Notebook Pope Francis said recently: “I know that many of you go to confession before Easter… Many will say to me: ‘But Father… I can’t leave the house and I want to make my peace with the Lord. I want him to embrace me… How can I do that unless I find a priest?’ “If…
Notebook An Ash Wednesday scene in a home in our parish last week. John, a farmer, comes home after his day’s work is done. His daughter Clara is sitting at the kitchen table studying for her Leaving Certificate. John immediately notices that Clara is sporting a very big black cross on her forehead which she…
Notebook The report on the mother and baby homes is the latest in a line of painful spotlights to be shone into dark areas of our society during the decades following the setting up of the Irish Republic. One of the questions the report sought to answer was, why there had been the need to…
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…