Tag Archives: Pope Francis

This coming Saturday, Monsignor Seamus Horgan from Tobartaoscain will be called to serve as a Bishop of the Church and the first ever Papal Nuncio to South Sudan. The ceremony, which will take place in the Ennis Cathedral at 11am, is a great honour for the Ennis man and his family, and the event will be attended by a number of fellow priests, parishioners, cardinals, bishops and deacons. The Principal Consecrator will be Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State at the Vatican. Thirty years ago, in the same cathedral, a young Seamus Horgan was called by the late Bishop Michael Harty to priesthood. For the last three decades, Monsignor Seamus has answered that call to serve in Bodyke, Roscrea, Rome, Uganda, Switzerland, the Philippines and most recently in the United States. In May of this year, Pope Francis officially nominated Monsignor Horgan to be the Apostolic Nuncio to South Sudan and at the same time named him as Titular …

FROM a childhood altar server at Ennis Cathedal, Clare’s Monsignor Séamus Horgan has now been appointed by Pope Francis as the new Apostolic Nuncio to South Sudan. The Ennis native from Tobarteascain, who attended St Flannan’s College and was ordained to the priesthood in Ennis Cathedral in 1994, will be based in the city of Juba. According to his sister Anne Horgan, speaking to The Champion on behalf of the family, “The religious future of South Sudan is in safe hands”. She said her brother, is “very honoured by the appointment” which was announced earlier this week. She told us that religion has always been a large part of her family’s life and her late parents Pauline and Denis, who were heavily involved with the church in Ennis, would be very proud. She recalled her brother became an altar server in Ennis Cathedral at the age of 10, remaining in the role throughout secondary school. “He was always interested in …

AFTER turning 75 in May, the Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora has this week tendered his resignation to the pope. Bishop Brendan Kelly, a former Parish Priest of Lisdoonvarna, also celebrated his Golden Jubilee having been ordained 50 years ago this week. Bishop Kelly was born in Derrybrien, County Galway, in the parish of Ballinakill in 1946 to Seán and Annie Kelly. He was the second of nine children. He attended Craughwell National School and later boarded at St Mary’s Diocesan College in the City. After his Leaving Cert, he applied to study for the priesthood in the Galway diocese. He was sent to St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, in September of that year. As a seminarian, he completed a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1967 and a Bachelor of Divinity Degree in 1970. On June 20, 1971, he was ordained by Bishop Browne in the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St Nicholas. His first appointment was …

A SCARIFF native has been appointed by the Pope as the apostolic nuncio to the Middle Eastern states of Kuwait and Qatar. In recent days, Pope Francis conferred the role on Archbishop Eugene M Nugent who is originally from Scariff. The 62-year-old was previously the nuncio in Haiti where he worked for the last six years. He will transfer to Kuwait in the middle of February. A graduate in Celtic Studies from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Archbishop Nugent subsequently studied theology and canon law at the Gregorian University in Rome. He also studied diplomacy and international relations at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome. He was ordained a priest in Scariff on July 9, 1983 for the Diocese of Killaloe. Having entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1992 at the age of 33, he worked as secretary in the nunciatures in Turkey, Israel and Palestine and subsequently at the Holy See Study Mission in Hong …

Sixth class children from St Senan’s National School in Kilrush may not have been granted an audience with His Holiness Pope Francis but they received the next best thing, the Pontiff’s blessing. Last week there was great excitement in the school when a letter, addressed to pupil Jenita Varghese, arrived on her desk from The Vatican. It was a very personal reply written on behalf of Pope Francis from his chief assessor in The Vatican, Monsignor Paolo Borgia. The Pontiff’s letter was in response to one penned by Jenita on behalf of all the pupils in her class. Jenita has posted the letter prior to Christmas wishing him a happy birthday, a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. She also implored Pope Francis, if he had “some time to pray for us as we are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation”. Monsignor Paolo Borgia outlined that His Holiness Pope Francis has asked that he reply in his name …

There is something so great and so welcome about new things. Their sense of novelty, freshness and difference is much appreciated by us all. This day with joy and anticipation we greet the new year that is 2018 in all its newness and hope of opportunity and possiblity and dreams and blessing and peace. Past and Future Last night new years eve was a time for looking back on the year gone past with gratitude in our hearts for the good times and challenges that we had in 2017. Today however, we look forward with anticipation to the new year and pray that God will journey side by side with us and grant us and those in need good fortune. Homeless, unborn and families I remember in prayer three distinct groups in need of our prayer and concrete action in these challenging times, the homeless, the unborn and families. We are privileged in Ireland to be hosting the World Meeting …

BISHOP Brendan Kelly was announced as the new Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and as Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora today (Monday). The 71-year-old is a  native of Derrybrien in South Galway. The episcopal appointment by Pope Francis was announced at the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and Saint Nicholas, in Galway City. Bishop Brendan has spent the last 10 years serving as Bishop of Achonry and he takes over from Michael Canon McLoughlin, who has been Diocesan Administrator since the retirement of bishop, Martin Drennan 16 months ago. It is planned that Bishop Brendan’s installation ceremony will take place in Galway Cathedral on February 11, 2018, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Among Bishop’s appointments has been as curate in Kilvara and parish priest of Lisdoonvarna.

BISHOP of Killaloe Fintan Monahan extended a warm welcome to visit Clare to his Holiness Pope Francis during his Ad Limina visit to the Vatican. On Friday, Bishop Monahan, along with the 26 other diocesan bishops, met with Pope Francis, where they got to raise a number of issues with him directly. Each of the bishops got to individually speak with the Pope and Bishop Monahan said he used that time to invite him to the Diocese of Killaloe and, hopefully, to Holy Island, when he visits Ireland in 2018. He also spoke about the previous visit to County Clare by Pope John Paul II in 1979, highlighting his stop-off in Shannon. Bishop Monahan said he knows the decision is ultimately out of his hands as to where the Pope will visit when he comes here for the Meeting of Families, but he said he can do no more, having extended the invitation. Children of Mountshannon National School were also …