A few dodgy days!!

Have been lying low for a few days.  Picked up a bug along the way and it had its say.  I think it’s gone again!

During the week I missed two funerals that I should have attended, one was Kevin Mannion from home.  A good and kind man who died, like so many, before his time.  May he rest in peace.  The other was Frank Higgins from Culfadda.  I ddin’t know Frank as well though remember him from my childhood days when he and his twin brother John would come to the garage with their father, Jack (RIP).  Frank’s sister lives here in Kilmovee and, for her sake as well as the memories I have of Frank, I’d want to have attended his Funeral Mass but just couldn’t.  I remember them and all who have died and pray God’s rest for their Souls.

On my mind during the week was a promised visit to Shannon Parish.  Fr Tom Ryan, the parish priest there, asked me to preach at a Parish Mission.  Huge effort had gone into preparing for the Mission with “72 Disciples” being commissioned to go door to door in the parish, bringing to each home a copy of St Luke’s Gospel and an invitation to the Parish Mission.  Sr Briege McKenna and Fr Kevin Scallan conducted the first three days of the Mission and I was asked to do the fourth.  Earlier in the week I was afraid that I might not be able to but, as things worked out, I travelled to Shannon on Wednesday night, arriving around 11.30pm, went to bed and woke up to the “moment” on Thursday.  We had Mass at 10am in one of the churches of the Parish (Ss John and Paul) and an Evening Liturgy and Sermon in Mary Immaculate Church that evening.  Thanks be to God, they both went well.  I met many people and they were very welcoming and was happy to meet a few from Sligo and Mayo, as well as a young teacher from Charlestown and a couple from near Urlaur.

I thought I took a lot of photos but there was a man there who put me in the ha’penny place!!  I just looked at the Parish Website (www.shannonparish.ie) and see a number he took yesterday have been uploaded so I copied them – just a a memory