Author Archives: St Michaels

WE ARE NOT ACTING ANYMORE …WE ARE LIVING IT!

Fr Louis recommends the text below for our Easter 2020 reflection. It is an inspiring homily given by Fr Michael Murphy PP Roundfort, Claremorris, Mayo. His theme is ‘We are not acting [The Passion] anymore we are living it!’
It is a theme which has reverberated around our own Parish at St Michael’s over the past few weeks especially since Helen Scott spoke so eloquently on the same theme at our last mass together on the Feast of the Annuciation March 25th.

Click here to read the homily:

We are not acting anymore – we are living it!

Dia Dhaoibh a chairde, Hello to all in the Parish of St Michael’s!

As a community we are laid low as we have never been before. We are forced to live lives of sacrifice and penitence. We have had to let go of the joys and consolation of physical communion with each other and with those whom we love. In various ways we are being deprived of all we felt we could depend upon: health, work, freedom, pleasure, company…

We are in a desert place.

We thank God as a faith community that we can say in God and Jesus Christ we trust.

Psalm 23 reminds us:

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want,
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside still waters,
He restores my soul….
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me.

We have decided to post our Lenten Celebration for Healing and Reconciliation for you. We hope you may find it helpful in your prayer life this Passion week. It can be prayed alone or with each other –on line – or with your household – while maintaining a safe distance of course!

As we pray, we hold each other in our hearts, and we remember especially, those who are
ill and those who have died from Coronavirus and their families – around the world.
We ask your protection Lord on each of us, and our families, this Lent and Easter time 2020.

Solas Chríost Linn / May the Light of Christ Guide and Guard us on our way.

Click on the link below to download A CELEBRATION for HEALING and RECONCILIATION – Lent 2020:

Celebration for Healing and Reconciliation Lent 2020

Camino de Santiago
Easter Pilgrimage
10th – 18th April

Taizé Pilgrimage
July 30th – August 8th
15 – 17 years old

Summer Camp
July 31st – August 4th
12 – 14 years old

For further details, please contact:

And now we welcome the new year.
Full of things that have never been.

Rainer Maria Rilke

The Report by the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland on the review of Child Safeguarding Practice in the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (Ireland) was published on 2nd December 2015 and is available on the Oblate website. 

The review focus was on Child Safeguarding and in particular case management and prevention based on the NBSCCCI’s Standards.The review made a total of 3 recommendations for improvement in the area of safeguarding, including the induction of staff and volunteers, communication and the provision of information in relation to local statutory agencies. The review has endorsed the Oblates in the essential components of Safeguarding. The Oblates are committed to continuing to encourage the participation of children and young people and ensuring their safety in all aspects of their participation in the Parishes, Pilgrimage, Youth Service and other activities.

We apologise for the pain experienced by those who have been hurt by the abuse perpetrated by our members, and acknowledge the deep suffering of the survivors. We are committed to continuing to support survivors and their families now and in the future.

Help is available from the church funded counselling service  Towards Healing  Freephone Ireland 1800-303416 email: coordinator@towardshealing.ie.  
Towards Peace is a service which offers spiritual support for survivors of abuse by Church personnel. The service is for those whose faith has been damaged by abuse and who wish to continue their search for meaning and for God.
Phone: + 353 (0)1 5053028 or Mobile: + 353 (0)86 7710533

We encourage anyone who has not previously reported their abuse to come forward at this time.
The Oblates have a dedicated independent person to receive the reports, Suzanne Phelan Tel: 085 1146391.
Reports can also be made to the relevant statutory authorities  – Tusla the Child and Family Agency and the Gardaí.

Pope Francis’s Environmental Encyclical Responding to the Pope’s invitation to dialogue on the subject of environmentalism, the Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation group (JPIC) invite you to join in a series of reflective evenings on this subject, and how it applies to our local environment.
Meeting in the House of Retreat (Oblates) on Tuesday, 13th October at 7.30p.m.