First Communicants from local primary schools were brought together for Duneane’s 2025 Corpus Christi Mass and Eucharistic Procession. Meeting with Parish Priest Fr James O’Reilly in Duneane’s delightful parochial house, Co. Antrim, was a joy. Like the historic house itself, the parish is solidly rooted in Catholic tradition yet alive with the ever-moving breath of the Holy Spirit. There is a dynamism about Duneane’s sense of mission and ministry that is infectiously inspiring.
“I’m a big fan of Divine Renovation, which is a Catholic ministry in America,” Fr James shares. “It inspires parishes to move ‘from maintenance to mission’, and so a lot of what I’m trying to do with the parish flows from that. We don’t have a pastoral council as such—we have a parish leadership team.”
Intrigued already, I ask Fr James to explain more.
“The priest doesn’t lead the team, but he leads out of the team, which is a hugely important distinction. And so you have a team around you who are helping you, advising you, working alongside you to direct the vision of the parish. We have parishioners on our leadership team who have different skills and talents. We try to be creative.”
Creative certainly describes Fr James’ first two years in his new parish. A free family fun day attracted around six hundred people on the feast of Our Lady of the Assumption, just a year after his inauguration as Parish Priest.
Life
Fr James describes how, “Mass at six o’clock was followed by bouncy castles, sweets, a barbecue, and football. We are going beyond the boundaries of the church, and people are drawn by that.” Following the family day, the parish ran an Alpha course which led to “powerful encounters with Christ” and many attending the Sacrament of Reconciliation “for the first time in a long time.”
The congregations of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Moneyglass; Sacred Heart Church, Cargin; and St Oliver Plunkett’s Church, Toomebridge, all form this parish family of Duneane. Each church is distinct, yet all work closely together, sharing skills and resources.
“My passion is for those outside the Church but also for those inside,” Fr James explains. “We have just finished a week of prayer and fasting, interceding for different intentions every day—the Holy Souls, youth, families, and those trapped in addiction.”
Daily Mass, all-day Friday Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, First Sunday Medjugorje-style Adoration, a parish Rosary, and a weekly Scripture study group are just a few of the prayer opportunities that strengthen the heartbeat of Duneane’s parish life. The sick are also blessed by visits from Fr James and retired, but still ministering, Canon Paddy McWilliams.
Seasonal initiatives, two beautiful choirs, and an array of active parish organisations all play their role in keeping this growing faith community vital and vibrant.
When Jesus says, ‘Behold your mother,’ I feel like He is saying that to me, and I get a wee bit emotional. She’s become a vital cog of who I am’”
“Being a priest has hard days and challenging moments, but it’s an utter privilege to be in the mess of people’s lives and in the joy of people’s lives,” Fr James confides. “I’m blessed, and it’s a blessed life. For any young man considering a vocation, they should hear that—it’s fun, it’s joyful!”
When asked where he draws strength for his ministry, Fr James replies, “From praise, from worship, and by giving back to God His due adoration—ultimately in the Mass. When Jesus says, ‘Behold your mother,’ I feel like He is saying that to me, and I get a wee bit emotional. She’s become a vital cog of who I am.”
Mother Mary holds particular honour in this area, as parishioner Donna Laverty explains: “The National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Moneyglass was built in 1925 to bless the Irish with a Lourdes pilgrimage experience at home.” In August 2025, hundreds of people from across the north gathered for an outdoor Mass and Rosary there. Celebrating the centenary Mass, Bishop Alan McGuckian was joined by Bishop Donal McKeown, whose grandfather, skilled stonecutter James McNeel, helped build the shrine. The book Our Lady of Lourdes Church Moneyglass 1925–2005, available from the parish, is full of such fascinating facts.
Ignition
Moneyglass also, for the first time in 2025, hosted a wonderful all-Ireland Pentecost weekend event entitled ‘Ablaze.’ Described by participating musician Shauneen Doran from the band Saffyre as “an outpouring of the Holy Spirit for revival of the land,” several thousand participants were enriched through inspiring talks, workshops, prayer ministry, and worship music that uplifted the soul. With Bishop McGuckian presiding over the closing Mass and the participation of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, the weekend was a spiritual powerhouse radiating light well beyond the boundaries of the local parish family.
Igniting the faith and particularly harnessing the energy of the youth is a prime priority here. To this end, Dean Millar has just been appointed youth minister for Antrim, Randalstown, and Duneane. As Dean explains, “This is a unique new role—different from a youth worker and more of an active discipleship.”
“I’ll be experiencing life with young people and hopefully creating a different space for them in the Catholic Church and in their parish areas,” he continues. “I’m trying to meet young people wherever they’re at, so a lot of our gatherings centre around having fun and building up strong relationships.”
Dean’s own journey of falling away but regaining his strong faith equips him with empathy and an assurance that young people themselves can be very effective evangelists. Chatting with local man Thomas McStocker, for example, I learned how students from St Benedict’s College, Randalstown, returned from their October pilgrimage to Medjugorje “full of enthusiasm for their faith and encouraging their own circles to return to Sunday Mass.”
Heroic ancestral faith, plainly evident in the still-used Cam Mass Rock near Toome, has laid deep foundations for the living stones of faith currently being built. A first-class relic of St Carlo Acutis, housed in St Oliver Plunkett’s Church, Toomebridge, points to the possibility of sanctity in our modern era too. The words of the hymn Faith of Our Fathers, Living Still come to mind, and, in the Jubilee Year, a jubilant hope echoed through Duneane.
(i) Siobhán Brennan is a teacher, course creator, and writer from Co. Down. She connected with Fr James O’Reilly and Duneane parishioners through ‘Life in the Spirit’ seminars and other ministries.