‘Gratitude and thanks’ - Bishop Alan McGuckian bids farewell to people of Donegal at Special Mass

There was a large turnout of well wishers at the Mass of Thanksgiving with Bishop Alan McGuckian which took place on Monday evening at St. Eunan’s Cathedral in Letterkenny as he bid a final fond farewell to the Diocese of Raphoe.

Pope Francis appointed Bishop McGuckian, as the new Bishop of Down and Connor - the second largest Catholic diocese in Ireland - at the beginning of the month.

Bishop Alan was previously appointed to the role of Bishop of Raphoe in August of 2017.

In his homily he used the teachings in the Jesuit tradition - An Tobhar Domhain - to reflect on the past six years of his role in Donegal, as he encouraged the congregation to do likewise -  a review to see where God was in the day.

It had four to five elements with the first and most important of these reflections to give thanks. 

ABOVE: Bishop McGuckian addressing the congregation at last evening's Mass of Thanksgiving in St. Eunan's Cathedral in Letterkenny befire his departure to the Diocese of Down and Connor

“It’s a key step,” he observed, where you look for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, reflecting on the bad as well as the good.

“And then you look to the future,” he added.

“What comes to my mind that I am really grateful for?” he continued.

He recalled leaving his mother's house in 1972 and until 2017, doing his own laundry.

In a funny anecdote, he said that it included his ironing, but he did not do that for 45 years, until it was done for him, when he became a Bishop.

“And then I came here to Raphoe and my clothes were ironed every week. Gratitude, sheer unadulterated gratitude,” he said.

He added that there were many things that helped him being the Bishop of Raphoe, “the big privilege of my life to lead”.

“I could never have dreamt that God would choose me for such an honour, such an important task in God’s Church. And it expressed itself in many, many ways - celebrating Mass here here in your parishes, hearing confessions, doing the things that priests do, yet incredibly privileged things that we are able to do, called to do. So much to give thanks for.”   

He asked the congregation to look at themselves for that for which they are grateful “and get in touch with gratitude”. 

In typical style, he later told the packed congregation, “you can sit up for a wee while”, while addressing them at the conclusion of the Mass.

“At the end of this beautiful liturgy, I want to take the opportunity to express my thanks to everyone on this occasion. My heart is filled with thanksgiving in so many ways, towards so many people.”

He then proceeded to thank a long list of people and organisations that had helped at the Cathedral in organising the special Mass and those that had helped him during his tenure as Bishop of Raphoe.