Happy 101st. Birthday Sr. Rosarii
Special wishes to Sr. Rosarii O’Sullivan, on her 101st birthday, celebrated on 28th March. A native of Upper Dirreen, Sr. Rosarii attended National School in Knocknagorna. The youngest of three, she joined her sister (Sr. Liam) in 1944 as a Missionary sister of Our Lady of Apostles, Cork.
A gaeilgoir to this day, Sr. Rosarii is a lifelong academic having completed a Diploma in National School teaching in Mary Immaculate College, followed by a Bachelor of Arts in UCC. Touching down in Lagos on November 21st, 1951, Sr. Rosarii would spend 40 years serving as a Missionary in Nigeria. Her first position was teaching in Sacred Heart College, Kaduna, one of the first colleges in the region to train Primary school teachers. Sr. Rosarii believes in enabling women through education. Her goal was to provide these young women with new self-awareness and an ability to express their personal and national hopes in their own rich cultures. Following this, Sr. Rosarii spent 6 years in QAC Kakuri, part of the less developed North, preparing indigenous girls for secondary school. These girls would become the first educated women in their community and the nucleus of Christian homes. This took dedication as Sr, Philomena Woulfe, Clash, discovered one morning on entering an empty dormitory, uncovering as she did, that the girls had decided to happily trek home along the railway lines!
It is with great fondness that Sr. Rosarii remembers the warm welcomes she received in the various villages she visited, delighting in sharing in the family pot whilst listening to elders pass on their traditions, customs and family values through story, play, music, song, and dance. It was during this time that Sr. Rosarii saw Queen Elizabeth on her 1956 tour of Nigeria, a moment she describes as exhilarating. She wondered at the time if HRH had ever seen such a splendid variety of richly embroidered ceremonial attire; did she marvel at the rich cultural heritage shown in the endless procession of spectacular displays?
The following years were spent educating secondary school students in Marymount S.S., Benin, as well as teacher training in Akwanga, to the backdrop of the Nigerian- Biafran war. The violence associated with the civil war put Sr. Rosarii, her peers and her students in grave danger. Despite this, Sr. Rosarii maintained her unwavering faith. Priority was given to protecting her students, disguising those at risk and journeying 100 miles with them to the safer territory of Jos.
In 1968, Sr. Rosarii was called upon to assume leadership in O.L.A. Cork as Provincial Sister, a role she has been credited with bringing a distinctive kindness and gentleness to. Returning to Nigeria in 1973, she spent another twenty years between Kaduna, Jos, Asaba, Barakin-Ladi and Zawan, teaching as well as working in religious formation and in religious education. Her final foreign mission was spent in the archives in Rome before returning a final time to Ardfoyle in 1994. Here, she has offered various services both in the province and in the community.
Sr. Rosarii is a much-loved aunt to Marian O’Connor (Upper Athea), Paddy Dalton (Dirreen) and Jimmy Dalton (Ardagh). Until recently, Sr. Rosarii has spent many happy holidays in Athea, in addition to her annual trips to Inchydoney and Castletownbere with her late sister Mary Dalton (RIP). Since her return to Ireland, she has rejoiced in celebrating family occasions and maintaining links to her close-knit family and friends in her beloved Athea. In return, she is celebrated by her community, her family and her many friends for her faithful camaraderie, her gentleness, and her unwavering Christian spirit. Sr. Rosarii has survived civil wars, fever, Malaria, Hepatitis and very recently Covid 19. She remains hopeful, calm and appreciative through it all. We wish Sr. Rosarii a deservedly happy 101st birthday.
Connie Brouder “The Boss”
Our dad, Connie Brouder, was born in 1926 which made him 95 when he passed away on Thursday morning, March 18, 2021. He had a long and interesting life and we’d like to tell you a little about him.
The Ireland Dad was born into was a very poor country, farms were between 30 and 100 acres, crops were poor, there was no electricity, no running water, no TV, just plenty hard work for everyone.
Dad was only 14 when his father died placing a heavy burden on his shoulders at such a young age – his mother Nell, brother Tom and sister Peggy. Of course there was no grief counseling in those days, you pulled up your boot straps and carried on. Maybe that’s what made Dad who he was. Dad’s family were just as poor or as rich as their neighbors surviving on a few cows, pigs and chickens.
Dad began his education under the tutelage of Master Danaher. There he learned all the core subjects including Latin and poetry. His favourite poems remained Sam McGee and Dan McGrew which he quoted often.
When Dad was 20 he married my Mom and the rest as they say is history. Mom and Dad had 14 children altogether including 9 boys and 5 girls and Nan (Dad’s mom) lived with us.
Living on a small farm meant lots of hard work just to get by, feeding 14 children was a challenge. While Mom managed the farm, Dad worked with his hands and this sparked his mechanical interest.
First to arrive at the house was a Willy Jeep. He immediately cut off the rear half behind the driver’s seat and turned it into a modern-day pickup. Over the rear axle, he installed a hydraulic lift identical to a 3-point linkage in a tractor. The jeep was now ready for action. His plan was to build a mowing machine that could be attached to the jeep. The welder had many uses and Dad learned as he went. I can tell you the mowing machine got full employment all summer. AND best of all, we got pocket money to go to the pictures.
Many of the fields in our area were full of stones; ploughing them was hazardous as the leaf point often shattered when it hit the rocks. The local farmers, tired of delays and costly repairs, asked Dad if he could do something. Dad came up with the idea of putting a sock of “mild steel” on the leaf point which acted as a shock absorber keeping it from cracking. Incidentally, that sock is on all ploughs today. Just in case any man should boast, Dad was blessed with more than his share of common sense. Thank God he passed it on to his children also.
Dad is not done yet, next on his list is designing the cock-lifter to attach to the jeep. Many of you may remember, before hay bales, we had hay cocks that had to be wound up onto a hay float and drawn one by one to the barn. This was very hard and tedious work, while anxious farmers watched the weather. With the cock-lifter, the tractor did all the work. Imagine the fun us boys had driving the jeep. God was certainly protecting us as we didn’t know a thing about safety. We attribute our longevity to the many “God Bless You’s” we got. What about his girls you might ask??? Well we were not to be outdone. We all worked hard but it didn’t seem like it as we got to ride on the tractor.
Since the hay is seasonal, Dad thought up another use for that jeep. When the Sputnik was launched in 1957, Dad got the idea for designing the lime spreader. Out came the welder again. Dad took the rear axle off a consul car, turned the crown wheel vertical and welded a directional spinner on the top of it. After that, he welded together a wedge-shaped box which held about a yard to two yards of burned lime. All he had to do then was pull the lime spreader with the jeep spreading the lime. A major advantage using the jeep was that it was 4-wheel drive and could travel anywhere.
In 1956 when electricity came to Tarbert, Dad got a manual from the ESB and taught himself how to wire houses and install milking machines for the farmers. This is how Dad operated, always up for something new.
Being a forward-looking man, Dad needed a change and turned to the building trade. First off was Tarbert Island where he worked for several years, then the 2-Mile Inn, and ABA making kitchens. Soon after, he was recruited by a man named John Sisk where he spent many years working. Dad’s hard work and sharp mind earned him the nickname “No Problem.” There wasn’t a thing he was asked to do that he couldn’t. Dad was fearless and always up for a challenge. I remember one time his car rolled under water, anyone else would have drowned but not Dad! He had the presence of mind to first open the window, wait for the water to rise and swim to safety.
Dad’s wonderful building projects ensured we were all employed at an early age. We picked up many life-long skills from watching him. And since Dad was also an avid car enthusiast, he didn’t mind when we filled the back yard with several cars – maybe I should clarify, they were fixer uppers. We may have spent a lot of time under those pieces of junk, but as long as they were drivable for the dance, we were happy.
Now while Dad may have worked hard, he played hard also. In the younger days it was Gaelic football and horseback riding. When his horse “Quart Pot” threw him, that was the end of the riding. Later on he had interests in reading, music, singing, dancing, and even local plays. Does anyone remember “The Shadow of a Gunman.” We loved hearing the shotgun blast. Dad played instruments like the piano-accordion and saxophone, all self-taught. He was blessed with a phenomenal memory and knew the lyrics of every song on the planet, putting us all to shame. I think we all disappointed Dad in the music area. We all loved music we couldn’t play a tin can. His grandchildren though saved the day.
While Dad was not the most patient man as many of his colleagues discovered, he was fair in his dealing with others. I guess what Dad gave us children was more by example than words. He worked hard but didn’t miss out on playing. He encouraged us to take risks and not back away from a challenge. He definitely encouraged everyone to go on to further education and learn about whatever interested them. He gave us the gift of learning by research and study to accomplish our goals.
I think he regretted not going to University himself. He pushed us to be better maybe not necessarily nicely but the only way he knew how. Being competitive himself he didn’t understand fear in others. He went full steam ahead and wasn’t afraid to make a mistake which is a good life lesson.
We all feel grateful to have as much time with him as we did. His memory will carry on.
I would like to thank you all again for coming and end with a short quote from one of his favourite poems:
“The Cremation of Dan McGee by Robert Service.”
There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who toil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.
On behalf of the Brouder Clan, we want to thank you all for your kind words and condolences, may God bless you all.
St. Bartholomew’s Church, Athea
Mass Intentions next weekend
Saturday April 3rd 7.30pm Nora Noonan (1st Anniversary). Billy & Kathleen Casey.
Holy Week Ceremonies
Holy Thursday 7.30pm: Do this as a Memory of Me.
Good Friday 3.00pm: Stations of the Cross 3pm.
Good Friday 7.30pm: Celebration of the Passion of the Lord.
Holy Saturday 7.30pm: An Invitation to be always hopeful in Christ’s suffering and Victory.
Easter Sunday 10.30am: The Lords Resurrection.
All masses are live streamed on the Church Services TV network via the following link
https://churchservices.tv/athea
Church opening
The Church is open daily for private prayer. If you wish to book an anniversary mass, a wedding or baptism date or get a mass card signed please contact Fr. Brendan on
087-0562674 or Siobhan on 087-2237858.
Easter Mass Bouquet cards are available in the church now – please add your intention to the book provided and leave you donation in the box.
Easter Tree – Easter Eggs with a difference: Hannah Mai Collins has placed a beautiful Dogwood tree in our Lenten garden this year and we are now encouraging the children of the parish to draw colourful Easter egg shapes that will be placed on the tree this Easter Sunday morning – write the name/s of someone special that you would like to remember this Easter on your card and leave them into the church in the basket provided just inside the front door before Saturday evening.
Diocesan News
The Pastoral Outreach Team has put together a range of resources to support parishes and families in celebrating Holy Week at home in a meaningful and intentional way despite the restrictions we are facing.
All our resources are available to download on the diocesan Holy Week resources page at:
https://www.limerickdiocese.org/what-we-offer/liturgy-and-life/resources-for-liturgical-seasons/holy-week-resources-2021/
At the beginning of Holy week three online liturgies are offered at 8pm on the following evenings:
A Liturgy of Solidarity on Monday, a Tenebrae Liturgy on Tuesday and a Liturgy of Forgiveness on Wednesday. These liturgies will be streamed on the Diocesan Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/dioceseoflimerick. For those of you who are not on Facebook you will be able to access the liturgy through our Holy Week resources web page by clicking on the image of the liturgy. This link will only be available once it goes live, we will create the live link a couple of minutes before 8pm on each of the three evenings.
Another Year
By Domhnall de Barra
Easter has arrived again and there is a sense of “groundhog day” about it. Little did we think, twelve months ago, that we would be in the same position a year on but, here we are. The only problem is that there are far more cases of Covid in the parish now than were there last year. This time it is mainly young people who have contracted the virus through gathering in houses for parties, especially around St. Patrick’s Day. It would be easy to start apportioning blame but that would not change the situation. It is understandable that young people are fed up with no social activity or outdoor pursuits to help them live a normal kind of life. We were all young one time and thought we were invincible. We could see no danger and tried to do things that would frighten us now. It is natural for them to think it doesn’t apply to them but what about the parents? Do you know where your teenage offspring are when they leave the house? Parties and gatherings are going on wholesale and unfortunately it is not confined to young people. There are those who are older, and should be wiser, bragging about the amount of pints they had in various sheebeens around the locality. We had a chance to bring down the numbers and get back to some semblance of normality but the actions of these people have scuppered that and in the process put the health and livelihood of all of us at risk. Yes, we are all fed up of restrictions but if some are going to ignore the warnings by selfish acts of indulgence we are in for a more prolonged period of isolation. We had two e-mails, through the online version, on this topic. Both of them complained about somebody who was continuing doing business and mixing with the public and staff despite the fact that a family member has Covid. I can’t reproduce them here because they mention names and there are libel laws to think about but I agree with the sentiments expressed. I have appealed before in this newsletter for people to cop on but I’m afraid it has fallen on deaf ears, however, I make one final plea to all of you out there to pull together, just for a limited time until more people are vaccinated and we can mingle in safety.
The movable feast that is Easter has always bothered me. Does it really have to follow the times of the Pagan festival it replaced by having a different date every year? Is there any logical reason why it could not be a fixed date. On Good Friday we commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus but it is a different date every year. It would be much easier if it was the same every year and people could plan ahead with holidays etc. It would also avoid the occasions when bank holidays come very close together and it causes problems for employers and their staffs. If Easter Sunday was fixed for, say, the first Sunday in April, it would be a month before the May bank holiday. I won’t hold my breath waiting for it to happen but I think it makes a lot of sense.
Hats off to Athea Drama Group who have succeeded in making most of the plays done by the group available on U Tube. I had a look at the first one we did, “Many Young Men of Twenty” and I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the old recording. I was able to watch on the TV screen and seeing myself as “Danger Mullally” brought back great memories. I couldn’t believe how fat I was in those days. I was like a small bull on the stage – no wonder I ended up with Diabetes ! It was nice to see some of the characters in the play who have since passed on and I think it is a fitting way to remember them. What was most pleasing to me was the reaction of the crowd. Athea had been starved of drama for many years and this was the first production by the new group The laughter was infectious and it was obvious that they were thoroughly enjoying the performance. I am looking forward to going through the plays, one by one, and it will compensate in some way for the lack of live performances we have to endure at the moment. Anyway well done to all concerned. As a founder member of the group I am filled with pride!.
There is a lot of negativity about at the moment so I want to share with you the following piece I got from a pamphlet by the Divine Word Missionaries. It is called
“Today I Can”
Today I can complain about my health,
or I can celebrate being alive,
Today I can moan that it is raining,
or be joyful at all that grows from rain.
Today I can regret all I don’t have,
or rejoice in everything I do.
Today I can mourn everything I have lost,
or eagerly anticipate what’s to come.
Today I can complain that I have to work,
or celebrate having a job to go to.
Today I can resent the mess kids make,
or give thanks that I have a family.
Today I can whine about the housework,
or celebrate having a home.
Today I can cry over the people who don’t care for me, or be happy loving and being loved by those who do.
I choose to have a good day today.
Easter is a very special time for Christians and it is such a pity that people are not allowed to attend the many ceremonies over the week. A few years ago it would have been a big blow for the Church but today, thanks to modern technology, we can all tune in on line and have a front row seat in the Church. I think there are now more people attending Mass remotely than ever did physically. Great credit is due to our local clergy for looking after their flock like they do.
I take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and holy Easter.
Athea Drama Group
With no rehearsals or productions being staged during the last year, the Athea Drama Group committee have been busy working behind the scenes creating an online archive of videos from previous productions. This was a huge undertaking as we set out to contact each past member and receive written permission to upload the videos to our Youtube Channel. Sadly, not all videos have survived or not all productions were recorded. However, focusing on the positives – we are now ready to share with you all eleven of our previous productions including our very first production from 1992. The full length videos available to view presently include; Many Young Men of Twenty (1992), Sive (1993),The Chastitute (2002), The Country Boy (2007), The Curse of Josey Ward (2009) The Real McCoy (2015), The Hen Night Epiphany (2016), Anyone Could Rob a Bank (2017), Pretend Sick (2018), The Lonesome West (2019), Looking for Love (2020). Work will continue in the coming months to get further productions added to the channel.
We are delighted to share these productions with you once again and we thank you all for supporting the Athea Drama Group since it’s formation. We also fondly remember past members of the group who are no longer with us, they will forever be part of the Athea Drama Group Family. We look forward to welcoming you, our audience, to Athea sometime in the future to share in the magic of a live production, but for now, enjoy the trip back in time! With the advancement in technology, these videos can now be streamed onto smart TVs and can be viewed on Ipads etc. We ask you please share these videos especially with the older members of our community who may appreciate seeing some local faces on their television and who may also fondly remember these previous productions.
The youtube channel can be accessed by following the link on our facebook page, or by searching ‘Athea Drama Group’ on Youtube.