Mgr John has been Parish Priest of St Mary’s since 2000. He was ordained to the priesthood by the late Bishop Stephen McGill in St Andrew’s Church, Greenock, on 28 June 1981. Twenty-five years later parishioners and friends from as far away as the USA gathered for a Mass of thanksgiving to mark this special anniversary.

Concelebrating with Mgr John were Bishop Philip Tartaglia, Bishop Emeritus John Mone, and many priest friends.

After Mass a sumptuous buffet was provided by parishioners in the hall. Thankfully, the weather was good enough to allow some of the large crowd to spill out on to the courtyard to enjoy an alfresco supper. Unfortunately, this meant that the midges enjoyed a sumptuous supper too!

Mgr commented: “I was delighted with this wonderful celebration, since it felt like a truly family get-together with so many friends, including those from other churches.”