Scottish Catholic Observer

Seventy-five years of Holyrood Secondary School, Glasgow, were marked with a celebration of Mass at Christ the King Church.

Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow was the principal celebrant and was joined on the altar by Bishop Emeritus John Mone of Paisley, a former pupil of the school, Fr Desmond Broderick, who was part of the school’s first intake of pupils in 1936, and a number of clergy from the archdiocese.

Friends

Former staff and pupils of Holyrood joined the current crop, representatives of Glasgow City Council and friends of the Holyrood community at the Mass last Wednesday.

In his homily, Archbishop Conti said that Holyrood has a certain prominence in the public eye, being the largest school in Europe with a school roll of more than 2000 pupils and 150 teachers.

“The school has always been a source of pride to the Catholic community and city of Glasgow,” Archbishop Conti said.

The archbishop spoke of God’s providence, emphasising that God has been ‘alive and active in the 75 years of Catholic education at Holyrood’.

Closing his homily, the archbishop also spoke about last September’s visit to Scotland of Pope Benedict XVI, and highlighted that he was wearing the same chasuble that the Holy Father wore at last September’s Mass at Bellahouston Park and had then gifted to Glasgow

Archdiocese.

The archbishop asked the pupils to think about the Pope’s message to ‘lead lives worthy of God’ and emphasised the importance of his words: “There is only one thing that lasts, the love of Jesus Christ, personally, for each one of you.”

Tom McDonald spoke of his pride at being the head teacher at the school and noted that, in addition to Fr Broderick, two more pupils from Holyrood’s first intake of 1936 were present in the congregation.

Mr McDonald gave a potted history of Holyrood, which, when it opened in 1936, was Glasgow’s first Catholic secondary school for boys and girls.

He mentioned the school’s values of ‘love, compassion and justice,’ which he said were underpinned by the school’s work with their partner schools in Malawi.

Celebration

“Tonight is not just a celebration of 75 years of Holyrood but also a celebration of Catholic education in Glasgow,” Mr McDonald said. “Our Catholic schools are a very special commodity.”

At the end of Mass, the newly appointed head girl and head boy of Holyrood, Sarah Gillespie and Mark Malone, gave a vote of thanks to the congregation and a special presentation to Bishop Mone.

Following the Mass, an exhibition marking 75 years of Holyrood was showcased in the church hall.

— martin@sconews.co.uk

Pic: Paul McSherry