Tag Archives: Fr Ger Fitzgerald

UP TO €3,000 worth of food and other essential supplies have been donated by members of an Ennis gym to families in need in the community over Christmas. In the run-up to the festive season, Mike Hogan of Ozone Health and Fitness asked members to donate whatever non-perishable products they could to support local families who need extra help at this time of year. “We did it for the first time in 2019 and collected around 150 kilos of food and other products,” said Mike. “This year, everyone was so conscious of how tough things have been for so many and we were delighted to reach 500 kilos of food and other basic supplies. I’m awful proud of everyone. We have fantastic members. Sometimes, there can be a bit of scepticism about charities and where the money goes, but we proved that what we are doing is supporting genuine people in our own community. People are really fantastic when they’re …

ALMOST one thousand lights shone out of the darkness at an Ennis church on Wednesday evening, each one a beacon of hope that we will come through the current Covid-19 crisis. Cloughleigh Church was lit up with hundreds of candles in a special ceremony which was recorded and will be broadcast on Fr Ger Fitzgerald’s Facebook page. A number of people living in Cloughleigh also played their part by placing their own lights in the windows of their homes. According to Fr Ger he has been “overwhelmed” with the response to the Light up the Dark idea, and he hopes the broadcast will “bring a moment of peace to people.” “The idea for the Light up the Dark came, first of all, from the general sense of unease, uncertainty and anxiety that is around at the moment because of COVID-19. People are worried about their loved ones, themselves, their jobs and it’s for many a dark moment. So, I was …

THE tragic loss of a number of people in the Cloughleigh area of Ennis this year has been the inspiration for the holding of a special concert of remembrance next month. Acclaimed singer / songwriter Kieran Goss will be the headline act for the concert in Cloughleigh Community Centre on December 6 which will also feature his wife Annie Kinsella, Damien Gormley, Siobhan Peoples and band The Citizens. The event, billed as a Concert of Remembrance and Hope has been organised by Fr Ger Fitzgerald along with a group of locals who knew many of those who have passed away. Proceeds from the event will be used to create a memorial to be erected outside Cloughleigh church. Fr Ger explained, “We have experienced in the last year or so a lot of people, young people in particular, that have passed away for one reason or another. We wanted to come up with something to honour their memory, to honour the …

THE spirit of Christmas is set to be brought out onto the streets of Ennis in a very special way this week. On Christmas Eve, a nativity scene crib will be set up at O’Connell Square, highlighting the spiritual meaning of the holiday season to passersby on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. This is the second year that the crib has been installed at the prominent Ennis location. The crib will be in place from 2pm to 4.30pm on Thursday. As well as the nativity scene, there will be festive music from the Wylde Roses choir and the Clarecastle Youth Choir, and some mince pies on the day. Ennis priest Fr Ger Fitzgerald who is behind the endeavour explained, “The whole idea behind the crib is to show people another side of the church, in that the church is not just four walls. It is a part of life, the church wants to identify with people’s …

ENNIS-based priest Fr Ger Fitzgerald is attempting to break the world record for the longest journey on a land rowing machine, in aid of Clare Haven and Bushy Park Ennis. In order to get into the Guinness Book of World Records, the cleric must complete at least 5,280km on the rowing machine. The current record holder is Rob Bryant, an American man who covered a distance measuring 5,278.5km on a land rowing machine. “Last year, I attempted to cycle 30 miles every day for 30 days in aid of Barnardo’s Children’s Charity. With much support from my friends in Ennis, I was able to succeed and raised over €6,000 for the charity. This year, I wanted to do something different for a local charity and the idea I got was to attempt to break a world record. Given that I wouldn’t be very fit at the best of times and also given the fact that I have no patience for …

IN a gesture of solidarity with the poor, Ennis priest, Fr Ger Fitzgerald will be spending the night outside a rundown apartment block, beginning at 12midnight up to 7am on Christmas Day. Fr Ger will rough it at the Fairways Apartments, near Ennis Hospital, as part of what he hopes will be the first of many initiatives in the coming year, which will see a closer union between the Church and the poor. He sees it as part of the Church’s attempts to do what Pope Francis has demanded and go out into the streets and meet the poor and those in need. He has asked the public to remember him in their prayers that night and welcomes anyone interested in joining him for an hour or half an hour in solidarity. “In particular if you can play a musical instrument or tell a good story,” he said. Outlining the reasons behind this initiative, Fr Ger said, “Last March, when …