50TH ANNIVERSARY MASS – ST AGNES PRIMARY SCHOOL

My dear brothers and sisters, boys and girls of St Agnes Primary,

It is a real joy for me to be here with you today as you mark this special day in the life of St Agnes’ Primary School.

Fifty years ago this year this school was opened for the very first time to offer a new place of learning for the children of Lambhill and St Agnes’ Parish.

I wonder if the mums and dads - or maybe the grans and grandpas -remember what they were doing in 1958 when the school was first opened?

I certainly know what I was doing, because this year is also my special anniversary year. Fifty years ago at this time of year I had just been ordained a priest in Rome. I was back there last week, and I remembered a story which I thought I must share with you about St Agnes who is your special patron.

Does anyone know the story of St Agnes?

Well, St Agnes was a young girl from Rome who was only thirteen years old when she was put to death for her faith. Agnes had made a promise, never to get married but to devote her life to God. Many young men wanted to marry Agnes, but she would always say, "No God must come first in my lfe.”

The Governor's son, became very angry when she refused him. He tried to persuade her to marry him with rich gifts and promises, but Agnes kept saying, "I am already promised to the Lord." He was so angry he accused her of being a Christian and brought her to his father, the Governor. The Governor promised Agnes wonderful gifts if she would deny God, but she refused. He tried to change her mind by putting her in chains, but she was determined not to deny Jesus. And so she was martyred and her body is buried in the Church of S. Agnese Fuori le Mura in Rome.

But I have another reason to feel very close to you today, boys and girls. For not only do we share the same anniversary, but something I am wearing today has a very close link to St Agnes.

Can anyone guess what I mean?

It’s this woolen scarf-like collar I am wearing round my neck. It’s called a pallium and it can only be worn by Archbishops – that means only two people in Scotland are allowed to wear this – myself and Cardinal O’Brien.

You are wondering what has this to do with St Agnes?

Well, every year on the feast of St Agnes, two lambs are brought to the Pope to be blessed – in Latin the word for lamb and the word Agnes have the same derivation. 

Anyway the Pope blesses these lambs in honour of St Agnes, and they are looked after until their woolly coat has grown and then they have their wool shorn for the summer – which must be a relief to the lambs because Rome gets pretty hot in summer!  That wool is then taken and woven by nuns into these special collars.  So this pallium I am wearing today started life as wool on a lamb blessed by the Pope on the feast of St Agnes.

All of these connections remind us of the greatest connection we have, and that is, we all share the same faith in Jesus and His Church.

So today, no matter where we come from, all of us are united with a special bond, and we are united too to those first classes of boys and girls who came through the doors of the new St Agnes school 50 years ago and united to the children all over the Catholic world who attend schools or parishes dedicated to St Agnes.

At this time of year, we have another feast very much in our mind, don’t we children? The feast of Christmas. And Christmas is such a special feast that for four weeks before it we prepare for the big day.

At home you might be preparing by putting up the Christmas tree or doing the Christmas shopping or wrapping presents.  But the most important way we can prepare for Baby Jesus being born on Christmas day is to prepare ourselves internally.  That’s what Advent is all about.

So maybe we could make a special promise during this last week before Christmas to really prepare well for the feast – one very good way is by going to confession. You know how you clean out and tidy up the house for a special visitor’s arrival, well in the same way we need to do the same with our lives as we prepare for Jesus’ arrival.

We could also try to spend a bit more time in silence, thinking about what really happened 200 years ago in Bethlehem when Mary gave birth to Jesus. That would be a very good way of preparing for Christmas.

I’m sure you have been very familiar with that idea of preparing for the big day over the last little while when you have been preparing celebrations of the school’s 50 years. 

Let’s use this special anniversary to thank God for all the good things he has given us and given to all the boys and girls who have come to these school doors over the last half century. 

And as we do so, let’s promise to do our best to live well, as Jesus wants, following the example of St Agnes and always putting God first in our lives.

As they say in Rome where your little saint lived and died – Auguri! That means congratulations – congratulations on reaching this special day in the life of the school.

May the next 50 years be as fruitful as the last – and maybe some of you will be here in half a century’s time with your own grandchildren to hear a future Archbishop of Glasgow tell you all about St Agnes and the pallium!

May God bless the staff, pupils, parents and friends of St Agnes Primary today and always. Amen.