Good Morning!

My deepest apologies for the lateness of this post, but I lost track of things in the midst of all the visitors we’ve been having! My girlfriend Kayla has been with us for the past week for her mid-semester break, and Steve and Michele Warner have also joined us from Notre Dame.  So we’ve been in the midst of our usual slate of Confirmation  retreats at Ballyvaloo, You Shall Be My Witnesses preparation for Kennedy Park and Scoil Mhuire, Clonard Stations of the Cross, which along with our usual music responsibilities and hosting visitors have made for a slightly busy time. But an excellent busy time nonetheless! It has been really special to be able to share “our world” here in Wexford with them – encompassing people, friends, places, weather, Mass… all the things that have made this place home. It is an uplifting (and slightly humbling experience, in the best sense of the word) to see the hospitality that has been shown to us extended automatically to our visitors, whether it be Kayla (who has never been here before) or Steve and Michele (who know the place and people reasonably well).

This past Saturday we had a unique experience in attending a performance of the Camross Passion Play in the Wexford Operahouse. The play is put on once every 6 years by the villagers of Camross, and is modeled after the famous Oberammergau Passion play. This particular performance was staged as part of the Diocesan preparations for the upcoming International Eucharistic Congress, as the play is usually only performed during Holy Week. Our Clonard Vigil Choir accompanist, Eanna McKenna, was part of the pit orchestra that provided some very beautiful music, including some Taize pieces and “Pie Jesu,” sung by a boy soprano with an absolutely heavenly voice, and we even knew the Roman Centurion, too! (Played to military precision by Paddy, who works with Dan at St. Vincent de Paul.) It seemed like all of Wexford turned out for the performance, as there were many familiar faces in the crowd.

I know it is already Tuesday, but the week ahead is still very interesting. We were on retreat with kids from Crossabeg Parish on Monday, with the 4th YSBMW Session for Kennedy Park that evening. Up ahead lies several days in the office (Finally!), and then we head up to Dublin on Friday to take part in the O’Connell House St. Patrick’s Day Mass and Celtic Twilight evening, before bidding good bye to our guests on Saturday.

Hope you’re having a wonderful day, and God Bless!
Kurt