Spent Monday and Tuesday in Holycross, Co. Tipperary. I was preaching at the annual Novena. It’s a beutiful place and I was happy to be there. The Novena is really well organised and is an example of Parish at its best with people doing so much to make things run smoothly – parking cars is a huge issue with possibly six or seven thousand people arriving during the course of the day. It all seems to happen so easily and yet there’s nothing easy about it. Well done to all involved.
The Abbey can hold up to 1000 people and there are five Masses there during the day – 7am, 10.30am, 4.30pm, 7.30pm and 9.30pm. In addition, there’s a marquee and three Masses are celebrated there – 10.30am, 4.30pm and 7.30pm.
There were themes set for each day. On Monday I spoke on the theme of Suffering and Death and on Tuesday the theme was Marriage Today. I was assured that there was no link between the two 
Thanks to Frs Breen and Tierney who made me feel so welcome and to all I met in Holycross.