Portsmouth Diocese e-News Issue 458
The daily diet of horror from Gaza and the Holy Land is shocking. It urges us to pray earnestly for peace and for a swift end to the violence and conflict. Enough is enough. Let us pray for a lasting ceasefire, for the release of all the hostages, for humanitarian aid to be allowed through to help those most in need in Gaza, and for hospitals, schools and places of worship to be protected. Let us pray for all those injured or killed in the conflict. These are key intentions for our prayers.
Welcome to this week’s e-News, published 17th September 2024. There’s a lot to catch up on this week, including a new pilgrimage trail designed for our Diocese, running from the Cathedral to Farnborough Abbey. There are also a number of events to which you are invited: the Alton Day of Renewal, a Catholic Mothers’ Retreat, an exploratory programme with the Carmelites, a Formation Day for Readers and a talk about the Maronite Christians of the Holy Land. You can also read about what has been happening in the Diocese, including the Solemn Profession of Sr. Lucy from the Dominican Sisters in Sway. This week, let us ask the Lord to bless us with His Love and to grant us all the graces we need for the mission of bringing people closer to Jesus Christ through His Church.
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Fr. Kevin Delaney R.I.P
From the Bishop
Please pray for Fr. Kevin Delaney, a retired priest of our Diocese, who died this last week. He was well-looked after by the Dominican Sisters of Malta in Hook and only two weeks ago I visited him in his sick-bed.
Fr Kevin was born on 21st February 1932 in Middleton, near Manchester. He studied at Valladolid for three years and then St Joseph’s College, Upholland in Lancashire, where he was ordained to the priesthood on 23rd May 1964.
Fr Kevin first served as assistant priest at Christ the King, Reading from 1964 to 1974, followed by an appointment as parish priest at St Colman’s, Southampton between 1974 and 1980. Between 1989 and 1991 he was assistant priest at St Peter’s, Winchester and then Twyford and Kiln Green in 1993. He also served as Director of the Society of St Peter. In 2014 Fr Kevin moved into Maryfield Convent and passed away on Wednesday 11th September 2024, a few months after his Diamond Jubilee, at the age of 92.
Let us thank God for his loving service to the people whom he was called to serve. May the Lord grant him eternal rest in the love that he so generously served through his ministry.
Hear with favour our prayers, which we humbly offer, O Lord, for the salvation of the soul of Kevin, your servant and Priest, that he, who devoted a faithful ministry to your name, may rejoice in the perpetual company of your Saints.
