SILVER JUBILEE OF OPENING OF EXTENSION
ST ANNE’S HOME, MUSSELBURGH
HOMILY PREACHED BY CARDINAL KEITH PATRICK O’BRIEN
THURSDAY 20TH OCTOBER 2011
INTRODUCTION:
It is indeed a pleasure being with you all here in St Anne’s as we again celebrate.
It seems no time at all since 1907 when we celebrated the centenary of the coming of the Sisters of Charity of St Paul the Apostle to Musselburgh at the request of Lady Anne Kerr to run what was called then the “Catholic Convalescent Home and House of Rest, St Anne’s”. Now in 2011 we celebrate the silver jubilee of the opening of the magnificent extension to the original home.
Having celebrated the centenary, I now celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the extension, realising as the years fly past how I was privileged to be at the opening and dedication of the renovated and restored Chapel and the formal opening of the major extension in 1986.
PURPOSE OF TODAY:
I think the opening prayer of this Mass of Thanksgiving sums up so very much of the purpose of our being here today.
In our opening prayer we initially praise God for all his gifts and then we ask to be taught how to acknowledge always “the many good things your infinite love has given us”. And as we think of the many good things that God has given us in this place I would like to thank the following:
The Sisters of Charity of St Paul the Apostle themselves.
The origins of our Sisters go back to 1696 to a village near Chartres in France where a group of young women, initially gathered together by the Parish Priest to teach the children and care for the poor and needy of the Parish, grew into the large congregation of the Sisters of St Paul of Chartres.
Their numbers grew with two of the Sisters initially coming in 1847 to England being independent of Chartres but always with friendly close links. The Mother House was established at Selly Park back in Birmingham in 1864 and the Sisters were soon sent to various parts of England. It was in 1880 that the Sisters first came to Scotland to the busy mining village of Auchinleck in Ayrshire where they taught for some three years in the parish school.
It was in 1907 that the Sisters returned to Scotland – to Galashiels and to Musselburgh – to teach in the parish schools and to run St Anne’s Home in Musselburgh.
We thank God for the good things accomplished here in Scotland since the Sisters came to Musselburgh in 1907. It was indeed at the request of Lady Anne Kerr that the Sisters came here with Lady Anne being a tireless worker for Catholic social welfare in Scotland and the benefactor of very many different projects. Their running of Loretto RC School, which was opened on 11th September 1899 by Musselburgh’s first Parish Priest, Father Patrick McGettigan, was vitally important to Catholic Education in the area. With a Miss Rita O’Halloran being the first Head Teacher, religious sisters came in September 1907, with Sister Aloysia being the first sister Head Teacher helped by other religious sisters. These were regarded as legendary pioneers in Catholic Education in the parish – with their work continuing in the school until Sister Teresa retired following on her thirty years in the school.
St Anne’s Home began as a convalescent and rest home – with one particularly valued apostolate namely the care of retired priests. One of my predecessors the late Archbishop Andrew Joseph McDonald, wrote highly of this particular vocation stating: “In this diocese we certainly owe you, the Sisters, a very deep debt of gratitude and I am glad to have this opportunity of placing these sentiments on paper”.
Over the years various improvements had to be made in the building of the old St Anne’s – with the Fire Department asking for improvements in 1974; with costs at the time being prohibitive and closure was contemplated in the 1980s; but the work continued and the new extension with the renovated Chapel were officially opened on 28th June 1986 with Mass concelebrated by myself in the presence of Cardinal Gray and a plaque marking the occasion being formally unveiled by the Countess of Ancram. With the up-to-date facilities, and the standard of care upgraded, St Anne’s Home is now a registered residential home which serves the needs of those many elderly people who enjoy the facilities and care provided by St Anne’s.
THE PRESENT APOSTOLATE OF ST ANNE’S HOME:
Over the years since it has been established St Anne’s Home has been famous for the dedicated care which it has provided both by the Sisters themselves and their close collaborators namely those who are also skilled in care and who share the apostolate with them.
Speaking of the Sisters some 25 years ago I indicated that for them: “There is something more important than the maintenance of a home for the care of the elderly – and that is the development and deepening of their own faith in God and their relationship with Christ”.
And those who are skilled in care of the elderly share in the wonderful mission which has always been carried out by Sisters here in St Anne’s. Again 25 years ago I indicated that “much of the work here is accomplished by those who give themselves unselfishly to help the Sisters” and I take this opportunity of thanking them all most sincerely.
At this present time lay managers have been appointed with the first being Mrs Kathy Gray in 1999 and then Mrs Agnes Taylor in 2003.
The Sisters of St Paul continue as owners and trustees of St Anne’s – living as a small community now within the Home. Obviously the numbers of sisters has diminished over the years both in England and Scotland as well as throughout the world. However the Sisters have continued a wonderful apostolate in Romania being involved there in parish work and parish schools – with several Romanian women including a doctor joining the congregation of the Sisters with there now being six branch houses in Romania.
CONCLUSION:
One must place the future in God’s hands as we cannot foresee just where the future does lie. However in the booklet published when St Anne’s celebrated its golden jubilee fifty years ago in 1957 it was written: “It would be indeed the greatest of misfortunes if, after surviving for a whole fifty years through times of stress and trouble, St Anne’s was compelled to close down for any reason whatever”.
And now over fifty years after those words were written, and twenty five years after the magnificent extension and reordered Chapel were built, we again must be realistic and think of the way ahead for St Anne’s.
Obviously the future does not lie in our hands but we must all ask the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit on those who are responsible for the religious community and those who are responsible for directing the manager and the staff of St Anne’s Home.
In our opening prayer of this Mass we did indeed thank God for the many good things his infinitive love has given us – particularly here in St Anne’s itself for over 100 years and through the use of these magnificent new facilities for the past 25 years.
We ask that same good God to guide all those who are involved in St Anne’s Home – the Sisters, the lay staff but especially the elderly residents here – on the occasion of this Silver Jubilee. Great good has been accomplished here in St Anne’s Home in the past. We thank God for that, and ask his blessing, as we gather at this Mass, aware of all involved in this wonderful Christian apostolate here in the care of the elderly and praying for all their needs.