This section lists the most recent Reflections. Older Reflections can be downloaded from the Quick Links menu on the left of this page by clicking Archive.
| Fr. Szymon Czuwara |
| Mass was celebrated in St Michael’s Church to mark the departure of Fr. Szymon Czuwara who has been Chaplain to the Polish community in Limerick for the last three years. There was a large gathering of Polish people. Several Limerick priests were also present although it was a Sunday morning. He was warmly thanked for his work in Limerick. A presentation was made on behalf of the diocese and on behalf of the Polish community. Fr Szymon is taking up an appointment in his home Archdiocese of Lublin. Bishop Murray preached the { Homily } |
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| European Society for Catholic Theology |
Met in Mary Immaculate College to discuss the theme The Eager Longing of Creation: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Ecology and Economy. The meeting attracted theologians from every part of Europe and beyond. Approximately 200 participants included people from about twenty European countries as well as people from Asia, Africa and North America. Cardinal Seán Brady celebrated Mass for the participants in St John’s Cathedral on Saturday 22nd. At the end of the meeting, Rev Professor Eamonn Conway of Mary Immaculate College was installed as the new President of the European Society for Catholic Theology. At the beginning of the Conference Bishop Murray spoke briefly to the participants:
{ Homily } |
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| Graduation Mass |
| In St Munchin’s College last night, a Graduation Mass was celebrated for the Sixth Year students and their families to mark the end of their years as { Homily } |
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| Day for Life |
Bishop Murray's homily preached at St Mary’s Church, Haddington Road, Dublin on the occasion of the Day for Life.
{ Homily } |
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| Ceist Conference |
Bishop Murray's talk to the Annual Conference of Ceist, a new Trust for the schools established by a number of religious congregations, including the Mercy Sisters and the Presentation Sisters. The Conference took place in Tralee on September 25th and 26th.{ Talk } |
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| Renewal Course |
| Bishop Murray's homily in the Chapel of the Crucified One at the Mamertine Prison to the priests attending a renewal course at the Irish College Rome { Homily } |
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| MASS AT BARRiGONE WELL |
Bishop Murray celebrated the feast of the Assumption at the Holy Well in Barrigone. August 15th is the pattern day and several hundred people attended in spite of the rain. The homily preached can be read here. You can also find the history of the well and a few photos of the well and the altar on the Heritage Site |
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| Youth Day in Sydney |
Bishop Murray gave a talk as part of the series of catecheses given by bishops to young pilgrims. { Talk } |
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| CORPUS CHRISTI |
| Bishop Murray delivered two homlies, one at Corpus Christi parish Moyross to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary and the feast of Corpus Christi { Homily } and the second at the Mass in the Augustinian Church which is followed by the Corpus Christi Procession { Homily }. |
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| Parish Life facing a challenging future |
| BIshop Murray gave a talk at a conference, Parishes in Transition in Mary Immaculate College on May 22nd and 23rd { Talk } |
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| The Other and the Beyond |
| Bishop Murray gave a talk at The Irish Centre for Faith and Culture in Maynooth on May 8th. The title of the conference was Otherness in our Midst: the place of the immigrant in the Irish religious landscape. { Talk } |
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| Pentecost Sunday |
On Pentecost Sunday in St John’s Cathedral there was a Liturgy of Thanksgiving in which members of Parish Pastoral Councils gave thanks for how God’s grace has been at work in their parishes. A highlight of the celebration was the presentation of many images in which parishes expressed how the Holy Spirit is at work among them.
At the celebration, Bishop Murray preached the following homily: { Homily } |
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| Vocations |
| Bishop Murray gave the following homily at the day of prayer for Vocations mass. { Homily } |
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| Holy Week Homilies |
The following homilies were given by Bishop Murray during Holy Week:
{ Palm Sunday } { Chrism Mass } { The Lords Supper }
{ Good Friday } { Easter Vigil } |
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| Bishop Murray’s trip to Peru |
| From 20 th to 27 th January 2008, the members of the St. James Society, as well as Sending and Receiving Bishops, gathered in Lima, Peru to celebrate 50 years service to the poor of Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. { more... } |
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| HOMILY AT THE GROTTO |
| Homily at the 150 th anniversary of the day when Bernadette first saw the beautiful Lady in the Grotto in Lourdes. { Homily } |
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| SILVER JUBILEE CELEBRATION |
| Bishop Murray preached a homily in St John’s Cathedral yesterday at a Mass to mark the diocesan celebration of the silver jubilee as bishop, which occurred earlier this year. The Mass was attended by the Papal Nuncio, the Archbishop of Cashel and the Bishops of Cloyne, Waterford and Killaloe, as well as Bishop John Fleming of Killala, who is from the diocese of Limerick. The Mayor, the Cathaoirleach of the County Council and public representatives were also present. { Homily } |
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| Ceremonies at Mary Immaculate College |
Three addresses gaven by Bishop Murray at the Graduation Ceremonies at Mary Immaculate College. This year the graduations took place in the fine new Tailteann building which provided a magnificent setting. The number of those receiving awards was 917 – the highest ever. There were five PhDs awarded.
It was the first graduation presided over by the new President of the University of Limerick, Professor Don Barry. 25 Oct07 - 26 Oct07Morning - 26 Oct07 Afternoon |
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| 200th Anniversary of the Brothers of Charity |
Mass was celebrated in St John’s Cathedral to mark the two hundredth anniversary of the foundation of the Brothers of Charity. This celebration which gathered people from the Brothers of Charity Services throughout Ireland { Homily } |
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| OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY |
27 th Sunday of the Year, 7 October 2007 { Homily } |
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| SCOIL MHAINCHÍN NAOFA |
| Golden Jubilee celebrations of St Munchin’s Girls National School – Scoil Mainchín Naofa – on Monday 24 September { Homily } |
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| SOLEMN MASS AND BLESSING OF FRIARY |
18.08.2007: Bishop Murray celebrated a Mass in Moyross to welcome the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal to Limerick and bless their new ‘St Patrick’s Friary’. { Blessing of Friary Homily } |
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| MASS AT CRATLOE GROTTO |
15.08.2007: Bishop Murray celebrated the Assumption with a Mass at the Grotto, also marking the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Grotto in 1932. { Mass at Cratloe Grotto Homily } |
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| Lourdes 2007 |
| Bishop Murray's Homilies during this years Pilgrimage to Lourdes, { Mass at the Grotto Homily } & { Mass for the Anointing of the Sick Homily } |
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| SOLEMN NOVENA |
| This homily was preached by Bishop Murray during the Solemn Novena in the Redemptorist Church on the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. more... |
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| Annual Corpus Christi procession |
| The annual Corpus Christi procession took place on Sunday 10 June from the Augustinian Church in O’Connell Street to St John’s Cathedral where Benediction was celebrated. more... |
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| Religious Identity in Europe |
All Hallow's College , Monday 14 May 2007 more... |
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| World Day of Prayer for Vocations |
St Nessan's Church, Raheen, Saturday 29 April 2007 more... |
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| Easter Vigil |
St John’s Cathedral, Saturday 7 April 2007 more... |
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| GOOD FRIDAY |
Kilmallock, 6 April 2007 homily given by Bishop Murray more... |
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| MASS OF THE LORD’S SUPPER |
Holy Thursday 5 April 2007, Kilcornan, homily given by Bishop Murray more... |
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| CHRISM MASS 2007 |
St John’s Cathedral , Tuesday 3 April 2007, homily given by Bishop Murray more... |
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| LIMERICK FESTIVAL OF CHURCH MUSIC |
Second Sunday of Lent, St Joseph ’s Church, 4 March 2007, homily given by Bishop Murray more... |
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| COMMISSIONING OF FR DEREK LEONARD |
St Michael’s Church, Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, 7 January 2007, homily given by Bishop Murray more... |
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| FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY |
St John’s Cathedral, 31 December 2006, homily given by Bishop Murray more... |
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| FEAST OF ST COLUMBAN |
Diocesan Gathering, Dundrum House, 23 November 2006 homily given by Bishop Murray more... |
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| DIOCESAN ASSEMBLY |
Dundrum House, 22 November 2006, Talk given by Bishop Murray more... |
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| SOCIETY of SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL |
Launch of the Christmas Appeal, Ozanam House, 27 November 2006 more... |
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TERCENTENARY OF COURTENAY BOYS NATIONAL SCHOOL |
| One of the things I often do as a Bishop is to attend celebrations when a school is celebrating an anniversary of its foundation more... |
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ORDINATION TO THE DIACONATE |
| Ordination of Michael Dempsey CSSR more... |
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CORPUS CHRISTI MOYROSS |
| Homily given in Corpus Christi in Moyross more... |
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Closing of the Charismatic Conference |
A homily given in the Crescent Comprehensive College at the Mass for the Closing of the Charismatic Conference, today Sunday October 1st. more... |
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Irish College in Rome |
A collection of three talks given at the course for ongoing formation of priests, called A Time for Priests, in the Irish College in Rome on Wednesday September 20th.
SERVANTS OF THE TRUTH | BUILDERS OF COMMUNION
BRINGING LIGHT INTO DARKNESS
Also a homily preached for those doing the course at the Tomb of St Peter on the following day, Thursday September 21st.
HOMILY AT THE TOMB OF SAINT PETER |
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| Closure of the Sacred Heart Church |
| Homily given at the Mass of Thanksgiving to give thanks for the service of the Jesuits to the people of Limerick in the Sacred Heart Church, the Crescent, Limerick for 140 years and to mark their departure from the Crescent and the closure of the Church. more... |
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| Glenstal Conference |
| RELIGION AND SOCIETY opening talk given by Bishop Murray at the opening of the Ecumenical Conference.. more... |
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| Lourdes Homilies |
| Two homilies given by Bishop Murray in Lourdes. There were about 700 pilgrims including about 90 in the youth section and about 100 invalids Grotto Mass & Mass for the Anointing of the Sick |
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| Corpus Christi |
| Homily by Bishop Murray on the feast of Corpus Christi, at the Solemn Novena in the Redemptorist Church more... |
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| Morality Today |
| Attached are two talks gaving to the priests of the Diocese of Salford in England on 10 May. more... |
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| Chrism Mass |
| This years Chrism Mass Homily by Bishop Murray more... |
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Anniversary of the Deaths of Pope John Paul II and of Bishop Jeremiah Newman |
| This is a homily by Bishop Murray at the Mass for the first anniversary of Pope John Paul II on April 2nd at which we also remembered the eleventh anniversary of Bishop Jeremiah Newman on April 3rd. more... |
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| The saving beauty of Christ in an indifferent world |
| This is a talk given by Bishop Murray at the Pontifical Council for Culture last week more... |
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| What is it to be a Catholic now |
| Details of a talk given by Bishop Murray as part of a series of lectures to mark the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Parish Church of St Therese in Mount Merrion in Dublin.more... |
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| Mass at the Lourdes Grotto |
| Bishop Murray preached a homily at the grotto in Lourdes last week while the Irish Pilgrimage Directors were making arrangements for the pilgrimages during the coming summer. more... |
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| Midwest Regional Hospital |
| Bishop Murray gave a homily in the Regional Hospital in anticipation of the World Day for the Sick more... |
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| 150th anniversary of the FCJ Sisters |
| On Wednesday February 1st a Mass was celebrated in Bruff to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the FCJ Sisters in the parish and of the school they founded – Ard Scoil Mhuire. more... |
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| World Day of Peace |
| Bishop Murray's Homily for the World Day of Peace in St Munchin’s Church on January 1 more... |
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| Thirsting for God |
| Bishop Murray reflects on the document Thirsting for God which he published earlier in the year more... |
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| New Priests for Adare and Cahirdavin |
| Bishop Muray installed two new priests at Adare and Cahirdavin this week, both homilies can be read here: Adare - Cahirdavin |
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| Limerick Festival of Church Music |
| As a prelude to the Festival of Church Music which will take place in March 2006, there was an evening of music, readings and reflections about the Seasons of the Church’s year, held in the Redemptorist Church. Choirs and bands gathered from various parts of the city. Bishop Michael Mayes (Church of Ireland) and Rev Peter McDowell (United Methodist and Presbyterian Church) took part with Bishop Murray. Bishop Murray gave the reflection on the Season of Easter. more... |
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| Mary Immaculate College |
Bishop Murray gave three short addresses at the three Conferring Ceremonies in Mary I. The particular occasions, Arts Degrees, Education Degrees and Education Diplomas. |
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| Mass for the Episcopal Conference |
| A homily gaven in Maynooth at the Mass for those who work with the Commissions and Agencies of the Episcopal Conference more... |
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| Opening of the School Year |
| A homily preached at St Mary’s Church on Friday for the Opening of the School Year in Árd Scoil Mhuire more... |
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| Prayer in Today's Culture |
| A talk given at a meeting of Prayer Guides in Fernbank Convent on, Saturday, morning more... |
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| Opening of Charismatic Conference |
| Bishop Murray's Homily given at the opening of the annual Charismatic Conference. more... |
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Centre of Theology & Philosophy |
| Bishop Donal Murray gave the following Homily at the opening of the Centre of Theology and Philosophy, University of Nottingham on Thursday 1 September 2005 more... |
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