enkindle in me your love.

You are light; enlighten my mind with the knowledge of eternal things.

You are the Dove; 
give me innocence of life.

You are the gentle Breeze; 
disperse the storms of my passions.

You are the Tongue; 
teach me how to bless you always.

You are the Cloud; 
shelter me under the shadow of your protection.

And lastly,  You are the Giver of all heavenly gifts; 
animate me,

I beseech you, with your grace; 
sanctify me

with your charity; 
enlighten me

with your wisdom; 
adopt me by your goodness as your child,

and save me in your infinite mercy;

so that I may ever bless you, praise you, and love you;

first during this life on earth,

and then in heaven for all eternity.

Amen.

St. 
Alphonsus Liguori

Enjoy this wonderful feast!

You are fire; enkindle in me your love.

You are light; enlighten my mind with the knowledge of eternal things.

You are the Dove; 
give me innocence of life.

You are the gentle Breeze; 
disperse the storms of my passions.

You are the Tongue; 
teach me how to bless you always.

You are the Cloud; 
shelter me under the shadow of your protection.

And lastly,  You are the Giver of all heavenly gifts; 
animate me,

I beseech you, with your grace; 
sanctify me

with your charity; 
enlighten me

with your wisdom; 
adopt me by your goodness as your child,

and save me in your infinite mercy;

so that I may ever bless you, praise you, and love you;

first during this life on earth,

and then in heaven for all eternity.

Amen.

St. 
Alphonsus Liguori

Enjoy this wonderful feast!

Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, divine Consoler, I adore You as my true God, with God the Father and God the Son. I adore You and unite myself to the adoration You receive from the angels and saints.

I give You my heart and I offer my ardent thanksgiving for all the grace which You never cease to bestow on me.

O Giver of all supernatural gifts, who filled the soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with such immense favours, I beg You to visit me with Your grace and Your love and to grant me the gift of holy fear, so that it may act on me as a check to prevent me from falling back into my past sins, for which I beg pardon.

Grant me the gift of piety, so that I may serve You for the future with increased fervour, follow with more promptness Your holy inspirations, and observe your divine precepts with greater fidelity.

Grant me the gift of knowledge, so that I may know the things of God and, enlightened by Your holy teaching, may walk, without deviation, in the path of eternal salvation.

Grant me the gift of fortitude, so that I may overcome courageously all the assaults of the devil, and all the dangers of this world which threaten the salvation of my soul.

Grant me the gift of counsel, so that I may choose what is more conducive to my spiritual advancement and may discover the wiles and snares of the tempter.

Grant me the gift of understanding, so that I may apprehend the divine mysteries and by contemplation of heavenly things detach my thoughts and affections from the vain things of this miserable world.

Grant me  the gift of wisdom, so that I may rightly direct all my actions, referring them to God as my last end; so that, having loved Him and served Him in this life, I may have the happiness of possessing Him eternally in the next.

Amen.

Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, divine Consoler, I adore You as my true God, with God the Father and God the Son. I adore You and unite myself to the adoration You receive from the angels and saints.

I give You my heart and I offer my ardent thanksgiving for all the grace which You never cease to bestow on me.

O Giver of all supernatural gifts, who filled the soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with such immense favours, I beg You to visit me with Your grace and Your love and to grant me the gift of holy fear, so that it may act on me as a check to prevent me from falling back into my past sins, for which I beg pardon.

Grant me the gift of piety, so that I may serve You for the future with increased fervour, follow with more promptness Your holy inspirations, and observe your divine precepts with greater fidelity.

Grant me the gift of knowledge, so that I may know the things of God and, enlightened by Your holy teaching, may walk, without deviation, in the path of eternal salvation.

Grant me the gift of fortitude, so that I may overcome courageously all the assaults of the devil, and all the dangers of this world which threaten the salvation of my soul.

Grant me the gift of counsel, so that I may choose what is more conducive to my spiritual advancement and may discover the wiles and snares of the tempter.

Grant me the gift of understanding, so that I may apprehend the divine mysteries and by contemplation of heavenly things detach my thoughts and affections from the vain things of this miserable world.

Grant me  the gift of wisdom, so that I may rightly direct all my actions, referring them to God as my last end; so that, having loved Him and served Him in this life, I may have the happiness of possessing Him eternally in the next.

Amen.

The Feast of The Presentation of Our Lady,

St. Patrick's, Edinburgh

Friday 21st November 2014, 7.30pm Mass

Father Anthony Freeman C.Ss.R. who died in 1998.

His sermon when he was dying with cancer. In his life as a

Redemptorist he had one message:-

God loves you and me, God loves you and me unconditionally.

The Redemptorists have had the privilege of serving St. Patrick's for the last 13 years. We have come in all shapes and sizes. This has been the Redemptorist message:- God loves you and me unconditionally.

I am conscious that the Archbishop is here and so I want to quote reliable sources and who better than two Popes of the 20th Century.

In 1972 the then Patriarch of Venice, Cardinal Archbishop Albino Luciani, who would go on to become Pope John Paul I, the smiling Pope and who died after only 33 days in office wrote a reflection on the founder of The Redemptorists, St. Alphonsus Liguouri

The future Pope John Paul I summed up the Alphonsian vision in 5 points:-

• God loves us passionately
• This love is expressed in Jesus Christ
• Our response is to love God passionately in return
• Such love embraces all humanity
• Especially those who are most abandoned

Redemptorist spirituality is centred on The mystery of Jesus The Redeemer and His great work of Redemption. With The Lord there is plentiful redemption.

In a similar vein, in 1973 Pope Paul VI spoke spontaneously to a group of Redemptorists. Pope Paul VI reminded the Redemptorists gathered that their primary vocation was the care of souls. Like St. Alphonsus, be good pastors, be very good confessors, get close to souls in the sacred ministry, especially in the hearing of Confessions.

Hopefully, during these 13 years many people have come to St. Patrick's and been touched, inspired by the message of God's unconditional love for each one of us. Hopefully, many people have experienced, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, how much God loves, cares, cherishes and delights in each one of us.

And so, the Redemptorists want to say a profound thank you for the privilege of living and working in such a wonderful parish and in such a wonderful city. It has been a privilege and an honour to share the beautiful vision of St. Alphonsus in this holy and sacred place. Thank you.

I have been here for three and a half years and people often ask me what it has been like. In response to that question I like to refer them to the first paragraph of Charles Dickens' novel A Tale of Two Cities:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,

It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,

It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,

It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,

It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,

We had everything before us, we had nothing before us,

We were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going directly the other way.

On a personal note, may I say a sincere thank you for the privilege of serving this parish community as Parish Priest for the past three and a half years. It has been a very blessed time for me as a Redemptorist priest. I am so very grateful to so many people for their help, support, encouragement and advice in good times and in challenging times. May I thank in particular the Parish Steering Group who have been an invaluable support to me during these last two years.

Looking back on my time at St. Patrick's I am reminded of a lecture which seems a life time ago given by a delightful man Mr. Whitelaw who was preparing my year of dental students for General Practice. He told us that no matter how hard we tried we would never please everyone. However, if we could go home at the end of the day, look ourselves in the mirror, put our heads on the pillow and say I did my best, then that was all that mattered.

I can honestly say that I have, at all times, tried to do my very best and we leave it at that.

But now to the exciting new chapter in the story of St. Patrick's. Today's feast gives us a wonderful model to follow; Mary is presented, is dedicated to The Lord.

St. Patrick's will continue to go from strength to strength if we present ourselves to The Lord, if we dedicate ourselves to The Lord, if we keep close to The Lord Jesus.

The motto of the City of Edinburgh is:-

He who builds without The Lord builds in vain.

The motto of the City of Glasgow is:-

Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of The Word of God

St. Patrick's will continue to flourish only if we build with The Lord.

St. Patrick's breastplate says it all. It was written seeking divine protection:-

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down,

Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

St. Patrick's will flourish if we live in the spirit of that prayer and build with The Lord.

I was packing away the books this week and came across a dog-eared copy of The Confessions of St. Augustine. The book belonged to my dear Dad. Perhaps my time in Hawkstone Hall will give me the opportunity to eventually read this classic as what I know about St. Augustine could be written on the back of a postage stamp.

However, there is one quotation that I am particularly fond of which perhaps is very appropriate to conclude with:-

Entrust the past to God's mercy,

The present to God's love

And the future to God's providence.

May the wonderful parish of St. Patrick's continue to flourish with the Lord. God loves each one of us as if there was only one of us to love – St. Augustine

Blessed John Henry Newman on the Sacred Heart

‘O Sacred Heart of Jesus, living and quickening source of eternal life, infinite treasure of the Divinity, and burning furnace of divine love. You are my refuge and my sanctuary, O my amiable Saviour. Consume my heart with that burning fire with which Your Heart is ever inflamed. Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Your love, and let my heart be so united with Yours, that our wills may be one; and mine in all things, be conformed to Yours. May Your divine will be equally the standard and rule of all my desires and of all my actions’.

 [I]    

 Full well you know that from my tenderest years

 Your image sweet has borne my heart away,

 For tender pity in your gaze appears,

 With you I found the golden light of day. 

CHORUS  

 O Virgin Mary, when to heaven I go

 Your loveliness forever shall I see; 

 But my Perpetual Succour here below

 Is your sweet Image ever dear to me.  

[II]   

When fervour made me willing to obey

It seemed as if your picture on me smiled,

But if betimes, my will was led astray,

Your welling tears reproved your erring child.

 [III] 

In hearkening ever to my lowly prayer, 

You showered on me the sweetness of your love,

The very thought of you is now a share 

A foretaste of eternal bliss above. 

[IV]

 O Mother dearest, 'mid temptation's strife

 I feel that you a constant strength impart,

 Because you know that till the close of life

 I wish to offer souls to Jesus' Heart.

 [V] 

For evermore your Image shall remain

 My treasure, my Perpetual Succour be,

And 'tis my wish in death's dread hour of pain

My dying gaze may still be fixed on thee. 

FINAL CHORUS

[VI]

 Then soaring to the vast, eternal shore,  

 I'll come to rest, dear Mother, at your feet;

 And there held safe, enjoy for evermore,

 The tender bliss of your caresses sweet.

 [I]    

 Full well you know that from my tenderest years

 Your image sweet has borne my heart away,

 For tender pity in your gaze appears,

 With you I found the golden light of day. 

CHORUS  

 O Virgin Mary, when to heaven I go

 Your loveliness forever shall I see; 

 But my Perpetual Succour here below

 Is your sweet Image ever dear to me.  

[II]   

When fervour made me willing to obey

It seemed as if your picture on me smiled,

But if betimes, my will was led astray,

Your welling tears reproved your erring child.

 [III] 

In hearkening ever to my lowly prayer, 

You showered on me the sweetness of your love,

The very thought of you is now a share 

A foretaste of eternal bliss above. 

[IV]

 O Mother dearest, 'mid temptation's strife

 I feel that you a constant strength impart,

 Because you know that till the close of life

 I wish to offer souls to Jesus' Heart.

 [V] 

For evermore your Image shall remain

 My treasure, my Perpetual Succour be,

And 'tis my wish in death's dread hour of pain

My dying gaze may still be fixed on thee. 

FINAL CHORUS

[VI]

 Then soaring to the vast, eternal shore,  

 I'll come to rest, dear Mother, at your feet;

 And there held safe, enjoy for evermore,

 The tender bliss of your caresses sweet.