CHRISTMAS 2024
Christmas Greetings from Dublin! May you and your
family experience the peace and joy of the Lord as you
celebrate the birth of Jesus. I will be thanking God for you
as I celebrate Mass on Christmas Day.
I’m coming to the end of a special year in my life during
which I have been celebrating 50 years of priesthood.
When I joined the SMA as a student 57 years ago, I looked
on the missionary priests in our Society who had already
celebrated their Golden Jubilee as very old men. I guess
they were, but now that I have joined the club I certainly don’t feel very old – though I’m sure
to many people I certainly look it! In spite of the aches and pains that come with the advancing
years I praise God that I am still feeling fairly healthy and pray that I can offer a few more
years service in the Lord’s harvest. No doubt your prayers have helped me in the past and I
trust they will continue to do so.
At the end of this Jubilee year I am praising God for the countless blessings I have received
during 50 years as a missionary priest. High among the blessings are the special people I have
encountered around the world – and the fact that you are receiving this letter means that you
are one of them. Many of the older ones among you have been receiving Christmas Letters
from me for 50 years! Special greetings to special people at a special time.
I marked the anniversary with Jubilee Masses in several places during the year. The first was
a Zoom Mass celebrated (in Buncrana, Co Donegal) with my sisters and brothers of the Ichthus
Prayer Group that I belonged to when I was in Manila. The day I was ordained in 1974 was
Pentecost Sunday, so the Jubilee Zoom Mass was held on Pentecost Sunday this year – 19th
May. During the Covid lockdown we held a Zoom Mass every Sunday for members of this
group who are now scattered throughout the world. Those weekly Masses were facilitated by
Rosanna Bradley in Buncrana. I would celebrate the Mass in our SMA chapel here in Dublin
while others logged in from Philippines, California, Virginia, Washington, Canada, and
Australia and a few other places.
In 1974 my family were living in Foxford in Co Mayo (having moved from Belfast a couple
of years before) so it was from there that I was ordained. My second Jubilee celebration this
year was a thanksgiving Mass in Foxford parish church on the 2nd June – the actual date of the
ordination. As well as my siblings who helped plan the event, I would like to thank Fr Padraig
Costello PP and the people of Foxford for making this possible and for all my family members
and friends who shared this occasion with me. I can never forget the reception I received in
Foxford 50 years ago when I returned after the ordination in Ballaghaderreen Cathedral.
The third Jubilee Mass took place in St Agnes’ Church in Belfast on 8th June. Thanks to my
siblings in Belfast for organising the day. I spent much of my early life in St Agnes’ Parish and
I celebrated my first Mass there after my ordination. Once again it was great to see so many
of my family members and friends present – some who were present at the first Mass 50 years
ago. I was also happy to meet a former school friend I haven’t seen in 50 years!
The fourth Jubilee event took place in Maynooth College on the 10th and 11th June when all
the Maynooth Jubilarians (Silver, Golden and Diamond) gathered for a Jubilee Mass and
dinner. It was great to meet some of my Maynooth classmates again – most of whom I haven’t
met since we were ordained. We especially remembered our classmates who have already gone
home to the Lord. I have many good memories of my years in Maynooth.
On the 16th June we had a Jubilee Mass at our SMA House in Ranelagh, Dublin, where I am
presently based. This event was attended by the members of our Dublin SMA community and
the staff who work at our house. Some family members and friends from the Dublin area also
shared the occasion with us. I thank my community, my good friend Paddy Gorman for
preparing the food, and my ‘Dublin’ sisters, Maria and Bridgeen, for helping to serve it.
The next event was our official SMA Jubilee celebration at our SMA House in Dromantine,
Co. Down on 28th June. This event was preceded by a four-day retreat – a good time to catch
my breath. We were 5 SMAs ordained in 1974 (Hugh O’Kane, Tom McNamara, Connie
Griffin, Pat Lynch and me). Connie Griffin sadly died in Nigeria 17 years ago and is now
resting in joy with the Lord. Many other SMAs and friends joined us for the occasion.
The final Jubilee Mass (the 7th if you are counting) took place on the 13th July in Cork with the
members of the Wilton Prayer Group that I was part of when I worked in Ireland from 1979 to
- It was held at the home of Ger and Aine O’Leary in Passage West. I praise God for this
group with whom I shared many blessed times in the past and with whom I hope to share more
blessed times in the future. A big thanks to Aine and Ger for making this event possible.
In September I was planning to travel to various parts of the USA to mark the Jubilee with
family and friends on that side. Unfortunately it was not to happen. On July 18th I had an
accident and managed to fracture my right foot. I had to wear a medical boot for four weeks
and endure a further four weeks of physiotherapy after that, so the trip to USA did not happen.
Maybe this was the Lord’s way of reminding me that I am now old and need more time to rest!
I’m still hoping to go to USA next year.
This has turned out to be an unusual Christmas Letter – but as this has been a special year for
me I wanted to share with you some of what has been happening during it. For many others in
our world today this past year has certainly not been one of celebration, but one of increasing
darkness with the wars and climate disasters. With all that is happening it is hard to have hope,
but hope is what we Christians do. We are preparing to celebrate the Light of Christ coming
into our world – the Light which banishes the darkness and which is the basis of our hope. As
Christians we are called to open our hearts to this Light – and when we do we are able to pass
it to those around us. This is how the darkness will be banished. This is our hope. Pope Francis
has proclaimed the theme for the Jubilee year 2025 as “Pilgrims of Hope” in which we
Christians are called to be messengers of hope in our very troubled world.
A blessed, peaceful and hope-filled Christmas.
Fr Pat
81 Ranelagh Road, Dublin D06 WT10, Ireland
