Fourteen receive First Holy Communion at St. Patrick’s

Sunday was a special day for 14 youngsters at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Imperial as they received the sacrament of First Holy Communion during the morning Mass. Taking part in the special day were, front from left, Sophie Fiedler, Itzel Chavez, Shelby Baird, Remington Yaw, LaReina Colton, Delaney Krutsinger, Lucy Spady, second row from left, Arturo Miscles, Ryan Bernhardt, Tysen Lempke, Julian Juarez, Juan Mireles, Brice Vitosh and Emmitt Zuege, back row from left, Teacher Kristi Bernhardt, Father Bernard Lorenz and Teacher Tiffany Reeves. Not pictured—Teacher Angela Swanson. The church will have a special reception for the First Communion class this Sunday, April 29. (Republican photo)

Fourteen receive First Holy Communion at St. Patrick’s

Sunday was a special day for 14 youngsters at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Imperial as they received the sacrament of First Holy Communion during the morning Mass. Taking part in the special day were, front from left, Sophie Fiedler, Itzel Chavez, Shelby Baird, Remington Yaw, LaReina Colton, Delaney Krutsinger, Lucy Spady, second row from left, Arturo Miscles, Ryan Bernhardt, Tysen Lempke, Julian Juarez, Juan Mireles, Brice Vitosh and Emmitt Zuege, back row from left, Teacher Kristi Bernhardt, Father Bernard Lorenz and Teacher Tiffany Reeves. Not pictured—Teacher Angela Swanson. The church will have a special reception for the First Communion class this Sunday, April 29. (Republican photo)

Pope Says First Communion Preparation Requires Love and Reverence

During his April 22 Regina Coeli address, Pope Benedict XVI said adults should bring reverence and love to the task of preparing children to receive their first holy Communion.

“Dear friends, the Church at Easter time usually administers first Communion to children,” he noted in the midday address. “I, therefore, urge the pastors, parents and catechists to prepare this feast of faith well, with great fervor, but also with sobriety.”

Among the large crowd gathered in the sunshine of St. Peter’s Square were thousands of Italian children who will make their first holy Communion in the coming weeks. As Pope Benedict addressed them, the young pilgrims cheered and released hundreds of colored balloons into the Roman sky. 

The Pope told them their first Communion would mark “the moment when you too understand the importance of a personal encounter with Jesus.”

Christ promised the Church his continued presence in “the word and the Eucharist,” the Pope said.

“Therefore, just as the disciples of Emmaus recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread, so we meet the Lord in the Eucharistic celebration.”

Pope Benedict also spoke about the Scripture readings for the Third Sunday of Easter. He noted that the disciples were “incredulous and frightened” when they first saw the risen Christ, initially mistaking him for a ghost.

In response, Jesus showed his hands and feet, which displayed the marks of the Crucifixion. He also asked for food and received a piece of baked fish.

Pope Benedict explained that these “very realistic signs” helped the disciples “open up to the gift of faith,”  which, in turn, helped them “understand the things written on Christ ‘in the law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms.’”

The Pope reserved his final words for the children in St. Peter’s Square, before leading the recitation of the midday Marian prayer: “May the Mother of God help us to listen attentively to the word of the Lord and participate worthily in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, to become witnesses of the new humanity.”

Pope urges careful preparation for First Communion

Vatican City, Apr 22, 2012 / 10:25 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During his April 22 Regina Coeli address, Pope Benedict XVI said adults should bring reverence and love to the task of preparing children to receive their first Holy Communion

“Dear friends, the Church at Easter time usually administers First Communion to children,” he noted in the midday address. “I therefore urge the pastors, parents and catechists to prepare this feast of faith well, with great fervor, but also with sobriety.”

Among the large crowd gathered in the sunshine of St. Peter’s Square were thousands of Italian children who will make their first Holy Communion in the coming weeks. As Pope Benedict addressed them, the young pilgrims cheered and released hundreds of colored balloons into the Roman sky.  

The Pope told them their First Communion would mark “the moment when you too understand the importance of a personal encounter with Jesus.”

Christ promised the Church his continued presence in “the Word and the Eucharist,” the Pope said.

“Therefore, just as the disciples of Emmaus recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread, so we meet the Lord in the Eucharistic celebration.”

Pope Benedict also spoke about the Scripture readings for the third Sunday of Easter. He noted that the disciples were “incredulous and frightened” when they first saw the risen Christ, initially mistaking him for a ghost. 

In response, Jesus showed his hands and feet which displayed the marks of the crucifixion. He also asked for food, and received a piece of baked fish.

Pope Benedict explained that these “very realistic signs” helped the disciples “open up to the gift of faith” – which in turn helped them “understand the things written on Christ ‘in the law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms’.”

The Pope reserved his final words for the children in St Peter’s Square, before leading the recitation of the midday Marian prayer. 

“May the Mother of God help us to listen attentively to the Word of the Lord and participate worthily in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, to become witnesses of the new humanity,” he declared.

First communion in 26 years

Published on Thursday 12 April 2012 09:08

A SMALL south Norfolk rural church, closed since 1987, is planning to celebrate its patron saint by holding its first Holy Communion in over 26 years.

Present at the Patronal Service on St George’s Day, April 23, will be organiser Maurice Philpot who was churchwarden at the time St George’s Church in Shimpling closed its doors as a parish church.

Mr Philpot said when the 12th Century, Grade I listed Anglican church became redundant it was taken under the wing of the Churches Conservation Trust, but remained consecrated making church services still possible.

“In the past we have had prayer services on St George’s Day, but this will be the first time we have held a Holy Communion in at least 26 years,” he said. He hopes to welcome a large congregation back into the church for the service at 10.30am which will be conducted by Reverend James Roskelly.

The church holds regular open days during the summer, starting this Sunday from 11am to 4pm.

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Parents pull children from First Communion after priest shows gay porn slideshow

Group is “enraged” that the Catholic Church is “doing nothing and hoping that we will go away”

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A group of parents in Tyrone will not allow their children to take part in the First Holy Communion ceremony if Father Martin McVeigh is involved. McVeigh recently showed 16 images of gay porn at the start of a PowerPoint slideshow of the parents of the Communion class.

McVeigh was giving a talk on preparing children for the Holy Communion ceremony. When he entered his USB into the computer 16 gay porn images popped up for all the 26 parents, some teachers, and one eight-year-old child to see.

The priest left the room “shaken and flustered” and then returned to finish the meeting by asking children to consider donating some of their First Communion money to the Church.

The parents initially complained to the Catholic Parish Outreach (CPO), Council for Catholic Maintained School (CCMS), and the CPO of the Armagh Diocese. So far according to the Mid Ulster Mail newspaper, no action has been taken.

On Monday the parents met to discuss the incident. They are still waiting to hear whether McVeigh will preside over their children’s ceremony.

In a statement they sent to the Mail they said “If we find that he will be conducting the service or even in attendance, we won’t allow our children to take part.

“It is absolutely disgraceful that Armagh has not suspended him from his duties after what took place last week. We have been left in the dark over this matter but we certainly will not be stopping until we get answers.”

The parent feel that the Church is “doing nothing and hoping that we will go away”.

“The questions that remain unanswered are the fact that Fr McVeigh is still saying Mass and has not been suspended pending an investigation.

“In any other responsible organization this would have been the first action.”

“The parents are enraged that Fr McVeigh has been entrusted with the pastoral care of their children however, he has given no explanation for why he left the room for 20 minutes after the incident or no apology to the offended child, parents or teachers.
 
“The good name of the school is being tarnished with a matter that should be dealt with by the Church not through the media.

“We feel that the situation is not being treated with the gravitas that it warrants and we as parents feel that the Church are doing nothing and hoping that we will go away,” concluded the statement.

In another letter sent to the Mail a parishioner said they would be withholding their weekly donation to the Church. Another local said that McVeigh should not be judged until the Church has concluded their investigation.

On Monday Ireland’s Primate, Cardinal Sean Brady, released a statement saying “inappropriate imagery was inadvertently shown by a priest at the beginning of a PowerPoint presentation.”

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Martin McVeigh, Northern Irish Priest, Accidentally Displayed Gay Porn During …

A Northern Irish priest has sparked a local uproar after accidentally displaying a series of pornographic gay images to a group of parents during at a primary school meeting.

As the BBC is reporting, Father Martin McVeigh projected 16 “indecent images of men” onto a screen as part of a Powerpoint presentation during a March 26 meeting for parents in preparation for First Holy Communion for their children at St. Mary’s School in Pomeroy. One eight-year-old child is also reported to have been present during the meeting, according to The Ulster Herald.

“He was visibly shaken and flustered,” one parent who was present during the meeting told the BBC. “He gave no explanation or apology to the group and bolted out of the room. The co-ordinator and the teachers then continued with the presentation.” The parent also noted that those who saw the pictures “were horrified and distracted.”

The images are said to have been uploaded from a memory stick the parish priest had inserted into a computer before the presentation. Although the Police Service of Northern Ireland said there was no immediate evidence a crime had taken place, McVeigh remains under investigation and is said to be cooperating fully.

Cardinal Seán Brady, head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, confirmed the reports in a statement as quoted by Pink News. “Inappropriate imagery was inadvertently shown by a priest at the beginning of a Powerpoint presentation, causing concern to those present,” Brady said. “This was immediately removed from the screen.” He went on to note, “The priest has stated that he had no knowledge of the offending imagery.”

Speaking to the Herald, McVeigh — who reportedly was not present for Palm Sunday liturgies over the weekend — said, “I don’t know how it happened. There are people making innuendoes who weren’t even there, but in this day and age these stories grow. All I can do is let the incident be investigated and be open to that investigation so that what happened can be legitimately explained.”

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POMEROY PRIEST IMAGE SCANDAL RUMBLES ON

Published on Friday 6 April 2012 13:50

PARENTS in Pomeroy won’t allow their children to take part in a First Holy Communion ceremony if a priest embroiled in an indecent image scandal is in attendance, the MAIL understands.

Parish priest Father Martin McVeigh this week remained at the centre of a media storm after “indecent” pictures appeared on a projector to parents during a presentation at St Mary’s Primary School in the village.

On Tuesday night around 26 parents, a number of teachers, plus an eight year-old child, gathered for the First Communion meeting at the school with Father McVeigh.

During the course of the gathering parents were left “horrified and distracted” after a reported 16 obscene images of men appeared during a PowerPoint presentation after the priest inserted a memory stick into a connected computer.

According to a statement given to the MAIL on behalf of the parents, the memory stick was removed before the priest, who has since denied knowing how the images came to be on the device, left the room “visibly shaken and flustered”.

He returned a short time later and finished the presentation, before asking that children consider giving some of their First Confession money to the Church.

Following a number of complaints to the CPO of the Parish, CCMS, CPO of Armagh Diocese, no action has been taken against Father McVeigh, who has presided over the parish for some years.

Parents again met at a private meeting on Monday night to discuss the incident, and say they are still waiting to hear back from the Church on the current status of Father McVeigh’s position and whether he will preside over the school’s First Holy Communion ceremony, due to take place in three weeks.

“If we find that he will be conducting the service or even in attendance, we won’t allow our children to take part,” one parent told the MAIL.

“It is absolutely disgraceful that Armagh have not suspended him from his duties after what took place last week. We have been left in the dark over this matter but we certainly will not be stopping until we get answers.”

In a joint-up statement the group of parents have now accused the Church of “doing nothing and hoping that we will go away”.

“The questions that remain unanswered are the fact that Fr McVeigh is still saying Mass and has not been suspended pending an investigation.

“In any other responsible organisation this would have been the first action,” they said.

“The parents are enraged that Fr McVeigh has been entrusted with the pastoral care of their children however, he has given no explanation for why he left the room for 20 minutes after the incident or no apology to the offended child, parents or teachers.

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“The good name of the school is being tarnished with a matter that should be dealt with by the Church not through the media.

“We feel that the situation is not being treated with the gravitas that it warrants and we as parents feel that the Church are doing nothing and hoping that we will go away,” concluded the statement.

Another parishioner, who sent a letter into the MAIL, stated that until “some clarity is brought to this whole scenario” they would be withholding their family’s weekly donation to the Church, while another local woman, who did not want to be named, said the priest “should not be judged” until the Churches investigation is at an end.

In a statement on Monday, Cardinal Brady, the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, said “inappropriate imagery was inadvertently shown by a priest at the beginning of a Powerpoint presentation,”

He added: “The priest has stated that he had no knowledge of the offending imagery. The archdiocese immediately sought the advice of the PSNI who indicated that, on the basis of the evidence available, no crime had been committed.

“The priest is co-operating with an investigation of the matter on the part of the archdiocese.”

The story has grabbed headlines all over the world, making the news as far as America and Australia.

The allegations have also dominated social networking sites, news sites and blogs, and the MAIL has viewed a number of derogatory web posts written in response to the story including several distasteful photoshopped pictures of the parish priest.

The MAIL attempted to contact Father McVeigh, who has continued to carry out morning Mass duties at the Church of Assumption in Pomeroy since the scandal broke, but no-one at the Parochial House answered or returned our calls.

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Irish Priest Accidentally Flashes Gay Porn During First Communion Meeting

A Catholic priest in Northern Ireland has found himself in hot water after he accidentally displayed a series of pornographic gay images during a presentation to parents of children preparing to receive First Holy Communion.

Father Martin McVeigh projected 16 “indecent images of men” on a projector screen during a March 26 PowerPoint presentation to a group of 26 parents at St. Mary’s School in Pomeroy, Ireland, the BBC reports.

McVeigh has said he had no knowledge of the images.  Parents in attendance told the BBC the images appeared on the screen from a memory stick the parish priest had inserted into a computer before the presentation. According to The Associated Press, parents who attended the meeting have demanded in a letter that McVeigh be suspended and barred from their children’s First Communion.

“He was visibly shaken and flustered,” one parent said. “He gave no explanation or apology to the group and bolted out of the room. The coordinator and the teachers then continued with the presentation.”

McVeigh returned to the room twenty minutes later, parents said, to finish the presentation but made no reference to the images.

Irish media outlets are also reporting that at least one child, said to be an eight-year-old, was at the meeting.

The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, confirmed the incident and said an investigation opened by the Police Service of Northern Ireland determined there was no immediate evidence a crime had taken place.

“Inappropriate imagery was inadvertently shown by a priest at the beginning of a PowerPoint presentation, causing concern to those present,” Brady said in a statement. “This was immediately removed from the screen…The priest has stated that he had no knowledge of the offending imagery.”

Father McVeigh defended himself in remarks to the Ulster Herald newspaper last week.

“I don’t know how it happened but I know what happened,” he said.  “There are people making innuendos who weren’t even there but in this day and age these stories grow.  All I can do is let the incident be investigated and be open to that investigation so that what happened can be legitimately explained.”

The investigation by the church into the matter remains open, Cardinal Brady confirmed in his statement. He added that Father McVeigh is “cooperating.”

BACKWARD GLANCES: First Holy Communion, 1939

First Holy Communion, 1939

First Holy Communion, 1939

Posted: Saturday, March 31, 2012 11:30 am
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Updated: 7:06 pm, Fri Mar 30, 2012.

BACKWARD GLANCES: First Holy Communion, 1939

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Derek Genesky of Batavia submitted this photo showing youngsters making their First Holy Communion in 1939 at Holy Name of Mary Church in East Pembroke.

Communicants were from Holy Name of Mary and also St. Patrick’s Church in Wheatville. Note the different range of ages as First Communion wasn’t celebrated every year at these rural churches.

Mr. Genesky’s aunt, Mabel Genesky, is fifth from left in second row. His father, Robert Genesky, a future mayor of the village, is in top row third from left, wearing a striped tie. Monsignor Loftus was main celebrant at the ceremony.

As a child, Robert Genesky remembers the priest arriving at the Wheatville church in a horse and buggy.

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