by Sr. Sheila Devane MMM                         Ireland           27.11.2024

Here in our parishes in Ireland we remember our deceased relatives, friends, neighbours and others in the month of November.

We do this in many ways: most churches offer paper lists on which you print the names of those you wish to be remembered and these are then placed before the altar.  At most masses there is reference to those deceased people and often too a special mass during the month to remember all our dead.  By now I have already written several such lists; I have even gone online and put names in churches and monasteries far away.  As soon as I believe the task is done there is another death and in writing that name several others come to mind.  This morning while leaving yet another list on the altar in Terenure College Chapel, where I pray, a thought of a different kind of death struck me and I wondered if there was any list or indeed anyone listening to this particular list.  Can I share it with you?

This is a list of prayers too but it came about because of the several, now defunct items, here in the house in MMM Templeogue and of the people I have come to know because of these.  William came here ten days ago to look at the dishwasher; an excellent model well past its ‘sell by’ date.  Yes it has died.  No resuscitation possible.  There is a new arrival due next week.  He asked me to pray for his sister with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a young woman with very tiny twins.  He went to say her name, then cried, so I don’t know who she is but Jesus does.

Roger answered the phone of the Hoover Mending Co. in Clondalkin and agreed to look at my little carpet sweeper that was doing everything but what it needed to do i.e. clear up the fluff, crumbs, and carpet dirt!  When I met him in person in the shop he said gruffly “a service is needed here“ don’t we all need them?!  I agreed, very relieved that a repair was possible.   Jason, his two-year-old grandson, is waiting for orthopaedic surgery in Ireland where the waiting list for such is several years long – I have been asked to pray for this request.   I certainly will.

Ciarán came to fix the washing machine; a man who never had a lot of formal schooling but has great faith; he suggested we say a decade of the rosary before he began.  I agreed and he took a very large set of rosary beads from his toolbox and we prayed together.  This was a prayer experience I won’t ever forget.  The pump is replaced, the machine working and I could now start a home launderette!

Gavin was going on holidays when I phoned him to say the boiler was not working and therefore I had no heating in November in Ireland; he immediately came along with his 11-year-old son in the van.  The little boy wanted to hear “all about Africa” as his father told him that the lady he was going to meet had lived in Africa.  I had a great chat with Freddie who said he would prefer to be going to Tanzania now that he knows so much about it instead of to Spain!  I am hoping the heating can be fixed and for this I need your earnest prayers.

Yes, indeed, I have a long list of now deceased people to pray for this month; at one point in the past week or two, I felt the list of dying, defunct or dead household items was going to get as long!  Thankfully, that hasn’t happened yet, but I now have some people to pray for who I haven’t met, a little boy wanting to hear more about our missions and so much to be grateful for even in this big, domestic mess.