Behold how good it is to be reminded of those who share our priesthood

The memorial in Holy Trinity Church, Rathkeale, to Canon Samuel Richard Wills (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Patrick Comerford

The psalm yesterday (Psalm 133) recalled who ‘good and pleasant’ it is when we dwell in unity. The psalm evokes imagery of Moses anointing his brother Aaron as High Priest.

It is good for priests to remember those who go before us as in our ministry as brothers or sisters, sharing in the same priesthood. As I was wandering around Holy Trinity Church, Rathkeale, last week – before Sunday’s service of Morning Prayer and in quiet time before Tuesday’s meeting of the Easter Vestry – I found myself being reminded of the ministry of two priests who have gone before me in priestly ministry in this parish.

High on the north side of the east wall, in the corner just to the left of the altar and behind the pulpit, two brass plaques commemorate two former Rectors of Rathkeale, Canon Samuel Wills and Canon William Nicholson. Although separated in age by almost a century, these two men died in office, while they were still Rectors of Rathkeale.

Canon Samuel Richard Wills (1826/27-1905) was the Rector of Rathkeale for over 30 years, from 1872-1905, and died in office. For most of the time he was in Rathkeale, he was also Prebendary of Kilpeacon in the chapter of Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick (1872-1905).

Samuel Wills was born in Co Leitrim ca 1826 or 1827, the son of Robert Wills of Carrick-on-Shannon. A younger brother, Archdeacon Robert Cooper Wills (1836/37-1916), was also a priest in the Church of Ireland, serving briefly in the Diocese of Limerick as Vicar of Kilfentinan (1867-1871), a parish near Sixmilebridge and Bunratty, Co Clare.

The parish was on the north banks of the River Shannon and contained the two small islands of Grass and Grague.

The two Wills brother, Robert and Samuel, served in the parish as rector and curate. But it was no longer viable as a parish after disestablishment. Samuel moved to Kilfinaghty in 1871 and Robert moved to the Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, where he was Rector of Mallow (1873-1909), Archdeacon of Cloyne (1889-1909), and a prebendary in both Cloyne Cathedral (1877-1889) and Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork (1893-1909).

After ordination, Samuel Wills was a curate in Birr, Co Offaly (1855-1867), in the Diocese of Killaloe, before moving to the Diocese of Limerick as a curate in Kilfentinan (1867-1871), near Sixmielbridge, where his younger brother Robert was rector.

After the parish was discontinued in 1871, Samuel Wills returned briefly to the Diocese of Killaloe as Rector of Kilfinaghty until 1872. But he spent the rest of his ministry back in the Diocese of Limerick, as Rector of Rathkeale (1872-1905) and Prebendary of Kilpeacon (1881-1905). He was the author of some poems, including one on Kilkee and one on Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick, and some of his sermons were published.

He died in office on 4 May 1905, at the age of 78. Wills and his wife Margaret (Buchanan) were the parents of a large family, including a son who was ordained (Revd Thomas William Wills), and one who was army surgeon and colonel; his father-in-law and his son-in-law were also clerics in the Church of Ireland.

Below the plaque to Samuel Wills, a second, smaller recalls Canon William Howard Nicholson (1925-1981), who was twice Rector of Rathkeale. He was first in the parish in 1968-1972 as Rector of Rathkeale, Nantenan, Ballingarry and Rathronan, and then again in 1978-1981 as Rector of the Rathkeale Group of Parishes.

Nicholson was born in 1925 Dublin, the son of AH Nicholson of Terenure, and after taking what was known as the ‘short divinity course’ and the General Ordination Examination (GOE), he was ordained deacon and priest, both in the same year, 1962.

Nicholson was a curate in Holy Trinity Church, Rathmines, for two years (1962-1964) before being appointed Rector of Modreeny, Cloughjordan and Ballingarry, Co Tipperary (1964-1968). He then moved to Rathkeale for the first time. After his first four years in Rathkeale, he moved to Portarlington (1972-1978), in the Diocese of Kildare. While he was there, he was appointed a canon of Saint Brigid’s Cathedral, Kildare (1974-1976), and then became Precentor of Kildare (1976-1978).

Nicholson returned to Rathkeale in 1978, and while he was in Rathkeale he was also an honorary chaplain to the Missions to Seamen (now the Mission to Seafarers) in Foynes.

Like Samuel Wills before him, William Nicholson died while he was still Rector of the Rathkeale Group on 2 April 1981; he was 55. He was buried in Stratford-on-Slaney, Co Wicklow. He and his wife Jacqueline Frances (Keeble) were the parents of two daughters.

The memorial in Holy Trinity Church, Rathkeale, to Canon William Howard Nicholson (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

King Donal Mór O’Brien returns to Saint Mary’s Cathedral in Limerick

Will Fogarty’s sculpture of Donal Mór O’Brien, King of Munster, in the grounds of Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Patrick Comerford

I spent some time at the weekend walking around the streets of Limerick, by the banks of the Shannon, at a late lunch in the Green Onion, and visiting Saint Mary’s Cathedral for the first time in many weeks.

A new addition to the cathedral grounds since the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown took its grips on the country is a sculpture of Donal Mór O’Brien, former King of Munster, by the chainsaw sculptor Will Fogarty.

The sculptor from Hospital, Co Limerick, was commissioned by the cathedral to make one of his works of art. The sculpture was commissioned by Saint Mary’s Cathedral to revive one of the trees that had to be removed from the boundary walls due to the damage they were causing to the walls.

‘A few trees had to come down because they were doing damage to the boundary walls in Saint Mary’s. They are beautiful structures, so it would have been an awful shame if anything happened to them,’ said Will, of Fear na Coillte Chainsaw Sculptures.

Donal Mór O’Brien was a 12th century King of Munster whose palace stood on the grounds of the cathedral. When he came to power, he founded churches all over Munster, including Saint Mary’s Cathedral.

Will Fogarty’s attention to detail includes the chainmail effect on the king’s sleeves and the brooches on his cape (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

It took Will a week and a half to turn the remains of a poplar tree into this new sculpture, and he completed the work at the end of March.

His attention to detail includes the chainmail effect on the king’s sleeves and the brooches on his cape. ‘He has a pretty big nose,’ Will told the Limerick Leader. ‘But somebody told me … that apparently the O’Briens were renowned for having big noses.’

‘It was lovely working in my hometown,’ he said at the time. ‘The amount of support I got was brilliant. People passing by the railings were shouting in, giving encouragement, giving thumbs up. It was amazing.’

Will Fogarty, who lives in Co Limerick, is a self-taught chainsaw sculptor. He began hand-carving walking sticks and decided one day to pick up a chainsaw and give it a go.

Will Fogarty also calls himself Fear na Coillte, in reference both to the wood spirits in his work and to himself. He lives in the foothills of the Ballyhouras in Co Limerick, surrounded by mountains and forests. He now spends half his time creating large sculptures for towns, parks, schools and public places.

The other half is spent carving smaller commissioned pieces in people’s gardens or at home, and he also gives demonstrations of his work.

Most of Will Fogarty’s work is on a commission basis following briefs from clients. A large part of his work is on stumps left after a tree is felled. All his work is in wood that has been felled by nature or has been cut down in a way that is sustainable.

By the River Shannon in Limerick at the weekend (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020; click on images for full-screen view)

On the way back from a wedding in Sligo late last year, two of us stopped at the Linear Park in Carrick-on-Shannon, where he has created a sculpture of Saint Eidin, a local seventh century saint. He carved this new statue on the site and it was unveiled in August 2018.

His other sculptures include three sculptures in the Forge Park beside the river walk in Tarbert, Co Kerry. He was commissioned by the Tarbert Development Association in 2014 to work on the tall stumps of three trees that had to be shortened after the storms of the New Year in 2014. He cut two faces from fables into two of the stumps and the Salmon of Knowledge from the Fianna myth into the third stump.

The two faces are of wood spirits; one is ‘The Spirit of Night,’ asleep with a wise owl by his beard; the second face, ‘The Spirit of Dawn,’ is awake to represent the dawning of the day, and has fish jumping out of his beard.

A third image, ‘The Salmon of Knowledge,’ marks Tarbert’s connection with salmon fishing in the River Shannon and also celebrates the local centre of knowledge at Tarbert Comprehensive School.

Will Fogarty also fashioned a number of seats from the tops of the trees he felled, and these make for a perfect spot to stop at in the Forge Park these days and to enjoy the summer sunshine.

The Panoramic Wheel at Arthur’s Quay, Limerick, at the weekend (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

‘Go and tell John what you hear … the poor have good news brought to them’

The beheading of Saint John the Baptist … a fresco in Analipsi Church or the Church of the Ascension in Georgioupoli, Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2018)

Patrick Comerford

Sunday, 15 December 2019

The Third Sunday of Advent, ‘Gaudete Sunday’

Saint Brendan’s Church, Kilnaughtin (Tarbert), Co Kerry.

11.30 a.m., The Parish Eucharist (Holy Communion 2)

The Readings: Isaiah 35: 1-10; the Canticle Magnificat (Luke 1: 46-55); James 5: 7-10; Matthew 11: 2-11.

There is a link to the readings HERE

Salome asks for the head of Saint John the Baptist … a fresco in Analipsi Church or the Church of the Ascension in Georgioupoli, Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2018)

May I speak to you in the name of God, + Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

Today, the Third Sunday of Advent, is also known as ‘Gaudete Sunday.’ That name from the Latin word Gaudete (‘Rejoice’). So, half-through Advent, we are reminded to rejoice.

Advent is a season to prepare to rejoice at the best present of all, the gift of God Incarnate at the Incarnation of Christ.

Throughout Advent, the spirit of the Liturgy is one of expectation and preparation for Christmas and for the coming of Christ. Gaudete Sunday in Advent is a counterpart to Laetare Sunday in Lent, and provides a break about mid-way through the season of preparation. It signifies the joy and gladness as the Lord’s coming comes nearer and nearer.

On the Advent wreath, the rose-coloured or pink candle is lit in addition to the two violet or blue candles, that represent the first two Sundays of Advent. The readings emphasise the joyous anticipation of the Lord’s coming.

These candles, in sequence, are:

Advent 1: The Patriarchs;
Advent 2: The Prophets;
Advent 3: John the Baptist;
Advent 4: The Virgin Mary;
Christmas Day: Christ.

Instead of a Psalm this morning, we sang a hymn version of the Canticle Magnificat (Luke 1: 46-55), when the Virgin Mary and her cousin Saint Elizabeth, both pregnant, rejoice in the coming birth of their children: Mary and the Christ Child; Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist.

So we see, side-by-side, two women, one seemingly too old to have a child, but destined to bear the last prophet of the Old Covenant, of the age that was passing away; and the other woman, seemingly too young to have a child, but about to give birth to him who is the beginning of the New Covenant, the age that would not pass away.

We met Saint John the Baptist last week by the banks of the River Jordan in the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Advent (Matthew 3: 1-12, 8 December 2019).

Now, in this morning’s Gospel reading, Saint John seems not to know who Jesus is. Saint John the Baptist is waiting in prison, about to lose his head. Perhaps he wonders whether he made a mistake in thinking Jesus is the Messiah; perhaps he is feeling discouraged and doubtful, he sends messengers to ask Christ: ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ (verse 3).

The simple answer for Christ might have been: ‘Yes.’ Instead, however, Christ points Saint John, the messengers and the crowd to the signs of the Kingdom. Echoing the Prophet Isaiah, he points out that the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the lepers are healed, the dead are raised and the poor receive good news.

When Saint John’s disciples return and tell him what Christ has told them, does Saint John wonder whether he has been waiting for the wrong kind of Messiah?

How often have you waited expectantly – for Christmas, for a Christmas present, for a new job, for a major family milestone, for the move to a new home – only to face the realisation that your expectation has been unfulfilled?

Another pair of socks? The wrong job with low pay, high expectations and bad conditions? The family milestone upstaged by a family crisis? The new home has horrid neighbours? Is the person I loved so many years ago really the person I live with now?

Picture Vladimir and Estragon in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, lonely and empty by the side of the road, waiting forever for Godot who never arrives.

Picture Eleanor Rigby in the lyrics of the Beatles, waiting alone at the window, alone among the lonely people.

Picture Saint John the Baptist, waiting in prison where he is being held by Herod the Great.

When we are disappointed, when our expectations of the coming Kingdom are dashed, is it because we are not looking for the signs of the Kingdom that are all around us?

The gift of Christ is precious, but does it always meet our expectations?

Are we prepared to look around and notice new places where Christ is working and living? If you were told: ‘Go and tell John what you see and hear,’ where would you say you see and hear Christ at work today?

I am not blind, lame, leprous, deaf, poor, downtrodden, dead … surely? Am I?

Christ comes in humility for the humble. He comes for those who do not have it all worked out for themselves. I am not humble; so often I think I have it all worked out.

Am I truly prepared for the coming of Christ in ten days time?

Like Saint John the Baptist, have I enough time to ask and find out who Christ truly is, not just for me, but for those who wait and pray for the promises of the Kingdom of God?

And … will I be ready to rejoice with them?

And so, may all we think, say and do be to the praise, honour and glory of God, + Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

Salome visiting Saint John the Baptist in Prison, Francesco Barbieri (Il Guernico)

Matthew 11: 2-11 (NRSVA):

2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ 4 Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’

7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written,

“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.”

11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.’

‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind?’ (Matthew 11: 7) … reeds in the River Shannon at Carrick-on-Shannon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)

Liturgical colour: Violet (Purple), or Rose (Pink).

The liturgical provisions suggest that the Gloria may be omitted during Advent, and it is traditional in Anglicanism to omit Gloria at the end of canticles and psalms during Advent.

Penitential Kyries:

Turn to us again, O God our Saviour,
and let your anger cease from us.

Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Show us your mercy, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation.

Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

Your salvation is near for those that fear you,
that glory may dwell in our land.

Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

The Collect of the Day:

O Lord Jesus Christ,
who at your first coming sent your messenger
to prepare your way before you:
Grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries
may likewise so prepare and make ready your way
by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,
that at your second coming to judge the world
we may be found an acceptable people in your sight;
for you are alive and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end.

The Advent Collect:

Almighty God,
Give us grace to cast away the works of darkness,
and to put on the armour of light,
now in the time of this mortal life,
in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility;
that on the last day,
when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and ever.

This collect is said after the Collect of the day until Christmas Eve

Introduction to the Peace:

In the tender mercy of our God,
the dayspring from on high shall break upon us,
to give light to those who dwell in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace. (Luke 1: 78, 79)

Preface:

Salvation is your gift
through the coming of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and by him you will make all things new
when he returns in glory to judge the world:

The Post-Communion Prayer:

Father,
we give you thanks for these heavenly gifts.
Kindle us with the fire of your Spirit
that when Christ comes again
we may shine as lights before his face;
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Blessing:

Christ the sun of righteousness shine upon you,
gladden your hearts
and scatter the darkness from before you:

Saint John the Baptist in Prison, Juan Fernandez de Navarrete (1526-1579)

Hymns:

166, Joy to the world, the Lord is come! (CD 10)
704, Mary sang a song, a song of love (CD 40)
136, On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry (CD 8)
535, Judge eternal, throned in splendour (CD 31)

Saint John the Baptist depicted on a pillar in the Church of the Four Martyrs in Rethymnon, Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2018)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Material from the Book of Common Prayer is copyright © 2004, Representative Body of the Church of Ireland.

The Visitation … a panel in the 19th Century neo-Gothic altarpiece from Oberammergau in the Lady Chapel in Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Saintly sculpture by a riverside walk in Carrick-on-Shannon

Will Fogarty’s sculpture of Saint Eidin in the Linear Park by the banks of the River Shannon in Carrick-on-Shannon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)

Patrick Comerford

On the way back from Sligo at the beginning of last week, two of us stopped in Carrick-on-Shannon, which straddles the River Shannon on the borders of Co Leitrim and Co Roscommon, to enjoy a riverside walk in the Linear Park.

There too I was pleased to see the beautiful sculpture of Saint Eidin, a local seventh century saint, by the West Limerick sculptor Will Fogarty of Fear na Coillte Chainsaw Sculptures.

Will Fogarty carved this new statue on the site and it was unveiled in August 2018.

Saint Eidin’s feast day is 5 July. She founded her convent on the shore of Lough Eidin, now known as Drumharlow Lake, just two miles from Carrick-on-Shannon. She died sometime before 700 AD.

She is the patron saint of Tumna parish and is buried in the ruins of a small church just north of Carrick-on-Shannon. Tuaim mná is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters, and the names means ‘the tomb of the woman.’

In 1834, 11 purse gold balls believed to date back to 800 BC, were dug up near her convent ruins. Nine of the gold balls are on display in the National Museum of Ireland. The 11 bright stones at the foot of the statue are reminders of this find and of the prayer stones found at her tomb at Tumna.

Fish by the feet of Will Fogarty’s sculpture of Saint Eidin by the banks of the River Shannon in Carrick-on-Shannon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)

Will Fogarty’s other sculptures include three sculptures in the Forge Park beside the river walk in Tarbert, Co Kerry. He was commissioned by the Tarbert Development Association in 2014 to work on the tall stumps of three trees that had to be shortened after the storms of the New Year in 2014. He cut two faces from fables into two of the stumps and the Salmon of Knowledge from the Fianna myth into the third stump.

The two faces are of wood spirits; one is ‘The Spirit of Night,’ asleep with a wise owl by his beard; the second face, ‘The Spirit of Dawn,’ is awake to represent the dawning of the day, and has fish jumping out of his beard.

A third image, ‘The Salmon of Knowledge,’ marks Tarbert’s connection with salmon fishing in the River Shannon and also celebrates the local centre of knowledge at Tarbert Comprehensive School.

Will Fogarty also fashioned a number of seats from the tops of the trees he felled, and these make for a perfect spot to stop at in the Forge Park these days and to enjoy the summer sunshine.

Will Fogarty also calls himself Fear na Coillte, in reference both to the wood spirits in his work and to myself. He lives in the foothills of the Ballyhouras in Co Limerick, surrounded by mountains and forests, and spends time walking in them with Wag, his Labrador.

He began carving some years ago with walking sticks and staffs, made from hazel he collected in those forests. He still makes them on commission, but evolved into chainsaw carving and found his passion.

Most of his work is on a commission basis following briefs from clients. A large part of his work is done on stumps that are left behind when a tree is felled. All his work is in wood that has been felled by nature or has been cut down in a way that is sustainable.

Walking by the River Shannon at the Linear Park in Carrick-on-Shannon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)