"The Far East" 108 years in circulation

Readable on mobile phone

The Society of St Columban (S.S.C.), also known as The Maynooth Mission to China, was created in 1918 by Frs Edward Galvin and John Blowick (more here). Archbishop Eamon Martin paid tribute to the order on the occasion of its centenary in 2018 (here), while their magazine, The Far East, has been  -- and is still to this day  -- documenting their good work. The article above gives us the story of a priest based in Birmingham who had a serious bad turn in Heathrow but, very fortunately, survived to tell the tale and continue, ever so bravely and admirably, his good work. (A digital subscription to the magazine costs, believe it or not, just €10 per annum.)

What memories this magazine brings back to those of a certain age!  It came into every home in the 50s and 60s as did later, though to a lesser extent, The Word (SVD), set up in 1953, and Reality (Redemptorists), set up in 1936. Of these three, only The Far East continues to appear, the other two folding in 2008 and 2022 respectively.

Fr Kieran O'Mahony OSA (1951-2026)

Kieran O'Mahony as seen on his website, www.tarsus.ie

Today, 28th August, is the feast day of St Augustine. The Pope, as everyone knows, is an Augustinian and, for a long time here in Ireland, the Augustinian priest Fr O'Mahony was also very well known. His death ten days ago (see here) came as a big surprise. He set up his own website named after St Paul of Tarsus (www.tarsus.ie) which was a very valuable resource for reading the Bible. Many visitors to this parish website (now blog) must have visited it over the years (see link 'Reading the Bible', left side-bar) and greatly appreciated the work that Kieran put into it. The home page gives us his approach:

The goal of this website is to open people's minds and hearts to the Word of God. The ordinary person experiences Scripture mostly through the readings at public worship. Accordingly, my own emphasis will be on the Sunday and daily readings as found in the Catholic lectionary. This lectionary is not too different from the Revised Common Lectionary and my sincere hope is that the resources found here might be used across the Christian traditions. 

This last statement expresses a laudable ecumenical spirit. 

On the great saint's feast day, then, ten days after the passing into the next life of his faithful follower, Fr Kieran O'Mahony, this line from the Confessions can nicely include them both, the final words echoing the usual prayer for the deceased, RIP (requiscat in pace):

Fecisti nos ad te, et inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in te ("You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you"). 

The Signs of the Times in our Dioceses

For a better view, click here.

Call for Courage in Dublin Diocese

From Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Dermot Farrell's Sermon for Pentecost Sunday, 24th May 2026:

"Our world has changed and is continuing to change. Parishes are changing too and need to find new expression, allowing new forms of pastoral care to emerge, ‘from which Christian witness can shine for the world’. (Dicastery for the Clergy, The Pastoral Conversion of the Parish Community in the Service of the Evangelising Mission of the Church, 2020, 123).

"It is in this spirit and in this hope that this Pentecost Letter puts before the Diocese a process which provides for initial reflection in parishes on their future. This process also sets out the formal steps to be taken, together with the Archbishop, when new parish structures and relationships are being considered: Process for the Modification of Parishes for Mission (May 2026)."

Call for Courage in Limerick Diocese

Bishop Brendan Leahy, Irish Catholic, 18th May '26

From Bishop Leahy's letter read in Limerick churches, Sunday 14th June '26 (see here):

"[T]he Church is entering a period that will require difficult decisions and new ways of working and a broadening of volunteerism across parishes. [. . .]  We must also be honest about the challenges ahead. Many of the proposals brought forward are excellent, but they come at a time when both clergy and parishioners are ageing, and when the pool of volunteers is smaller than before. We cannot keep asking the same faithful people to take on more. [. . .]  [T]he future vitality of parish life will depend increasingly on the willingness of lay people to become actively involved in ministry and leadership. Unless more people are willing to become actively involved in the life of the parish, many of the aspirations and proposals that emerged from the parish consultations will be difficult to realise. The call for more lay involvement is not abstract, it is real and urgent." [This blog editor's emphasis]

The parish consultations referred to may be found here: Parish Consultation Report.