Notebook As this difficult year, characterised by social distance and disconnection, comes to an end I’d like to share a story which created a wonderful memory and celebrates the power of connection. Andy and Sarah Lawrence live in England near Buxton in the beautiful Derbyshire Dales. Andy’s family roots are in the parish of Rathdowney…
Notebook Dear Mary, It’s Advent time again, which for you equates to the last month of your pregnancy all those years ago. Down through the years a lot has been said and written about your son’s birth in Bethlehem. Famous artists have tried to depict not only that famous night but also the day you…
Notebook My mother died seven years ago last week. I’m not sure if it is some kind of seven-year-itch combined with the effects of Covid isolation, but I have been reflecting a lot recently on the time of my mother’s illness and death. I have good and bad memories of that time. Firstly, there is…
Notebook Recently I was reading about a little remote uninhabited island off the coast of Scotland. It is one of the Orkney Islands called Lamb Holm. It was there that Italian prisoners of World War II were kept from 1942 to 1945. They left something behind – a tiny chapel. Among the prisoners was a…
Notebook You may well consider this an example of too much information but when visitors to my home use the guest bathroom they rarely ever comment on the very high quality hand soap on offer or even the interesting selection of reading material strategically placed for those whose stay may be a little longer. However,…
Notebook Last weekend I found myself celebrating Mass in an almost empty church again. Our parish is part of the Kildare/Laois/Offaly two-week lockdown so we had no choice but to close our church doors for public worship. The Gospel passage of the frightened disciples in the little boat battered by the unexpected storm seemed very…
Notebook I know it’s early days and we have had just two weekends of congregations back at Mass but I have to confess the whole experience is leaving me as a priest somewhat cold. Like most people I was relieved when the authorities gave us the green light to begin to open our churches for…
Notebook Last week I had a very sad phone call from a colleague of mine in another part of the country. He has been a very dedicated priest for almost 50 years. For the last eight weeks he has been cocooning in his home unable to celebrate any kind of public Mass or have…
Notebook Recently, I had a conversation with a friend whose husband died some months ago. She is desperately lonely and that loneliness is made far worse because her children and grandchildren cannot visit her during these Covid-19 Days. But it is the loss of her husband, her best friend that brings the greatest loneliness:…
Notebook During almost 34 years of priesthood I have had many memorable experiences, some of them very sad and heart-breaking, many very joyful and inspirational. Two weeks ago, I had one of the most memorable and certainly most uplifting ‘pastoral assignments’ ever! Over a year ago, I was approached by a lady in the…