Gemma Mulligan
A lot can be said for the inspirational nature of the Icon of the Holy Family, as it travels from diocese to diocese and parish to parish, but for one priest in the Diocese of Ossory it led to the creation of a “reflective” piece of music.
During the icon’s travels this month to the diocese’s northern deanery, it arrived in Ballyragget parish. The presence of the icon not only called people to pray, but for Fr Eamon O’Gorman PP of Ballyragget parish, it led to the composition of a piece of music used as part of the prayer service.
The piece is called ‘Where There is Love, There is Family’.
Reflecting on the experience of writing the prayerful music, Fr Eamon told those gathered that: “When I wrote it initially it was a bit fast, then we slowed it down into a meditation – a reflection, especially looking at the icon and the space at the table.”
“There is a welcome at the table with the Holy Family, and to be at peace with them and to relax with them’’. The visit of the icon to Ossory helped focus attention on family once more. Taking place from June 11-16, people gathered together from all across the diocese.
An icon is an invitation to prayer, and when it visited Ossory this invitation was, in a real way, graciously accepted and welcomed by all. During the week the icon visited the three deaneries of Ossory. It started in St Mary’s Cathedral, in the heart of Kilkenny city, where families from parishes of the middle deanery came to pray, as well as school children from the city schools.
The icon then moved to Ferrybank parish where parishioners from the very south of the diocese had an opportunity to see the icon and bring their prayers and petitions as they too gathered in prayer.
Finally, the icon visit was concluded in St Fiacre’s Church, Loughboy, again at the heart of Kilkenny city. On this last leg of the journey a great number of young people gathered on the Friday evening in song and prayer as they placed their petitions before the icon in the diocesan prayer box. It was wonderful to see the energy and life that accompanied the icon around our diocese.
For any important occasion preparation must begin well in advance. In Ossory we began our diocesan preparation for the World Meeting of Families 2018 over a year ago.
The launch of our programme of preparation took place in May 2017 at a family fun day in the grounds of St Kieran’s College where hundreds of families gather for what is now the annual diocesan Under-9 Camogie and Hurling Blitz. People from all across our Diocese, every parish and every club, enjoyed a great variety of family entertainment on what turned out to be a glorious sunshine-filled day. As part of the festivities, each family took home with them an information ‘goody-bag’ about our ongoing preparations for the WMOF.
This was the beginning of that journey – it was a chance to connect with families from across the diocese and to invite them to be part of this unique journey too. The visit of the icon has, in many ways, done what it claims to do – it has called us to pray and to reflect, it has drawn us in.
At each part of its journey in Ossory the icon created a stillness, a quietness, a prayerfulness and allowed us to continue our preparations for WMOF2018, not only by praying for families everywhere, including our own, but by remembering and praying with the Holy Family of Nazareth.