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  PassionistsGlasgow

father frank's log...

25/8/2022

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FR. FRANK’S LOG: 28th AUGUST – 4th SEPTEMBER 2022

Despite an element of sadness at the occasion, it was great to gather a big crowd of people in the hall last Sunday for Father Antony’s farewell celebration. As usual, the good people of St. Mungo’s responded magnificently to the invitation to hand in goodies, and so, there was no shortage of sandwiches, scones, cakes and biscuits, to augment the sausage rolls that we had bought from our local bakery. There were a good number of Father Antony’s family there too, many of whom come regularly to St. Mungo’s anyway. There were also great volunteers to set up, serve, and clean up afterwards. While Father Antony, a man who abhors any fuss, claimed that he was more concerned with how Celtic would fair against Hearts later in the day, I think, in truth, he was well pleased with the lovely atmosphere, and the good spirit that surrounded the event, and could see how much his time in St. Mungo’s has been appreciated.
 
The 12 noon Mass before the celebration was indeed Father Antony’s last Mass in St. Mungo’s, for now anyway. He spent the following day doing his last bits of packing, with the intention of leaving the room completely clear for Father Gareth to move into on his return at the end of September. That night our small community went out locally for a meal together. The following day Father Antony and his brother-in-law picked up a van and brought it back to the house to pack. He was joined by his mum, his sister and his nephew, who followed on in the car behind them to Minsteracres, to help him unpack, and to see his new abode. I’m sure they were impressed with the beautiful surroundings at our Passionist Retreat Centre, where Father Antony will spend the next few years, and that they will soon make plans to visit him, and no doubt stay over, just as they did when he was in Mexico and Rome with the Brothers of Charity. If they can make it that far, they should have no problem making it three hours down the motorway.
 
On that same day we had a visit from Archbishop Nolan, who is painstakingly making his way round the diocese to fraternally visit the priests and religious under his care. He took a great interest in seeing around every nook and cranny of the old Retreat at 52 Parson Street and, of course, it is still our hope and our dream that there might be some solution that allows the Passionists to return there one day. Afterwards we had a good chat in the office here, and then I brought him out to Bishopbriggs to meet Father John and Father Justinian. After that, I brought him back to St. Patrick’s in Anderston, crawling along the M8 due to the present lane closures for work on the Kingston Bridge, where he was looking forward to a relaxing night of reading. I then returned to Bishopbriggs where we looked at each other and said, now we are three, and had pizza together. However, soon we will be four again.
 
On Wednesday Father John and I got on with ministry at the church. Father Justinian was collected by some family members and brought down to Troon to see his brother and sister-in-law there, and to enjoy a meal together. Father John stayed on in the church to meet with our Passionist Young Team that night. I attended to my caring duties for my brother, and then had a 75-minute journey home for a journey that usually takes me 20 minutes, as Balmore Road was closed for some kind of emergency repair work, and that was on top of the endless road works that seem to be going on in Glasgow at present. Needless to say, I was frustrated and hungry when I got back to the empty house, and had a smorgasbord meal of onion bhajis, chilli con carne, and 8 squares of Fruit and Nut chocolate, washed down with a glass of milk. It wasn’t quite so relaxed a day as the lovely Wednesday off I had enjoyed the previous week.
 
So, as always, protect yourselves, protect your loved ones, and protect Christ in your lives.

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father frank's log...

18/8/2022

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FR. FRANK’S LOG: 21st – 28th AUGUST 2022
​

This week I found myself with a rare day off. A longstanding commitment was unexpectedly cancelled and, as I had already made arrangements for my brother’s care that day, I decided to make use of it and chill out. I took the bus into town and spent some time browsing in Waterstones, delving into the various sections on all floors. I started at the top (2nd) floor and worked my way down to the Lower Ground where I knew there was a coffee shop. I enjoyed a nice, relaxed latte and a slice of cake. I always enjoy a coffee in Waterstones, or other such places, surrounded by books. Afterwards, I made my way to St. Aloysius to pray a while, and to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
 
I had no particular plan in mind, and so, when I left St. Aloysius, I wasn’t sure what to do next. It came to mind that it had been a long time since I was in the Mitchell Library, and so I continued along Sauchiehall Street to North Street, looking forward to visiting an old haunt. Back in the 1970’s, when I was studying accountancy at night classes, and day release, while working in Olivetti, I used to spend hours on end in the Mitchell Library. The family home in Drumchapel wasn’t very conducive to study, and so most of my study was done there, with the luxury of a big table, usually all to myself, and a quiet, studious atmosphere. It’s all changed now, of course. There are almost as many computer screens as there are books, but I still loved the atmosphere in that magnificent building, and, if I’d thought of it, I could have had my coffee and cake there, surrounded by even more books.
 
As I left the Mitchell Library, I could just about see St. Patrick’s in Anderson, further down the road. It struck me that, even though I had grown up in Partick, attending St. Simon’s, which would be the next parish along, I had never in my life set foot in St. Pat’s, and so, free as a bird, I made my way there. I was glad I did. It’s a beautiful church with a renowned stained-glass window. I picked up a newsletter and was glad to see that the parish priest, Canon Gargaro, was back on his feet after a recent bout of Covid. Canon Gargaro was the Covid coordinator for the Archdiocese, and I found him a tremendous help during that period, keeping us up to date with the latest guidelines and protocols at all times. Archbishop Nolan, of course, is living there now, and I am looking forward to his visit next Tuesday.
 
From there I made my way down to the river, crossing the Squinty Bridge to the southside, and then crossing back over the King George V Bridge to the northside again. The sun was shining beautifully and, as I had been doing a lot of walking, I decided to get myself a cool drink and sit outside on one of the benches at Billy’s Beer Garden near St. Enoch Square, outside of which there is one of the famous murals of Billy Connolly that are sprinkled around the city. I sat for about an hour watching the world go by. It was only just after 2pm at this stage, and so I wandered through the St. Enoch Centre and took a notion to go and see the film, Elvis. Every seat in the relatively new cinema there is a recliner, and so I kicked my shoes off and settled back to comfortably enjoy, what was a very, very long film. I was never a massive Elvis fan, but I have to say the music was great and, at his best, he was an amazing singer, with some fantastic songs. I knew, going home, that everyone else was out, Fr Jus with his family; Fr Antony and Fr John 10-pin bowling with the Passionist Young Team in Fr Antony’s farewell night with them. I got the bus back, picked up a meal for one in Asda, and settled down to finish the day off – a day that I had thoroughly enjoyed. And so, it’s our final Mass with Fr Antony this Sunday, then, next Tuesday, he will leave for Minsteracres to take up his new role. We thank him for all he has given to St. Mungo’s, and we wish him well.
 
So, as always, protect yourselves, protect your loved ones, and protect Christ in your lives.
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fr frank's log...

12/8/2022

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FATHER FRANK’S LOG: 14th – 21st AUGUST 2022
​

When I returned from my retreat in Schoenstatt last week, Father John informed me that there had been a couple of urgent phone calls. When he told me the first name, it rang a bell from many years back, as someone who had been more a friend of my older brother, the doyen of Scottish sports journalists, than a friend of mine. I wondered if it could possibly be the same person. There was only one way to find out and that was to make the call. Sure enough, it was the same person. As it turned out, he hadn’t seen my brother since 1988, when the doyen was heading down to London to report on Wimbledon, and he hadn’t seen me since 1975, the year I left to join the Passionists. In the general chit-chat he told me that he had a lovely image of himself and myself at Celtic Park the night that the team triumphantly returned from Lisbon with the European Cup in 1967. I asked him was he still an Elvis Presley fan, because my abiding memory was that he tried to look, dress, and comb his hair like the King, who was his great idol. The main reason for him contacting me, though, was to ask for prayers about a particular situation. He knew that I was a priest, and somehow, he discovered that I was in St. Mungo’s, and so it was that, 47 years after he last saw me, he made contact. It was one of those moments, for him, of realising that faith never leaves you, and that in certain situations there is no one else to turn to except God, and he saw me as some kind of gateway to God. A couple of days later he came to see me in St. Mungo’s. Now 73, I had to look closely to see the Elvis clone I remembered, but we had a really good chat, and no doubt we will repeat it again. Meantime, prayers are guaranteed. When I told my brother, he couldn’t believe it.
 
The occasion of telling my brother was at a family gathering at the house of one of my nieces. It was a farewell gathering for my other, younger niece and her family, before they moved to Dundee. They are only moving for 9 months, an academic year, as my niece has to do a year at Dundee University to fully qualify for Catholic Primary School teaching. The reason she is going to Dundee is that she was waiting on the result of a maths test, and only they would give her a provisional acceptance pending the result. As it turns out, she learned this week that she got an “A”, and so, off they go. It would have been too big a wrench to be separated from her husband and two children, so they decided to all move – an adventure. My niece has had a few career changes over the years. She was a nurse for many years, then an air hostess, before becoming a special needs class assistant journeying towards teaching. We had a great night of food and drink, memories and stories, to see them off.
 
The other call mentioned by Father John had been from the archbishop’s office. As you may know, Archbishop Nolan is gradually making his way round all the priests in the archdiocese so as to have a personal and pastoral chat. I’ve actually been looking forward to it, So, sometime soon, he will come to St. Mungo’s to talk with myself, and then I will take him out to Bishopbriggs to meet and talk with Father Justinian and Father John. Father Antony will have gone by then and his replacement, which I hope to be able to announce next week, will not yet have arrived. I have been quietly impressed by the way Archbishop Nolan has gone about things since his appointment, and I look forward to meeting him properly, having, up until now, only shaken his hand and welcomed him. He has a tough job on his hands.
 
Back at the ranch, Father Justinian is looking forward to accompanying Father Antony to Belfast to attend Brother Conor’s final profession. They will bring with them a young man from here who has expressed an interest in the Passionists. Hopefully, the experience of the Profession will inspire him to think on it more deeply and, if it’s God’s will, take the plunge.
 
So, as always, protect yourselves, protect your loved ones, and protect Christ in your lives.

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father frank's log...

7/8/2022

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FATHER FRANK’S LOG: 7th – 14th AUGUST 2022
​

Welcome back to Father Frank’s Log. The month of July was relatively quiet, as is usually the case. This past week I enjoyed a few relaxing, prayerful days in Schoenstatt. I stayed in St. Joseph’s Cabin, self-catering, and availed of the many beautiful walks in Campsie Glen; on the Thomas Muir Way, and along the old Strathkelvin Railway line. I found a trail I hadn’t walked before, up to the Allanhead Waterfall. It was called the Eritrean Martyrs Woodland Trail, created by the Eritrean Community in Scotland to commemorate those who had died in the fight for independence. I also spent many fruitful hours in the beautiful little chapel.
 
Early in the month I had to bring some papers down to the Archdiocesan Offices in Clyde Street. After I handed them in, I went into the cathedral to say a few prayers. While I was there a lady approached me and asked me if I knew where she might find a priest to sign a Mass card which she had just purchased in the repository. I told her I was a priest and that I would be happy to sign her card, and I produced my credentials so as to verify it. She then decided to phone her pal to ask if she had managed to get a Mass card. The friend hadn’t, so she bought another card for her friend and got me to sign that as well. Before I got on my way, I was approached by two other people to ask if there were any Confessions available, so I ended up finding a quiet spot and hearing a couple of Confessions as well. Maybe the Archbishop will give me a job!
 
Later in the month I went for a Shingles vaccination. I received a letter asking me to go to the Glasgow Central Mosque at 7pm of a weekday evening. I had never set foot in the mosque before. My first inclination was to leave the car at St. Mungo’s and walk down, as I don’t like bringing the car into the city. However, I was a bit short for time and so I drove down. When I got there, I got confused because of road works and a mesmerising number of traffic cones. I followed signs that instructed me to drive on a cycle lane, and I ended up in a car park nearly as far away as St. Mungo’s would have been. I put money in a meter and traced my steps back. Not knowing any better, I went in by the main entrance to the mosque, looking around to see if there were any signs telling me where to go for the vaccination. I then found myself by the prayer room, which was very beautiful, and a very kindly gentleman came by whom I was able to show my letter to, and ask if he knew where I was to go. He asked firstly if I would take my shoes off, which I was happy to do, and he walked with me to the office. I discovered where I was to go, and so I went back to retrieve my shoes and made my way across a courtyard to the Vaccination Centre, where I received my jab, and just about made it back to the car before my meter money ran out.
 
A few days later I travelled to Dublin for meetings. This was my first time on an aeroplane since January 2020. The airport, both in Glasgow and Dublin, was jam packed, as were the planes themselves. It was a bit scary, if truth be told, but thankfully all went smoothly enough and I seem to be none the worse for the experience. At this time, we are preparing for Father Antony’s departure from Bishopbriggs. He will leave us on the 23rd of August, and he is busy packing up, and clearing out his room. We hope to announce a replacement soon. Brother Conor has been with us for these past few weeks, enjoying time to read and pray, and to see a bit of Glasgow. He will return to Northern Ireland soon to prepare for his Final Profession which will take place in Holy Cross, Ardoyne on 14th August. Father John continues to settle and, apart from his ministry, he regularly plays badminton, 7-a-side football, and now wants to learn to swim. Father Justinian continues to defy the years and is doing well. He hopes to travel with Father Antony to attend Brother Conor’s Final Profession.
 
So, as always, protect yourselves, protect your loved ones, and protect Christ in your lives.

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    FATHER FRANK KEEVINS C.P.

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