St. Gabriel's, Prestonpans

Cutting the Cake - Wallyford Celebrations.

L to R: Ralph, Nancy Murray (Committee Chairperson), Revd Moira McDonald, Conleth, Archbishop O'Brien, Ailbe, Pat O'Donnell.

Earlier this year Brendan O'Boyle brought to our attention that the First Mass had been celebrated in Wallyford in September 1952 and that the celebrant of that Mass was Conleth O'Reilly, still very much alive fifty years later on. In 1952 he was the Superior and Parish Priest in the old monastery at Drum-mohr.

The first Mass was said in the Miners' Institute in Wallyford; there Mass continued to be said every week until the small Catholic Community in Wallyford was able to purchase what had been a Police Station and is now the Oratory of St James. All are loud in praise of the work that Brendan put into the acquisition of the Oratory. Some great stories are told as to the reason for the choice of St James as patron. The work of acquiring the oratory had been done and approved in Cardinal Gray's time but the blessing of the oratory was one of the first duties of the newly appointed Archbishop O'Brien.

On 27th September at 7.00 pm, in the presence of Archbishop O'Brien; Fr. Jim Berry C.P.; Pat O'Donnell, the local member of East Lothian Council; the Reverend Moira Mcdonald, the local Church of Scotland Minister, and other clergy and laity, Conleth offered a Mass of Thanksgiving on the occasion of this Golden Jubilee. In his homily he regaled all present with memories of the past. (One parishioner had a photograph of Conleth - and the late Vincent Sweeney - at her sister's wedding fifty years ago).

Afterwards all repaired to the local Church of Scotland Hall where a beautiful buffet had been prepared by a committee of Wallyford people. Conleth cut a cake of celebration. And now on to the next fifty years.

An esteemed member of our community is Bro Martin Denny C.P. His sister, Sr. Patricia has just finished her term as General of the Cross and Passion Sisters, and at the same time the rest of the family happened to be in the same part of the world for once. They celebrated together and recorded the event with a family photograph.

L to R: Sr. Patricia, Bro. Martin, Anne, Kay, Peter and Pauline