September Messenger: To the heights
“During the pandemic, we learned that we can be a Church without a building”, says the editor Donal Neary SJ in his opening article in the September Messenger». The piece entitled ‘Remembering These Things Too’ is a reflection on the years during the Covid-19 pandemic when we were accustomed to watching Mass streamed on television. Donal quotes Pope Francis “Perhaps one day it will be good to remember these things too”. Donal continues “Maybe the Churches of different times – the Church of Covid 19 or the Church during the times of persecution – remind us of who we really are as a Church.”
The Pope’s intention for the month of September is the focus of Kevin O’Gorman SMA’s article. Pope Leo asks us to pray that “Inspired by Saint Francis, we might experience our interdependence with all creatures who are loved by God and worthy of love and respect”. Commenting on the intention Kevin notes “Pope Francis’s intention includes the intercession that we might experience our interdependence with all creatures who are loved by God and worthy of love and respect. This interdependence involves a recognition of being part of the web of life and responsibility in relating justly within it.”
School chaplain and author Tom Casey SJ reminds us that each year on 8 September, the Church celebrates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He shares “It is a joyful day for all those who see her as a mother, guide and friend”. He also shares that the date has a particular relevance and special meaning for Jesuits too. He shares “Jesuit novices traditionally made their first vows on the eve of Mary’s birthday. One such novice was the saintly Bl. John Sullivan, who professed his vows on 8 Septemer 1902.”
John Scally teaches theology at Trinity College Dublin. In his article ‘To the Heights’ he introduces us to Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati who will be canonised on 7 September 2025 along with Carlo Acutis. Pier Giorgio died on 4 July 1925 at just 24 years of age. He is admired by many Catholic young people today because of his passionate adherence to holiness that “Reaches the heights”. The young man from the northern Italian town of Turin was an enthusiastic mountaineer and third order Dominican who was famous for his charitable activities. On a photograph of what would be his last climb, Frassati wrote the phrase “Verso Alto” which means “To the heights”. John remarks “This saying reminds us that we are continually called to set out on a voyage in our everyday lives to go ‘to the heights’ to encounter Christ in all things, and in a particular way, through the community of the Church, those who are poor and marginalised and the Eucharist”.
Scally keeps the focus on remarkable young people in another piece of his, ‘A Young Nun’s Story’. Sister Clare Crockett was born on 14 November 1982 in Derry. She died at just thirty-three years of age in an earthquake in South America. Sr Clare had big dreams in her younger years: she had initially wanted to be a famous actress and dreamed of becoming a star on stage and screen. As a teen she described herself as wild, and she admits that she smoked and drank. But she set aside all of her dreams after an encounter with the Lord that transformed her soul. John says, “The then self-confessed wild child felt a profound call to religious life because she wanted to play her part in God’s Kingdom. She no longer longed for anything other than to have Christ as her only love”. She has been declared a Servant of God by the Catholic Church, the first step towards being officially recognised as a Saint.
Claire Kelly is development officer in Trócaire, Belfast. She recently returned from a trip to Malawi to see first-hand the work that Trócaire does. She says, “Nothing could have prepared me for seeing the hardships the people of Malawi face on a day to day basis”.
Joe Munnelly of Irish Jesuits International shares ‘Nadia’s story’, a Sudanese refugee who fled Sudan to the South Sudan Renk Transit centre. Her husband and children were murdered in front of her. Nadia and her son are the only surviving members of the family. Joe explains that the Jesuit Refugee Service mental health team were able to assist her recovery from grief and trauma. He says “During her first counselling session, she barely spoke. Tears covered her face. But as the sessions continued, she participated in group settings and listened to others. She began to feel encouraged. She eventually opened up and shared her pain, which was incredibly healing”.
Gerard Gallagher provides a brief summary report of the outreach work and championing of vulnerable groups that AMRI, the Association of Leaders of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland has provided over the years.
Andrea Hayes, author and spiritual guide reflects on her life a few years ago and how different it looked. In her story ‘Spare Capacity’, she admits “A few years ago my life looked very different. My days were filled with media work – TV, radio, book promotions always moving. It looked like a full and successful life but internally something felt off. At some point I felt called to step back. I turned my focus inwards, towards studying spirituality, deepening my charity commitments and exploring the psycho-spiritual connection. What I discovered in this space was something I had been missing: a deeper sense of peace, clarity and purpose”.
The Messenger has all its regular features as well, – reflections, scripture, cookery, crosswords, children’s pages, nature focus, and RE:LINK.
