A Golden Wedding and a baptism

Last Saturday, two of our parishioners, Michael and Susan Dring, celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary with Mass in the Sacred Heart, Hove. And, if that wasn’t special enough, the celebrant was their son Kevin, Parish Priest of the Sacred Heart, and concelebrating were two of their oldest priest friends, Fr Ian Byrnes and Fr David Rea.

The front pews were packed with family and friends and Georges Joucerand served the mass with the dignity and reverence that are his hallmarks. The church looked especially beautiful with fresh flowers in the vases and bright sunlight streaming in from the high leaded windows, painting the altar with colour.

Fr. Kevin’s tender tribute to his parents, their love, constancy and example, would not have been a surprise to them. However, what followed next was. From the back of the alter Fr. Kevin produced a large package wrapped in brown paper and, unwrapping it, proudly presented them with an Apostolic Blessing from His Holiness Pope Francis, a special and significant moment in an unforgettable day.

After Mass, the 40 or so guests departed for lunch, with lots to talk about.

The next day, after the Sunday morning masses, Fr Kevin performed baptisms of three infants belonging to two families. The first couple were a young local couple with their beautiful baby Samantha, the other couple originated from Albania and had two lively infants. In his homily Fr. Kevin stressed that baptism is not an end in itself but the start of a journey in which the parents, godparents, family and friends are called on, through example and encouragement, to support the newly baptised in living a life of holiness.  It struck me that the previous day’s celebration was a very practical example of what he meant...