Sermon Tone Analysis

Dear friends

                   Father Holmes is now taking a well earned break by taking a period of time for prayer and study in his home county of Dumfries.

He has assured me that he will be coming back to take up residence here in Carfin at the end of this time.

Let me introduce myself by giving a little of my history with the congregation.

My name is Fr Terence Casey CSSp.

Before joining the Holy Ghost Fathers I had done a six year apprenticeship and worked as a journeyman electrician in the Manchester area for a number of years.

Feeling a strong call to be a missionary that was especially connected with the Holy Spirit I started training with the Holy Ghost Fathers at their late vocation centre at Upton Hall,Newark.

Here I also did my novitiate.

Later I went on to the Missionary Institute London for the rest of my training.

Before ordination I went out to Nigeria with two other students for two year’s pastoral work.

Here I was able to utilize my electrical skills by teaching electrical contracting in a trade centre run by the church in the diocese of Makurdi.

Ordained in1979 I returned to work in Nigeria where after two years in a large parish I joined the new venture of the Holy Ghost Fathers into the southern end of the Diocese of Yola.

Here we were greatly blessed and were to experience a tremendous growth of the church over this vast area of land.

(Our first parish grew from 24 outstations to 120 within two years) This same growth was happening throughout the whole region.

Later I worked in the more Muslim northern end of Yola Diocese in a mountainous region close to the Cameroon border.

Here we worked with the Verre, the Wom and the Chamba people who had been a subject people to the Fulani Muslim for many years.

I worked in this area for a period of ten years.

I spent the last four years in St Mary’s Parish in the State Capital Yola , where there were over twenty three different ethnic groups.

In 2006 I Came back to the United Kingdom and had a year’s sabbatical.

I was then asked to take charge of the house in Carfin.

This is my first time of working in the United Kingdom since ordination.

It is quite a change and change often involves a bit of stress.

It will probably take me some time to adjust to the work here so please remember me in your prayers now and again.

I would like to take this opportunity to mention the November list of deceased family members and friends.

I have enclosed an envelope for those who send in a list earlier or later.

During November, as every year, Mass will be offered here each day for all those who are mentioned on the lists sent in.

We are always happy to receive your lists before the beginning of November.

We always remember the faithful departed every day in the celebration of the Mass but November gives us the opportunity to recall more explicitly and by name and to remember with love those to whom we are united by naturally family ties and Christian love.