Members are urged to read the Committee's statement in the STOP PRESS section
Reunion Bookings
I have been called upon to pay our bill at the Shrigley Hall Hotel for meal and coffee/biscuits bookings by 1st September.
I will accept no further bookings after 31st August.
Savio House has asked me to confirm names and numbers of those staying there on either the Friday or Saturday night of the reunion.
Again I would ask anyone intending to book to do so with me by 31at August.
Mike Kilduff
Secretary and Event Organiser
From: Patrick Sherlock
Sent: 14.08.10
Dear Friends,
Today Fr Martin Coyle took over the office of Provincial from Fr Michael Winstanley during a Mass in Bolton, led by Fr David O'Malley. You can see some photographs, read a short account, and download Fr David's homily from the province web site: http://www.salesians.org.uk/dbuk/
This afternoon Fr Michael, together with Br Donald MacDonald and I, will be escaping to the Lake District for a couple of weeks. As Fr Tony Bailey is also away, there will be no further Rualink items until we return.
(PS Fr John Horan has sent news that the Funeral of Fr Paddy Joe O'Connor will take place tomorrow, August 15th, at 3pm in Castlegregory, Co Kerry. He will be brought to the church this evening at 8.30pm. May he rest in peace.)
From: Patrick Sherlock
Sent: 13.08.10
Dear Friends
Fr Tom Dunne has sent the following:
"I regret to inform you that Fr Paddy Joe O'Connor died this morning 13/8/2010 in Ocean View Nursing Home, Camp, Tralee, Co. Kerry. He was ordained to the Priesthood in Melchet Court on the 3rd of July 1960. He then went to Shrigley for one year and in 1961 was appointed to the parish in Cowley where he spent 18 years. After this, in 1979 he became Assistant in the Parish at Chertsey until 1992 when he returned to Ireland where he spent 3 years in Maynooth and in 1995 was attached to the Celbridge community where he remained until due to ill health he went to the nursing home in his native Kerry.
"The funeral Mass is likely to be on Sunday 15th August. Please pray for the happy repose of Paddy Joe's soul, for comfort for grieving relatives and many friends and for the Irish Province in its great loss."
May he rest in peace!
From Mike Kilduff
Sent 12.08
Here, as promised, is news of Louis Skehal. He entertained us greatly at last year's reunion and his contribution this year was awaited wit anticipation. We wish him well in his rehab.
As you may recall when I agreed to do this presentation I may have said 'health permitting'. I knew I was going in for a hip replacement sometime over the summer and all being well would be fit by September. Unfortunately things went badly wrong and instead of being in for 5 days I was in for 17. I won't go into great detail but basically an overdose of morphine sent me into another world and I lost 8 or 9 days. Things went from bad to worse, but fortunately I'm now making good progress and rehab is going well. However I don't think I'll be able or fit enough to take on the journey to Shrigley this year. Had I been able to do so I would have added the experience of the last few weeks which turned out to be very profound, if unplanned.
Wishing you all the best for September and while I had given lots of thought to how I might approach this presentation I never thought that I'd experience such a profound experience.
Perhaps I'll get a chance at some future date.
Take care,
Louis
From Mike Kilduff
Sent 11.08
I regret I have to announce the withdrawal, because of ill-health, of Louis Skehal as one of our speakers at the Annual Reunion on September 18th. I will send further details about Louis shortly.
Gerry Wright (Shrigley 1959-61) has agreed to be our fifth speaker.
Details of our program are HERE
From: Patrick Sherlock
Sent: 11.08.10
Dear Friends
I have received the following request from Fr Tom Dunne, the Irish Provincial Secretary:
"Fr Paddy Joe O'Connor who is in a nursing home in County Kerry is quite unwell at the moment. He would be well known to many of your confreres in the GBR Province having spent many years after ordination working in Shrigley, Cowley and Chertsey before returning to Ireland in June of 1992. Please ask for the prayers of your confreres for him at this critical time. He is 91 years of age."
Reminder: The Association's AGM is fast approaching and, because many of the present officers will be stepping down, we need a large attendance and many volunteers
Mike Kilduff would be very grateful if you could let him know ASAP whether you will be attending or not
Full details of the programme, theme 'Life After Shrigley', and booking forms, can be found by clicking on 'Future events'.
From: Patrick Sherlock
Sent: 2.08.10
Dear Friends
Over the past few weeks Fr Michael Winstanley has been methodically preparing to hand over to Fr Martin Coyle as Provincial on 14th August. One of the many details concerns his email address.
He has set up a new address, mtwsdb@gmail.com , which he is already checking on a regular basis. You might want to try it out...
After 14th August, emails addressed to provincial@salesians.org.uk will be opened by Fr Martin Coyle.