Faith Alive! and Ecumenical Matters in Westport

 


Faith Alive! 

Behold how good and how lovely it is
 when brothers [and sisters] live together in unity.
It is fragrant as oil upon the head...

Psalm 133: 1


Monica Morley and Fr John Kenny


Reopening of Holy Trinity Church, Westport, 30th November 2025, Advent Sunday


Holy Trinity Church, Westport, reopened for services last Sunday after being closed due to damage from Storm Éowyn for the past 10 months. During this period of closure weekly services were held in St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, on Sundays and on Wednesday mornings, with use also being made weekly of Carrowbeg House for tea and coffee. Indeed, on more than one Sunday in Carrowbeg House, St Mary's friends even provided the refreshments, and helped serve and clean up afterwards.

Revd Suzanne Cousins Church of Ireland Rector and Fr John Kenny ADM St Mary’s joined Monica Morley on Midwest Radio's Faith Alive to talk about how the two faith communities worked together during this time and the experience from their perspectives. The interview refers to how, around 20 years ago, under the leadership of the Very Revd Gary Hastings, Holy Trinity similarly accommodated the St Mary's congregation.

You can listen to the Faith Alive programme and interview here:


or see

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17eRWVsFEa/?mibextid=wwXIfr





A Note of Gratitude

 

The congregation and Rector of Holy Trinity cannot adequately express their gratitude  to St Mary's congregation and Fr John Kenny for the warmth of welcome and hospitality received during the ten months, from late January to the end of November.

Sincere and humble thanks go to the whole of the Westport community for the kindness and encouragement during this unsettled time, and for the many verbal, practical and financial expressions of support of the work to make the building safe. 

Huge thanks are due also to the visiting choirs which held concerts to raise funds towards the emergency repairs, including: 

- Dublin Choral Union, with Duncan Brickenden; 

- Kathy Quinn with choir, orchestra and soloists who performed the beautiful baroque 'Lumières'; 

- Sandford and St Philip's Choral Union (Dublin) and Director David O'Shea assisted by John Dexter who conducted Faure's Requiem; 

- and still to come, on Friday 5th December in St Mary's Church Westport at 8pm, Roscommon Solstice Choir with guests Westport Children's Choir. (Please come along. This event is free, with every donation greatly appreciated. Thank you.) 


The next (remaining) section of repair work to the ceiling is due to be carried out early in the New Year, thanks to an amazing team of professionals - architects and craftsmen - with the welcome support of Mayo Co Council Conservation Office, and assisted by the dedicated church and glebe wardens of the parish. 


Save the Date!

As a means of expressing gratitude, Holy Trinity will be holding the following special service and event, on Friday 23rd January at 7.30pm in Holy Trinity Church, with Bishop Michael Burrows, ecumenical guests, local musicians and representatives from the community. Everyone is warmly invited and welcome:


A Celebration of Reopening of Holy Trinity Church, Westport,

with Blessing of Works 

and Rededication of the Church

Friday 23rd January at 7.30pm in Holy Trinity Church


More details to follow, DV. 

Buíochas le Dia! 





Popular posts from this blog

In memoriam: Linda Bourke

Image
  "Safe in the arms of Jesus." It is with great sadness that we share with you the news of the death of our friend and sister in Christ, Linda Bourke, faithful Westport parishioner (Holy Trinity Church), on Sunday 9th March, peacefully in Mayo University Hospital.  May she rest in peace and rise in glory.  Notice and arrangements can also be found here:   https://rip.ie/death-notice/linda-bourke-mayo-westport-587759 The death has occurred of Linda Bourke, Riverside, Clogher, Westport – peacefully.   Predeceased by her parents Alex & Frances & infant sister Elizabeth.   Deeply regretted by her sister Iris, extended family, relatives, neighbours, friends & her Westport Country Market Community.   AT REST   Reposing at McGing's Funeral Home (F28 RX58) on Tuesday (Mar 11th) from 11:30am until 12:30pm. THE PUBLIC QUEUE FOR ENTRY INTO THE FUNERAL HOME WILL NOW BE FROM THE SHOP STREET DIRECTION.   Funeral arriving to Holy Trinity Cemeter...
Read more

Return to Inishbiggle, Sat 15 February 2025

Image
  It was especially joyful for a few of us from mainland Mayo to step foot again on Inishbiggle on 15th February, having been prevented by the weather from sailing on our last attempt at the end of November 2024. While on this occasion it was lashing in Limerick, wet in Westport, and raining cats and dogs in Castlebar, the sun was splitting the clouds gloriously on the approach to beautiful Biggle. Also uplifting was to arrive at the church and on entering to find it looking, if not transfigured, transformed - for example, with its newly-stripped and repolished pews, clean floors, doors, harmonica and walls, and a close-to-spotless vestry into the bargain. Hats off and enormous thanks to the church wardens for the hours of painstaking work - truly a labour of love for this precious and important place of gathering and worship, emanating from a sincere love for God and his people, of all faiths and persuasions. Holy Trinity Inishbiggle conveys the message “Come on in! There’s plenty...
Read more

Inishbiggle: Images, and an article on the history of the Church of Ireland on the island

Image
  A few more images taken on Inishbiggle on Sat 15 Feb 2025, thanks mainly to Jim Waters, Westport, and an informative article (2013), below, by Patrick Comerford, on the history of the Church of Ireland on the island.  You can read the full unedited article, with images, here:  http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2013/05/a-history-of-church-of-ireland-on.html .  Shared with thanks to the author.     The freshly decorated interior and beautifully restored pews A history of the Church of Ireland on Inishbiggle  You can read this informative article  by Patrick Comerford,  in full, unedited, with images, here:  http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2013/05/a-history-of-church-of-ireland-on.html From a lecture by  Patrick Comerford  in Holy Trinity Church. Inishbiggle Island, given on Sunday 6 May 2013, as part of a guided walk on Inishbiggle Island led by Sheila McHugh during the ninth Annual Heinrich Böll Memorial Weekend 2013. It wa...
Read more