"Mystery also has another aspect, which we so often overlook as we focus on the incomprehensible. Mystery indicates the existence  and presence of a reality, an immense reality."

Talk given by Maria Domke, Canada at the General Congress of the UAC in Rome, April 2010.

‘He is the living stone, rejected by men, but chosen by God and precious to him; set yourselves close to him so that you too, the holy priesthood that offers the spiritual sacrifices which Jesus Christ has made acceptable to God, may be living stones making a spiritual house.’(1 Pet 2:4-5)

 Why Pilgrimage? by Fr. Tom O'Donnell SAC, Provincial Delegate, Argentina

 Life is a pilgrimage.

Homily: Queen of Apostles Knock - 22^nd May 2010 by Fr. Emmet O'Hara SAC, Thurles

I have to make a confession - as a Pallottine, I struggle with the spirituality of our Founder St. Vincent Pallotti. There are many times when I read something about his life and it just doesn’t do it for me. He doesn’t fire me up like some of the other Saints do. Yet, I know Vincent Pallotti works closer to me, then I collaborate with him.

This word has become very familiar within the Pallottine World. You can find this word in every page of the Pallottine articles and other writings. In many speeches and seminars the word is being used a lot. What does it mean? The Oxford Dictionary gives us a meaning of it. ‘It is an act of working with another person or group of people to create or produce something’. We Pallottines, therefore, are inviting one another to work together to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God. We are inviting ourselves to work together for the benefit of the human beings and for the glory of God, hence our famous phrase, ‘Together we journey, together we serve.’

Derry Murphy, sac*

The words of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict xvi, at the conclusion of his Homily at Vespers on 2 February, the World Day of Consecrated Life, are uplifting: “Lastly, dear friends, let us raise to the Lord a hymn of thanksgiving and praise for consecrated life itself. If it did not exist, how much poorer the world would be!”. And how much poorer would be the lives of all of us who, in one manner or another, live a consecrated life in the Church of Jesus Christ and in the world!

By Fr. Phil Barry sac, Thurles

I was born in Thurles in October 1935 in the old St. Mary`s Hospital. As was common practice then I was baptised at 2 days old in the Cathedral of the Assumption, Thurles. I was raised in a rural community in the parish of Drombane about 8 miles from the town of Thurles. I attended a National School in Newtown, Drombane parish. When I concluded my primary education I attended Thurles CBS. Back in those days there was no free transport so we travelled on bicycles in all weathers.

By Fr. Phil Barry sac, Thurles

I was born in Thurles in October 1935 in the old St. Mary`s Hospital. As was common practice then I was baptised at 2 days old in the Cathedral of the Assumption, Thurles. I was raised in a rural community in the parish of Drombane about 8 miles from the town of Thurles. I attended a National School in Newtown, Drombane parish. When I concluded my primary education I attended Thurles CBS. Back in those days there was no free transport so we travelled on bicycles in all weathers.

Many boys and girls at that time and for years afterwards entered convents and Junior Seminaries at a young age. I joined the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottine Fathers) as a postulant in 1950. We used to go  to the CBS Secondary for our daily classes. Fortunately I enjoyed sports and I played hurling and gaelic football with various teams. I was lucky to win Dr. Harty Cup, Dean Ryan Cup, Croke Cup and Rice Cup finals with the famous school. Tipperary had great minor hurling teams in those days. They won the All Ireland hurling finals in 1952, `53, `55, `56 and `57. They were beaten in the 1954 final. I was lucky to win All Ireland medals in 1953 and 1954.

Our novitiate was in Cabra – about two miles outside Thurles in those years. I entered the Novitiate in September 1953. Fr. Tom Phelan, who was a avid Tipperary supported allowed me to leave the novitiate and head for the big city of Dublin and play against Dublin in the All Ireland final.  Having completed the novitiate I transferred to our college in Thurles and from there I attended daily lectures in the local St. Patrick`s College. This is no longer a seminary; it is now the equivalent of a university.

After finishing 1st. philosophy and spending a couple of days on retreat in Mt. St. Joseph`s Monastery, Roscrea I made the decision that the priesthood was not for me. People in Ireland were fairly poor at that time and jobs were scarce. There was great emigration in the 1940`s, `50`s and 60`s to Britain and the US. I obtained temporary employment in Thurles Sugar Factory and later on with the ESB.

When I left the seminary I made a decision to never enter any seminary again. I had cousins home from London on holidays and they assured me that they would find employment for me in the big city of London. I worked in an office for a Kerry man – J. Murphy and Sons – and the pay was £7 each week. In those far away days you could get an excellent meal for 5 shillings in the old money. I kept up the hurling and I played for a team in Kilburn, West London. There was no trouble carrying a hurley on London transport at that time. I bet it might be considered a dangerous weapon now. I moved from Murphy`s to work for a subsidiary of ICI.

During my time in London I became very active in the Legion of Mary. Initially I was a member of a parish praesidium. The parish was between two prisons, Holloway and Pentonville.  I joined the men`s prison presidium in the parish and I became an official prison visitor to Pentonville Men`s Prison. I became the treasurer and later the president of Islington  Curia and at that time there were 23 praesidia in the curia. I lived a very full social life and at that time there many Irish dance halls throughout London and I learned to dance with the best of them, although I would have to confess that I was no Fred Astaire.  I dated a girl, who was a native of Bruree and after a couple of years we became engaged to be married. Back in those days couples didn`t live together unless they were married to each other. Sometime in 1960 we decided that we would emigrate to America.  I would go first and later on she would follow me.  I was sponsored by my sister and brother in law in Syracuse, New York State. I obtained employment in a bank – working as a cashier.  My job description then could never lead me to be a part of the ongoing chaos in banking.

The wall in Berlin was built in June 1961 and America was afraid of a war starting between themselves and Russia. I was called to register for draft, although I wasn`t a US citizen. I was classified 1A and I was given the choice to join the army or leave the country. I had hoped to work at banking in the military but Providence led me to qualify to be a Chaplain`s Assistant.  When I was fully trained I was assigned to the Post Chapel at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonia, Texas.

One day I said to myself, “I was once in God`s Army and here I am now stuck in Man`s Army”.  Although I was still engaged to be married I began to think about entering a seminary again, but not the Pallottines. I was living in the US and I considered entering some Religious Order over there, but I couldn`t decide which one.  The Catholic Chaplain encouraged me to enter a seminary. I had an uncle at that time, who was a priest in San Diego Diocese and he asked me to join his diocese. I said “no”; I wanted to join some Religious Order. I still could not make up my mind.  I went to have breakfast on the Broadway, San Antonia with my army chaplain boss and another soldier.  On the way in I purchased a daily paper and going through the pages I found myself transfixed looking at a picture of Blessed Vincent Pallotti, who was about to be canonised at that time in Rome. This was in January 1963. My mind was made up as I felt Jesus; the great High Priest was directing me back to my first love as a future Pallottine.

I applied for readmission and I was accepted. I entered the Pallottines for the second time in September 1963. Of course I had to break off my engagement to a wonderful Irish Catholic girl. In time she married a former English seminarian and I often visited them in their home in Ealing parish, London.  They have 3 sons and over the years 2 of them played rugby with London Irish.   

Fr. Phil Barry SCA

A Reflection by Elaine Hogan

O Mary! We crown thee with blossoms today, Queen of the Angels and Queen of the May

During Mass in my parish church, when the priest leads us in the Hail Mary, I always turn to look at the beautiful statue of Our Lady as I am praying along with the congregation.  How many churches in the world have either a statue or a picture of Our Lady.  We kneel before these images of Our Lady….we light candles, we say countless Hail Mary’s, we pour our heart out in times of trouble, we rejoice in times of celebration.

I have spent so much time praying before the statue of Our Lady.......but I have to remember; Mary is not a statue.

Mary is a real live woman. I love to wonder what her everyday life was like when Jesus was a baby.  I love to think of her doing all the things a mother does for her child.  Imagine what it was like when she brought Jesus home and all her friends called around to see Him for the first time, imagine Mary as she gently pulled back the blanket to show them the beautiful baby boy, and perhaps she allowed them to hold Him; everyone loves to hold a newborn baby.  I think of all the normal everyday things Mary must have done for Jesus; feeding Him, bathing Him, playing with Him, singing to Him, worrying about Him, comforting Him, and I especially love to think about Mary knowing “the knack” to get baby Jesus to go to sleep each evening.  Mary had the most important mission of bringing our Saviour into the world. Her mission continues today, she wants us to understand the individual love her Son has for each and every one of us.

I googled “Our Lady” and it gave me almost 92 million results, she is a popular womanJ There is nothing I can possibly add to what is already on the internet, so I have decided to write about how Mary has worked in my life so far....

I feel blessed to have always known Our Lady, she is and always will be a huge part of my life.  When I left school, I worked in Dublin city centre, across the road from the Pro Cathedral.  I would go in there every day to light candles and have a little chat with “My Lady”.  One day, I noticed people coming and going from a corridor at the side of the Cathedral, so I had to investigate.  I found a beautiful Chapel, with a lot of older people praying silently.  I stayed there for a short time and for some reason, I preferred the feeling I got in this little Chapel, to the main Cathedral.  So every day, I spent time in that little Chapel.  Every day, there were ten candles lighting on the altar, with this round golden thing in the middle.  So I would say five Hail Mary’s, one for each candle, skip the strange thing in the middle and then say the other five Hail Mary’s at the other side of it.  I would go back and forth praying for all my intentions with Hail Mary’s.  I really loved going to that Chapel. I felt so close to Mary when I was in there.  I didn’t realise until ten years later that I was in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every day, but I was completely oblivious because nobody ever taught me about Eucharistic Adoration when I was younger, I thought the Monstrance was just some fancy Altar decoration.  I believe Mary herself was leading me directly to her son in a silent way.  I look back with a heart filled with joy and thanksgiving for all that time I spent with Jesus.

All the way up to my mid twenties, when it came to religion, Our Lady and God the Father were the beginning and the end for me.  I went to Lourdes on pilgrimage. I was praying at the grotto and a group arrived, singing hymns about Jesus at the top of their voices.  I can honestly say they drove me mad!!  Their singing went on for ages.  I said to Our Lady, “why are they singing about Jesus? They should be singing about you!” I didn’t understand why they were singing to Jesus when they could have gone directly to Our Lady or to God the Father with their prayers? I knew I was missing out on something here, so I asked Our Lady to teach me about Jesus, I wanted what they had.  She certainly wastes no time.  Within a few months, I was drawn to a weekly prayer meeting, which included praying the rosary, reading and meditating on the Gospel and spending time in Adoration, (this was when I discovered what Adoration was all about).  I was also attending Daily Mass, and really taking the sacrament of Confession seriously.  One year later, I returned to Lourdes, full of thanksgiving for this new relationship I had with “My Jesus”.

Nowadays, I have the honour of preparing children for the Sacraments of Confession, Communion and Confirmation.  I meet the children for one class each week.  Each year, the first and last classes are dedicated entirely to Our Lady. I tell them all about Our Lady and I plead with them to always include her in their everyday life, to never forget about her and to know that she loves them and is always there for them, no matter what.  I leave them in the safe and loving hands of Mary and I know she will do the rest of the work in every one of them.

St. Vincent Pallotti writes about Mary:

“In his infinite love God places Mary, the Blessed Virgin, the mother of his only-begotten Son, before our eyes as our model.  She followed our Lord Jesus Christ on the road to redemption so closely that she surpasses all angels and saints in holiness, in grace and in justice.  At the same time, through his only-begotten Son, God gives her to us as our mother.” (Epistolate Latinae 26f)

We are all children of God.  We are also children of Mary.

“Behold, your mother!”  (Jn: 19:27)

I pray that Mary, our mother, will pull back the blanket and reveal Jesus to all of us more and more each day.  And I pray that she will give Jesus to us, to hold in our heart.  Mary is a loving mother who wants to share her Son with everyone.  She knows the joy He can bring into our lives.  All we have to do is ask her to hand Him to us.  Ask Mary to fill us with the same love she has for Jesus.   Nobody knows Jesus like Mary, she is the best teacher we could ever ask for.

It is noon

I see the church open

And I must enter

Mother of Jesus Christ

I do not come to pray

I have nothing to offer

And nothing to request

I come solely to gaze on you O Mother

To gaze on you

Weep for joy

And know this

That I am your child and you are there

I come only for a moment

While everything is at a standstill

At noon

Just to be with you

O Mary

In this place where you are

Not to say anything

But to gaze at your countenance

And let my heart sing

In its own language

Not to sat anything

But solely to sing

Because my heart is overflowing

For you are beautiful

Because you are immaculate

The woman fully restored in Grace

The creature in its first honour

And its final bloom

As it issued from God

On the morn of it original splendour

You are ineffably intact

Because you are the Mother of Jesus Christ

Who is the Truth in your arms

And the only hope and the sole fruit

(Paul Claudel)