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We had a very memorable day on the Feast of St. Matthew, 21st September 2016. We had Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 9am to 9pm, and various prayer forms during the day, including two beautiful celebrations of the Eucharist. A steady flow of people availed of the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the afternoon. The programme for the day was well attended. We concluded with Solemn Benediction. In Matthew, as our patron and advocate, we have much to be Read more…

Recently I have become very aware of labels. I mean there is a big drive at the moment to have more information available on our food packaging. Part of the government’s plan to combat the nationwide problem with obesity is to write into law that all food, including fast food, will have the calorie information clearly displayed. It is hoped that misleading terms like ‘sugar-free’ and ‘low -fat’ will be properly explained. Indeed sometimes there is a question mark Read more…

I could not help but notice the huge gap between those who are steeped in GAA and those who hardly knew there was a game on. One thing in particular that stayed with me was a comment amidst all the passion, recrimination and of course intense relief that there is a replay, the comment from an elderly gentleman was ‘Ah sure it’s only a game!’. Now in fairness I am not sure if he meant it. It is Read more…

Last Wednesday, September 14th was the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. It’s a quite a mouthful as far as feast days go and in a way as a title it may not have instant appeal. At some level the Cross may present us with fear if not dread. Even in daily chat we use the phrase, ‘that’s a heavy Cross to bear’ or much worse than this, is something like ‘stop moaning or God Read more…

It’s a great phrase ‘Did you get Mass?’ Often its thrown in as a question or sometimes offered as another box ticked in a list of ‘things to do’: ‘ I was in such a flurry, so many things to do, but thankfully I managed to ‘get’ Mass’. It would be silly to make a big deal of this because it’s just a manner of speaking but this and a few other things combined got me thinking. Somebody Read more…

‘Well its back to porridge tomorrow!’ It’s a great phrase, one which I associate with my Dad, though I think it might be one he got from his father. It usually signified the end of a holiday and pointed to the fact that the freedom and fun was over, at least for a while, and we were back to school in the coming days. Porridge of course was not to be taken literally and simply meant routine. There Read more…

In response to people’s questions about prayer, I would like to say a number of things. I believe we can be taught to pray. My novice-master, Rev. Bro. James Quentin Harney cfc taught me how to pray, and I will always be grateful for that. Perhaps the best book on prayer that I have read is, Teach Us to Pray by Andre Louf, though I agree it’s not an easy read. Of course the Our Father has a Read more…

By the time you read this I shall be back in St. Matthews, but as I write I am in Lourdes. I have been here several times but never on a major Marian feast. Today is 15th August, the Feast of the Assumption. There are huge crowds here today and it is very hot. We only arrived here yesterday and I was a bit taken aback by the security presence both in and around the grotto. There is Read more…

My friends as you read this it is almost the great Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven. It is a beautiful feast day when we remember with thanks the pivotal role Mary played in our salvation story. This feast is about giving her the honour and dignity that she deserves as the Mother of the Church, and a reminder that she is, in a real way, our Mother too. It was this aspect that has Read more…

Loneliness is a killer disease. Loneliness is never desirable. Many people experience loneliness even whilst in a crowd. The truth is people can belong to a faith community such as ours and still feel very lonely. In fact it is not just people who live alone that are subject to this horrible experience as oftentimes even within our families we can experience that sense of not quite fitting in. It can be difficult to describe this experience sometimes. Whilst Read more…