I feel I have to share this ….

I feel I have to share this ….

A few days ago, I quite literally happened on fifteen minutes of a YouTube video.  It featured a man I have met each summer for more than twenty years.  I met him in the context of spending a few weeks each summer in St Agnes’ Cathedral Parish, Rockville Centre, New York.  I have mentioned this many times through the years and always enjoy the time I spend there.  The first Mass of the day in that parish is at 6.30am and the man featured in the video, Bernie O’Brien, opened the church each morning for that Mass and prepared for the celebration.  His loyalty to this hour of the day and the importance of the celebration was incredible.

I watched this video clip – a talk given last Lent in St Agnes’ Cathedral, I am assuming as part of a series of talks, and I was amazed.  Some of the detail I knew, not least that Bernie lost his son and son-in-law in the attack on Twin Towers in 2001.  The rest of his story was new to me but told with such conviction.  I was amused by his reference to a favourite saying of his “The best way to start the day” – referring to Mass.  I have to confess there were times I’d have been as happy starting the day a little later!!  Bernie relished the morning.

Having watched the video, I decided I wanted to get in contact with Bernie to thank him and say how much I had enjoyed it.  It was only when I went to seek contact details, I discovered that he died in January, may he rest in peace.  I’m sorry I hadn’t the chance to tell him how special these words were but feel I can share something of his message here.

Where do you go?

Since August 1997 I have been coming to Long Island, New York for a few weeks each year.  It started when I worked in the Marriage Tribunal, Galway and our office used to close for the month of August.  I spent two “Augusts” in St Patrick’s Parish, Huntington and, since August 1999, I have been coming to St Agnes’ Cathedral in Rockville Centre.  I enjoy coming here a lot, meeting people and priests here in the parish and having a chance to visit family and friends in New York and beyond.  It’s a lovely opportunity to get away and, being the creature of habit that I am, it’s an easy choice!  I went out earlier and took a fairly short video clip of the cathedral and surrounds and thought I might include it here.  (In hindsight I shouldn’t have included the background music so hit MUTE!!)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy787Eg11-E]

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