Pope Francis on his final day on the earth, Easter Sunday, showed us what it is to be strengthened by faith in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Pope Leo XIV in his opening address from the balcony of St Peter’s asks us to journey through life together in Christian Hope:
“God loves us, God loves you all, and evil will not prevail.
All of us are in God’s hands.
So, let us move forward, without fear, together,
hand in hand with God and with one another!
We are followers of Christ. Christ goes before us.”
The past year has seen three priests, David, Sospeter and Timothy arrive on loan to us from Eldoret diocese in Kenya. Also arrived is a priest from India, of the Order of St Camillus, Fr Arlappa, who will be a chaplain in UHK (the Order has a special charism for hospital ministry). He will be joined by a colleague before the Autumn. We are deeply grateful for their support and that of their dioceses. Their presence challenges us all to truly live our faith, to ask God to send labourers into the harvest, – to call from among us vocations to the priesthood to serve our needs.
This year three priests retire. Each has ministered as a priest for fifty years and more. We thank God for their service. We wish them happiness, good health and every blessing in retirement.
Facing the ongoing challenge posed by having fewer priests to minister in our parishes, the past year has been very important. We commissioned twenty-five parishioners as pastoral leaders following an intensive preparation course. Also, five candidates for the permanent diaconate are completing their formation program. They will serve in every parish alongside all who are already involved as volunteers, some who have given many hours of service over many, many years: Eucharistic Ministers, Readers, committee members, etc., not forgetting our secretaries and sacristans. The great challenge is for priests and parishioners together to be in a position to have the fullness of parish life in all our parishes. Let us face that challenge with confidence.
I am conscious that some of our churches only have Mass every second weekend and others no longer have a weekend Mass. Our challenge is to ensure there is a Mass in every parish every weekend. Faced with ministering in more than one parish and thus extra churches, our priests have not been found wanting. The evolving situation makes demands of all, parishioners and priests. We come together around the altar to worship and give thanks to God Our Lord and Creator.
Can I humbly ask all parishioners to be faithful to weekend Mass, Saturday evening or Sunday morning? How healthy are numbers joining in the celebration of weekend Masses in your parish?
Taking the time to join in the celebration of the Mass is a call to look at the bigger picture, of the meaning, motivation and purpose of all our lives as one week ends and another begins. Am I happy with the week gone by? Am I ready for the challenge of the week ahead? Do I trust in the presence of God, his love and care for us all and his call to love and care for each other? Is it important that our children grow up with a sense of Sunday as the Lord’s Day and a Day of Rest? Have I that sense of Sunday in my own life?
The past ten, twenty years have seen significant changes in how people choose to marry. Less than half of marriages now take place in Church. Marriage is an enormous gift: a couple entering a life-long loving union; the birth and rearing of children – family life; the continuity of humanity from generation to generation, – childhood, parenthood, grandparenthood and beyond. For most, despite all the challenges and the major things that can go wrong, marriage is a wonderful, life-long, fulfilling and loving union. Our faith is that it is not just our own doing, – it is God’s will for us too, God is ever present and ever loving in the couple’s marriage and home. On their wedding day a couple ask and receive God’s assurance and blessing, God will be with them, their strength and guide. God blesses the journey they are setting out on, their union that will ever bear fruit.
As parish communities and as people of faith, how can we promote both Sunday Eucharist and the Sacrament of Marriage in all our parishes?
Jubilee Year 2025 calls on us all to be Pilgrims of Hope. – Hope understood as ‘Hope in God’, “Thy will be done … Give us this day our daily bread.”
Bishop Ray Browne
Diocese of Kerry
27 June 2025
Bishop Ray Browne wishes to announce the following changes to the appointments of clergy in the Diocese of Kerry:
Retirements:
Fr Seamus Kennelly, PP Boherbue.
Fr Niall Geaney, PP Fossa.
Fr Michael Hussey PP Ballylongford.
Appointments:
Fr. Noel Spring, Castletownbere to be PP Fossa.
Fr Danny Broderick, Milltown to be PP Boherbue.
Fr. John Buckley, Killeentierna to be PP Ballylongford and Moderator of Tarbert parish.
Fr Gerard O’Leary, Chaplain, University Hospital Kerry to be PP Killeentierna and Moderator of Knocknagoshel Parish.
Fr. Amos Surungai Ruto, Our Lady & St Brendan’s Tralee to be PP Castletownbere and Moderator of Adrigole parish.
Fr Timothy Kiplagat Chebii, St John’s Tralee to be PP Milltown.
Fr Arlappa Mundlagiri * to be Chaplain, University Hospital Kerry.
Fr Sospeter Kangogo to continue to minister in Our Lady & St Brendan’s Tralee.
Fr David Kibet-Rugutt to continue to minister in St John’s Tralee.
Fr. Kevin Sullivan to be Moderator of Castlemaine Parish.
*Fr. Arlappa is a Member of the Order of St Camillus, its charism is care of the sick and people in crisis.
Priests of all Pastoral Areas of the Diocese take up different responsibilities outside their own parishes and within the Pastoral Area. This will be decided and communicated locally.
These appointments will become effective on Wednesday, July 16th 2025
Fr Nicholas Flynn
