Greg Daly
Over 400 people gathered at St Finian’s Church in Swords on Sunday, July 3, to celebrate the church’s 25th anniversary.
Community groups including scouts, guides and sports clubs took part in a Mass celebrated by Bishop Ray Field to mark the silver jubilee of the River Valley church. In his homily, Dr Field spoke about the life of St Finian and his connection with the Swords area, where he is believed to have founded a hospital for lepers in the 6th Century. During the Mass Dr Field and parish priest Fr Des Doyle blessed a new brass relief in the church entrance showing the saint tending to a leper child.
“It was a great day, better than expected,” Catherine Byrne of the Jubilee Commemoration Committee told The Irish Catholic.
Members of the local African and Syro-Malabar communities were prominently involved in the day, she said, the former supplying a choir and drummers who helped enliven things, while the latter – who were in any case celebrating their annual feast of St Thomas – performed a liturgical dance before the offertory.
Praising the involvement of numerous volunteers, whether fellow members of the committee or members of other groups, Ms Byrne singled out the contribution of ‘Local Life’, a project which draws young people together and encourages them to volunteer. “They were just fantastic,” she said, “they did everything from help us put up gazebos to blowing up balloons, handing out leaflets, collecting rubbish, laying out food – the help of the Local Life children was just wonderful.”
A party followed the Mass, with food and refreshments, face-painting for children, and music from local musicians. “We had a lovely moment when we were playing traditional Irish music and the Africans and the Indians joined in dancing,” Mrs Byrne said.
Describing the day as “a mixed community gathering”, she concluded, “It was a great day of integration, and we were delighted with that.”