Dear Parishioners and friends, ‘Easter Day’ just the sound of it is so joyful just like Spring cannot be stopped from breaking through to achieve her transformation. As we celebrate Easter this year for the second year running not being able to gather as normal for this special time, I want to thank you for all your words of encouragement during this time. Celebrating mass in an empty church is a strange and surreal experience but it is greatly encouraging to know that your company on that road has been a great help through our online parish Fb page and website. Looking ahead to Easter week Bishop Leahy said recently that its message of hope is perfectly timed this year with many feeling beaten down by Covid and while we appear to be swinging from despondency to hope, the latter is, at least now most definitely with us. Taoiseach Michael Martin in his address to the nation last Tuesday evening said, we are in the final stretch of this terrible journey, steady and safely let’s go through this final phase together. Next time he makes a state address lets hope the news is better again. Dr Ronan Glynn, chief medical officer said we have more concrete reasons for hope now than at any time over the past year. There is every reason we will recover and to continue to embrace the positives of life that have been holding us all together. Pope Francis in his new book ‘Let us Dream’ says that in crisis people reveal themselves as they are, the state of our hearts is exposed and hopefully we emerge as better people. I want to thank everyone who continues to keep the parish going by that sense of outreach and care through making those phone calls, sending the text, WhatsApp messages and virtual gatherings. After the first Easter, the lives of the disciples were changed. They were filled with a spirit of kindness which led them to share everything. They made sure that nobody among them was left in need. Huge thanks to all our health workers, families, neighbours, our shop owners and workers as we keep life and our communities healthy and safe. Our prayers are with the families of our community who have lost their dear loved ones in the past few weeks and months, we have lost lovely people who have left their mark on the fabric of our place, the absence of our traditional mourning rituals has complicated the grieving process, be assured of our remembrance of them at our masses. We would also like to remember members of our families abroad that can’t get home these times, we will thinking of them at our Easter Sunday mass.

Our Finance committee wish to extend a sincere thanks for your continued generosity to the upkeep of our churches and the support of our priests through the easter dues.

To all in both churches who have kept our Masses going through lockdown with music, song and readings, our Sacristan, our fb facility, church radio and website we say thank you. Finally, Fr. Dave sends his kind regards, he’s keeping well and has got the vaccine. We both wish you and yours every blessing during these Easter days and please God in the not so distant future we will be back to Mass again in our parishes. God bless, stay healthy and well. Fr Tom