Scottish Catholic Observer

Mass was celebrated for the first time at St Mirin’s Chaplaincy by Fr Gerry McNellis, chaplain, with Frs Stephen Baillie and Frank Hannigan concelebrating.

Bishop John Keenan of Paisley, a former chaplain of Glasgow University, was among those in attendance for the occasion. The bishop told the SCO in March about the preparations being made for a chaplaincy for the university, which also has a campus in Hamilton.

“I wanted to set this up in Paisley for all the students of the diocese,” he said. “We’ve raised funds for a space near the campus for the next two or three years and the students are already setting up a Catholic society.”

He explained that although the UWS had an interfaith chaplaincy, it hadn’t have a Catholic chaplaincy until now because of their diffuse campus and recent emergence as a university.

The new chaplaincy is located on a second floor at 45 High Street, Paisley, and has five rooms: An oratory, a relaxing room, a study room/computer room, and a kitchen.

The chaplaincy was opened on Pentecost Sunday, and, in his homily, Fr McNellis spoke about Pentecost as the birth of the Church and now the birth of the new centre.

“I’m absolutely delighted,’ Fr McNellis said about the chaplaincy. “It’s a great thing and an exciting way to assist the youth of the diocese.”

The chaplaincy is now extending an invitation for other young people to get involved, asking the young to give some of their time ‘to keep the doors open,’ as ‘we can’t do this without you.’

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Pic: Paul McSherry

—This story ran in full in the May 20 edition print of the SCO, available in parishes.