The Bishop of Kilmore has called for a renewed awareness of God's presence in homes, parish communities and throughout our dioceses, particularly at a time when our world continues to be marked by division, conflict and war.
Bishop Martin Hayes says we share the common concerns of living in a cultural reality that, in being preoccupied with economic advancement alone, results in an increase in poverty and an avoidance of the deep spiritual yearning that actually lies within each one of us.
He says in his Christmas message that we are committed to nurturing that ever-present spiritual hunger, with God's help, lead to real change in our lives and social justice in accord with the common good.
Bishop Hayes says this year we wish to place particular emphasis on honouring the saints associated with our early Christian foundations including St Felim, St Maedhóg, also known as St Aidan, as well as St Kilian and his companions St Kolanat and St Totnan.
These saints and the places associated with them throughout our dioceses highlight the resilience of faith across generations and acknowledge the enduring relevance of the Christian story.
The Bishop of Kilmore sends these blessings for Christmas 2025 and pray for resilient and ever-vibrant faith among the people of our dioceses in the New Year of 2026.
In giving thanks for our respective pastoral outreach, we would like to celebrate our cooperation in using the Alpha resource which offer a series of sessions exploring the Christian faith. Each Alpha session looks at a different question around faith and is designed to create conversation among participants. It promotes prayer and reflection with the Word of God in the scriptures. Alpha Youth creates the opportunity for reflection by young people on the life's questions of today, the discovery of common ground with others while nurturing a personal faith conviction within our respective traditions.
We give thanks for our work together on care for creation, namely through the efforts of our Kilmore Care of Creation Group consisting of members from both our Churches. They have engaged in projects in our parishes to return parish grounds to nature, planting native wildflowers as well as allowing them to grow by restricting the amount of lawn mowing. We recognise and celebrate our interconnectedness with all humanity and with all of creation.
During the upcoming Prayer for Christian Unity we will gather this year in St Clare's Church, Cavan on Sunday 18th January 2026 @ 7pm to pray in accord with the theme "There is one Body and one Spirit just as you were called to the one hope of your calling" (Eph 4:4). As we give thanks for our efforts together trusting in God, we always have hope for the future.
As Advent draws to a close, we look to the future with that hope, inspired by the words of the prophet Isaiah: "Happy are all who hope in the Lord." It is a prayer of our ancestors in faith that was fulfilled with the Birth of Jesus at Christmas. In wishing you blessings for Christmas 2025 we pray for resilient and ever-vibrant faith among the people of our dioceses in the
New Year of 2026.
