HE briefs head 16

PARISH curate Brian White arrived home exhausted but overwhelmed by the conduct of the young people and the sheer enormity of being part of a congregation of two and a half million people from all over the globe who attended the World Youth Day.

Father Brian led the 100 odd pilgrims from the Armagh Diocese to Krakow, and it was the third youth pilgrimage he has taken charge of as chairperson of the Armagh Diocesan Youth Commission to the World Youth Day, leading the groups to Sydney and Madrid in 2008 and 2011, respectively. Altogether it was the fifth festival he attended, having travelled to Cologne in 2005 and Rome in 2000.

He took over the role from Father Gerry Campbell who formerly served as curate in the parish and is currently parish priest of Kilkerley which was previously part of the Haggardstown and Blackrock parish. Father Brian is due to step down as chairperson next month in September.

Three young people from the parish, Katie Brady, Paul Conlon and Dearbhla Moran made the pilgrimage to Krakow, and the party had a distinctive local flavour with over 30, a third of the young boys and girls from the greater Dundalk area stretching from Ardee to Cooley. Furthermore two of the 15 leaders who included Father Brian were Father Brian Slater who is at- tached to Saint Patrick’s parish in Dundalk and newly ordained deacon Barry Mathews from the Point Road in the town.

For Father Brian the really heart-warming highlight of the week was how the young people, who ranged in age from 18 to 30, conducted themselves so outstandingly well like the Irish supporters in enhancing their reputation and that of the country at the European soccer championships in France earlier in the summer.

‘People talk about the Irish fans at the Euro champions. The young people were just brilliant,’ he remarked, recalling their joyful signing and dancing in the square and no drink involved. ‘It was amazing I have to say.’”

The young people’s prayerful attention and dignity and manner in which they looked after each other at the overnight prayer vigil on the Saturday night before the close of the festival stood out in his mind, and the scene of young people for miles holding aloft candles in their hands.

Also etched in Father Brian’s memory was the sheer size of the crowd. ‘You can’t imagine what it was like to be in the middle of two and a half million with nothing but people on every aspect of the horizon,’ he remarked.

The pilgrimage was a major logistical operation. ‘ We were preparing for the trip for the last two years,’ he told

The young people who travelled were invited through their parish newsletters to apply to go on the pilgrimage, and their parishes carried out different fundraising to cover the cost.

To enable them to get to know each other, familiarisation days were arranged ahead of the trip. Father Brian was also involved in arranging accommodation, travelling to Krakow beforehand with others, and succeeded in acquiring university dormitories for the young people to stay right where all the celebrations took place.

‘ The young people had a great time and that’s what it is all about. They will never have an experience like that again.’ commented Father Brian.

The next World Youth Day will take place in Panama in 2019.

Normal

Masses are due to return as normal this week to Saint Oliver Plunkett Church. Due to the renovation work in the church weekday Masses and on Saturday morning have been celebrated in the Legion of Mary hall on Sandy Lane for past number of weeks.

The Saturday evening vigil and Sunday morning Masses continued in the church.

But all Masses are scheduled to take place in the church from this week.

Organsale

The church organ in Saint Oliver’s has been sold back to the Parish of Armagh where it is to be installed again in the Cathedral.

The Kenneth Jones 2 manual pipe model started out life in Armagh Cathedral, being commissioned and built in the 1980s.

As the Cathedral underwent restoration in 2002 it was purchased and given a new home in Saint Oliver’s church.

The parish management in consultation with the Saint Oliver choirs, Pastoral Council and Finance Management Committee and parish of Armagh, reached agreement for the organ to return to the Cathedral.

The funds raised will help defray the cost of extra work to the guttering and car park of Saint Oliver’s.

Graveyardday

The patrun and blessing of the graves in the parish’s old cemetery on the Golf Links Road is on Sunday next, August 14 at 7pm.

Jackpotnotwon

There was one winner this week but not of the €17,000 jackpot in the Geraldines lottery. Antoinette Watters of Cafe Aqua, Blackrock won the match three prize of €200, as again nobody managed to pick all four numbers drawn: 1, 11, 15 and 27.

The jackpot this week rises to €17,200.