Association Of Catholic Bloggers

  The video above, with yours truly speaking, was posted last week on the website of the Missionary Society of St Columban in Ireland under the title  Elderly Columban Missionaries Say 'Thanks'! Most of us Columban priests living here in St Columban's, Dalgan Park, Navan, are officially retired, though some of us are still active in various kinds of pastoral work. There are more than sixty of us here, most of us in our 70s, 80s and 90s. When I entered what was then our seminary here in 1961 there were more than 190 studying for the priesthood, spread over seven years.  Please continue at Bangor to Bobbio .

  Fr Otto Imholte 3 January 1937 - 25 July 2022 This obituary was posted originally  here . I have made some minor editorial changes. Father Otto passed away due to several health complications in Hope Health Hulitar Hospice, in Providence, Rhode Island, on July 25, 2022. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, August 1, 2022 at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Leigh, Nebraska with Fr Steve Emanuel celebrating. Burial will take place in St Mary’s Catholic Cemetery with lunch following in the church social hall. Visitation will be on Sunday, from 4 until 5 p.m. with a parish rosary recited at 5 p.m. Memorials can be directed towards the Columban Fathers or the Leigh Legacy Fund. Svoboda Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Father Otto’s family would like to offer a sincere thank you to Columban Fathers for all of their care and assistance as well as thank the doctors and nurses at Rhode Island Hospital and the Hospice House. A special thank you to P

Fr William Gerard Moran 14 May 1936 - 8 July 2022 William Gerard Moran was born 14 May 1936, at Flemington, Victoria, Australia, not far from the Flemington racecourse, home of the Melbourne Cup. This led to a lifelong interest in horse-racing. After primary and secondary schooling, Bill worked for two years with the Commonwealth Public Service while doing part-time studies in Latin and Economics. Continue at Bangor to Bobbio .

  Fr William Carrigan 18 July 1933 - 21 May 2022 The funeral took place today in his native Conahy, County Kilkenny, Ireland, of Fr William Carrigan. He died last Saturday after an illness of only a few weeks. Father Billy spent 45 years in parish, work in Mindanao, Philippines where he showed an extraordinary love for persons, especially children, with little or nothing in life. You will find a short obituary of Father Billy on the website of the Columbans in Ireland  here . In his retirement years in Ireland Father Billy served the Filipino community in County Kilkenny and surrounding counties. Many of these attended his wake and his funeral Mass. They also started the traditional Filipino novena for the dead, celebrated in the home of the deceased. At the Our Father in the Mass they surrounded his coffin and sang it in Cebuano Visayan,  Amahan Namo . Amahan Namo (Our Father) St Colman's Church, Conahy, County Kilkenny [Photo:  National Inventory of Architectural Heritage ] Fathe

  Fr Joseph Houston 14 December 1940 - 14 May 2022 Fr Joseph Houston was from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and was ordained at Easter 1969. He spent the early years of his priesthood in Chile before coming back to Ireland to teach in our seminary. He later returned to Chile but was to spend the last 25 years of his life in China. Father Joe was a Christian gentleman to the core.  Solas na bhFlaitheas air -  The light of Heaven upon him. You will find his obituary  here . My Lagan Love Played by Innisfree Ceoil, featuring the uilleann (elbow) pipes The River Lagan flows through Belfast, Father Joe's native city. St Columban's Cemetery, Dalgan Park, Ireland

  The Last Supper El Greco    [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings ,  (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Readings ,  (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel ,  John 13:31-33a, 34-35 ( English Standard Version Anglicised: India)    When Judas had gone out, Jesus said,  “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.   If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.   Little children, yet a little while I am with you.  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.   By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”   Léachtaí i nGaeilge John 13: 31-33a, 34-35 in Filipino Sign Language A familiar sight four years ago here in St Columban's, Dalgan Park, Ireland, where we have a community of more than 60 Columban priests, mostly

  Fr Patrick Clarke 22 March 1931 - 26 April 2022 Remember in your prayers the soul of Columban Fr Patrick 'Paddy' Clarke who died peacefully in the early hours of Tuesday 26 April. Father Paddy worked for thirty years in Japan and when he came back to Ireland spent eleven years in St Jude's Parish, Templeogue, Dublin, not far from where he grew up. He was much loved there  for his gentleness and kindness and many of the parishioners attended his funeral here in St Columban's, Dalgan Park, this morning. A unique experience for me at Father Paddy's funeral Mass was that he had written the homily himself, based on  Deuteronomy 6:4-7 , the First Reading, and  Mark 12:28-34 , the Gospel, both of which he had chosen for his funeral Mass.  Y ou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than

  Fr Noel Doyle 24 September 1935 - 15 April 2022 Please remember in your prayers the soul of Columban Father Noel Doyle who died peacefully in the early hours of Good Friday and was buried here in St Columban's Cemetery, Dalgan Park, Ireland, yesterday, Easter Monday. Father Noel spent most of his life as a missionary priest in Japan. His obituary is  here . Hamabe no Uta - Song of the Seashore Composer:  Tamezō Narita [The instrument in the middle is an  erhu ] St Columban's Cemetery, Dalgan Park, Ireland

  Fr Owen Doyle 28 June 1934 - 13 April 2022 Another Columban priest died peacefully last Sunday afternoon, Fr Owen Doyle. He spent most of his life as a priest in Korea. Please remember him in your prayers. Father Owen's obituary is  here . He was the fifth Columban here in St Columban's, Dalgan Park, to die within 16 days. May they all rest in peace. Please keep our community in your prayers. Grave of Bishop Edward Galvin, Co-founder of the Columbans St Columban's Cemetery, Dalgan Park, Ireland

  Fr Aodh Eamonn O'Halpin 31 January 1934 - 2 April 2022 Please pray for the soul of Fr Aodh Eamonn O'Halpin who died peacefully in our nursing home here in Ireland last Saturday, 2 April. He spent the early years of his missionary priesthood in Mindanao, Philippines, and later worked in Ireland before spending many years on mission in Britain. The name 'Aodh', an old Irish name sometimes used as an equivalent for 'Hugh', is pronounced like the letter 'A' in the English alphabet. Father Aodh's obituary is on the website of the Columbans in Ireland  here . The Deer's Cry (St Patrick's Breastplate) Sung by Rita Connolly In his will Father Aodh asked that this be played at his funeral. Fr Daniel O'Gorman 4 March 1932 - 3 April 2022 Father Dan worked for many years in Korea, arriving there in 1957 when it was still devastated after the Korean War. In his latter years in Ireland he was of great help to Columbans who were sick until he himself

Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery   Rembrandt   [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel   John 8:1-11  ( English Standard Version Anglicised: India)    Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.   Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them.   The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst   they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.   Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”   This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.   And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them,  “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw

  Fr Patrick Dooher 21 January 1943 - 25 March 2022 Please pray for the repose of the soul of Fr Patrick Dooher who died suddenly on the evening of Friday 25 March, the Solemnity of the Annunciation. Father Paddy was from County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and worked in both Ireland and Peru. You will find his obituary  here . Fr Richard O’Sullivan 17 February 1936 - 26 March 2022 Father  Dick died peacefully in our nursing home here in St Columban's, Dalgan Park, Ireland early on Saturday 26 March. From Kilgarvan, County Kerry, Ireland, he spent many years in Fiji but also spent periods teaching in Australia and in Ireland. He was a gifted teacher. His obituary is  here . Solas na bhFlaitheas ar an mbeirt seo sagart misinéireachta dílis. The Light of Heaven on these two faithful missionary priests. St Columban's Cemetery, Dalgan Park, Ireland

  Our Lady of China With the inscription:  Mother of God, pray for us Someone sent me this photo back in April, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and expressing a desire that we should pray for the people of China, where the virus began in Wuhan. That city is a conglomeration of three cities: Wuchang, Hankow and Hanyang. When the first group of Columban priests, including our Co-founder Fr Edward Galvin, travelled to China in 1920 some went to Hanyang. In 1927 Fr Galvin was ordained as the first bishop of what was then the Vicariate Apostolic of Hanyang. It became a diocese in 1946. Bishop Edward Galvin and Fr John Blowick Co-founders of the Columbans  (mid-1950s) Bishop Galvin lived through wars and natural calamities, serving the people of his diocese with one desire: to do God's will. He was expelled from the People's Republic of China in 1952. In a report he wrote that year he stated the reasons the authorities gave for this. You have opposed and obstructed the establ