THE
P RTAL
August 2017
Page 19
Joyful Celebrations
Jackie Ottaway and Ronald Crane join the celebrations in Clayhall
S t John Mary Vianney
, Clayhall, Ilford is not the prettiest church from the outside. It is
modern, large and cavernous, and must cost a fortune to heat. But that is not the whole story. Inside it is
beautiful. A central High Altar dominates the building, and from it the eye is drawn to the two side chapels.
A third lies hidden behind the reredos.
T he P ortal was invited to St John Mary Vianney’s them, but so that he could show them the path to
golden jubilee celebratory mass on Sunday 30th July. holiness. Today, we have forgotten this sacrament; we
The Parish Priest, Fr Rob Page, is an old and dear need to rediscover it.
friend, so how could we refuse?
Like Ars, when the saint arrived, our
world has but a feint memory of faith. His
mission was to recover it. Ours is the same.
Our world, like his, is full of sheep without
a shepherd; people who have no compass in
their lives.
There was a sense of anticipation
as we waited for Mass to begin. The
church was full when the bell sounded.
As the Altar Party emerged from the
Sacristy, Keith Brown, organist for the
day, began the opening hymn. Servers
and clergy made their way to the Altar.
Fr Keith encouraged us all, clergy and
lay, to set about the task of recovery, just
as St John did, by using our own personal
holiness as our tool.
After mass, there were refreshments
and a barbeque. We had our own
waitress and Kemi Oke did a wonderful
job. We also met some wonderful
people who had been present at the
opening of the church. Now fifty years
The Principal Celebrant was The Right Revd Alan
Williams, Bishop of Brentwood, with Mgr Keith
Newton, Fr Rob and Fr Tim Bugby concelebrants.
Mgr Keith gave a stirring and stimulating homily,
during which he gave a brief outline of St John
Mary Vianney’s life and concerns. Then he drew
some pointers that we can all take, clergy and laity,
from the saint’s life and words.
The point of the saint’s life was that God would
grant the conversion of his parish, “I am prepared to
suffer what it takes”, St John is reported as saying. To
this end, every morning, he would be found kneeling
in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Fr Keith encouraged his hearers to make sure they
genuflected when passing the Tabernacle, and to
recover the practice of receiving Holy Communion
kneeling. Taking Saint John as his model, he reminded
us that every Catholic ought to go to Confession,
at least once a year. He told us that the saint often
reminded his parishioners of their sins, not to depress
on, they are still here! Heather and Gerald Hayes,
Gerald McDonaugh, Babette Fonseca and Dawn
Nixon (nee Fonseca) have been present at St John’s for
all, or at least, most, of its life.
Veronica Hayes (no relation), now in a wheelchair,
has been at St John’s for the whole fifty years: indeed
she was in the choir and did much work for the church.
Another with cause to give thanks was Silla Gambetta.
Many Blessings were to be had on this joyful day. It
was a privilege to be present.