Bicentenary of St. Michan's Parish Church

Archbishop Martin's Homily
Bicentenary Mass on 25th August 2017

Bicentenary Celebrations

Camino de Compostela - 7th September to 14th September


Ten pilgrims, Fr. Bryan Shortall, Br. Jeremy Henehan, Anne and Robert Donahoe, Carmel Keogh, James McCarthy, John Dowling, Paddy O’Reilly, Pauline Oman and Paddy Pender, left Dublin on Thursday, 7th September and arrived in Santiago on Thursday next, 14^th September. They made the pilgrimage from Tui (Portugal) to Santiago de Compostela in thanksgiving for the Bicentenary of St. Michan’s Church. Ten pilgrims walked from Tui to Santiago de Compostela in thanksgiving for the Bicentenary of St. Michan’s Church. During the pilgrimage, prayers were offered for the intentions of the parishioners of St. Michan’s – living and deceased.

This is a snap shot of the pilgrimage which one of the pilgrims summed up with pain, Compeed and companions. The pain and the need for the Compeed plasters are forgotten very quickly, but no one will ever forget the wonderful people they met along the way. Pilgrims from every corner of the globe were making their way to the Shrine of St. James. Some were on the road for days while others were at the end of a five or six-week pilgrimage. Working from left to right from the top row, the first image is of a wall covered in scallop shells which were prayer petitions for loved ones, one of our pilgrim passports covered in the stamps from the stopping points, the smiling pilgrims on the first day, a note left by St. Michan’s on a wall at a resting point, a typical Camino sign, outside the cathedral in Santiago soon after we arrived, a typical pathway on one of the many hills on the journey and finally, Fr. Bryan concelebrating the Pilgrim Mass in the Cathedral on the evening we arrived.

Many thanks for all the prayerful support offered to the pilgrims and for the Twitter and Facebook greetings throughout the week. Mass was offered each day for all your intentions and along the route we prayed the Beatitudes of the Camino for you.

The Beatitudes of the Pilgrim
Blessed are you pilgrim, if you discover that the “camino” opens your eyes to what is not seen.
Blessed are you pilgrim, if what concerns you most is not to arrive, as to arrive with others.
Blessed are you pilgrim, when you contemplate the “camino” and you discover it is full of names and dawns.
Blessed are you pilgrim, because you have discovered that the authentic “camino” begins when it is completed.
Blessed are you pilgrim, if your knapsack is emptying of things and your heart does not know where to hang up so many feelings and emotions.
Blessed are you pilgrim, if you discover that one step back to help another is more valuable than a hundred forward without seeing what is at your side.
Blessed are you pilgrim, when you don’t have words to give thanks for everything that surprises you at every twist and turn of the way.
Blessed are you pilgrim, if you search for the truth and make of the “camino” a life, and of your life a “way”, in search of the one who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Blessed are you pilgrim, if on the way you meet yourself and gift yourself with time, without rushing, so as not to disregard the image in your heart.
Blessed are you pilgrim, if you discover that the “camino” holds a lot of silence; and the silence of prayer; and the prayer of meeting with God who is waiting for you.
Amen


A Prayer for Pilgrims
God, who brought your servant Abraham out of the land of the Chaldeans,
protecting him in his wanderings, who guided the Hebrew people across the desert,
we ask that you watch over us, your servants,
as we walk in the love of your name to shrine of St. James, Santiago de Compostela.
Be for us our companion on the walk,
Our guide at the crossroads,
Our breath in our weariness,
Our protection in danger,
Our home along the way,
Our shade in the heat,
Our light in the darkness,
Our consolation in our discouragements, And our strength in our intentions.
So that with your guidance we may arrive safe and sound at the end of our journey,
and, enriched with grace and virtue, we may return safely to our homes filled with joy.

In confidence we make our prayer.

House Blessings
We have completed the house blessings for the moment but if you were unavailable when we visited your area, not to worry – we would be delighted to arrange a suitable time to call over to you. Please contact the parish office on 8730675.

Family Fun Day

The sun came out last Sunday for the duration of the Family Fun Day on Halston Street, and a super afternoon was had by all. Thanks to Caitriona Branchflower and Monica Collins for coming up with the plan, and their trojan work in bringing all the people together ensuring it was a success. Click on the pictures to see the whole story!

 

 

We recently received a newspaper cutting from 1951 and we would love to hear from relations of the four boys featured in the article – namely, Paddy O’Neill (Arran Street), Paddy Clifford (Mary’s Abbey), Thomas Masterson (Mary’s Abbey) and Eddie Bates (Mary’s Abbey). They were aged between 10 and 13 years at the time the article was written.

With you help and input, this new book for the Bicentenary Year will give a snapshot of St. Michan’s parish which stretches far beyond the visible boundary of the parish in Dublin’s North Inner City to every continent. Be part of the story…

The Parish Pastoral Council is planning monthly events during 2017 to celebrate the opening of this church in 1817. The foundation stone was laid by Archbishop John Thomas Troy on the Feast of St. Michan, 25th August 1812 and he opened and blessed the church on 25th November 1817.

The plans will require your help along the way as we try to contact parishioners who have links with the church of St. Michan or with the wider church. In particular, do you know of any parishioners who served the church at home or abroad? That is, missionaries, religious sisters and brothers, deacons and priests. If you do, please let us have their name(s) and contact details so that we can invite as many as possible to join the celebrations.

Very briefly, we hope to have:

(1) Traditional Music event
(2) Novena of Grace with a very special list of invited speakers
(3) Schools involvement in preparing an event
(4) Outdoor Masses throughout the parish
(5) Events over the summer months for the many religious orders who lived and worked in the parish
(6) Feast Day Mass on 25th August
(7) Markets Mass
(8) Weekly walks in solidarity with the Camino walkers start November 2016
(9) Camino to Santiago (Book early for September trip)
(10) Orchestral event in Autumn

Snapshots of St. Michan’s Parish

We recently invited people to submit photographs of historical interest to help celebrate the Bicentenary of the Parish Church of St. Michan. Scouting Ireland sent in these pictures and wonder if you know any of the men/boys in them. The priest (above) is Fr. Morgan Crowe and it was taken on St. Patrick’s Day during 1930s. The picture below is labelled “St. Patrick’s Day, 1930” but none of the scouts are wearing shamrock. It could have been taken before the Mass/blessing of the shamrock. Email us at the above address &/OR send in your own family/parish memories for consideration in our next Parish Book.
 

Related downloads

• Itinerary for Camino 2017
• Weekly Bicentenary Walks
• Items for a new book Can you help identify the people in the photographs?

Some of the walkers making their way along the Luas line from Four Courts Stop.