Easter 2022 has come and gone, trailing both satisfaction and disappointment in its wake. Some were convinced the crowds would return this Easter, given that this year provided the first set of Holy Week ceremonies permitted in Irish parishes since Easter 2019. Some reported more people than expected, many more parishes reported fewer. I was…
It’s nearly 25 years since I spent a year in Chicago, studying liturgy. It was a great opportunity for me, mind-blowing and perspective-enhancing. I got to understand how the US works, but I also learned about what makes Ireland unique, something you can only appreciate from outside it. I stayed at St Bernadette Parish on…
Notebook This summer will mark my 10th anniversary as the priest in Newcestown. This longevity in the parish is a gift. Now, when I celebrate a funeral Mass, more likely than not I will know the person whose funeral I am celebrating. It’s not that I eulogise the dead, but it helps to have known…
Notebook I wonder how many priests in Ireland contracted Covid-19 during the pandemic? I wonder if this statistic has been recorded anywhere? We were often told that not all heroes wore capes; I wonder if some of them had collars? In each diocese, priests got plenty of advice and many directives about how to keep…
Notebook I am about to misquote Oscar Wilde (or use his sentence structure for my own ends); please bear with me. To get away for four days with all the priests of the diocese for a retreat in the midst of a global pandemic might seem lucky, but to do it again the following month…
Have you ever noticed how faulty your memories can be? Think of the summers you enjoyed growing up: did the sun always shine for long days of fun? That’s how I remember my growing-up days too, though meteorological reports for those years show just as much rain then as now. But I only remember the good…
Notebook I spent four days on retreat last month. I wasn’t alone. The retreat was organised by our diocese (Cork and Ross) and most of us who were able went along. Our retreat took place outside the diocese, so we had to cancel weekday Masses in our 68 parishes. This wasn’t universally popular; it seems…
Notebook I was fortunate to spend a few days in France in September, thanks be to God. My nerves were fairly frazzled by then, after nearly 18 months of semi- or perma-lockdown. Last year saw me take a staycation in the eastern counties of Ulster, but this year something else was needed — so France…
Notebook I had a bout of cellulitis this summer, a sore dose. I don’t know where it came from, though my doctor speculated that an insect bite under the skin on my foot probably caused the infection. I have often had cellulitis in the past, so I know the solution: rest with feet elevated, and…
Notebook The Pope’s recent document, clamping down on the Tridentine Mass, has made difficult reading for some Catholics. The document issued by his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI authorising that Mass (which Pope Francis has now overridden), also made difficult reading for another band of Catholics. Pontifex The key thing to remember, however, is that neither…