At the beginning of our liturgy this evening, we celebrated a simple but beautiful ritual, which is as old as the Church herself; the lighting of the Easter Fire.  It recalls the biblical account of creation to which we listened in our first reading.  God spoke His word into the emptiness; into the vastness of...

Mass of Chrism – March 27th 2024 Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sligo Bishop Kevin Doran   I grew up with the idea that everybody has a first name and a family name, but it’s not as simple as that. How we name people varies quite a lot from one culture to another. I have...

The Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life Friday 2nd February 2024 Holy Cross Friary, Sligo Homily of Bishop Kevin Doran St. Paul established a vibrant Christian community in Ephesus, not far from the present day city of Izmir in Turkey. The people of modern Turkey are predominantly Muslim, but the state is officially secular, and...

Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God World Day of Prayer for Peace, 1st January 2024 Homily of Bishop Kevin at Sligo Cathedral   Angels play an important part in the Christmas story, but what are they? In Scripture angels are spiritual creatures whose role includes being messengers from God. They are a reminder of...

Sunday 28th May 2023, Pentecost Sunday Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sligo As many of you know, Chris was born in California. He was Baptised two weeks later in Los Altos, becoming a member of the Body of Christ and being called, even at that early age to his mission in the Church. That mission...

“I am the One – Holy Oil and Mission” Homily of Bishop Kevin Doran at the Mass of Chrism Wednesday 5th April 2023, 7.30pm Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sligo Language can be very interesting. It is fascinating to hear the differences in how people express themselves in English. If you ask for volunteers at...

Homily of Bishop Kevin at the Diocesan Mass for Young People Sacred Heart Church, Roscommon. Mission Sunday, 22/23 October 2022 Imagine this Church, about 4 or 5 O’Clock on any winter afternoon. There may be a few people coming in and out, but it will be quiet. The red sanctuary lamp will be a visible...

Rediscovering the Beauty of Christian Celebration Reflections on the Apostolic Letter Desiderio Desideravi, of Pope Francis Sometime back I was invited to participate in a Conference on the Eucharist, which was being hosted in St. Anne’s Parish, Sligo. As often happens, I found it easy to accept an invitation from Angela to do something that...

They will take their place at the Feast – Homily of Bishop Kevin Doran at Knock Novena – 21st August 2022 I want you to imagine that you have been invited to someones’ home for a meal; it might even be a barbecue in this lovely sunny weather. You know that there are going to...

It is 145 km from Nazareth to Bethlehem. That’s almost exactly the same length as our Diocese, from Bunduff to Athlone. It would take a week to walk that far, and probably more if you were in the final stages of pregnancy. St. Luke tells us that Joseph and Mary left Nazareth to travel together...