After ordination my first appointment was as a curate in the Bogside in Derry in 1984 and I shared the first years of my priesthood in the same house with Bishop Edward Daly in St. Eugene’s Cathedral. I have always…
‘Fr. Tom's Courier Column’ Notices
An Invitation from God
Since 1981 in a small village in Bosnia Herzegovina named Medjugorje, the Blessed Virgin Mary has been appearing. In her own words she tells us “I have come to tell the world that God exists”. For the past 30 years…
Living Our Lives Since 9/11
I was too young to remember the day President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas on 23rd November 1963. As I grew up, I remember people being able to recall what they were doing or where they were on that…
The Search is On
The first edition of the Courier after the summer break has me at my desk with thoughts of young people. The Leaving Cert results are out, CAO offers are next, World Youth Day is drawing to a close and the…
Seeking Saints in Sinners
In the Gospel passage for Mass last Sunday Jesus was reminding his followers that good and evil often thrive side by side in the one place. The reality of this truth has been brought home to all of us with…
Stairway to Heaven
An account of this year’s Pilgrimage by
Mary Freeman
Secretary, Killaloe Diocesan Pilgrimage
For four hundred and fifty people from the Diocese of Killaloe the 26th of June was a long awaited day, it was the day of departure for the 55th consecutive Diocesan Pilgrimage…
Preparing for the New Roman Missal
At the end of November this year, when we gather for Mass we shall be using the new translation of the Roman Missal. This will be the case, not only in Ireland, but throughout the English speaking world. The Mass…
Church Gate Collections
At a recent meeting of Shannon Pastoral Council a lively discussion and debate took place on the whole question of church gate collections. Following on from that meeting I undertook to engage with parishioners and the public on the whole…
The Beatification of Pope John Paul II
On Sunday last, just six years after his death, the late Pope John Paul II was beatified at a solemn ceremony at St. Peter’s Square in Rome presided over by Pope Benedict XVI. Even before the sun had risen, the…
Easter Light
What exactly is the church? For many people the word Church has been associated with a building. All across our land there are many buildings; large, small, brick, steel, old, new, that are called “church.” Most of these buildings come…
Applying for Citizenship – in Heaven
The latest edition of the missionary magazine “The Far East” produced by the Columban Missionaries in Navan carries a poster on the back page which caught my eye with the words “You cannot get to heaven without a letter of…
Enjoy the Silence
In recent weeks BBC showed a programme about a group of five people who were invited by the Abbot of Worth to set apart some time in silence just in order to find God.
In a noise-polluted world, it is even…
Ash Wednesday
Today, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and begins a season of fasting and repentance in preparation for the Easter celebration. While Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation, many Catholics make the effort to attend…
Growing in Holiness with God
“Love your enemies”. This is probably one of the most revolutionary statements ever made. Most other statements declare that the enemy must be destroyed. Love our enemies? Most of us find it hard enough to love our friends! How then…
Leaving Home
It was with sadness that I heard last week that Wolfe Tones GAA club is unable to field one of their teams for the coming season, due to emigration. A return to emigration will indeed be a reality in the…
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