Aidan Troy

This has been a different Christmas Day for me. Believe it or not I have never spent a Christmas Day except with family or for the past 44 years as part of my Religious Community. Now I am living in Paris where there is just one other priest ( by our Rule three are needed to make a community). So the question of Christmas Dinner came up. The other priest had an invitation to dinner which he acceepted. I also had some very kind and generous invitaitons to join either a family or a school community for Christmas Dinner. But, never having done this before, and teaching an old dog new tricks, etc., I decided to have a different Christmas Day. There is no suggestion that the families of the parish would not have welcomed me, but I believe this is a day for family and relatives. So, off I set after last Mass for a walk. Well, what a surprise.The streets were crowded, the buses and trains running, a lot of shops open and doing a brisk trade, restaurants full, queues for the cineama and I bought a French newspaper dated 25 Decemember which had been printed overnight. It was different than I had been used to seeing on 25th December. I really enjoyed a good brisk walk and then later on, with my paper to read, went to get something to eat. A lovely meal cost me all of €21. On 26th December I leave for Bray and a visit to family and friends.
Christmas for me this year was defined by the heroism of the couple whose 5 year old son was drowned during a holiday in Paris. It was a privilege to meet them and witness their faith and courage. It is my hope to be with them at the weekend when they lay their beloved child to rest. They are great people.
If anyone reads this please accept my best wishes for 2009 and may all that is good and positive come your way during the coming year.                                                                     AT

Greetings to all this Christmas. I had hoped to be in more regular contact but there has been some difficulty accessing this blog. Some searches give it no bother while others give long lists of references to Aidan Troy. If you switch search engines, you will get me. In due course, I will try to iron this out. So far just one brave soul has added message. Thank you MO.

Address of blog is: www.aidantroy.blog.com

Last week was a sad one for many of us. On Monday last my one and only Passionist classmate was found dead in his room at St Gabriel’s Retreat, The Graan, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh. Michael Doogan was born in Glasgow, Scotland on 18th December 1943 and was buried on 18th December 2008. Michael, Philip Behan, Barry Foster, Callaghan O’Beirne, Jimmy Rudden, Casimir McGeown and mé féin entered the Passionist Novitiate at The Graan on 31st August 1963. Michael arrived late that Saturday evening having travelled from Scotland. Within minutes he was playing the piano and singing at the top of his voice. I was so homesick that I could hardly talk. Three of us survived a regime more like Gauntameno than the Kingdom of God and were professed on 27th September 1964. During that year my Mother died before reaching the age of 50. From the solitude of Fermanagh to Earlsfort Terrace UCD was the next move cycling each day from Mount Argus each day. These three years were followed by four years at Clonliffe where we got a Bachelors of Divinity to go with the B.A. from UCD. There our paths took differenct courses and only occasionally did we meet again as a class. The funeral arrangements were only available on Tuesday afternoon and so to get flights, accommodation and transport arranged for Thursdays funeral was a bit of a rush. But I felt I had to be there to honour a good priest and a loyal classmate. May you now rest in peace, Michael, as you go to join your beloved parents and your brother, Brian,who was always so good to us when we ’sneaked’ off to London as students for a holiday!

Michael also served here at St Joseph’s,Paris for a number of years and is remembered with great affection. The parishioners have begun a collection to pay for a floral tribute to Michael to be placed in front of the Crib this week. 

There is a great buzz around the streets of Paris as Christmas approaches. Trains are full and traffic crawling around the streets. The temperture has risen a few degrees, thank God, as the cold of the last few weeks was tough. 

There has been a steady flow of visitors calling on me and to each I say how grateful I am for your presence. The Christmas Cards have come in by the load and the staff here are amazed at the number of them. I tell them that it is not so much that I am popular but the people are so kind and generous. The parcels have also arrived and this has meant going to the door and signing. But believe me it is worth collecting them!

This is just a bit of an update and I hope to deal with a lot more issues and topics once access difficulties have been ironed out.

Nollaig Shona daoibh go léir                                                                                       AT

 

A break of some days since last addition to blog. Glad to see MO posted a comment. Anyone who wishes to contact me is more than welcome to leave a message. Had my first contact with a school in Paris and it was most positive. It is good to be bak in this environment and be able to meet the students. The build up to Christmas is well under way with the decorations on the Champs Elysees. I look forward to having a trip back to Ireland from 26th December.
On Sunday 30th November I was at Maynooth College for Console’s Ceremony of Light. It was the fifth such event and brings together so many people bereaved by suicide. Console was founded by Paul Kelly and is a most caring and important grouping.
The previous weekend I saw the Christy Moore Concert in aid of PIPS (suicide prevention) in Opera House, Belfast. Christy had kindy offered to do the fundraiser when I met him last year. He put on a great concert and PIPS will have gained enough money to expand their crucial work.
These connections with groups is still very important for me and keeps me in contact with developments.
If you want to make contact please do.                                                 AT