Left to right: Fr Dermot, Fr Aelred, Gerry Michie and Fr Matthew
To mark Fr Aelred’s retirement from his role as a Chaplain at Polmont HMP & YOI SPS members of staff, the Governor Gerry Michie, the Senior Management, fellow Chaplains, former colleagues, his sister and brother in law Fr Matthew and Fr dermot gathered to make a presentation to him in the Boardroom at Polmont on Thursday 20th January.
The Governor, Gerry Richie said, “It was an honour and a pleasure to work with Fr Aelred twice during my career at Polmont and it was evident from the tributes I received from staff just how highly respected and thought of he is, both as a genuinely kind and approachable man and a non-judgemental Chaplain to our staff and those in our care”. He presented Fr Aelred with a gold pocket watch and tumbler inscribed with the SPS logo. He has been chaplain there for almost 16 years and will be missed. in a formal letter to all the staff, he wrote, “Many thanks to you all at Polmont for the gifts and best wishes on the occasion of my retirement aas chaplain at Polmont. I appreciate your tribute to me very much. The sadness of finishing as chaplain is more than made up for by the knowledge that the good work of chaplaincy continues and the prospect of an active retirement awaits. I have many happy memories of my nearly sixteen years at Polmont. You will all remain in my thoughts and prayers. I will say Mass for all who live and work in Polmont”. After the reception, Fr Aelred was able to take his sister and brother in law up into the prison to meet some on the prisoners in the Chaplaincy. He said this was the icing on the cake!
The Catholic Chaplaincy serves the students and staff of the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University and Queen Margaret University.
The Catholic Chaplaincy is also a parish of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh (the Parish of St Albert the Great) and all Catholic students and staff are automatically members of this parish.
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St Albert's Catholic Chaplaincy is part of the English Province of the Order of Preachers, a charity registered in England and Wales (231192) and in Scotland (SC039062).