St. Peter's Silver Jubilee 1974 - 1999

What a great year !

On the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, 1999 we began St. Peter's Parish Silver Jubilee year at a special Eucharistic Celebration, where we gave thanks for the blessings we received in the previous 25 years and prayed for God's guidance in the future.  Our celebrations took off from there and we would like to thank the dedicated committee members whose plans allowed everybody participate in any event which caught their interest.

In October, marking the International Year of the older person, an afternoon tea dance attracted a large number of parishioners who all thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  The young children who attended the Halloween party late that month proved that they also knew how to enjoy themselves.  And on Mission Sunday, Fr. Joseph Loftus, CM inspired us with detail of his day to day experience on the Missions.
In November Bishop Jim Moriarty joined us for our annual Mass of Remembrance and we honoured in a special way our loved ones who died recently, as well as parishioners who died in the last 25 years.

In early December we enjoyed an uplifting performance of Christmas Carols by the members of the Irish Prison Service Choir.  In mid-December, we were privileged to have the services of the Ember Vincentian Mission Team for a week-long parish retreat and hope that all who attended found the experience spiritually nourishing.  The Christmas Dinner Dance at Westmanstown was such a success that we have responded to public demand and booked to repeat the event.

Thanks to Mary Dowling and Myra Cunningham the Passion Play was reintroduced and performed on the evening of Good Friday to a very appreciative congregation.  In August we enjoyed an afternoon trip to the Garden of Ireland which included an interesting tour of the remains of St. Kevin's Monastery in Glendalough.

The usual annual parish events also took place during the year.  In November we had the Nigerian Mission weekend and the Triduum to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.  In May a large group of pilgrims travelled to Lourdes and in June we had a really great attendance at the Sacred Heart Novena which was led by Fr. Cathal Price.  In July the gates of Dalymount Park were opened to us for a family fun day afternoon which was enjoyable despite the rain.

We would like to acknowledge with gratitude the sponsorship we received from local sport and business interests.
As this special year draws to a close, it is nice to think that we will have a pleasant reminder of it in the sound of the tower clock as it rings the Angelus Bell.
Maria Dunne
Coordinator
Jubilee Committee

"The voice of our past is also the voice of our future" - Fr. Sean Farrell, CM
Tonight as we Vincentians celebrate the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, we welcome many friends to St. Peter's, Phibsboro.  The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Daughters of Charity, our confreres and others who share the concern for the poor which was so close to the hearts of St. Vincent, St. Louise and Bl. Frederic. We honour their spirit tonight as we place their icons in this church and hope they will be a fountain of inspiration to us, as we continue their mission of service to the poor.  We are also gathering in the harvest of twenty five years as a parish.  We thank God for you our parishioners and for the work you have achieved.

Tonight is a time to remember friendships; those who lived and worked with us and who made St. Peter's the community it is today.  Many have moved on to other places, some have died but all are held dearly in our memories.  It is time to look back and celebrate the achievements of these years.  It is a time to hear the voices of the past and the voices of our future.

In 1974 Dublin was expanding outwards; new areas were opening up with little or no amenities, and there was a high level of unemployment.  These places were very isolated and the residents depended on the presence of the SVP and the Daughters of Charity.  Often the first amenities to be built were schools and churches.  This was done at no small cost to the people of Dublin.  the Diocese responded positively by sending priests to these isolated areas.  This expansion coupled with a fall in vocations left Dublin facing a shortage of priests in the traditional parishes.  Archbishop Ryan asked the Religious to join him in the mission of staffing parishes.  The Vincentian Community accepted the challenge and together in partnership with the people of Phibsboro under the stewardship of Fr. Tommy Fagan began the work of building this parish.

Today we are celebrating the achievements of all our parish groups; the work of the SVP conference, the Ladies of Charity, our many choirs, the Nigerian mission fundraising committee, St. Peter's Luncheon Club, Phibsboro Aid, those who work with the deaf, the Vincentian Refugee Centre, the Baptism Team, the Liturgy Team, our teaching staff, the collectors, the envelope collectors, the church cleaners, the Ministers of the Word and Eucharist, the Jubilee Committee, the office staff and other who make the parish function, as well as the many people who come here to worship. 

The voice of our past is also the voice of our future.  It is calling a new generation to take up the task of responding to the emerging needs of our people.  What part will you play in this future ?  Who are our leaders ?  Have they the courage, wisdom and integrity to bring us forward ? Are they as generous as previous generations ?  What do you need to do to help them ?

We hope that the icons we place here tonight, to mark our Silver Jubilee will be a source of inspiration for future generations, and that they will not abandon the needs of the poor as they shape their future with new-found confidence.
Fr. Sean Farrell, CM
26th September 1999

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