April 4 Tigernach of Clogher d. 549

Thommy and John

good morning
i love you

Tigernach. as the story goes... and who know how the story became and how much of the story in history and how much is the blarney of the bard to enrich the impact of the man beyond his times....

Tigermach was teh son of a famous general, Corbre [or not], and the daughter of an irish king, eochod. thus, of course, he was baptized by bishop st conleth of kildare... you two, each of you, were baptized by kevin o'connell, sj. friend from my novitiate days, he was already a theologian. he was a department chairman, college president, archeologist, and rich in talents, academic and liturgical. and he was/is my friend. i sure wish that when he came to preside over the wedding of your parents he had not assumed that all the bases were touched by the st francis chapel newman center chaplain. but, alas... he presided over the wedding. he baptized each of you in st elizabeth's of hungary, a national church now in the care of the jesuits, the same church where i was baptized. kevin also came to console and consult with me during the tragedy of your mother's divorce... a friend. you did get baptized by a mucky [maybe not a mucky muck but a mucky.... ]

Tigernach had saint brigid as his godmother. y'all didn't do so well. the honoree didn't make it to the church on time so your grandmother was the stand in. and your godmother chose not to fulfill her vows either to help raise you catholic; she followed her sister's lead to take you down a different path. i suggest you find brigid in your life as your mother qua ireland's mother mary....

while a youth, Tigernach was captured by pirates and given to the british king who put him in the monastery of Rosnat - what better way to make it unlikely that he'd show up like his father the general at the head of an army; what better way also to keep Tigernach's father at bay....

at the monastery at Rosnat, Tigernach took advantage of the opportunity - and he couldn't possibly have seen it as an opportunity going in, he learned to serve God, he probably discovered the one true God there, to, as we pray, we'll know love and serve with our whole heart mind and soul. what are the opportunities you have to rejuvenate your service to God, your reception of his Love, his graces, ....

He was returned to ireland and with his conversion passionate faith plus he status as the grandson of the tribal Ri and the son of the general, Tigernach was consecrated bishop in 506.

we become who we become by fulfilling the opportunities given to us to serve God.

i love you
dad