Dumfries and Galloway church marks 200th milestone

dailyrecord.co.uk:

One of Dumfries and Galloway’s historic Roman Catholic Churches has marked its bicentenary.A celebratory Mass to commemorate 200 years since the foundation of St Mary’s RC Church in New Abbey – five years before the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829 – proved “a joyous and uplifting occasion” and was attended by Christians from different churches including a Church of Scotland minister.The Bishop of Galloway, Francis Dougan, celebrated Mass with Father Gerald Donnelly of St Andrew’s RC Church in Dumfries and St Columba’s RC in Annan; Father Uchenna Odenigbo, Father Francis Dometiero and Deacon William Hiddleston of St Teresa’s RC Church in Dumfries; with Father Gerry Briody and Father Joseph Tan, Salesians, concelebrating.In his homily delivered to a fully-packed church – which was designed by celebrated Dumfries architect Walter Newall – the Bishop’s theme was on “building on the past but not dwelling on it” and to “encourage the young and not always complaining to or about them” and also to “go forward with hope”.It was all the more special for the congregation as, since 2013, there has not been a regular Sunday service there but, periodically, priests come to stay in the house and say Mass for everyone.Located just within the south-east precinct wall of Sweetheart Abbey, it is also now a wedding venue and groups go there to recharge their energy on retreat.After Mass, everyone was invited to enjoy refreshments served in the village hall and to browse at old photographs through the decades at St Mary’s, copies of the church registers from Kirkconnell House, and on loan from Dumfries Museum was information about the 700-year-old Breviary used by a monk from Sweetheart Abbey (Abbey of the Dulce Cor) as his prayer book.On