THE SACRED HEART MESSENGER

€2.00

APRIL 2022

Holy Week and the Easter Triduum fall in April culminating in the Resurrection, the most important event in the Christian liturgical year. It heralds a time of renewal and rebirth, a time to reflect on the positive that can emerge out of dark times.  In the April Messenger we see that healthcare workers, in serving their communities so selflessly are witnesses to the ‘fraternal love’ encouraged by Pope Francis; our faith leaders today urge us to see God in those we might not identify with – the homeless, migrants uprooted from their homeland, those on the margins – as a manifestation of our faith; even riding a bike instead of taking the car can be a proactive step in caring for our common home, another way of proclaiming God.

We read about Bishop Joseph Shanahan who played an important role in the Church in Nigeria; Archbishop Dermot Farrell, reflecting on the role of Parish Pastoral Councils in the twenty-first century, proposes a model of shared responsibility between clergy and laity; this finds support in the current synodal process within the Church, characterised by listening and mutual respect. And we detail the days and sacred stories of Holy Week itself.

And of course we have all our regular features – prayer, reflections, recipes, RE:LINK supplement for young people, crosswords, the flora of Ireland  – that readers tell us they love each month.