In the presence of family, bishops and priests from Ireland and colleagues from the Vatican, Mgr Paul Tighe was ordained bishop on Saturday by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State. Although he said his mother had told him, “Don’t make a show of yourself”, the new bishop’s voice broke with emotion as he thanked his parents, the Archdiocese of Dublin and Archbishop Claudio Celli, his former boss at the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
In December, Pope Francis named Bishop Tighe, former secretary of the communications council, as adjunct secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture. “With his exemplary behaviour and his teaching, he is called to be a sign of divine mercy, to give rise to a yearning for a life inspired by the Gospel and lived in fraternity,” Cardinal Parolin said in his homily. “A bishop is called to enter into the patience of God, to take care of the most difficult situations and to never despair, not even of those people who seem furthest off.”
Using his remarks at the end of Mass to share an account of his blessings, Bishop Tighe said: “The original blessing of my life has been and is a great sense of God’s love and closeness to me.” That experience, he said, was symbolised by the anchor he chose to have on his coat of arms. Bishop Tighe, who had served as director of the communications and public affairs office of Dublin archdiocese before being appointed to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, said much of his official ministry had been “with words, but love calls for something more. My motto, Estote factores verbi, ‘Be doers of the word’, is a little reminder to myself that our faith is not a theory, but a call to service.”
North London gains shrine to Our Lady of the Rosary
A new shrine will be dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary in north London later this year. Cardinal Vincent Nichols said the new diocesan shrine at St Dominic’s Priory, Haverstock Hill, would be inaugurated at a Mass on October 22. The rosary is evident in the very fabric of the church, which was designed and built with its side chapel representing each decade of the original 15 mysteries. In the Lady Chapel there is a representation of Our Lady giving the rosary to St Dominic.
Cardinal Nichols said: “I am pleased that we now have a shrine dedicated specifically to the rosary. It is a fitting complement to the shrine of Our Lady of Willesden.” The church also houses a large replica of the Lourdes Grotto, making it a pilgrimage destination, particularly for faithful who might not otherwise be able to visit the shrine at Lourdes. Fr Thomas Skeats OP, prior and parish priest, said: “This is a particularly Dominican contribution to the life of the diocese, and especially felicitous during this year when we are celebrating the 800th anniversary of the foundation of the Order.” A programme of events will be planned for the coming year.
‘Father Jack’ actor dies aged 77
The irish actor Frank Kelly, who played Fr Jack Hackett in the sitcom Father Ted, has died aged 77 after a heart attack. He had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Kelly, whose first film appearance was an uncredited role in The Italian Job, was best known for playing the elderly and foul-mouthed Fr Jack who drank too much. He is survived by Bairbre, his wife of 51 years, and their seven children and 17 grandchildren.
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