Joint Mass of Thanksgiving
Tony McAvoy, AOS Lay Chaplain NE Ports, writes about the Joint Mass of Thanksgiving held recently:
A special joint Mass of Thanksgiving was held at St Mary’s Church Sunderland on Saturday 8th October, which celebrated the role of the Laity in the life of the church, specifically the 90 years of the Apostleship of the Sea, 90 years of the Legion of Mary and the wonderful ongoing work being done by the St Vincent de Paul Society.
The church was full for this lunchtime Mass which began as Fr Kevin Dixon, (St Mary’s) Mgr Ronnie Brown (AoS Trustee) and Fr Mariadass, (Sacred Heart, Sunderland) processed into church led by Frank Barrett, National Standard Bearer of the AoS. Following words of welcome, various symbols were brought forward to be placed on the altar; a stand with three lights representing the Trinity, a lighted star representing ‘Stella Maris’ (Our Lady Star of the Sea), a miraculous medal representing Our Lady’s promise to Catherine Laboure, that "all who wear it will receive great graces", plus several other representative items associated with the Mass.
In the homily Fr Kevin spoke of all three societies, outlining the establishment of the AoS in Glasgow in 1920, the papal blessing given to its work in 1922, and the development that has led to the modern AoS we know today. The AoS is active in ports in over a hundred countries in the world.
He also spoke of the first meeting of the Legion of Mary on 7th September 1921 when fifteen young women considered how, under the auspices of Mary, they could best please God and make him loved in this world. Today the legion has over four million active members and ten million auxiliary members in over 170 countries.
Pictures show: Procession before Mass, during the Celebration - l to r Fr Mariadass, Fr Kevin Dixon and Mgr Ronnie Brown with the symbols of the Mass placed at the Altar, and Mass goers at the reception afterwards
Fr Kevin also spoke of Frank Duff whose own life of devotion and steadfastness saw him achieve massive strides forward, both as a member of the Legion of Mary, and later in the SVP. A man ahead of his time, Frank worked tirelessly on several fronts and sought to bring Protestants, Jews and Catholics together. However this did not sit well with the established Catholic church of the time, and he was told to cease this activity. Undeterred, Frank was instrumental in opening hostels for derelict men and women, and for unmarried mothers, at a time when a lone mother was virtually an outcast. He opened a shelter for prostitutes and gained support for his endeavours. Frank’s prophetic interpretation of the role of the laity, and particularly his understanding of the concept “that what you do to another person we do to Christ”, ultimately received rightful recognition, when he was given a standing ovation at the fourth and final session of the Second Vatican Council on September14th 1965.
The Mass included prayers for his holiness Pope Benedict, our Bishops, priests, deacons and chaplains and for the work of all societies involved in pastoral care in whatever scenario.
After Mass there was a splendid reception in St Mary’s Parish Rooms at which those present were able to view a display of material about the work of the AoS, particularly in the Port of Sunderland and the north east region generally; there was also a powerpoint presentation including slides depicting the AoS work with seafarers.
This was a wonderful shared occasion; many thanks to all who played a part in it.
Tony McAvoy
Lay Chaplain NE Ports