Bishop John, fellow priests, and good people of Milford:
"Christ yesterday, and to-day and the same for ever." (Hebrews, Ch. 13,)
This is a sacred place. Today is a sacred time. We are very privileged to be here.
Throughout the history of Christianity, there have been many sacred times and places.
Scripture tells us: 'When the fullness of time had come God sent his Son, born of a woman.' The angels proclaimed the Good News through the shepherds to the world: "Fear not, to-day is born to you a Saviour." The time was the first Christmas Night and the place was Bethlehem.
There would come another place and another time. Calvary (Golgotha) was the place and 3 o'clock on the first Good Friday the time. From the sixth hour until the ninth hour Jesus hung on the Cross. His voice was heard in the darkness: 'I have finished the work you gave me to do' and with a loud cry, he breathed his last breath.
Bethlehem and Calvary are for all time sacred places, sacred because they are so close to Jesus Christ, our Saviour. Christianity is a historic religion, a religion of sacred times and places and at the centre is the man Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.
This was the Good News that St. Patrick and his companions brought to Ireland in the fifth century.
St. Ita of Kileedy, who lived about 550, St. Berehert of Tullylease, the convert Englishman, who came to us about the year 700, and the other saints of that time whose names are not recorded, these saintly people
brought the teachings of Jesus Christ to this area, this parish.
In due time, they set up their own sacred places, they built churches, schools, oratories and to-day there remain but a few inscribed stones, few in number but very precious, as they remind us of the sacred places of those distant ancestors of ours.

Time passed, the population increased and the faith grew stronger. By the Middle Ages, a number of churches had been built in the area, Knawhill, Ballinakill, Deliga, Cloncrew. Four old cemeteries now contain the remains of these pre-reformation churches and the ruined walls of a strange little oratory, called 'The Teampallin,' can still be seen not far from the old Castle, now also in ruins.
These ancient, pre-reformation churches were sacred places to these people, our ancestors. They brought their children to them to be baptised in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. To these churches they came to worship on Sundays. Marriages were special times for each family and of course to these places they brought their dead to say a last, prayerful farewell. At these sacred times in their lives, God was very close to them, especially in their little churches.
Who were these people? We do not know. They left no records. But we are certain they were predecessors of the people of to-day and their ruined churches are stark reminders of their deep faith in a good God, a faith which they were very careful to pass on to us.
Once again, time passed along and we come to modern times and to the two churches which immediately preceded this beautiful building, which we are honouring to-day.
About the year 1750, a church was built at Shroneapookeen, a small townland about a mile from the present village and it served both Milford and Tullylease .
It was the 18th century, the century of the Penal Laws, according to which a catholic in Ireland had no rights. Legally, a catholic was a non-person. Catholics were forbidden by law to be educated, to open a
school, to practise their religion. Priests were banished and churches were closed. Much depended on how strictly the local landlord imposed the law.
This church at Shroneapookeen was probably built during the second half of the century, when the penal laws were being relaxed. It was a very simple church in a secluded area, which did not attract attention. Fr. O'Donoghue was the last priest in charge and he was buried there in 1827.
The following year, 1828, Fr. Robert O'Riordan was appointed parish priest. In 1829, with the help of Daniel O'Connell, Catholic Emancipation was passed, giving total freedom to Catholics. Fr. O'Riordan, availing of the liberal laws, immediately built a new church, not hidden away in a glen or valley, but in the centre of the village. Some years later, it was described as a commodious modern building. This church served the people of Milford for the entire 19th century and Fr. Bob, as he was affectionately known, was parish priest for 41 of those years.
Fr. William Cosgrave and Fr. William Fitzgerald were parish priests for short periods. In 1888, Bishop Robert Browne appointed an energetic, charismatic parish priest to Milford, Fr. William Coghlan.
A native of Churchtown, he was educated in Maynooth and was curate in Charleville for 6 years before being appointed to Milford. His relatives are present here to-day and we welcome them.
The following year, during a visitation of the parish by Bishop Browne, it was decided that the old church was beyond repair and that a new church should be built. A parish committee was formed and an architect, Mr. Maurice Alphonsus Hennessy, was appointed.
Maurice Hennessy, who had his offices in South Mall in Cork, was a very well known and respected architect throughout Munster from about 1875 to his death in 1909. His work included churches in Limerick, Durras, Skibbereen, Rathcormac, Belgooly, Kinsale, and especially churches in Charleville and Timoleague, both of which are similar in design to Milford, though of course much larger.
The Contractor was a local man from this parish, Denis Linehan, an honest man, who was very well known and respected. We welcome representatives of the Linehan family, who have also joined us today. They can be very proud of the work of their ancestors. The beautiful stone was all quarried locally and the colourful stained glass was by a firm in Youghal. The parish priest got wholehearted support from the people of the parish who, according to the Examiner, 'voluntarily taxed themselves to the extent of 7s 6d in the pound to provide the greater part of the £3,400 required for the erection of the church.'
This church was opened and consecrated one hundred years ago on this day, May 4, and probably at this very time. Looking around the church to-day, how beautiful it looks and how well it has survived the test of time. Thanks to you the people of the parish and to your present parish priest, Fr. Dick Hegarty, who is taking such great care of it.
What extraordinary faith and devotion, and indeed courage, the people of Milford showed when they built this church. The year was 1900. The disastrous years of the famine were a mere 50 years before. In some of the townlands of the parish, up to 60 even 70% of the population died during the famine, or emigrated immediately afterwards. Indeed there were people present in the church on that morning, who lived through the famine and who could vividly remember it.
The struggle for ownership of the land was still in progress and we had not obtained our freedom.
Despite all the disadvantages the people and their priests chose this piece of land as a sacred place and on it put a building, which they consecrated to God. It would be that sacred place, where the people would come to meet their God in a very special way, in good times and in times that were not so good, in times of joy and in times of sorrow.
What extraordinary faith and devotion.
What extraordinary devotion also they had for the Mother of God, when they dedicated this church to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Belief in this Doctrine of the Assumption was widespread in the Church for centuries, but it was not officially defined by the Pope as an infallible doctrine until 1950, almost 50 years after the dedication of this church.
Here are the words of Pope Pius XII, as he defined the Doctrine of the Assumption in 1950:
"We define it to be a divinely revealed dogma that the immaculate Mother of God, ever virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life , was assumed, body and soul, into heavenly glory."
The Blessed Virgin Mary is the only human being, body and soul, in Heaven to-day. She takes a very personal interest in the priests and people of Milford, who dedicated their church in her honour.
A hundred years have passed since the consecration of this church. During that century, great events have happened in the world:
World War I, the Rising of 1916, the Troubles of 1921, the bleak days of the 30s, especially for a rural farming area like Milford, World War II, the tragic emigration of the 50s and 60s, when so many of our people, especially our youth, were compelled to leave this area to earn a living and, in modern times, the changing pattern of rural society, when our rural values and way of life are being challenged.
And all the while, this church, this sacred place, remained unchanged as a place of calm and stability, where people dropped in, knowing they would meet their God and find peace.
The consecration of a church is a very special event. This church here, being a place of exceptional character and beauty, and being totally free of debt, was consecrated on the day it was opened. The crosses, surmounted by candles, which you see on the church walls, mark the places which Bishop Robert Browne anointed with the holy oils on that opening day.
To understand the real meaning of a Church, we must return to the history of God's chosen people in the Bible.
God chose a special group of people and made a covenant, an agreement, with them. He said to them " If you will be my people and obey my commandments, I will be your God and I will be with you always."
They broke their agreements many times and each time God renewed it. When God rescued them from their exile in Egypt, Moses led them through the desert for 40 years and God fed them with food from Heaven.
He ordered them to make a portable box made of special wood and gold and into it they placed the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, which Moses got at Mount Sinai. They called it The Ark of the Covenant and it was constantly enshrouded in a cloud to indicate the presence of God.
When eventually they arrived in Jerusalem, they built a special Temple and part of that Temple was
called The Holy of Holies, into which they placed the Ark of the Covenant. It was the most sacred part
of the Temple and it was separated from the rest of the building by a large curtain or veil
No person was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, except the High Priest and he only once a year.
The Holy of Holies gave meaning and purpose to the whole Temple, for there, shrouded in mysterious darkness, was the very throne of God . It was this that made the Temple the house of God. It was here he dwelt among them and answered their craving for his friendship, a friendship which they had not known since he banished their First Parents from Paradise, where they had walked with God in the cool of the evening Here in the Temple they could meet and worship God and show their love for him, as they remembered and recalled all the great things he had done for them. This was indeed the holiest place on earth.
But there came a day and an hour that changed everything. When Jesus Christ died on the Cross at 3 o'clock on Good Friday, darkness came over the whole earth, there was a great earthquake, rocks were split, and the veil or curtain guarding the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem was torn asunder from top to bottom.
From that moment, the holiest place on earth was no longer in the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Holy of Holies was and is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, walking this earth as one of us and present in the Eucharist in the Tabernacles of our churches. That is the reason why we are celebrating this church of the Assumption of Our Lady here in Milford today.

On May 4, 1903, this church was consecrated, set aside for the worship of God.
The Preface of the Mass at the Consecration of a Church is interesting. Every time you go to Mass, you will hear the priest saying to you, the people:
"The Lord be with you, Lift up your hearts, Let us give thanks to the Lord our God;"
Then, after a slight hesitation, he changes his tone of voice. He is no longer talking to you, the people, but to God Himself: "Father, All Powerful and Ever living God"
As a finite, mortal being, the priest in our name dares to address the infinite God. But that is what God wishes us to do. The Preface continues:
"All-powerful and Ever-living God, we thank you now for this house of prayer, in which you bless your family as we come to you in pilgrimage"
How important it is to say thanks, thanks to God for the faith which enables us to come in here and understand the true meaning of this building. It is a house of prayer.
A special thanks to God for making it his house, his home, and inviting us to come in. In this church, God acknowledges us as his family on our pilgrim way through life to our true home in Heaven.
The Preface of the Mass of Consecration continues: " Here, Father, you reveal your presence by sacramental signs." The All Powerful ever living God reveals his presence in this Church by sacramental signs. Let us give examples:
When the Scriptures are read in church, as they were today, it is God Himself who speaks.
When a child is baptised in church, it is God who baptises.
When two people exchange their marriage vows, it is God who joins them together.
These indeed are signs through which God reveals his presence.
But there is no more precious presence of God on earth than the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. The Mass and the Eucharist are God's greatest gifts.
Let us quickly look at one aspect of the Mass.
Immediately after the Consecration in the Mass, the priest says:
"Father calling to mind the death your Son endured for our salvation, his glorious Resurrection and Ascension
into Heaven, and ready to meet him when he comes again, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living
sacrifice."
The Church teaches us that this memorial at the Consecration is not a mere calling to mind of the great events of the past. Rather by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Death and Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ are recalled and made powerfully present to us.
These eternal events happened once in time and can never be repeated. Jesus can never die again, death has no power over him. But at the memorial at the Consecration of the Mass, these saving events of the life of Jesus Christ are re-presented, perpetuated, made present again at that moment.
Therefore, never again can we say, I cannot pray, or my prayer is of no value, or the Mass means nothing to me. At that moment after the Consecration , Jesus Christ offers his death on the Cross, his Resurrection and his Ascension, made powerfully present at that moment. He offers them to His Father in Heaven and he invites us to join him in that offering. Therefore, our prayer in the Mass is of infinite value.

On the 4th of May, 1903, this church was consecrated to God. To-day, exactly one hundred years later, 4th of May , 2003, Bishop John will consecrate this new altar. By words and sacramental signs, he will show us the sacredness of the altar, as he anoints it with Holy Oils and consecrates it to God as a place where God becomes present for us in a most intimate and mysterious way. Attend carefully to what Bishop John does and listen to the words he uses.

To day, as we celebrate the centenary of our church, it evokes special memories for all of us.
You recall your First Communion, your Confirmation, your Marriage in this church, with all the memories it brings back.
You recall the Christmas visits to the Crib as a small child and later with your own children.
You remember the quiet visits to the church to ask God for guidance in times of trial and difficulties.
You remember the sad funerals of your dear friends.
Your life has been intertwined with this church over the years, and to- day in this centenary Mass relive it with the good Lord.
To-day too you remember and pray for all those who influenced your life - your parents, your priests, your teachers, your friends, your neighbours. Many are gone to eternity. This is your memorial book containing some of their names and pictures. It will be placed on the altar at the Offertory of the Mass.
We remember also all those who are entered in the Baptismal and Marriage Registers of the parish. The first baptismal entry for this church was Edmund Fox, son of Patrick and Brigid Fox, who was baptised by Rev. William Coghlan on 11 May, 1903.
The first entry in the Marriage Register was Michael Guiry of Doonagh and Nora O'Brien of Lyra, who were married on 16th July, 1903. Rev. W. Coghlan was present.
There are hundreds of names entered in these registers, many totally forgotten. But the gentle Jesus has not forgotten them.
We recall today all our emigrants scattered throughout the world, the many priests, brothers and sisters from our parish who have done and are doing such great work for God, the hundreds of young people, who have left this parish to earn a living.
We pray for all our parishioners who await the Resurrection in foreign cemeteries, far from their native parish.
We bring them all to the Altar of God in this church which they knew so well, remembering the great doctrine of the Communion of Saints -- that the saints in Heaven, the Souls in Purgatory and we here on earth are all members of the great family of God.
We ask Our Lady of the Assumption to take care of this parish and of all our parishioners and we ask her to ask her Son to pour his blessings upon us all.
"Christ yesterday, today and the same forever".