Deep Peace of the Son of Peace

and regret around. The seed of forgiveness needs to be planted anew in rich soil.

of Christ: Our Mill Hill charism urges us to go out to those on the fringe, bringing ‘the good news to the poor’ - the disadvantaged. Like Christ, reaching out to the powerless, the homeless, the looked down on in society, the marginalised. And here I recall what Bishop Gerry Mahon told us over 50 years ago in Mill Hill: “When you’re on the side of the marginalised, be prepared to be marginalised yourself.” Planting the seed of the radical message of Christ is the task of the missionary.

compassion - so central to Christ’s message. Being open and engaging and welcoming is at the very heart of the Gospel. Reach out and welcome the bruised and the broken; embrace all who are in crisis and carrying crosses. Walk with those who have turmoil and trauma in their lives. I know someone who is cutting himself off; he doesn’t feel welcome or wanted in God’s house. But I say no, no; in our Church, in God’s family, there should be no outsiders, strangers or foreigners; All are welcome. Like forgiveness, Christ’s love is unconditional. There are no ‘ifs’ or ‘buts’ - everyone is redeemable by Jesus Christ. I want to put in a word in support of Pope Francis. In his ministry, he is continually planting the seeds of compassion and inclusiveness.

The seed of friendship is such a treasure, - what a gift? I feel it is a singular blessing in my life. There are many forever friends from my days as a student in Freshford, and my Mill Hill colleagues that I worked with in Kenya - some of them are here today. And I thank God I’ve made good friends too in the parishes of Ahascragh in Galway, Cloverhill and Castlerea in Roscommon.

The seed of gratitude. Gratitude is great; it is a wonderful attitude. In the end it is the answer to doom and gloom; it is spirituality at its best. And we know that gratitude is the most pleasing and acceptable prayer to Almighty God. To my parents, my brothers and sisters, life-long friends and Mill Hill colleagues, and to all who sustained and supported me down through the years, I say: A huge thank you. May God Bless you all.

Fr Seán with Gerarda of St Joseph’s House staff

(Once again, we want to express our gratitude to you, our readers, for your financial support for Mill Hill Missionaries in their work on the missions. Some of the money goes out directly while larger amounts are sent through the Mission Office at Mill Hill Headquarters in Maidenhead, England. As a result of your generosity, our Mill Hill Priests in countries in Africa and Asia are able to bring help and hope to communities that struggle with poverty and disease, conflict and insecurity, - and in more recent times the terrible consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. We get lots of emails expressing thanks for the help received, as well as articles and photos of projects that are being funded. Last time it was Pakistan; this time it is Cameroon and Kenya. - Editor)

“We are very grateful for the generous and kind support that our Mill Hill Missions in Cameroon continue to receive from the Irish Region of Mill Hill. On behalf of our Mill Hill priests in parishes and all the beneficiaries of your generous support, I sincerely thank you. May the Good Lord reward the generosity of the donors, who make it possible for you to support us in our mission and in the service of the needy families. The special donations we have been receiving have been very helpful in assisting poor and needy families. In the past two years, the special donations have been allocated by the local Mill Hill Council to the areas of greatest need in parishes and missions: • Assisting needy families with food and payment of school fees. • Helping people cope with the terrible effects of Covid-19. • Supporting our missionaries with funds to subsidize their food and transport expenses. • Funding the rebuilding of the wall of a church in Ilung parish, where Fr Benedict Ohanga, mhm, is parish priest. • Funding work on the roof of a church in Fundong where Fr Noah Monday, mhm, is parish priest. • We have allocated funds to support the car depreciation fund for Mill Hill priests to replace their means of transport with more functional and affordable second hand vehicles for pastoral use.”