It was with much joy, warmth and friendship, that Mrs McGuinness and the children and staff of our school welcomed Bishop Martin Hayes - Bishop of Kilmore - to St Mary’s, in recent days.
Bishop Martin travelled to our parish of Knockninny on a whole-day pastoral visit and we were delighted that he was able to come and spend time in our classrooms, meeting many of our students, teachers and staff members.
Bishop Martin very much enjoyed his time meeting our children, including several engaging question and answer sessions. As well as referencing the recently canonised St Carlo Acutis as a model for our young people in their precious young lives, he spoke to them of the importance of faith, family, friends, looking after our environment, community and faithful service. It was wonderful to witness the mutual warmth, respect and personal connection that Bishop Martin shared with our young people through discussions, laughter, shared prayer and a celebration of our school values. We gained many insights into the life and work of Bishop Martin and were especially thrilled to learn that he loves all sports and is passionate about protecting our environment in a world torn by conflict and climate change. He also shared and spoke about some of the many events that took place across our diocese during the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025.
As Bishop Martin encouraged all of us to continue to pray and take action to care for our common home and address the causes of climate change in a real and meaningful way, two of our Primary Seven students (and twin brothers) - Tomás and Oisín - were delighted to present him with a gift of a plant.
We convey a sincere word of thanks to Bishop Martin and to Fr Alwill for Bishop Martin’s visit to our school and look forward to welcoming him again, hopefully, in the time ahead.
