In his homily, Cardinal John said, ‘In years to come the community that gathers here should have always been able to remember this church was blessed and opened on Palm Sunday as people gathered here at the beginning of Holy Week. But it was not to be. Palm Sunday came on 6 April, the Church remained closed. The doors were locked! The doors of the country were locked, we were all in lockdown.

‘Today, Pentecost, is in some ways an even better day than Palm Sunday. “In the evening of the first day of the week, the followers of Jesus were locked in a room – in fear, they were set free by the Holy Spirit to go out, they were sent out in the same way Jesus was sent by the Father.

What will happen to all who come to this church, you will gather with one another, you will be given different gifts by the Spirit of God.

“The purpose of being with Jesus is to go forth from Jesus in his power and with his grace”. ‘Human beings build sacred places to remember. This Church was built so we could remember the words of Jesus “Do this in Memory of Me”. We need our memorials, we need our Holy Places, our churches, not “to escape life”, but rather “to memorialise it’.

Here today we bring to mind what is at “the heart of the mystery of our salvation,” the life-giving passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, and the gift of His Spirit.’