Dear Friends

Welcome to Dea – Sceala, which we hope you will enjoy in terms of both format and contents. Its purpose is to bind us closer together as a single diocesan family, whether we live on the Ring of Kerry or Achill Island or the banks of the Shannon or in the shadow of the Ox Mountains …. or wherever. We need to share news, to exchange good ideas and to listen to one another’s stories. This is intended to be an upbeat publication, a worthy successor to both Newslink and Tidings, and its very title Dea- Sceala means literally ‘Good Tidings.’ The term is found in Irish translations of the New Testament where it describes the joyful news brought by the singing angels to the shepherds on the night of Christ’s birth.

None of this would have happened without our team working across the bishopric to make it a reality. The courageous and experienced editor is Ros Stevenson, assisted by Andrea Wills and Janet Bray. The diocesan secretaries Heather Pope and Lorna Sharpe have been of great assistance with financial and administrative matters, and the diocesan communications officer Stephen Fletcher is working to get the message ‘out there’ in terms of the importance and potential of this new initiative. Charles Wills is a key figure in relation to distribution arrangements, particularly across the West. We are conscious of the professional skills in production and design upon which both former magazines have depended, and we hope to continue to benefit over time from that wide and well – tested range of skill and support. We are grateful for the financial commitments of Diocesan Councils, advertisers, parishes and donors … this allows for the exciting initiative of a quality quarterly production for the whole diocese which will be free of charge to the individual recipients. Thus we hope that our news and our message will reach not only regular parishioners but also many people who might not otherwise purchase a magazine of this sort, but whose hearts may be strangely warmed by what they find here.

I have emphasised that this publication is intended as a place of positivity. However I have to mention …. Writing as I do in late January … that the aftermath of the great storm of January 24 has created an atmosphere of sadness and frustration in many places. A large number of churches were somewhat damaged … a smaller number, particularly in Connemara and across Mayo and into Sligo sustained very serious damage indeed and at the time of writing appear likely to be out of use for some time. Our thoughts are with those who with patience, determination and faith literally have to pick up the pieces.

To return to things that bind us spiritually together. Amongst these is the common keeping of Lent, Holy Week and Easter … with their opportunities for renewal and inner refreshment. Alongside the many initiatives that will be taken across the parishes during those weeks, I thought I would like to do something personally by way of a pilgrimage that might cement the diocesan family a little in its focus on the Cross.

And so on Good Friday, April 18, I plan a personal pilgrimage which I’m calling ‘From Killala to Kenmare.’ It will involve fifteen stops, based on the traditional model of the Stations of the Cross, but using a modern set of Stations all of which are Scriptural. Each pause will last ten to fifteen minutes, and there will be a short reflection and prayer. I realise that in a single day I cannot be everywhere – one can only try to cover ground as best one can. But it would be lovely if people could incorporate these Stations into their own parish devotions, join me in a place convenient to them, perhaps even travel with me on part of the journey. I would want to stress that, unlike other peregrinations which I have done across the diocese, there is no fund- raising aspect to this ( the next full scale peregrinations with a fund raising ingredient are tentatively planned for Lent of next year! ). This Good Friday is entirely about a journey of prayer and devotion, as well as an opportunity to meet people amid the subdued atmosphere proper to Good Friday. And one hopes it will involve some element of public and ecumenical witness too. The timetable for the pilgrimage is given below … I do hope it will be possible to stick to it accurately, and I look forward to seeing many of you on that most solemn day.

(All stations will take place outside the local church/place of worship )

0830. Killala. Jesus in agony in the Garden
0920. Ballina. Jesus handed over by Judas and arrested
1000. Foxford. Jesus condemned by the Sanhedrin
1055. Claremorris. Peter denies Jesus
1145. Tuam. Jesus judged by Pilate
1235. Ardrahan. Jesus scourged and crowned with thorns
1330. Ennis. Jesus carries the Cross
1450. Killaloe. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the Cross
1550. Limerick Cathedral. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
1655. Adare. Jesus is crucified
1735. Rathkeale. Jesus promises the kingdom to the penitent thief
1905. Tralee. Jesus on the Cross ; his mother and his friend
1950. Kiltallagh. Jesus dies on the Cross
2040. Killarney. Jesus laid in the tomb
2150. Kenmare. Jesus risen from the dead

So, welcome (from Ash Wednesday, March 5) the ‘sweet feast of Lent’. And do enjoy Dea – Sceala , the appearance of which is a very significant moment in our shared journey to be truly a single diocese united in the service of the Kingdom.

Michael Tuam Limerick and Killaloe