Opening of new Oratory at Coláiste Chiaráin in Athlone
On Monday, September 9, Bishop of Elphin Kevin Doran celebrated the Mass of dedication of the new Oratory at Coláiste Chiaráin secondary school in Athlone.
Brendan Waldron, the school's principal, acknowledged all who made the Oratory a reality and everyone who prepared the beautiful ceremony.
He thanked the Diocese, Sisters of Mercy, and the Knights of Columbanus for their financial contributions, as well as the many staff and students who helped bring the project to fruition.
The contracted company ICS Church Furnishers, from Dromod in Leitrim, were also thanked for their exceptional work in bringing the design brief to reality.
There was a special word of congratulations for the students and teachers at Coláiste Chiaráin who made the most beautiful mosaic for the Oratory.
The Office of Public Works staff at nearby Clonmacnoise were thanked for the gift to the school of two replicas in stone for the Oratory, connecting the school with the ancient monastic site.
During his homily to the congregation of students, staff and invited guests Bishop Kevin Doran said: "We gather today on the Feast of Saint Ciarán, our College patron saint. I think it is good for us to look back for a moment to Clonmacnoise, not as we know it today, but to what it was then, in its prime; a place of learning and a place of prayer.
"Perhaps to the traveller, approaching the river on foot, Clonmacnoise might have come at the end of a long day of walking through hostile territory. It would have been seen as a place of sanctuary and peace, where a traveller could feel welcome and rest a while.
"In our planning for Colaiste Chiaráin, we wanted to achieve something similar. We knew that it would be a busy place of learning, with people coming and going, with bells ringing and with all the technology of school in full swing. God’s work is being done in every classroom, in every office, in the canteen and out in the grounds, if we are using the gifts we have been given, to serve him and to serve one another."
At the end of the Mass, with the kind agreement of the principal, Mr Waldron, Bishop Doran handed the Oratory over into the care of the chaplain and the Religious Education team of Coláiste Chiaráin.