Three parishioners of St. George’s, Warminster, were presented with the Bene Merenti Medal by Bishop Mervyn when he celebrated Mass at St. George’s on 29th September 1998 on the occasion of the Parish’s 60th anniversary.
One of the three recipients of the medal was John O’Brien. The following citation was read out by Fr. Paul before the medal was presented to John:
(Philip) John O’Brien, born 1918. John is a lifelong parishioner who has been involved in Parish and Church affairs since his early youth. This was particularly true of his early days in Parish fund-raising, his membership of the Knights of St. Columba (Grand Knight for three years), the Parish football pools and many other activities during the 1950s and 1960s. He was one of the original committee members for St. George’s School.
As you can see his loyalty and commitment to duty are attested by an old parishioner, Bill Hogg: “St. George’s School owes much of its success to the work carried out by John.” This assessment is also supported by Sr. Paula Langton who has been in the Parish since 1972: “He is a man deeply rooted in the faith, who has put the Parish to the forefront in his thinking. To the present day (and he has been retired for some years) he takes the collection at 8.30 a.m. Mass every Sunday and is still on the door when we have the Parish Bazaar.”
John is most warmly put forward by the Parish as a worthy recipient of the Bene Merenti medal.