Catholic Church Kilsyth


St. Patrick's at the Burns and Old Parish, Church of Scotland.

Throughtout the 1970 a close personal bond of friendship developed between Fr. Denis O'Connell and the Rev. Alistair McLachlan, minister of the Burns and Old Parish church. This was nurtured through their contact at the local fraternal meetings where the various church leaders worked together for greater Christian co-operation. In Kilsyth opportunites to work together in the community were many with annual church fayres, Christian Aid Week, Kilsyth Civic Week and of course the Community Games which were a feature of sporting life during the 1970's.

This close bond between the two men subsequently built into a closeness between the two church congregations and effectively became a legacy which was subsequently handed down to every new Priest that followed in Fr. O’Connell's footsteps at St Patrick’s. During Fr. Hand's time in Kilsyth, Rev. McLachlan was a constant support and when in 1999, St Patrick's Church had to close it's doors for renovation work for nearly a 12 month period, the Congragation of the Burns and Old Parish Church made an astonishing and generous offer to St Patrick's. A historic invitation to the parishioners of St. Patrick’s was made to use The Burns and Old Parish Church to say Saturday vigil Mass during the period of renovation when St Patrick’s church building was closed.

So for about a year during 1999 and 2000, Fr.Gerry Hand took his congregation to the Burns and Old Parish Church on Saturday night to say vigil Mass in an active Church of Scotland church building - a remarkable and significant extension of Christian brotherhood. Sunday Masses were said in St. Patrick’s School hall and the Burns and Old Parish Church handed back each Saturday night after Vigil Mass, to their own congregation for Sunday Services. This close relationship between the two congregations was started by Fr. O'Connell and Rev. Mr McLachlan and was continued by Fr. Hand, all of whom take enormous credit for bringing the Christian communities of Kilsyth tangibly closer together.

To mark this event and to thank the congregation of the Burns and Old Parish Church, some photgraphs were taken at the time which we can now share here.

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St Patricks at The Burns and Old Parish Church/Fr Hand with Rev McLachlan of the Burns and Old Parish on the Historic Occaision of Mass being held there May 2000

Rev. Alistair McLachlin and Rev Fr. Gerry Hand in May 2000 in the grounds of the Burns and Old Parish Church, Kilsyth.

  
St Patricks at the Burns and Old Parish Church May 2000 1
St Patricks at the Burns and Old Parish Church May 2000 3
St Patricks at the Burns and Old Parish Church May 2000 2

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St Patricks at the Burns and Old Parish Church May 2000 4
St Patricks at the Burns and Old Parish Church May 2000 6
St Patricks at the Burns and Old Parish Church May 2000 5
St Patricks at the Burns and Old Parish Church May 2000 7
St Patricks at the Burns and Old Parish Church May 2000 8.
St Patricks at the Burns and Old Parish Church May 2000 10

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God BlessYou!