Father Peyton Cluster Newsletter The Parishes of Attymass, Bonniconlon, Foxford, Killasser and Straide together on Mission. Issue No. 10 August 2013

Habemus Papam! Congratulations Jubilarians! In 1988 there were three priests ordained for the Diocese of Achonry and coincidentally, 25 years later, all three are working together in the Fr Peyton Cluster. Fr Martin Convey was ordained in Killasser, Fr John Durkan in Swinford and Fr John Geelan in Cloonloo. The end of year Mass for our cluster in the Fr Peyton Centre was a special Mass of thanksgiving for their vocation to the priesthood and for their work in our Diocese. We heartily congratulate all three, we thank them for their 25 years of service to the church and and we pray God’s blessings in abundance on their future ministry.

The announcement of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in February this year came as a surprise to most Catholics throughout the world and the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a 76 year old Jesuit from Buenos Aires, was equally unexpected. From what we know of his life so far and from his first few months in office we can say that the choice was a good one. Already he has been called the “no frills” pope with a simpler approach to the papal office, choosing to live in the guesthouse at the Vatican rather than in the official residence and to wear an ordinary white cassock rather than the ornate robes worn by his predecessors. During his life we are told that he was noted for his humility and his commitment to the poor. He is also a good “people person”, realising the importance of As proclaimed by Pope Benedict in 2012, the ‘Year of Faith’ dialogue to build bridges and avoid confrontation. runs from the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council on 11 October 2012 until the His choice of the name ‘Francis’ is a popular one and gives Solemnity of Christ the King on 24 November 2013. Pope an indication of the path he would like to take in his Benedict outlined the purpose of the ‘Year of Faith’: 'to give papacy. His patron, St Francis of Assisi, is a man who came fresh impetus to the mission of the whole Church to lead very close to following the way of life of Christ himself. human beings out of the wilderness in which they often Even though he was from a wealthy family, he discarded all find themselves to the place of life, friendship with Christ possessions and lived a life of poverty. He loved the Mass that gives us life in fullness.' and the Blessed Sacrament and he saw the splendour of God in all creatures. Pope Francis has taken some brave The ‘Year of Faith’ is an invitation to everyone in the steps to follow in the footsteps of his patron. The road he Church to celebrate and renew their faith - individually, in faces is a difficult one but with the support of his people families, in parishes and schools, in our Diocese, country and the guidance of the Holy Spirit his journey will bear and across our global Catholic community. The prayer of much fruit. the Year of Faith is the Nicene Creed in which we profess our belief in all the doctrines that our faith proclaims. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked1 evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Year of Faith: Year of Symbols Religious faith and expression have their own unique symbols also. However, these symbols are usually much Straide Parish more subtle. Their great age means that they do not need the protection of a patent. As religious symbols tend not famous philosopher once said that “symbols give rise to encroach upon the market place of the economy they Ato thought”. In other words, symbols speak for tend to be able to speak to us, unhindered, within their themselves to us and do not require language to explain the own realm. Regrettably, however, there are a growing fundamental truths which they express. Symbols point to number of examples where secular and sacred symbols deeper realities beyond themselves and always invite the clash – especially secular and sacred symbols which are beholder to engage with them. The interpretation of associated with the two great Christian feasts of the symbols is usually very personal and unique to the observer. Nativity and the Resurrection.

We live in a world of symbols. In fact there can be so The Year of Faith, as proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI on many in our daily lives that we often fail to notice many October 11th 2012, sought to bring our attention to many of them. Their potent charms, however, have long been things. It asked us, above all, to take a fresh look at the understood and exploited by those in the advertising Faith of the Church – especially the faith of the early industry. Here, for example, the much sought after symbol Christian communities which has been safeguarded and of a common apple (with one bite missing) sells more handed down to us in all its richness and purity. computers, mobile phones and music storage devices than most of its competitors put together. Likewise, the golden During this Year of Faith, as a parish community in twin arches of McDonalds symbolise another fast food Straide, we strove to highlight some of the Symbols of our chain outlet from the world’s most recognisable and Christian Faith and Tradition. These are the symbols dominant food brand – a brand which guarantees high which we encounter throughout the yearly liturgical sales wherever on the planet they are located. calendar. Unfortunately, they can easily become symbols which, perhaps, we are so accustomed to that we don’t Much of the free world economy is dominated by always afford them the opportunity to engage us and patented symbols used to market commercial products. As speak to us as they should. the market place becomes more and more crowded, the symbols can clash and vie with one another in a bid to The following are just a few of the symbols we tried, gain the unsuspecting customer’s attention. We cannot during the Year of Faith, to emphasise, give prominence to walk down the main street of the average city or town and allow our minds and thoughts to engage with. without being affected subconsciously (or otherwise) by these universally recognisable symbols of commerce.

First Holy Communion 2013 First Holy Communion took place on Sunday, April 28th in the Church of Ss. Peter & Paul, Straide. Congratulations to the children (all girls) who received their First Holy Communion on the day – Danielle Bourke, Claire Coleman, Anna Dempsey, Kila Gruddy, Erin Mulroy, Caelia Noonan Byrne, Sheena Ward and Sheena Smyth. Special thanks also to their parents and teachers (Mrs. Finnerty, Mrs. Kelly and Mrs. Staunton and, also, to Mrs. Mary Byrne) and to all who helped to make the occasion so very special. Thanks, especially, to the children who prepared so very well for the occasion and for all their art work and visual presentations. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked2 evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor The Month of November each year presents us with an “Calvary” of three Crosses located at a strategic position opportunity to remember our dead and celebrate the outdoors, with the centre cross draped in purple and all resurrection which we hope we will all, one day, share in. three illuminated at night, can be a very powerful The Tree of Life provided us with many powerful reminder to the passing world of the commencement of symbols. A dead tree, in the main body of the Church, the Lenten Season. This visual reminder remains long after devoid of life-giving leafy green branches, symbolises the the ashes of Ash Wednesday have faded from foreheads. emptiness and darkness of death. However, the The absence of decoration within the Church also speaks “cardboard leaves” which allows the community to write volumes during Lent. The green decoration of the palms the names of their deceased loved ones upon, when hung can, on Palm Sunday, give a glimpse of the New Life upon the tree, provide a powerful symbol of the promised with the Resurrection. resurrection– especially when the tree is illuminated with a subtle warm white light emanating from the earth which On Good Friday the empty Cross, draped in red or black, secures the tree. speaks for itself.

The month of November also lends itself to liturgies of Easter is the highlight of the Christian Calendar and is Remembrance of the Dead with appropriate emphasis on also the period that lends itself most to Christian symbols. the symbols of light and colour. The empty tomb and the empty cross are the greatest of Christian symbols. The empty tomb can be easily Advent symbols are particularly enthralling. The constructed from stones and decorated with ivy and moss. evergreen endless circle of the Advent Wreath, together Subtle lighting can add greatly to the overall effect. There with its candles, herald the dawn of a new era with the are few symbols on Easter morning that can “give rise to birth of Christ. thought” better than the empty tomb. It brings adults and children alike close to the very heart of the Mystery of The Jesse Tree, which recalls and exhibits the genealogy of Redemption. Christ, is a forceful symbol of the direct link between the First and the New Adam. The placing, at every Mass The Easter Cross has its origins in the Lutheran Church celebrated during Advent, of additional symbols which where, on Easter morning, the congregation brings fresh represent key individuals in each generation from Adam flowers to decorate and transform the cross from a to Christ, explains the role of the prophets and forefathers heretofore instrument of torture and scandal to a means to of Christ very admirably. redemption. The decorated cross, now draped in the white cloth of a burial garment, is placed prominently in the The Crib, especially when located in a prominent position sanctuary and illuminated for all to see. outdoors, speaks to the passing world of the true and tranquil message of Christmas. The illuminated Star of The Easter Liturgy is appropriately full of baptismal David can function as a beacon attracting the attention of symbols and references. This is not surprising given the a busy world to the humble manger. fact that, for the first three centuries of Christianity, baptisms (of adults only) took place just once during the Candles were lit during the Christmas Vigil Mass for each year – at the Easter Vigil. A Water Feature, with flowing Prayer of the Faithful. The Prayers are usually for visitors, water, helps provide a potent symbol of baptism and its for emigrants unable to be home, for the sick of the life-giving qualities. This water feature can be community, for those who have received the Sacraments incorporated into the baptismal liturgy section of the of Baptism, Confirmation, Reconciliation, First Eucharist Easter Vigil. and Marriage during the past year and for all who have died since the previous Christmas. These same candles The Paschal Candle is another powerful symbol of the were also lit and burned at every Mass during the Resurrection and of the Light of Christ which dispels the Christmas Season with a view to reminding us of our darkness of sin and death. Its light beckons us to embrace unique, yet communal, ongoing prayers. the redemption won for us on the cross.

The River of Light ceremony is a whole community event May and June are the months of Our Lady and the Sacred where the community gathers to make floatation rafts out Heart respectively. The months provide many of rushes. The floatation rafts carry lighted candles down opportunities and possibilities for Churches to create the local river. The lighted candles represent each house in appropriate Sacred Spaces. the community. The ceremony, conducted in the twilight of a December’s evening, represents the movement of time September is an ideal time for a Liturgy of Harvest – the end of one year and the beginning of another. Thanksgiving. The fruits of the earth can be used to decorate the church and, in doing so, they provide robust February symbols include the St. Brigid’s Cross – made in symbols of God’s goodness to His people. A wonderful the various local styles found in various parts of the Harvest Thanksgiving service was held in Foxford’s country. Anglican Church last autumn and provided a wealth of ideas for use elsewhere. Lent has so many symbols that the central symbol of the Cross can easily get crowded out if we are not careful. The PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked3 evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor St. Patrick’s Community Parish Mission

The parish of Straide had a Parish Mission during the last week of January 2013. It was given by members of the St. Patrick’s Community who are a group of lay volunteers based in Carrick-on-Shannon and who specialise in giving parish and school retreats.

The Mission was an overwhelming success. Parishes tend only to have such Missions every 10 years. Judging by the feedback it might be difficult to wait that long again for such a wealth of spiritual wisdom and graces.

Planning for the Mission began many months beforehand. In fact, it can be very difficult to book this group as their diary tends to be very full - often up to 18 months in Martin Sweeney goes about the daily weather observation advance. Straide was fortunate enough to be able to secure routine which he has done without fail everyday for the a week which had become free due to an unforeseen past 50 years. cancellation in another parish. 50 Years of Data - Big and Small St. Patrick’s Community offer a different of Parish Mission than that offered by the few others who remain Big Data is Big Business, or so the economists of today tell working in this specialised field of work. To begin with, us. Big Data is a more recent introduction into the lexicon the emphasis is on the lay witness provided by the of computer language. Put in the most simple of language, members of the community themselves. They also rely on, Big Data is a collection of information which relates to and work closely with, the clergy of the parish. It is every possible event that takes place and that is connected certainly not a matter of the parish being taken over by to an individual or group of individuals. Thus, enormous visitors from outside for a week and who facilitate the amounts of information gleaned (or “harvested”) about clergy of the parish in taking a few days off! In fact, the individuals from everywhere - from Google searches group, while present in the community, relies heavily on (gained from software programmes) to geographical the parish clergy to celebrate the sacraments. location (gained from mobile phone usage) can (in theory) be captured, compiled, linked, processed, analysed and The Mission follows a tried and tested formula. There is a interpreted using complex mathematical formulae on theme for every day. The theme flows from the morning extremely powerful computing processors. The end result Mass right throughout the day to the evening talks. The is the ability to predict (with some relative degree of various themes covered over the days were God’s Love, certainty), among many other things, future trends, God’s Mercy, God’s Healing, God’s Gift of Mary and, behaviour, performance and conduct. In essence, Big Data finally, the Gift of the Holy Spirit. seeks to reveal more about ourselves than we ourselves possibly will ever know about ourselves. The possibilities Even the weather was kind to the parish during the last that arise from the usage of this information are vast – week of January – a time which can provide some of the from predicting our shopping tastes and patterns to most inclement weather of the entire year. The relatively determining our level of risk for insurance companies. good (although breezy) weather allowed for capacity crowds of young and old alike to attend each day - many Big Data can only be fed by much more common travelling distances from neighbouring parishes. innocuous data. Meteorological conditions pertaining to a particular geographical location represents just one such The St. Patrick’s team who came to Straide were made up data set out of tens of thousands of others. of John Pridmore, Neil Slattery and Catherine Lee. They worked very well together as a team and were very For the past half a century local Straide man, Martin professional. They left no detail unattended to. The parish Sweeney, has been providing Met Éireann, on a daily appreciated the Good News message they brought as well basis, with a myriad of valuable readings relating to as their witness. weather conditions recorded at his Observation Station in the village of Straide. Martin began this task on March 1st St. Patrick’s Community will be back in Mayo in 1963 and every day since that date, without fail, has November when they will provide a Parish Mission in provided Met Éireann with the valuable data. Attymass from December 7th to 13th. One suspects that quite a few parishioners from Straide will travel to Although Martin is quick to add that he gets help locally Attymass to be part of a very special spiritual experience from his neighbours and friends when he cannot be which, undoubtedly, will be there as well. We wish the present to record the readings himself, most would say community the abundance of God’s blessings in their that he has always done the vast majority of the work work. himself. The work requires a certain degree of skill and

PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked4 evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor know-how in reading no fewer than 11 recording postman for many years. Today, Martin makes use of the instruments. The maximum and minimum temperatures most up to date technology and transmits his daily report of the previous day have to be recorded. The current air via SMS texts. temperature, the temperature of the grass, the air humidity must also be noted along with separate soil Apart from the Straide data from the last half century temperature to depths of 2, 4 and 8 inches. Then there are being stored in Met Éireann’s head office, Martin also the deeper soil temperatures to be recorded at depths of 1 keeps his own records in careful storage. Those records foot, 2 feet and 4 feet by thermometers protected to those reveal to us that the warmest temperature recorded in depths by specialised tubing. The rain gauge must also be Straide during the past half century was on June 30th read to record the previous day’s total rainfall. Finally, 1976 when the mercury reached 29.5 degrees Celsius. The there are the observations of the cloud cover and sunshine. coldest temperature recorded by Martin was relatively The whole process takes 15 – 20 minutes and provides recently, on Christmas Day 2010, when it plummeted to valuable data to Met Éireann which helps weather 17.5 degrees Celsius below freezing. The wettest day was forecasters to make an accurate prediction of overall on October 27th 1989 when all of 3.73 inches fell within weather patterns. a single day. This is more than twice the total rainfall that fell in March 2013! The wettest month during the past 50 Martin is one of over 500 voluntary observers dotted years was November 2009 when 11.6 inches of rain fell. around the country. However, Martin is one of the longest serving observers. Only Brother James O’Hare (now aged Martin may not approve of his observations and data 84) of the Salesian Community in Co. Meath has been being used by others in a bigger and much more complex working as a volunteer observer longer than Martin. Br. way as part of Big Data but he remains very happy to O’Hare has spent the past 62 years engaged also in the continue with his work. We wish him the very best of luck same observation and recording routine. and hope that he will soon be recording new record warm temperatures in Straide and the surrounding areas!!! Martin has been fascinated with weather data for many years. It began with the Big Snow of 1947. A few years During the main evening weather forecast on Easter later he bought his first barometer which he still has to Sunday Met Éireann weather forecaster Evelyn Cusack st this day. On March 1 1963 he began to officially record paid a glowing tribute to Martin and Br. O’Hare the data for Met Éireann. In those days Martin posted the describing them as being “incredibly dedicated data to Met Éireann - relying for delivery on the old Posts volunteers” whose work helps Met Éireann predict and Telegraphs for which he, himself, worked as a weather patterns.

Confirmation Day in Straide 2013 Congratulations to the students of Straide National School who were confirmed on June 1st last: Jason Doherty, Tahnee Flynn, Ryan Kenny, Ciaran Key, Niamh McHale, Nathasha McKeown, Rebecca McKeown, Jamie McHugh, Sinead Mulroy, Eoghan Rainey, Conor Reid, Cormac Turnbull, Jack Smyth and Dylan Ward. We wish them and their parents the abundance of God’s Blessings and Graces at this very special time. Thanks to all involved in preparing the children so very well to receive the sacrament – especially, the principal and staff of Straide National School. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked5 evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Youth Ministry Retreats at the Fr. Peyton Centre

The Fr Peyton Memorial Centre has become very popular as a Retreat Centre for young people in recent years. Over the past year alone more than a thousand students have come on retreat here .The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. In this article Retreat Director Fr Steve Gibson CSC and his assistant Esther Boyle comment on their experience of ministering to young people.

How many times in the course of his preaching did Jesus tell us that we need to relearn and remember what it was like to live with the simple honesty, trust and wonder of our youth? What a privilege it is to work in a ministry that reminds us of this every day. What an honour it is to work Fr. Peyton Centre with teachers who have shown such dedication to their students and have done so much to help them grow into retreat this year: first communion classes, confirmation the persons that they were meant to be. classes and classes from several secondary schools. Students came from all four of the surrounding dioceses: That in a nutshell is exactly what we try to do during our Achonry, Killala, Tuam and Elphin. retreats. We want to open the eyes of those who are still blind to the goodness and beauty that is inside them. We It is not easy to compete with all of the various forms of want to open their ears to hear the words of love and media and social communication that are now available to appreciation that we all need to hear. We want to help almost all of the students. But we do have a very remove the obstacles that make them afraid to take the interesting and engaging use of video cameras and next step. projectors and computer generated instructions and catechesis. Jesus began his public ministry in the synagogue in Nazareth by stating that through his work “the blind will Music is always an important part of each retreat. There see, the deaf will hear and the lame will walk.” And he has are music videos that we watch and listen to which we invited all of us to participate in this ministry. It is not have created according to the various themes for the magic. It is simply a matter of learning how to treat one retreat. There is music that we join in with singing and another with dignity and respect. group participation and prayer.

It is certainly nothing new to hear teachers say that they Prayer have learned so much from their students. That has Prayer is also an important part of the day. Some of the always been the case here in our experience. How often students who have never been on a retreat before come did we see and were inspired by the students’ care and here with the fear that they are going to spend the day in concern for one another in the process of doing a project silence in the chapel with their hands folded. We would for the retreat? How often did we see and were inspired like to believe that the whole day is a time of prayer. They by their willingness to enthusiastically respond to the begin with the story of Fr. Peyton and his ministry of greeting “The Lord is with you.” “I know, isn’t it great?” prayer. In subtle ways they participate in their activities in How good does it makes us feel when we see them sit with a prayerful way with an occasional reminder that “The eyes wide open listening to story after story of how God’s Lord is with you.” “I know, isn’t it great?” They have an will is simply to “Be the best you can be.” opportunity to compose prayers that they may choose to use at the celebration of the Liturgy. And we end the day Many of the students who play “war games” on their with an enthusiastic blessing of one another at the computers know exactly what a retreat is in the context of conclusion of the Mass and a song that says: their game: a time to pull back and re-evaluate resources before going back into the battle. The retreats that we “Shout out, my soul, for the glory of God. have here pull us back to the beginning of our journey of Go forth and witness forever. faith, our baptism. We try to remind the students (and the Go forth and love one another, teachers) that at our baptism we not only were given our Forever and ever. name, but that in a special way, we “put on Christ” and we share in the priesthood of Christ. With a bit of fun we The ministry that the young people experience when they look at some of the different hats that we might wear in come here is extended to them by the whole staff. The gift the course of our lives. But no matter what hat we wear of hospitality is essential if everyone is going to have a the expectation is that we will treat one another with the memorable time while here on retreat. From the dignity and respect that Jesus has come to expect of us comments we hear from the teachers and students as they because we do what we do in his name. are leaving, we know that they have had a positive and enriching day. And we know for sure that we tried our We have had more than a thousand students here for best and that is all God expects from any of us. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked6 evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor THE ATTYMASS STORY to the auxiliary workhouse in Ardnaree to carry the sick there, and they got or hired a coffin with a hinged bottom In this article Stephen Purkis of Ballycong, Attymass and used this to convey the corpse to the graveyard. The introduces a unique history of our parish which he same coffin served a similar purpose again and again … researched and compiled while employed on FAS and the driver proceeded to the graveyard at Bonnifinglas and TUS schemes. the corpses were deposited in the same grave … The corpse was sewn in white cloth when a coffin was not A new book documenting elements of the history of the used. The cart was driven by the ‘Sack-em-Up’ Melody parish of Attymass is due to be published this summer. mentioned above. Sometimes, when the dead were The work is based upon manuscripts written in the early removed from the workhouse, the relatives were not even 1900s by Attymass native, National School principal and notified of the deaths … it is said that a woman was prolific local historian Pádraic Flannelly. The manuscripts, placed in the dead house in Ballina workhouse but was sourced from parish records and from University College found alive after five days there. Dublin, deal with the history of the church and of the schools and, in the words of Flannelly, “... my effort to ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY record what remains of Famine traditions in this district.” Additional material from other sources has been added The book examines events related to Attymass from the and background information included, placing the earliest Christian times through to the establishment of Flannelly manuscripts in context. The book will also Monastic settlements in the parish, Penal Times when the include illustrations and photographs. was proscribed, Catholic Emancipation and the establishment of the parish church we know Flannelly was an assiduous collector of the folklore and today. In another short extract Flannelly describes an traditions of Attymass and the surrounding district and event that occurred some time after the granting of lectured widely on the subject. Appointed principal of the Catholic Emancipation in 1829. Attymass National School in 1930, he married Linda O’Dwyer (sister of Bill O’Dwyer, later to become the first Some of the harassing restrictions attached to the Act of Catholic Mayor of New York) in 1932. Their son Adrian, Emancipation still remained, one of which provided that who emigrated to the U.S.A. in 1959 at the age of the priest should obtain leave from a selected Protestant seventeen, hosts a popular radio talk show there and is before offering Mass in places of worship newly set up. Fr. very active on behalf of the Irish-American community. O’Kane was supposed to seek permission from the He serves as the Irish Cultural Liaison Officer for the D’Alton family of the Mullahowney Protestant colony ... “Irish Hunger Memorial” located in Battery Park, New D’Alton was to arrive every Sunday to give the necessary York. This memorial is based around a famine era cottage permission and perhaps hear the sermon to guarantee that that was relocated from the townland of Carradoogan, sedition was not spread amongst the newly ‘emancipated’ Attymass. An account of the extraordinary events leading ... to the creation of the memorial is included in the book. The priest was compelled to await the arrival of D’Alton FAMINE before commencing Divine Service....On a particular Sunday D’Alton was fowling and failed to put in an The parish of Attymass was the first in to report appearance until late. In the meantime the priest deaths directly due to the Famine when, on the 19th commenced Mass but had not finished when D’Alton November 1846, Fr. Michael O’Flynn PP wrote to the arrived, armed with his gun. He proceeded to the altar and local Justice of the Peace, George Vaughan Jackson, slapped the priest on the face. The latter offered no informing him of the deaths from hunger of four persons resistance or even protest but calmly collected his sacred in Attymass. The social conditions in the 1840s that lead vessels and Mass book and leaving the building, followed to the Famine are examined in some depth. The harrowing by his congregation, wended his way to the top of Tressy events of this terrible period in history are described by the Mountain, and there beside the big rock called the people of Attymass. The following is a short extract from ‘Tower’, he set up his altar and completed the Mass which the Flannelly manuscript describing the burial of many D’Alton had interrupted in Ardrass … Famine victims. THE SCHOOLS The distance [to the graveyard] then was long, there were few carts and roads were few and terribly bad. But there The forthcoming book will also include an account of the was a near way to Bonnifinglas graveyard from Attymass “Hedge Schools” in the area and the events leading to the and tradition says that every few yards of the way contain establishment of National Schools in Attymass, all as a grave, for the corpse was buried along the way when the described in Pádraic Flannelly’s manuscripts. bearers became too weak to travel farther. There is a gap on the way leading from the main road, called ‘Bearna na In his writings Flannelly has, among other achievements, gCorp’ from the fact that the bearer or bearers rested there preserved the social history of an impoverished rural with their burdens before taking the near way which was parish in 19th century Ireland. In particular, his invaluable rugged and forbidding. collection of local traditions relating to the Great Famine has left later generations with unique insights into that In some cases when the relatives were a little better off very tragic period in Irish history. This book should prove than the majority, they aimed at burying their dead to be of great interest not only to natives of Attymass but ‘decently’ and hired the local cart which was on contract also to those with an interest in Irish history. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked7 evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor An Siopa Beag encouragement we received from our customers was As part of our Transition amazing, we never predicted year enterprise project, five how much of an impact An of my friends and I set up a Siopa Beag could have on small grocery shop-An Siopa this community. From Beag in the heart of further market research we Attymass. We established found that there was a this as our small enterprise demand for items such as because we saw that there Sunday Papers, Firelighters was a niche in the market for and Sugar-Free food a grocery shop in the area. products. We now stock all Our idea was to open a small of these items and have grocery shop in an received nothing but positive unoccupied room in the local feedback regarding the Community Centre in products we sell. We also Attymass. The idea of encourage local food embarking on such a venture Shane Mulherin, Attymass and John McNulty, Callow, producers to sell their was daunting at first and the students from St Joseph’s Secondary School, Foxford who products in the shop, we sell were involved in An Siopa Beag in Attymass big question we asked Home Baking on Sundays and ourselves was-would it work? have found that there is a However after much market research and overwhelming huge demand for such items. support from the Parish Priest and the parishioners we However, An Siopa Beag is not just a grocery shop. All were reassured that this idea really could become a reality. members of our enterprise team have noticed that it has No doubt preparation for the opening of the shop was no become a meeting place for locals. There is a real sense of easy task. Much cleaning and clearing was to be done, we community spirit here. We as a team are delighted to see spent a day cleaning and painting the hall and another day that An Siopa Beag has been embraced into the setting up the actual shop. However we all worked well as community of Attymass. a team and in what felt like no time at all we were ready to launch! The next step was to start promoting the shop. Recently An Siopa Beag received an award during the We promoted the shop launch by distributing flyers, Student Achievement awards in St Joseph’s Secondary putting notices in the parish newsletter, the parish website, School Foxford. Our enterprise team received the Bank of and the Western People. We also set up our own Ireland Student Enterprise Award. We are extremely Facebook page. Fr. Tom Mulligan PP of Attymass grateful for this award and it was just further officially opened and blessed An Siopa Beag on Sunday confirmation of the great success that our enterprise has 9th December 2012. It was a fantastic day. The launch of been. An Siopa Beag was a huge success and we haven’t looked back since. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers for their support throughout the year, without An Siopa Beag supplies locals with everyday essentials. them the shop would not have been such a success. We are Initially we started off with selling items such as Milk, also grateful to our teachers in St Joseph’s Secondary Bread, Cheese,a variety of confectionary and soft drinks. School, Foxford for their guidance and encouragement. However as time went on we took on board the feedback We would especially like to thank Fr. Tom Mulligan for we received from our customers and altered our products allowing us to use the Community Centre and for all of to meet these demands. The enthusiasm and his continued support since the beginning of this venture.

Carramore National School 1913 - 2013 St John’s National School, Carramore, Killasser will celebrate its centenary with a big programme of events on Saturday and Sunday, 10th and 11th August. Mass will be concelebrated by , Bishop and Fr John Durkan on Saturday at 4pm. A commemorative book, edited by Bernard O’Hara, will be launched by Bishop Kelly and a celebratory social will be held in the Gateway Hotel that evening. On Sunday at 1.30pm, Bernard O’Hara will lead an historical tour of the area and the Willie O’Neill Memorial GAA competition will follow at Killasser football pitch. The organisers have put a huge amount of work into the event and a large contingent of past- pupils and friends is expected for the Gathering. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked8 evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor My friend Archbishop Eamon Martin

Fr John Durkan, Killasser

Eamon Martin was born in in 1961, his parents, Catherine Crossan and the late John James Martin were both from Inishowen in Donegal and his grandparents came from Counties Donegal and Fermanagh. He has six sisters and five brothers.

Eamon went to St Patrick’s Primary School and St Columb’s College in Derry where he developed a great interest in singing and later playing the trombone! He proceeded to study for the priesthood at St Patrick’s College, obtaining BSc (Hons) in Mathematical Science from NUI Maynooth; BD (Hons) in Theology. During his seminary training he was a senior cantor and leading member of the seminary choir – in his final year he was Acting Director of Sacred Music in Maynooth. His postgraduate studies were at Queen’s University Belfast, the Institute of Education in London and the University of Archbishop Martin is congratulated by his mother Catherine Cambridge. following his ordination in St Patrick’s

He was ordained a priest for the diocese of Derry on 28th are robust and failsafe, so we have to keep working on June 1987. After his ordination he served as a at that”. the cathedral of the Diocese of Derry from 1987 until 1989. He then served as a mathematics and religion He was ordained Coadjutor on 21 teacher at his old school St. Columb’s College in Derry April 2013 in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh. from 1990 to 1998. He became Head of Religious Education in 1997 and eventually President (Principal) of In light of the abortion debate, Archbishop Martin, in the College. May 2013 said in an interview that any legislator who clearly and publicly supports abortion should not seek to He then continued his studies at Queens University, receive communion as legislators who support abortion Belfast from 1989-1990 and later at St Edmund’s College, are excommunicating themselves. Cambridge from where he obtained a MPhil in school development. Archbishop Eamon Martin has visited Killasser many times. He spoke to the Pastoral Council there in 2011 to From 1999 until 2008 he was President of St Columb’s explain the changes in the new missal and also attended at College, Derry. After this he was appointed Secretary- the launch of Bernard O’Hara’s history of the parish. On th General of the Irish Episcopal Conference until 2010. Frday, 19 July this year he was a concelebrant at the From 2010-2011 he was of the Diocese of Mass in Killasser Church for my jubilee. He has also Derry. From November 2011, with the resignation of accepted an invitation to attend the celebrations to mark Bishop Séamus Hegarty, until January 2013 he was elected the centenary of Carramore School on August 10th, 2013. as . In 2011 he was appointed Chaplain of His Holiness.

On 18th January 2013 came the appointment of Msgr Martin as the Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh. Martin said he was shocked when told of the appointment. “I am very conscious of the great trust that the Holy Father has placed in me, but in truth I have to admit it was with considerable nervousness and trepidation that I accepted his call,” he said. Bishop Emeritus of Derry said he was seen as “a clean pair of hands” after the church’s abuse scandals. “He does not carry any baggage from the past with him,” the bishop said.

Archbishop Martin is also a director of the National During the year after a long fundraising campaign, Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church - defibrillators were provided at Killasser and Callow the body set up in the wake of widespread clerical abuse churches. The defibrillator in Killasser was dedicated to the scandals in the Church in Ireland. On his appointment, he Conlon family -Dan, John, Dessie and Vincent- who have said one of the greatest challenges facing the church was served as sacristans in the church for many years. Fr John to live with and learn from the past. He told a press Durkan presented the family with a plaque in appreciation conference in Armagh that the church “can never take it of their work. Photographed with Fr Durkan are Jessica, for granted that the safeguarding systems we have in place Vincent, Benny, Angela and Mary Conlon. PDF compression, OCR, web9 optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Serving St Francis and their Community in Faith Mothers Prayers Kathy Healey in Killasser Parish

Ever since Ray and Catherine Chuck arrived in “Mothers Prayers” Cloonfinish from their home in Kent in June 2002 they was started in have given generously of their time and talents to Killasser England in November parish. Ray was received into the church at Christmas, 1995 and has spread 2004 and about that time he and Cathy joined Killasser Church Choir and later the Cluster Choir where they rapidly throughout continue to be dedicated members. Ray acted as secretary the world with to the inaugural Parish Pastoral Council, a role which is contacts in over 100 now filled by Cathy. A retired policeman, Ray serves as countries. It has the joint treasurer of Killasser Community Alert. He is also a approval, support and gifted craftsman and has produced many works of art for blessing of Christian the churches in the parish including the large cross which leaders of all is carried on Good Friday, a lectern for the Book of the denominations. In Gospels, a press to store music sheets, etc. Killasser a group of mothers and Year of Faith Ray and Catherine Chuck are grandmothers come For this special Year of Faith, Ray made 800 little wooden pictured at one of the prayer together in the crosses which were blessed on Good Friday and intention boxes in Killasser Church distributed throughout the parish as symbols of our faith. parochial house every Ray also responded to a suggestion from the Pastoral second Wednesday to pray for their children in Council and produced beautiful Prayer Intention Boxes community and support. for Callow and Killasser Churches where parishioners put their written intentions which are then placed before At the meeting the women gather around a table on which God’s altar during Mass. is placed: • A Cross, a reminder that Jesus is our Redeemer • A Candle, a reminder that He is the Light of the World • A Bible, a reminder that He is the Living Word (More details on www.mothersprayers.org)

Prayer of Mothers and Grandmothers

Lord Jesus, we come before you as mothers, wanting you to bless our children and all children throughout the world.

Secular Franciscans We thank you for our children - they are a precious gift to us. Help Ray and Cathy are committed members of the Secular Franciscan Order (Achill Fraternity) and earlier this year us always to remember this, especially they visited both schools in Killasser to speak to the when they are in difficulties. Lord, they live in a troubled children about the life and work of St Francis of Assisi. world, a world that does not always acknowledge you, a This 13th century saint spent his life in prayer and world that may sometimes cause them to be laughed at if poverty, rebuilding the church of Christ. He is well known they admit to belief in you. for his love of animals; he is reputed to have had the gift of communicating with animals individually and even the Help them to be strong, Lord. Help us to know that you wildest of them was tamed in his presence. He is also are always with us, sharing in the joys and in the sorrows, credited with making the first Christmas crib. joining us in the laughter and weeping with us in the pain. Please give us all the graces we need, to fulfil your plans Secular Franciscans try to live their lives in accordance with true Christian values. They devote time to prayer for our lives and for our duties in our families. You are each day as St Francis did. Ray and Cathy live up to their Almighty God. You can change things. calling in their service to the church and the community in Killasser and in the wider Fr Peyton Cluster. They So we turn to you in faith and love knowing that you will welcome enquiries from anyone aged over 18 years who is answer our prayers. Lord, let us always remember how interested in joining the lay Franciscan Order. They can be much you love us and our children and how you urge us contacted at 094 9253870. to come to you with our problems. Amen

PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked10 evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Lough Derg.... detoxing the body and the soul constant over the centuries. Negotiating the sharp stones on the “beds”, keeping track of the number of “rounds” There is no place on earth like Station Island on Lough and prayers, longing for the time to take the single meal of Derg and there is no pilgrimage like the Lough Derg black tea, dry bread and toast, and coping with the pilgrimage. Known as St Patrick’s Purgatory, it has been a ubiquitous midges occupy the body until Mass at 6 pm. centre of pilgrimage, penance, peace and prayer for over 1000 years. In recent years the island has been made The Vigil proper begins at 10 pm with three more Stations available for day retreats and for school retreats, for to be completed indoors. Time passes slowly and Mass at senior citizens and for young people, for days of quiet 6.30 am is a struggle with the demon sleep but sunrise and reflection or for guided prayer. But its main focus is the a freshen-up restore the spirits. The sacrament of unique three day pilgrimage of fasting, sleep deprivation, reconciliation at 8.30 am is never more devoutly prayer and penance that somehow results in such a feeling celebrated and is a time when God’s healing grace is truly of well-being for the body and grace for the soul that felt. The short prayer the priest gives as penance seems many are compelled to return. inadequate in comparison with the sacrifices already endured but prayer is still the best way to communicate Arriving at the lake shore after a drive through the our repentance with God, Our Saviour. wilderness from Pettigo, the first view never fails to astonish, the little island crowded with churches and Day 2 is ahead but somehow it passes in stations, hostels, remote and solitary in this lonely, inhospitable reflection, prayer, conversation and anticipation. Bed at lake in east Donegal. Having signed in, you board the 10 pm was never so welcome nor sleep so sound. The boat which ferries pilgrims on the 10 minute journey to hooter rouses you for Mass before 6 am but the feeling of the island. You climb the stairs in the hostel to your little well-being in body and soul is worth any pain cubicle equipped with bunk beds and fresh crisp sheets. experienced. As you take the boat to the mainland to the The number of pilgrims today is just 95 so you don’t have strains of ‘Hail Glorious St Patrick’ you thank God for the to share a cell. What luxury! health to complete the Lough Derg pilgrimage and for the spiritual and physical benefits it bestows. In accordance with pilgrimage rules, you have not eaten since 10 pm and your stomach is already asking questions. Details of the pilgrimage dates etc. are available on You discard your shoes and socks, put on an extra jumper www.loughderg.org and bring rain-gear with you to begin the first station with a [In June 2012 the Papal Legate to the Eucharistic visit to the basilica. Seeing people barefoot is to see everyone Congress in Dublin, Cardinal Marc Ouellet from Canada, literally on an equal footing....the ultimate social leveller. For undertook the penitential station at Lough Derg as a some it’s their first pilgrimage, others in their eighties have public expression of atonement for the sins of clerical lost count of the number of times they have taken the child sexual abuse in Ireland. journey. Each pilgrim has a special reason for coming; to ask God’s mercy, to seek special favours for themselves or their This year, Bishop Brendan Kelly led a group of 20 priests families, to give thanks or simply to do penance. and people from Achonry Diocese on the three day pilgrimage. He said the pilgrimage was part of an ancient The routine of performing the “Stations” has remained tradition of repentance and it was appropriate that in this Year of Faith they continued with such a pilgrimage.]

The children who received their first Holy Communion in Killasser Church on 21st April 2013 with Fr Steve Gibson and their teachers Ms Gibbons and Ms Sharkey PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked11 evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Foxford Church News from the Past Year Fr Padraig Costello

Fr Gerry moves to Swinford The annual Diocesan changes in Achonry brought a shock to the community of Foxford last July when word came through that Fr. Gerry Davey was being transferred to Swinford. As a diocesan priest one always has to have the travel bag half packed as changes can come unexpectedly but we were not expecting any change in Foxford for another year or so.

Fr Gerry was appointed to Foxford in September 2009. He immediately endeared himself to the people by his pleasant and gentle manner and by his good humour. Through his prayerfulness and commitment to the Gospel he helped in no small way to make the message of Jesus relevant to the people he served. He is greatly missed in St Joseph’s secondary school where he was chaplain and indeed throughout the whole community. We thank Fr Lily Ruddy and Anne Prendergast make a presentation to Gerry for his dedicated service in our schools and Fr Gerry Davey on behalf of the Fr Peyton Cluster throughout the parish community during his three years here. We wish him every blessing in his new parish of Swinford.. 2. – Believing: What do I believe? 3. – Being A Christian: How can I be a Christian? Change of Mass Times 4. – Becoming a Witness: How do I share the Good Following the transfer of Fr Gerry Davey to Swinford the News? Parish Pastoral Council in Foxford made adjustments to the weekend Mass times in the parish. On Saturday After the celebration of Confirmation, which took place th evenings and on the Vigil of Holydays, Mass in Toomore on Sunday 28 April, there was a fifth night entitled: will continue at 6pm and in Foxford at 7:30pm ‘Beginning Again: What happens next?’ On that night the throughout the year. On Sundays and Holydays Mass in parents were present with their children. The session Attymachugh will be at 9pm and in St. Michael’s at 11am. concluded with a Prayer Service and refreshments. On special occasions, such as First Holy Communion and Confirmation, Christmas Day and Easter Sunday, an extra Overall I believe the programme was worthwhile and Mass will take place in the parish church and this will be helped the young students in their preparation for this signalled well in advance. very special day on their journey as Christians. We were so fortunate in the leaders who put so much work into Confirmation Programme preparing each session. They worked very well with the A few years ago a Parish Preparation Programme for young people and built up a great rapport with them. Confirmation was launched at national level. As we had Confirmation in our parish this year we decided to use this Confirmation Day, with Bishop Brendan Kelly, was a programme. The programme is entitled You Shall Be My wonderful day in our parish. Congratulations to the Witnesses. It is a parish-based programme which young people who were confirmed, their parents and supplements the work done in school by the teachers. We families and our school staff. A very special thanks also to had approximately fifty students for Confirmation from the members of the Parents Association who served excellent refreshments in the school after the Ceremony. 5th and 6th classes. The programme runs for four nights The cuppa and goodies were greatly appreciated by all but and the students were organised in groups of ten or less especially by those who had travelled. with at least two leaders in each group. The leaders are parents of the students. We had ten groups and so we First Holy Communion needed at least ten leaders from the parents and we were First Holy Communion took place in St. Michael’s church fortunate that thirteen parents volunteered. Initially there th was a training night for the parent-leaders in the Pastoral on Sunday 12 May. It was another beautiful celebration Centre in Charlestown, conducted by one of the Diocesan of our faith by our community. Again this year the class Religious Advisors, Fr. John Maloney. The programme prepared from early in the school year by participating in ran on four Tuesday nights in Lent and took place in the ‘Do This in Memory’ programme. The children, rooms in the National School, each session lasting one parents and teachers participate in a very positive manner hour. in this programme and it helps the children very much on their journey towards the reception of their First Holy The titles for each of the four nights were as follows: Communion. As the children participate each month they 1. – Belonging: How do I belong? learn about the sacraments of First Confession and Holy Communion and also grow in confidence. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked12 evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor During the past year the prayer group in Attymachugh met Killasser Community care organised a pilgrimage to in the home of Mary and John Neary. Sr Carmel and Sr Knock Shrine on 17th May 2013. Catherine travelled from Dublin for the last meeting of the Photographed with Fr John Durkan are Rose Harte, year in May. The Sisters were originally from the Convent Mary Henry, Mary McGowan, Margaret McGowan, of the Sisters of Charity in Foxford and were involved in Anne O’Neill, Therese Hennigan, Una Dunleavy setting up the group over thirty years ago. The members and Kathleen McNulty were delighted to welcome back Fr Gerry Davey also for the special occasion.

Bonniconlon Bridge Restoration The workers on the project came from townlands either side of the bridge -the bridge itself serving as the link, as it During the past year, on the suggestion of the members of has for centuries, between the village and its environs. In the Village Enhancement Sceme, the Community its everyday functioning, the bridge facilitates the building employment workers completed the restoration of the of our community, so a blessing of the completed project bridge in Bonniconlon. The project replaced the original was considered appropriate. parapets of the bridge with new parapets in cut limestone. The considerable experience and skills of the members of While it may not rank highly among the great bridges of the Community Employment Scheme ensured a beautiful the world, our humble little bridge has been given a new crafting of the project. lease of life by the very people it has served so well in the past and with the hope that it will do the same for the many generations yet to come.

The photograph shows Fr Geelan blessing the bridge and the members of the Community Employment Scheme who organised and completed the work of restoration, members of the Village Enhancement Scheme on whose suggestion the project was first considered and, one of our local county councilors, Annie Mai Reape, whose support was essential to the success of the project.

PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked13 evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Bonniconlon Choir loses a valued member The Christmas Liturgy is always a lovely occasion. The Mary Gilroy Children's Annual Carol Service remains a high point. It is very heartening to see members of Foróige gladly playing The tragic death of a role and with such enthusiasm. The Carol Service is also John Warnock on the time when we have our annual collection of non- the 22nd November, perishable foods for those in need. As always, the response 2012 not only upset from the community was excellent, in particular the the entire concern shown by the pupils of our national schools for community but also the purpose of the collection. We also commissioned our deprived our church new Crib at Christmas. Designed and built by members of choir of a highly our Community Employment Scheme it is an excellent regarded member. example of portability and functionality as well as a John died as a result testament to local skills. of a fire accident in his home.Living The Lenten period, while focusing on preparation for alone did not Easter, maintained the "Do This In Memory Of Me" present a problem program throughout. Preparation for the Sacraments was for John. A chef by treated within the context and meaning of Lent and profession and Easter. A special Lenten mass was provided each Friday having worked on evening to facilitate anyone wishing to attend mass on the cruise ships which Fridays during Lent. The Easter Liturgy is a more involved brought him all over liturgy and requires a lot of preparation from many the world, John The late John Warnock different sources. Sincere thanks to everyone involved. could pamper himself Public participation was excellent. with the most elegant of cuisine. John joined Bonniconlon Church Choir in 1999 and the Cluster Choir in 2004. As The church was full for our Easter Ceremonies. Fr Patrick an able guitarist and lover of country music, John had a Mangan P.P. Emeritus and Fr Michael Cawley also natural empathy with sacred music. If country music can assisted and provided a much-appreciated helping-hand. be said to reflect the realism and informality of everyday The Dawn Mass on Easter Sunday morning at 6.00 a.m. life and sacred music reflect the spiritual underpinnings of will not be forgotten by anyone who was in attendance. daily struggles, then both co-existed in perfect harmony Dark and bitterly cold with icy eastern winds blowing, we with John. He remained always friendly, committed and were frozen before we even began mass. These extremes good-natured. His enthusiasm never wavered, always prompted Fr Cawley to suggest jokingly a de-frosting favouring the positive and exciting. So many times during liturgy in the church afterwards. Yet, despite the bitterness choir practice he was heard to prompt, in his distinctive of the morning, there was a huge attendance. English accent, "Give it gusto!" His talents didn't end in the kitchen or in the choir. John was also a fine artist, a This year we also had to prepare for the Sacrament of pastime he had taken up a year or so before his death. He Confirmation. Thirty four young people were confirmed particularly favoured drawing and painting on slate. by Bishop Brendan Kelly on the 20th April in Bonnicolon Quite a few of his works are held as special memories Church. Bishop Kelly's homily on the personality and life within the parish. Had he had more time, who knows of our new pope, Pope Francis, was very much what he might have achieved? I doubt if anyone, who appreciated by everyone. The simplicity of the message in knew John, ever heard him say "Goodbye". His parting the context of the Sacrament of Confirmation made very phrase was, invariably, "Keep it country!” Well, from us clearthe meaning and purpose of the Sacrament. to you, John, of course, it's country all the way, until we meet again. As the "Do This In Memory Of Me" program tends to mark the beginning of our parish year, so the Feast of Corpus Christi tends to mark its end. The Corpus Christi Bonniconlon Parish Year procession on the 2nd June was led, as is the tradition, by In one way, the re-opening of the National Schools marks the young people who have received their First Holy a beginning to the parish year. It is the month of Communion. Once again, there was a great participation September in which the "Do This In Memory Of Me" from the parish. On leaving the church that day, many of program is implemented, to prepare children for First us had the feeling we had accomplished a year of work, Confession and First Holy Communion. This is a program and just in time to begin all over again. which brings together parents, children, teachers and the whole community in a communal preparation for the A Word of Thanks Sacraments. On chosen Sundays, the mass of the day is tailored for the "Do This In Memory Of Me" program in Once again the editor would like to thank everyone who which the entire parish community shares in the took the trouble to contribute articles, news items or sacramental preparation of the young people. For 2013 photographs for our annual newsletter. It helps to keep us we had a total of fifteen candidates for First Confession informed of the happenings in our cluster and to share and First Holy Communion. ideas about liturgies and about community life. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked14 evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Crossword compiled by Alice Melody

PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked15 evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Eithne Mc Loughlin received a presentation from the community in Callow Church on her retirement as organist after many years of dedicated service. She is pictured with fellow choir members. Back row (from left): Michael Fox, Mairín Noone, Helen Clarke, Maura O’Reilly, Helen Thompson, Bernie McNulty, Josephine Mc Donnell, Josephine Mulligan, Joe Quinn. Middle Row: Mary Deacy, Fr John Durkan, PP, Sean McLoughlin, Eithne Mc Loughlin, Mary Wilson, (new organist), Joe McNulty, (Chairman, Pastoral Council), Ann Deacy. Front Row: Cathal Clarke, Áine Thompson, Jamie Clarke and Eoin Thompson

The annual ecumenical service in our cluster was held for the first time in the Church of St Thomas in Callow. The homilist was the Right Rev. Patrick Rooke, Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry who spoke of the Christian faith that unites us rather than the differences that can divide. A measure of how far we have travelled on the road to Christian Unity was the very fact that he had been invited to speak at the ecumenical service and that nowadays we feel welcome in churches of other faiths, unlike the rules and prejudices that governed our actions fifty years ago. Even though the congregation in Callow that evening was small, the ceremony was special with members of the cluster choir adding their voices to the occasion and refreshments provided in the church afterwards, giving an opportunity to mingle and chat, a true example of ecumenism in action. Photographed at the ecumenical service in Callow were Wendy Callan, Fr Martin Convey, Fr Tommy Mulligan, Fr John Durkan, Fr Padraig Costello, Rev. Andrea Wills with Right Rev. Patrick Rooke, Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry and Bishop Brendan Kelly. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked16 evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor