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").