As a young lad, I remember how the ‘Rose of Tralee’ was the dawning realisation that the Summer was almost over, and hot on its heels, you would hear the back to school mantra. A mixture of thoughts and emotions, on the one hand; looking forward to going back to school, or sometimes, a sinking kind of feeling in the belly that the long days of Summer were now, but a distant memory.

September is a month often associated with new beginnings; a new class, a new school, night classes being advertised, groups and organisations get up and going once again. The Parish Team is no different, in recent months we welcomed Fr Michael and Fr Alex and they are both settling in very well.

Yes, it is a time of new beginnings, and over the coming weeks, our Pastoral Councils, Liturgy Groups, and Finance Committee’s will welcome new members. I am grateful to existing members some of whom have kindly agreed to stay on. My thanks also, to those who served so faithfully on these groups, and who have now decided to take a back seat, thanks for your kind and generous involvement over the years.

And so September, is a time for ‘new beginnings’ and I think the following verse perhaps sums up something of those September feelings!

My son is back at school.

Today he brought home a painting he did.

The smiling happy faces in his picture stuck in my mind,

Because I just don’t see the world like that anymore.

Perhaps people have changed too

Or perhaps I have changed too much.

Lord, help me to see that in every face there lies a smile,

It’s just that some haven’t been drawn yet.