our parish communities, in our Diocese of Kilmore and indeed, in our world which is troubled due to divisions, conflict and war.
In view of that reality, we are grateful along with the Church worldwide for the celebration of Jubilee Year of Hope 2025. We give thanks for our Jubilee celebrations at Trinity Island to acknowledge St Felim who lived nearby, at Drumlane Abbey, to recognise St Maedhóg, also known as St Aidan, at his birthplace on St Maedhóg Island, and his burial place in Rossinver. We gave thanks for gatherings to celebrate St Kilian and his companions St Kolanat and St Totnan in Mullagh on the 1st anniversary of the visit of their relics as well as the liturgies at Mass Rocks and Shrines in parishes throughout the diocese.
Each of these celebrations gave recognition to the origins of our Christian story and to the resilience of people of faith through the generations in Kilmore Diocese. As ‘pilgrims of hope’ we went on pilgrimage Knock on the Feast of St Felim. We travelled to Lourdes in greater numbers in the company of our assisted pilgrims, all our volunteer staff and younger helpers which this year included students of St. Patrick’s College, Cavan.
During our Jubilee Year we reached out to young people with a day in Knock on 14th June and with our Diocesan Day for Young People on 27th September. We give thanks for those who completed a two year training for Ministry to Young People who will be involved in future projects. It is great that the preparations for our Jubilee Churches, the Novena of Hope in the Cathedral, our outreach to the bereaved, our pilgrimage to Rome and our Jubilee of Prisoners in Loughan House have had their impact. We will conclude and give thanks for our Jubilee of Hope 2025 with the celebration of Mass on Sunday, 28th December @ 11.30am in the Cathedral of St Patrick
& St Felim.
Over the past year we give thanks for our Lay Pastoral Ministry programme which began with a period of discernment and continues in conjunction with the Department of Mission & Ministries of St Patrick’s Pontifical University, Maynooth until June 2027. We pray for our participants, who will, as part of their course, commence their parish assignments in pastoral care and nurturing our faith in early 2026.
We give thanks for the ongoing work of our Kilmore Care of Creation Group with parishes and for Co Leitrim parishes who embraced the Return to Nature project assisted by the Irish Heritage Council Biodiversity staff in this the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’ on Care for our Common Home.
It is important to acknowledge the commitment of our parish faith communities, our priests, deacons, lay volunteers, the members of our Parish Pastoral Councils with whom we engaged in early Spring in our ongoing conversations in faith as part of the universal and Irish Church synodal process. We give thanks for all involved in our parishes who staff the essential local committees, all our diocesan
staff and volunteers who remain a tremendous source of life-giving support.
In acknowledging the role of our clergy, we pray for the souls of Canon John Murphy, Fr Eamonn Bredin, Fr Barney Doyle of Kilmore Diocese, and for Fr Michael Gilsenan of the Sacred Hearts Congregation who died during 2025 and who contributed to the life of Kilmore Diocese through their dedicated ministry. We are grateful to their families. We sympathise with them and with their former parishioners. We continue to pray for vocations to priesthood and religious life.
Finally, as we reflect on the past year, we must continue to rely on God’s help for our mission here in Kilmore Diocese and as we respond to the needs, the cries of our troubled world at this time. I take inspiration in this Advent time from the Word of God in Isaiah as follows, “But our Lord is waiting to be gracious to you, to rise and take pity on you, for our Lord is a just God; happy are all who hope in him.” We give thanks once again for our Jubilee Year of Hope 2025 as we look to the future with God’s help.
May our patient waiting, our yearning for new light during Advent be rewarded again with an ever-deepening appreciation of the Birth of Jesus among us at Christmas. May the joy of the Birth of Jesus sustain us throughout the New Year ahead.
Beannacht Dé libh go léir
+ Martin Hayes
Bishop of Kilmore