Homily for the Solemnity of the Dedication of the Church

Anniversary of the Dedication of the Church of St Bernadette, Walmer

Today is a very special day in the life of our parish. We are not celebrating a saint’s feast day, nor a particular event in the life of Christ, but the dedication of this church itself: the day when these walls, this altar, this whole building were solemnly consecrated to God. It is a chance for us to pause and remember not just the stones and mortar of St Bernadette’s, but what this place really means for us as God’s people.

You may have noticed something different today: the twelve consecration candles around the church are burning. They are lit only twice a year: at the Easter Vigil, and on this feast of dedication. They shine to remind us that this church was set apart, consecrated, made holy as a place where heaven and earth meet. But they also whisper to us something deeper: that we too, in our baptism, were consecrated, set apart, given the light of Christ to carry into the world.

What does it mean to say that this church is holy, and what does it mean for us to be holy?

First, we heard from the prophet Ezekiel. He was writing in exile, at a time when the Temple in Jerusalem lay in ruins. For the Jewish people, this was unthinkable: the Temple was the dwelling place of God, the centre of their faith. In that time of loss, God gave Ezekiel a vision: a new Temple, from which a great river of water flowed, bringing life wherever it went.

In Scripture, water is never just water. It is always a sign of life, of healing, of God’s blessing. The Fathers of the Church quickly recognised in this vision a prophecy of the sacraments: the waters of Baptism and the living stream of the Eucharist, which flow from the pierced side of Christ on the Cross.

When we gather here at St Bernadette’s, when water is poured at the font, when the chalice is lifted at this altar, that river is flowing again. This parish church is the place where Christ pours out His life for us. Think of the generations of people who have knelt in these pews over the past seventy-eight years, receiving that living water: infants baptised, couples married, loved ones commended to God at funerals, the faithful nourished week by week in Holy Communion. The river still flows.

St Paul, in the second reading, takes us one step further. Writing to the Corinthians, he reminds them that it is not only the building that is holy. “You are God’s temple, and God’s Spirit dwells in you.” Paul was speaking to a community that was divided and argumentative, and he uses the image of a building to call them back to unity: Christ alone is the foundation, and each one of us is a stone built upon Him.

Yes, this church is holy, because it is a place set apart for the worship of God. But also, we are the Church. Each one of us has been consecrated in Baptism. The Spirit has taken up His dwelling in us. Together, as the people of St Bernadette’s, we are the living temple that God is building up in Walmer today.

Every time we see these walls, every time we admire the stained glass or hear the echo of chant, we should remember that these things are signs pointing us back to the real temple: Christ dwelling in His people.

Which brings us to the climax in the Gospel: Jesus enters the Temple at Passover and drives out the money-changers. The Temple was the very heart of Jewish life, the place of sacrifice and prayer. To challenge it was shocking. And yet Jesus dares to say, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” John explains clearly to us: He was speaking about the temple of His body.

Christ Himself is the new and true Temple. He is the place where God dwells among His people. In Him, heaven and earth meet. In Him, sacrifice and prayer are perfected.

And if Christ is the Temple, then those who are joined to Him become part of that temple too. Through Baptism, we are grafted into His body. Through the Eucharist, His life flows into ours. Together, we are the living stones of the temple that is Christ’s body, rising here in this place just as surely as it rose in Corinth or Jerusalem.

So, what are we celebrating today? Not only the beauty of this building, though it is indeed beautiful. Not only its history, though seventy-eight years of prayer and worship here is a treasure. We are celebrating the fact that this building is a sacrament of something greater: that Christ dwells in His people, that we are consecrated as His temple, that we are the living stones of His Church.

Those consecration candles burning on the walls today remind us of that. They were lit when this church was first consecrated, and they burn again each year to say this place belongs to God. But they also remind us of the moment each of us was consecrated, when a candle was placed in our hands at Baptism, with the words: “Receive the light of Christ.” The building is holy, yes, but even more holy are the people who walk out of here each week carrying Christ’s light into their homes, workplaces, schools, and neighbourhoods.

We cannot celebrate this day without giving a thought to our patroness, St Bernadette. She was poor, uneducated, often sickly, and yet chosen to be a witness of Our Lady’s presence at Lourdes. She herself became a “living stone”, humble, hidden, but radiant with God’s grace. Bernadette teaches us that holiness is not about grandeur but about letting Christ dwell in us, allowing His light to shine through our simplicity. We too are called, in this parish dedicated to her, to be simple, humble living stones, letting Christ be seen in us.

As we give thanks for seventy-eight years of grace in this parish, for the sacraments celebrated here, for the community built up here, for the prayers offered here, we recommit ourselves to being the true temple, the people of God, consecrated, filled with the Spirit, built upon the foundation of Christ. These consecration candles that burn today remind us that once a baptismal candle was lit for us, and that we are called to keep its flame alive until the day Christ welcomes us into His eternal temple in heaven.

May St Bernadette pray for us, that we may truly be living stones, built together into a dwelling place for God, to the praise of His glory. Amen.