PRESS RELEASE
24 MARCH 2005
EASTER MESSAGE FROM DR. JOHN MAGEE, BISHOP OF CLOYNE
“May we respect all human beings for whom they are….
irrespective of their age, gender, race or creed” – Bishop Magee
Easter this year 2005 comes early. The daffodils are still with us and
the green leaf is still budding. The lambs are frolicking in the fields
and the doves are cooing as they engage in their springtime encounters.
Easter, in spiritual terms, is never early or late. It comes at the
end of a long period of Grace, a period of renewal and reconciliation,
a period called Lent. This period of Grace leads up to the solemn
celebration and re-enactment of the “ three Sacred Days” of Holy Week,
culminating in the Easter morn mystery of the triumph of love over
hatred, of grace over sin, of life over death in the Person of the
Son of God, Jesus Christ.
As we sing our Easter “Alleluias” this year, may we all realise, within
each one and within the communities in which we live, the plan of God
for humanity, that is that we respect all human beings for whom they
are, namely precious and unique beings eternally loved by God; that we
respect them all, irrespective of their age, gender, race or creed,
as children of God called to an eternal relationship of love, a love
that never deludes, a love that cost the shedding of the Blood of
Jesus Christ.
May the great gift of peace, the Paschal promise, become a reality in
our families and communities, in our Country and in all the troubled
parts of the world. May each one who celebrates the Easter Feast this
year take up the task of being a peace-broker, a peace maker for the
betterment of human relationships and the harmony of the human family.
May the beauty of nature’s springtime, the handwork of God, the Creator,
be protected always and may it be matched by the beauty of humankind
so that we can all live in an environment of good and healthy living
and in generous caring for one another.
A Happy and Blessed Easter to all!
+ John Magee.
Bishop of Cloyne.
Further information:
Martin Long Director of Communications (086 172 7678)
Brenda Drumm Communications Officer (087 233 7797)
NOTES TO EDITORS:
* Dr John Magee is Bishop of Cloyne, a Member of the Irish Bishops’ Conference’s
Department of Pastoral Renewal and Faith Development, Chairman of the IBC’s
Commission on the Liturgy and a Member of the IBC’s Commission for the Missions.
* The Catholic Diocese of Cloyne has: 46 parishes, 107 Catholic Churches and
a Catholic Population of 129,823. The Patron of the Diocese is St Colman.
