Congratulations Fr Joe Ryan!

Fr Joe, Bishop George with family and friends after the Thanksgiving Mass.

There was standing room only on Saturday, at a special thanksgiving Mass at St John Vianney's Church, West Green, north London, to celebrate Fr Joe Ryan's 40th anniversary of priesthood.

The Archbishop-elect of Cardiff, Bishop George Stack gave the homily. The event was his last official duty in London before going to Cardiff for his installation next Monday. Other VIP guests included local MP David Lammy, 21 members of Fr Joe's family from Ireland, and friends from his earlier parishes, Our Lady & St Joseph's Hanwell, St Gabriel's South Harrow, St Bernard's Northolt, St Aloysius, Somerstown, St Peter's Hatfield, and St John Fisher's North Harrow.

In his homily, Bishop George spoke of the significance of number 40 in the Bible - Moses spent 40 days searching in the wilderness before he found the Commandments; Noah was 40 days sailing in the Ark looking for dry land; and Jesus spent 40 days in the desert before he began his ministry. Describing Fr Joe as a 'prophetic voice' he praised his comittment to Justice and Peace work "lived out in public and also quietly." Bishop George said he hopes Fr Joe will preach at his 40th anniversary next year.

Trained at St Patrick's College, Thurles, in Tipperary, besides his work as a parish priest in Westminster, Fr Joe is chair of Westminster Diocese's Justice and Peace Commission. His work with them has taken him to the Philippines, Pakistan, Poland, the Holy Land, Nigeria and Ghana among other countries. Most recently he was an international observer at the trial in Turkey of 151 Kurdish human rights workers and politicians.

Parishioners from St John Vianney's presented Fr Joe with a Tottenham Hotspurs shirt and mug, among other gifts before a reception began in the parish grounds.