Why do the clergy celebrate anniversaries or jubilees?

First time I met Fr. Pat 13 years ago when I was helping at the Polish Church in Northwich. I recall needing a religious book to prepare a Polish wedding. Someone suggested I ask the Parish priest of the nearby Catholic community. This is when I encountered Fr. Pat.

When I met him he was very welcoming and obliging. There was one problem however – we found it difficult to understand each other. Eventually he worked out what I wanted and as I left with the book, I said to myself: is my English so weak, or why is his English so strange? Today, I know the answer to that puzzle: his English was Irish-English and my English was Polish-English. I never would have believed that eventually we would become the dearest of friends and that, I would be celebrating his 45th Anniversary beside Him today in Timperley.

Fr. Pat paid a price for being so welcoming because one year later I contacted him from Poland to ask if I could spend a month with him to improve my English – even if I would end up with an Irish accent! As we shared daily life in the presbytery I soon realised this man was a real pastor who put the needs of others before himself… a man of humility whom I came to respect and admire. I wondered why he hardly ever sat down, why he never tired of answering the door, the phone and how in the blink of an eye his car was on the road to visit a sick or needy person. Soon it became clear that this was the kind of priest Pope Francis referred to when he said: Priests should not grow weary of people’s requests no matter how inconvenient they may be, priests should get out there to the suffering and marginalised.

Though I admired Fr. Pat I was also a little scared. He had so much energy that as a young priest I wondered should I join a gym to keep up with this man? No matter how tired or busy he was, he always made time for people and found time to pray. What must his energy have been like when he joined the diocese of Shrewsbury in 1975?

So here we are 45 years from then! Recently, one of my friends asked me once: Tomasz, why do the clergy celebrate anniversaries or jubilees? Why all of this? At that time I didn’t really know. But now I do.

Each anniversary is a manifestation of the deep belief that our life is filled with meaning and value which becomes more rooted with the passing of time. In other words: when we celebrate our priestly Anniversary or Jubilee, we feel joy, that our life is fulfilled – fulfilled in the love of God and his people. There is a sense of depth and purpose which makes our ordination a living reality and – something, that isn’t subject to the passing of our mortal life.

Today we are in Timperley, and celebrating your 45th Ordination Anniversary Pat. You do not like being the centre of all this attention but… Fr. Pat, imagine in your mind all our parishioners desire to be in St. Hugh’s & St. John Church today for you and with you. Try to imagine that! Try – in your imagination – to look at our faces in our tiny church. What can you see? I will tell you what you should see: you should see the harvest, the fruits of your priestly life. Every face in this church, every eye in this church, every heart in this church is the mirror that shows how Pat Munroe lives and breathes his priesthood.

Fr. Pat, each of us – parishioners of St. Hugh’s & St. John – is a tiny story, which is a unique part of the greater story – the story of your life. Maybe we all don’t know each other very well, but you know all of us. You have gathered all our hearts and souls around you in your Upper Room no 9 in Timperley. You are our common denominator, with Christ as our goal.

On this your special day, on behalf of all of us who call ourselves your friends, I want to thank you for your unselfishness, your open heart and the time you give to each of us. I want to tell you: we are so happy that we know you, and very proud that Jesus Christ has such wonderful priest like Pat Munroe. Please don’t change yourself… ooh maybe a little bit [try and rest more… maybe a glass of Hot Toddy would help!]. Ha ha ha…

But seriously, always remember Pat, that the age and value of the priest is not measured by the number of years; is not measured by his real activity also, but by his closeness to Christ. You are His close friend and we see it. That is why not just today, but every day, You are in our minds, hearts and prayers as we pray…

Happy anniversary Dear Friend – Slainte and God Bless You!!!