“The year was a good one. The message of hope is important and is intrinsically linked to Faith. The whole purpose of Faith is Hope; hope in eternal life, hope in salvation, hope in God, hope in God’s help, His presence and His love” said Bishop Tom Deenihan in remarks exclusive to this paper.
Bishop Deenihan continued: “I think, that our world needs hope. The year was well punctured with dreadful headlines, only this week we’ve had the terrible news from Australia. We’re all praying for the victims of the shooting and for their families and friends at this time.
We’ve have the war in Ukraine, the conflict in Palestine and Israel and so many other places. Both Pope Francis and Pope Leo have observed that a Third World War is being fought piecemeal. These sentences hide the dreadful heartache of the bereaved and the injured. There are always human stories behind the headlines. Sometimes that gets forgotten.”
He added: “Our own country has also experienced some dreadful tragedies; road deaths continue, murders and the most appalling attacks on persons are becoming more common. While it is easy to become hopeless, it is easy to see too why a message of Hope is welcome.”
From a faith perspective he said he saw many signs of hope
“The initial months of the Jubilee Year were marked by the declining health and, indeed, the death of Pope Francis. The crowds at his funeral on Easter Saturday and the numbers who were moved at his passing were most impressive and were proof that his message touched many within and outside the Church. The election of Pope Leo a few weeks later was another moment of joy and, indeed, hope. The Church continues and the Lord continues to provide shepherds. The way that Pope Leo has impressed people since his election and his calm and consistent call for peace is resonating with people everywhere. His message to journalists the day after his inauguration to use words that build peace is one we could all take to heart in our everyday conversation and social media commentary.”
The Bishop added that he has seen a hunger for faith among young people.
“In the Diocese of Meath, we had over forty young pilgrims in Rome for the Jubilee of Hope and we also had a Diocesan Pilgrimage to Rome in September which was oversubscribed. There is a hunger there for Faith and Hope. We designated two churches in the Diocese as pilgrimage sites for the Year of Faith; the Parish Church in Oldcastle, where Saint Oliver Plunkett was born 400 years ago, and Clonard Church, where Saint Finian, the Patron of the Diocese, had his Monastery. These were well attended and we invited Archbishop Eamon Martin, the current Archbishop of Armagh to preach at his predecessors birthplace in Lough Crew. It was a memorable event and it is celebrated annually. Putting all those factors together, the Year of Hope has been a success and has given fresh courage and confidence to faith.”