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“Catholic Schools, Communities of Faith and Resilience”
Message from Bishop Paul Dempsey

It was one year ago, on the 27th of January 2020, that Pope Francis
appointed me as Bishop of Achonry. One of the very special aspects of the
day was to have so many of the school communities from around the diocese
present in the Cathedral on the morning the announcement was made.
Principals, teachers, members of staff and, of course, many boys and girls
were present as Archbishop Jude, the Papal Nuncio, made the
announcement. It was lovely to have the large gathering in the Cathedral, a
gathering full of vibrancy and hope! We did not realise it at the time, but it
was probably one of the last large gatherings we would attend in the diocese
before the full onset of the COVID 19 situation.
Since becoming bishop on the 30th of August, I have been very fortunate,
despite the lockdowns, to visit all the parishes in the diocese. Due to the
situation, these were limited visits, and I could not visit the local schools, but I
received a very warm and hearty welcome from the people in the parishes. I
thank you most sincerely for that.
As we approach February, I have noticed the stretch in the evenings, the
snowdrops are starting to peep through the earth, the rollout of the vaccine is
progressing, and thankfully the numbers contracting COVID seems to be
decreasing. Even though we may be feeling a bit fed up with lockdown, these
are great signs of hope for us all. If we continue to put the “shoulder to the
wheel” in the coming months we will come out of this and we can look forward
to connecting with each other and our loved ones in a real sense, not just
virtually!
Please God, when it is safe to do so, I look forward to getting around the
diocese and visiting our great schools which really are communities of faith
and resilience. The boys and girls came to visit me last January in the
Cathedral, so I am looking forward to going out and visiting them in their
schools as soon as I can. As we celebrate Catholic Schools Week, I thank
our Boards of Management, our principals, our teachers, SNAs, and
members of staff who continue to work very hard to teach our children online.
It is not easy, but you are doing a great job which is very much appreciated. I
also thank Fr. Martin Henry, Marian Maloney, Sr. Mary Richardson, and our
priests for all the work they do in supporting our teachers and pupils in the
area of faith formation in our schools.
The 27th of January 2020 was a moment of great hope and vibrancy in the
Cathedral, that message is very much alive in our diocese today! To all of
you in our school communities this Catholic Schools Week, I send my best
wishes and pray God’s blessing upon you all. Keep safe and remember keep
washing those hands!
With warm wishes,
+Paul.