Cardinal Vincent Nichols consecrates west London church

In a majestic ceremony and amidst a spiritual atmosphere of blended fragrances of incense and angelic church hymns His Eminence Cardinal Vincent consecrated the Church of the Holy Family in West Acton, London on Saturday, April 1, 2017. The church was consecrated on the 50th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone. The foundation stone of the church was laid on April 1, 1967, by the Right Reverend Patrick Casey, an Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster. The building of the church was supervised by Father Gerrard Barry, the first parish priest. Much work has been undertaken recently to complete a comprehensive program of internal restoration and renovation.

Former Parish Priests, Fathers John Wiley and Charles Cahill also attended the ceremony alongside Mr. Richard Kornicki, one of the Lieutenants' of London, Dr. Rupa Huq, Member of Parliament and Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and some local councilors.

In a traditional service of consecration that a new church undergoes, The cardinal sprinkled the congregation and the altar with holy water, the altar and the walls of the church were anointed whilst the choir sang "Holy is the temple of the Lord". Following the Litany of Saints, he placed the relics of three martyrs, Saint Proba, Saint Reparata and Saint Casta in the pedestal of the altar against a background of the antiphon "The bodies of the saints".

This was followed by the burning of incense on the altar and the incensation of the consecration cross spaced around the church, after which the altar was prepared for mass with all the candles of the church lit as a sign of rejoicing, to the accompaniment of celebratory hymns and psalms sung by the church choir and pupils from The Holy Family School.

With hands extended the Cardinal blessed the people and gave thanks to those who have helped in the process of renovation and ensuring the completion of the church and those who worked hard to prepare for this special occasion. Father Neil Reynolds, the parish priest, said: "The Consecration went very well and was a beautiful and moving celebration; as always with these occasions there success is dependent upon everyone who is involved working together and this was certainly the reality on the day, and I reiterate my thanks to all those who contributed in any way whatsoever to making it so."

Father Nadheer Dako, the Catholic Chaldean priest who celebrates Mass at the church, said: "For me, it was a very reverent event so inspiring and moving, the faith-filled congregation together with the church and school choir made it a very special Mass."

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