Feast of the Assumption – Year B: 15.08.24
Mass @ 9.30am – St. Patrick’s Church, Johnstownbridge
Introduction:
The Cathedral in Carlow honours Our Lady of the Assumption, as do four of our churches, Paulstown, The Heath, Vicarstown and the twelfth century Duiske Abbey in Graignamanagh. Several honour Our Lady generally or the Immaculate Conception particularly. Johnstownbridge here honours St. Patrick, as do Ballyroan, Rathoe, Ballymurphy, Killeigh, Newtown and Rathvilly. Rathangan honours both the Assumption and St. Patrick!
The Assumption celebrates Our Lady assumed body and soul into heaven. While it enjoys a long tradition of belief within the Church, it is only in Church time a recent dogma, declared by Pope Pius XII in 1950. Why he needed to declare as dogmatic something that was already revered for centuries is anyone’s guess? While the scriptures may be silent on this matter, our faith speaks loudest. Tradition holds special reverence for August 15th, and always will.
How appropriate to come here on August 15th to offer this Mass of Thanksgiving for the Johnstownbridge and wider Balyna parish community carrying out a super restoration and painting of this much loved church, interior and exterior. The replacing of the three heritage windows in a church that dates back to the 1830’s stands out for special mention as we soon begin ‘National Heritage Week’. The rewiring and the amplification have also been part of this work, all of this done by local fundraising and some generous donors. Well done to one and all.
I thank our sacristan Caroline McNally for her watchful eye on this church during the entire project; she is a huge presence in this place and deeply appreciated, as are the other church sacristans – Damien Daly (Broadford) and Gary Hickey (Clogherinkoe). Others who often help here are Gary Stynes and Susan Greville. I welcome those from the BREDA Centre here on the grounds, Irene Hurley and Ann Hackett. Thanks to Jane Mooney who directs the choir and Maria Murphy and Declan Seery who play the organ. The O’Neill family in the Hamlet have been most helpful, a special word to John and Decky’s mam Phil. I welcome the painter Alex Vol-o-vitz and Greville Hardware who provided the paint at cost, welcome to Albert and Sheila. And all of it under the guidance of Fr. Seán. I thank all of you and am very glad to be here.
And so as we gather this Holyday morning let us call to mind our sins and pray for forgiveness …
