Parish News

Fr. Billy O'Donovan Our New P.P. Writes....

Many thanks for the welcome extended to me in the previous edition of Conna News. I am also grateful that you have, as suggested in the welcome, allowed me time and space to settle in. It does take a bit of time and you tend not to be so gracious when you are still living out of boxes and are constantly being asked "are you settled"?
So I do appreciate the opportunity you have all given to me.

Change is always difficult. But it is a part of life. A friend of mine wrote a book about the Irish church and he called it "Change or Decay". Any person or institution that resists change completely is in decay. Life itself is change. The greatest we experience are birth and death. And both involve leaving behind the warmth of a known safety and security and venturing alone into an unknown territory. All other changes in life reflect this, whether it is the first day at school, leaving home, a new job, or, indeed, changing parishes.

Now in my fourth month in Conna I must say I am much more gracious when asked if I am settled. The Bishop on appointing me told me what a strong community there is in this parish that it was very central, and because I had an interest in horses I would be very happy here! I can only recall being in Conna on one previous occasion before this and that was to pick up the keys from Fr. Goold when I was appointed to Midleton. So I said in reply to the Bishop, "central to where" and " if interest in horses is important I'd prefer a permanent appointment to Cheltenham"! Seriously, I am really delighted to be in this parish and look forward to many happy years here. Mind you what I must say to the Bishop is that November is the worst possible time to move, especially when the changes were supposed to be in June. Also, I must remind him that this is the second time I have come after Fr. Eamon Goold. Trying to fill his boots once was difficult, to do so twice, impossible. Fr. Eamon is a great friend to me as he is too many of you, but he is also, in every sense, a true brother priest. I am grateful to him for making it so easy for me to take over here. I don't think there is a parish in Ireland that has been passed on in better shape, thanks to him and in no small part to all of you. I know I reflect the good wishes of every person here in praying for health, strength and happiness for him in the huge challenge that is Midleton.

Our Mission

I am, and will be for some time to come, getting to know the Parish of Conna, Ballynoe and Glengoura. But even now I would hope that we can achieve a lot together. I think all our endeavours must begin with a mission statement. Maybe a good one might be as follows,

OUR MISSION AS A COMMUNITY IS TO STRIVE TO FULFILL EACH DAY THE COMMAND OF EACH SUNDAY TO GO IN PEACE TO LOVE AND SERVE THE LORD.

We are, above all a Christian Community. We assemble each Sunday to worship as a community. We are not a bunch of individuals like strangers on a plane or a train. What is it that makes us different? First of all it is our faith, our belief in God and in his Son, Jesus Christ. We belong to the Church he founded. It is to worship God through Jesus that we assemble at Mass.

But it does not stop there. While at Mass we listen to the Word of God in the Readings and we share the Communion of Jesus in the Eucharist. We do so as community, not as private devotion. So when we leave the celebration we are sent out to put into practice what we have professed in Church.

For far too long, I believe, the Church has been seen as the church of the bishops and the clergy. The main body of people, you yourselves, who comprise the Church have had little say and little involvement. The Second Vatican Council described the Church as the People of God. Without the people there simply would be no Church. It has some wonderful expressions of the role of every Christian in the world. It is the mission of every member of the Church to bring the message of Christ to his/her corner of the world. As you read this, remember that there are people and situations that God can touch only through you. No one before you or after you can do that unique work for God. The Church is you and I and together we have a unique and vital part to play.

Your Church
So, you might ask, what is my vision for us as a Christian Community. It is that together we live out the command "to love and serve the Lord". Older people will have seen changes in the Church - Mass in English/Irish, readers, ministers of Holy Communion, the priest facing the people and so on. These are good in themselves but they are all confined to the actual church building. Has there been any real change in the way people behave outside of the church building? This is where I feel we have lost out. To love and serve the Lord is our vocation whatever walk of life we are in. the challenge is to bring what we publicly claim we believe in each Sunday with us to each day of the week; to ask myself - do I really make a difference, does my belief change anything about the way I behave or treat others. These are questions that you and I have to ask and answer if we are to take the whole thing seriously.
My firm conviction is that the future of the Church is in your hands. It is time that you, the people, took ownership of your church. For far too long you have been denied this. As a priest here with you my dream would be that you would be involved in running church and parish events in every possible way. My hope would be that we can work together so that we can make a difference.

Some time ago in London I noticed a sticker on the back of a car. It read "CATHOLIC AND PROUD OF IT".
For too long we have been apologetic in our approach. This is not good enough. We bear the message, the Good News of Jesus Christ. We must never be ashamed of the Good News. We must be proud to proclaim it. But to do so we must be deeply convinced that we have something special to offer. Each individual must look to this and see where his/her belief fits in their priorities. Only when a whole group of convinced and committed people come together for a common purpose, only then have you a true community. You as a parish are renowned for your community spirit and endeavours. You are seen as a model for other communities. My hope for my time here is that together we can grow as a Christian community, a community that includes young and old, where local and stranger feel they belong and are welcome ,where no person feels excluded, where the values of the Gospel are put into real life in the way we live; may we in this way also become a model for other communities.

Fr.Billy O'Donovan