R.C. DIOCESE OF MOTHERWELL

Homily for the Requiem of Archbishop Philip Tartaglia 

St Andrew’s Cathedral, 21 January 2021 

“Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day.” 

There are so many settings in which to have known Archbishop Philip: as a member of his family, or in his school and student days, in Rome, in the seminaries and parishes he served, as Bishop of Paisley and Archbishop of Glasgow. There were the many circles he moved in: of ecumenical dialogue, Catholic education about which he was so engaged and realistic, the civic life of Glasgow, not forgetting its sport. So many people touched by him, so many aspects to a life, so many perspectives to view it from. Three score years and ten. Our memories are fragments of a greater whole, and that whole – the mystery of a person - is in the mind and hands of God. “On the earth the broken arcs, in the heaven a perfect round.”  

Today, in Christ, we remember Philip’s life, we give thanks for it and we pray for its completion and the comfort of the bereaved. We bring him and ourselves before God in a literal and metaphorical great Eucharistic prayer of hope and affection. 

The image that comes to me is of a great tree felled unexpectedly in the middle of the night – Storm Covid. And only when we woke up the day following did we begin to divine what had happened, did we begin to grasp the depths of its roots, to see the space this tree occupied, the shelter it gave, and what we’ve personally and collectively lost. This uprooting has changed the landscapes of so many lives. “Tree” seems right. The timber of this man was sound. It was sound all through. At a time when hollowness or rottenness seem to surface with disheartening regularity, this was a comfort. I think we felt this soundness and relied on it more than we knew. 

Eulogy is no part of a liturgy. It’s the last thing Philip would have wanted; he was not a self-advertising man. It’s not what we want; we are probably still too numb. But the prohibition of eulogy doesn’t mean we have to talk abstractions. Surely we can acclaim the providence of God, the presence of Christ and the action of the Holy Spirit within him, from his birth seventy years ago to his committal today, from his baptism to this Eucharist, from the pouring of that first water to the final sprinkling of his remains. There seems a rare wholeness here. Surely we can acknowledge how the grace of his baptism and of his ordination grew and flowered in him, how the Lord was indeed his shepherd and through him shepherded others, how his priesthood became a true spiritual fatherhood which has left its trace on all of us. 

Looking at it from our side, we are commending to God today someone who wasn’t small in any sense, someone of gravitas, and someone in whom head and heart came together, possessed of intellectual force and clarity and at the same time of great human warmth. There have been so many testimonies to this (and my thanks to all who have sent condolences). He might have passed his life in the green pastures of dogmatic theology, by the restful waters of seminary teaching (if they exist) or of promising ecumenical dialogue, but he accepted pastoral assignments and he cherished them. He had a gift for friendship and insight into people. During our Ad Limina visit with the Pope in 2018 he said to the Holy Father, “I miss the parish”, and got a delighted papal thumbs-up. As a pastor, especially here in Glasgow and for a while in Edinburgh too, he had plenty of valleys of darkness to walk through, with others, with unsettled priests, survivors of abuse, victims of accidents, and he did so in such a genuine, heartfelt way. The bin lorry episode, the helicopter on the roof, his concern for asylum seekers. A lady from my own diocese whose father died in the James Watt Street fire of 1968 sent me this: “I have happy memories of the Archbishop when he so kindly agreed to celebrate Mass for my dad and the many others that died in James Watt Street. It was said exactly fifty years later, it was beautiful and he spoke with gentleness and love. I felt truly humbled when he talked about my life during the homily. Somehow his love and understanding took away so much of my pain.  I will always be grateful.”  “He wept with those who wept”. Like the Psalmist, at times he also had his own “drooping spirit” to walk with. He was actually a shy and sensitive man. He felt pressures and there were certainly more than he voiced. He took things to heart, literally, and we know with what consequences. We need to be more careful of each other’s hearts. For myself, I only came to know Bishop / Archbishop Philip after becoming bishop myself in 2011. But I had already encountered him during the papal visit the year before, at the Mass at Bellahouston. Bishops and Abbots were waiting in a tent. He went out to look at the singing crowds, full of young people, and he came back with his face flushed, crying, “The faith is alive! The faith is alive!” This wasn’t a tired, box-ticking cleric; he seemed an almost childlike enthusiast. So the memories remain: voicing our apology for child abuse in this Cathedral, preaching to seminarians in the crypt of St Peter’s, urging them in his halting, straight from the heart way, to put Christ at the centre of their lives, everywhere and always, and find their integrity in him; responding explosively to a paper put before him at a bishop’s meeting, “Where’s Christ in this?”, or after a glass or two of wine at a late Spanish dinner in Salamanca launching into the intricacies of 16^th c. Eucharistic theology.  

How good, how consoling, that he should go to God on the solemnity of St Kentigern. 

I have to say I feel his eye on me as I speak. It’s a little unnerving. “Get it right, Hugh, get it right”. This tree had a root: the deep Catholic Christian faith he had received from his family. And through that faith flowed the sacramental sap that nourished and greened his life. It wasn’t hard to choose the readings: the Eucharistic climax of the discourse from John ch. 6, Isaiah’s vision of the banquet on the mountain-top, the Psalm that ends with the feast in the Temple, when the Lord as an accompanying shepherd becomes at the end a welcoming host, precisely the future we wish for Philip. Here was the heart of the man. Here, along with his family, were the loves that moved him:  the Gospel of John, the person of Christ, God and man, born of the Virgin (he loved our Lady), risen from the dead and the same Lord’s real, substantial and permanent presence under the appearances of bread and wine, the food of our soul and the pledge of our resurrection.. These are the things that held him together, made him a whole, and gave him the holding power he had. It’s for believing and confessing and preaching these things he would want to be remembered: floreat praeconio verbi. It’s on this basis he would want his beloved archdiocese and the Church in Scotland to move forward. He could say, in dark moments, “do we still believe in the Eucharist?” He could also say, “I find people are fascinated if you speak to them of Christ.” 

“On this mountain he will remove the mourning veil covering all peoples, and the shroud enwrapping all nations; he will destroy death for ever. The Lord will wipe away the tears from every cheek.” So the prophet. “Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day.” So the Gospel. “In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.” So the Psalmist. With these words, with this hope, let us comfort one another and go on. 

The great tree goes into the earth as a seed, to rest through the winter of time in “the dear green place”, to rest and to be raised incorruptible. Man’s winter, God’s spring. 

May he rest in peace and rise in glory. Amen. 

 Bishop Hugh Gilbert OSB 

We are now open for liturgical services.

Our Bishops have confirmed the following guidance to promote the safety and wellbeing of everyone:
·       All visitors, in line with our existing arrangements, should sanitise their hands when entering and exiting the church. 
·       Social distancing remains in place and must be observed.
·       Face coverings are required to be worn by those attending (except under 5's).
·       A maximum of 50 people per service is being imposed for now. We, therefore, have introduced a booking system for mass.  Requiem Masses continue to be limited to 20
·       For each service, the parish must retain the names and contact details of all attendees.

Confirmation of arrangements for the reopening of our parish for the public celebration of Mass.
 
The numbers attending Mass require to be strictly controlled to ensure that we comply with the Scottish Government guidance of a maximum of 50. We, therefore, are required to operate a booking system.  Parishioners can request a place via our on-line system:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mass-at-st-leonards-east-kilbride-registration-113399436768. 

Please remember to cancel your booking if you no longer need it by returning to eventbrite and clicking 'Contact Event Organiser'.

Individual bookings, in the first instance, will be limited to 3 people from the same household. We recognise that this is not ideal, but this is necessary to ensure that we can maintain social distancing within the church and adhere to the Government’s instruction of a maximum of 50. We would request that, where possible, the booking is made on-line. This will enable us to keep an up-to-date record of bookings. If you know someone who does not have access to the internet, would you please inform them of these arrangements and, if necessary, place a booking on their behalf. In exceptional circumstances, a telephone booking request can be made by phoning St Leonard’s Pres.  01355247471. At the time of booking, personal information of name and contact details will be required.

Mass will be celebrated in St Leonard’s Church on the following days and times as published on the Eventbrite booking portal:

The chapel will be opened 30 minutes before Mass to allow time to be seated. There is a designated area for wheelchair users and those less mobile. Please note that the toilets are closed except for emergencies.

Having now resumed the celebration of Public Mass, there will be no further opportunities for private prayer in the church.

Making a Booking.
 
While our numbers remain so limited, we are requesting that parishioners book only one Mass at a time to allow as many as possible the opportunity to get to mass. Parishioners who can be more flexible may wish to place a booking for a weekday mass to relieve pressure on the places for a Sunday. 

To place a booking log on to:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mass-at-st-leonards-east-kilbride-registration-113399436768. 

Please remember to cancel your booking if you no longer need it by returning to eventbrite and clicking 'Contact Event Organiser'.

Do you have a few minutes to spare?
 
To safeguard everyone, pews are sanitised after use whether for private prayer or Mass. Should you feel able to volunteer to assist in the cleaning of the church and the sanitising of pews please speak to Father Dominic or email stleonard@rcdom.org.uk with your contact details and we will get back to you. Gloves, sanitising spray and cloths will be provided.  We would welcome your support.

Arrangements for the distribution of Holy Communion.

Holy Communion will be distributed at the end of mass following the directions given by Father Dominic.

As recipients of Holy Communion approach Father Dominic, face coverings should continue to be worn.

Holy Communion will be placed on the recipient's hands who should then take a few steps to the side, remove his/her face mask  to receive communion, reposition the face mask and leave the church.

It is important that social distancing is maintained until parishioners are well clear of the entrance porch. Parishioners should sanitise their hands on exit, in line with our existing arrangements.

Scotland moved to Phase 3 of the route map for coming out of lockdown on the 10 July 2020. Please help us to stay safe, protect others and save lives. Remember FACTS:
 
· Face coverings should be worn in enclosed spaces such as shops and public transport.
· Avoid crowded places.
· Clean your hands and hard surfaces regularly.
· Two metre distancing remains the rule. 
· and Self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
 
Scottish Government information and guidance on Covid-19 can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/

This afternoon the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, announced a return to a national lockdown, from midnight tonight, to combat the spread of the Corona Virus. During lockdown it is against the law for individuals to leave their homes except for essential purposes, clearly defined in the legislation. Public worship will no longer be possible, except for the celebration of Requiem Mass and Marriage, from Friday of this week. Responding to the spirit of the First Minister's announcement, the Diocese of Motherwell will cease public worship in all its churches as of midnight tonight, whilst Holy Mass will continue to be celebrated by priests on their own. We pray that these difficult measures announced by the First Minister will assist in halting the alarming rate of the spread of the virus and also that God will strengthen the civic authorities whose responsibility is to guide us in this crisis.

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