From Fr. Michael
Brandon: What a beautiful and amazing celebration we had
last Sunday! Gathered around our Father in God His Grace
the Archbishop of Birmingham we listened to the Word of
God, we celebrated the Eucharist, we blessed the statue of
Our Lady Queen of Peace and had lunch together in the
garden. Archbishop Bernard gave us an encouraging and
inspiring message. Thank you to him and to everybody who
contributed to such a memorable day. Towards the end of
the Mass Archbishop Bernard made three diocesan awards to
three particular individuals whose contribution to
Catholic life had been quite outstanding over many years.
These “Ubi Caritas” awards were made to Maureen Mohan,
Marjorie Lee and Roger Hall. The presentation of these
awards was a particularly emotional moment at the Mass.
Photos link.Left: Archbishop Bernard Longley blesses the statue of Our Lady Queen of Peace
Right: Priest in Charge Fr Michael Brandon with the recipients of the UbiCaritas awards, (from Left to Right) Marjorie Lee, Maureen Mohan and Roger Hall in the Peace Garden
The Precious Blood of Our Lord and All Souls parish, Coventry, welcomed His Grace, Archbishop Bernard Longley to celebrate Mass and bless the newly erected statue of Our Lady in the Peace Garden on Sunday 25 September.
The statue is dedicated to Our Lady Queen of Peace just as All Souls church is dedicated to the memory of all those who lost their lives in the Great War. The city of Coventry and All Souls church also suffered greatly in the Second World War. Since then the city of Coventry has been declared a City of Peace and Reconciliation.
The Solemn Mass, concelebrated by Archbishop Bernard, his Secretary Father Dominic Cosslett, Priest in Charge of All Souls, Father Michael Brandon and retired priest Father Michael Jordan, was a joyful celebration of the life of the parish. Lots of hard work was put into making it a successful occasion; a psalm was composed specially for the occasion by the parish's Musical Director, James Felix and the children from the parish school sang beautifully as the congregation processed into the peace garden. At the end of Mass, the Archbishop surprised three members of the parish who throughout their lives have made an outstanding contribution to the Catholic community by awarding them the diocesan 'Ubi Caritas' awards. After Mass and the Blessing, the parish enjoyed a buffet lunch, dodging between the gazebos to avoid the rain showers. Father Michael Brandon, Priest in Charge at All Souls, said `It was an enormous joy, privilege and pleasure to welcome His Grace Archbishop Bernard to our parish to celebrate Mass with us and to bless the new statue of Our Blessed Lady. It was particularly moving to see three faithful servants of the parish recognised and honoured with the Ubi Caritas awards.'