Sunday Newsletter

Masses Today

6.30: James Cogavin, (Anniv).
11.00: Kathleen, Sylvester & Nellie O'Sullivan; Maura Heaney (all Bowling Green), (Anniv).
6.30: Bridie Lenihan, (Bowling Green).

As I Was Saying...

Twelve years ago, on the weekend of June 25th, 1999, we celebrated our first Mid Summer Festival. This celebration is now a securely established event in our annual diary. This year's celebration is greatly overshadowed by the passing of one of the festival's greatest supporters, Betty Ferguson. Perhaps it is appropriate that, as her funeral Mass was being celebrated in the Church, the tents were being erected in the yard for the Summer celebrations. If Betty were alive, I am certain she would be out in the yard with a brush in her hand and a cigarette in her mouth! She was a wonderful woman and was central to everything that happened here in 'The Auggie' over the last twenty years. May she rest in peace.

The notion of a Mid Summer Festival has deep roots. Our ancestors, who lived in harmony with the sun, knew instinctively the sacredness of such times. We too are children of the sun, the daystar that makes all life possible. It is only fitting that we celebrate this turning point of our planet, even if we have a more sophisticated knowledge of the earth, sun, moon and planets than our ancestors.

As is the case with many of our present-day feasts, Christianity 'baptised' an already existing practice and claimed it as its own. Hence, the Eve of St. John, the night of fiery festivals.

It was a particularly popular feast here in the west of Ireland. A drive through the countryside on St. John's Night will show that the custom is still very much alive and well in the rural west: countless wisps of smoke curl skywards from the fires of almost every rural village.

An outstanding feature of the celebration this year was the contribution of the First Communion classes from St. Patrick's School in the Parish.

Their three teachers, Fiona Molloy, Riona O'Connor, Hildegarde Naughton went to great lengths to get the little lads ready. It was great to witness their rehearsals in the Church during the week! But how handsomely the effort paid off. They really did add an extra dimension to our Summer celebration. I hope it gave you all some insight into the crucial role teachers now play in passing on the faith to the next generation. I don't think their key role is always appreciated or even well-known within the broader Church community. All schools and colleges are now closed. We wish all the boys and their teachers a long and enjoyable Summer break. And thanks again for your fantastic contribution.

Our Mid Summer festival provides an opportunity for our parishioners and patrons to come together and celebrate the fact that we belong to each other. Celebration is central to our faith and our lives. Celebration denotes that we are living, rather than merely existing. It is a genuine Community Celebration in that the ideas came originally from the community; the goods were provided and prepared by the community. Our barbecue in the car park should be seen as the logical extension of our Liturgical celebration in the Church. Enjoy it!

-Dick Lyng

Items of Great Interest

The Late Betty Ferguson

The late Betty Ferguson

It's difficult to believe that Betty is gone. She was such a bundle of energy, such a dynamic, energetic woman. She was born Betty Heverin in Cortoon almost sixty nine years ago. She was a twin and one of a family of nine, seven of whom are still standing. As a teenager she joined the Mercy Sisters for a short time. It would be wrong to say that she left the Sisters. Because, for the rest of her life she maintained close links with them and worked with them on many projects.

She married Gerry Ferguson in 1971 and they had four children, Ronnie, Orla and Colm, and Jackie. The one great cross they met as a family the loss of Colm to cancer at the age of nineteen in 1991. It was a terrible blow, but they coped with it through keeping Colm's memory very much alive.

Betty was quite a competent badminton player in her younger days, and she had a great interest in all sports. But her favourite hobby was watching tennis, and the high point of her sporting year was Wimbledon. Betty came home from hospital just before Wimbledon was to begin. A new bed had to be got. But the most important piece of furniture in the room was a giant TV screen at the bottom of the bed. The show must go on!

Herself and Gerry liked to travel. She liked to see that way other people in other places went about doing things and living their lives.

Gerry could not have picked a more appropriate reading that that first reading from the Book of Proverbs: "When one finds a worthy wife, her value is beyond pearls. She makes cloth with skillful hands, her fingers ply the spindle. She reaches out her arms to the poor, and extends her arms to the needy." If there was a family in trouble, or down on their luck, the easiest person to go to on their behalf was Betty Ferguson. She was a highly practical woman. She saw immediately what was needed, and addressed the problem without fuss.

Betty has been involved with us in the Augustinian here for over twenty years. I don't say this lightly: but she was the most reliable person I ever met. As such she was invaluable. She was at the core of all our celebrations here, cooking, catering, ensuring that everything was done properly! Many times I rang up Betty and said, "How about a bit of lasagna for the parishioner's tomorrow night?" She always had just two questions: 1. "How many are you expecting?"; 2. "Should I do garlic bread as well?" It's ironic that she is being buried on our biggest day of the year, the day of our Summer Festival.

Betty faced her death with great courage. She was not a pious woman. She set great store on the Benedictine motto: 'To work is to Pray'. Her simple faith served her very well. On the very day she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, her first question to me was typical: 'How is Gerry taking it?' Her next remark was very 'matter of fact': "Sure we had a great life. And thank God we have been given time to prepare." In Betty's case, very little preparation was required. She lived the Christian faith every day of her busy life. Gerry, Ronnie, Orla and Jackie will miss her terribly. She has now gone to her father's house where she is probably busy already with the celestial equivalent of the sweeping brush. May she now rest after her many labours.

SUMMER FESTIVAL

Happenings!

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