On the 25"‘ June, Canon Ryan will be joined by his family, his friends, fellow clergy and St. Bride's parishioners to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of his ordination to the Priesthood. Bishop Devine will preside at the Jubilee Mass of Thanksgiving.

For fifty years Canon Ryan has served as a priest in the Diocese of Motherwell and for the last twenty years as Parish Priest of St. Bride's. He is a very familiar figure in the Village and held in high regard by Ministers of the Village churches and their congregations.

During his twenty years in our parish, many assistant priests have come and gone, called to service in other areas of the diocese. We are all very glad that Canon Ryan has remained. We like him. He is good for us. To paraphrase Professor Higgins in 'My Fair Lady': “We've grown accustomed to his face. He's second nature to us now”. Truth be told, it's more than that. Over the years we have grown to love him; his Jubilee celebrations have been a good opportunity to show him how much he is loved and to thank him for his goodness to us in his many years of faithful and fruitful ministry on our behalf.

As I write this, the final phrase of one of Canon Ryan's homilies comes to mind: “Kim was God's gift to our parish”. Kim had been a member of our parish for a short time but had touched the lives of many of us. Despite suffering severe ill-health, she had persevered through the RCIA programme and, to her great delight and joy, was received into full communion with the Catholic Church at our Easter Vigil in 2001. By Pentecost of the same year she was ill again and over the next year her health deteriorated, but she never lost sight of the joy of that vigil night. “Kim was God's gift to St. Bride's” was the final phrase of Father Ryan's homily for Kim's funeral Mass in 2002.

It is good to be made aware that so many of God's gifts to us are people.   During our Jubilee Mass we will be thanking God for the many gifts God has lavished on our parish, but also thanking God for the very special gift he has given us in our parish priest, Canon Ryan. At the start of his Jubilee Year, Fr. Ryan was honoured by being appointed an honorary Canon in the Motherwell Diocese. We parishioners of course were delighted for him. However, it is proving rather difficult to remember always to address him as “Canon” since the title “Father” suits him so well.

Canon Ryan, may the delight you see on your parishioners faces at your Jubilee Mass assure you that 'you are our parish priest “in whom we are well pleased”, and may our happy faces reflect even a little of God our Father’s delight in you, his Canon, his faithful priest and His beloved son, in whom, we are sure, He too is “well pleased”.

Deo Gratias. Alleluia!

Margaret Farrell