Full church and fuller hearts for St Colman’s NS Grandparents Day
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Glenda Dunne and Gerry Crowley from Mullingar.Image 2 of 19
Ina Burke, Seamus Gorman and Fr Phil Gaffney.Image 3 of 19
Dolores Keaveney and Breegeen O’Reilly at St Colman’s.Image 4 of 19
Jackie McEntee, Davy Hynes and Bernadette Hynes from Mullingar.Image 5 of 19
Thomas and Josephine Leonard from Kinnegad.Image 6 of 19
Helen and Paul Fagan with Eoin Burke.Image 7 of 19
Catherine Muldarry and Aliyn Muldarry Parker.Image 8 of 19
Eamon Galligan and Annabelle Hyland, Mullingar, at St Colman’s NS.Image 9 of 19
Holly and Joe Martin from Mullingar.Image 10 of 19
Georgina Hickey and Kathleen Beehan from Ballinea.Image 11 of 19
Micheál McConnell, Jean Kilmartin and Lucia Kilmartin at Grandparents Day.Image 12 of 19
Tegan Akanna and Adidi Dosumu at St Colman’s.Image 13 of 19
Cetta and Kyran Meares from Mullingar.Image 14 of 19
Sean and Cecila Harris from Clonmellon.Image 15 of 19
Maureen Berry, Mullingar, and Bernie Fitzsimons, Dalystown.Image 16 of 19
Ann Bardon and Ella Doherty at St Colman’s.Image 17 of 19
Marina and Leseck Niestroj with Cyprian Krzyvanski.Image 18 of 19
Maureen Munnelly, JB Hannon and Peggy McTiernan.Image 19 of 19
Aidan McTiernan and Pat Munnelly on Friday.The love and warmth were palpable in St Colman’s and St Paul’s Church for their annual Grandparents Day.
The celebration began with a prayer service in St Paul’s Church with their popular Chaplain, Fr Phil, presiding.
Every pew was filled between students, staff, parents, grandparents and extended family. So full was the church, Mr Beehan, principal, joked that Fr Phil will have to talk to Bishop Deenihan about an extension for next year’s celebration.
The theme for the day was ‘love’ and the service opened with a beautifully simple song about grandparents sung by all of the Junior Infants, unaccompanied. Readings and prayers of the faithful were beautifully elocuted by students from a variety of classes and some of their grandparents, and an array of gifts were brought to the altar, also by students and grandparents.
The multicultural aspect of St Colman’s was honoured as children whose parents or grandparents come from other countries went to the pulpit to say the words ‘I love you’ in their grandparents’ languages. Many of those were among those tuning in to the service online. The choir, made up of St Colman’s students and led by Ms Mulcair, Ms Duffy and Ms Murphy, brought music to the service, with hymns including ‘This Little Light of Mine’ and finishing off with a heartwarming rendition of The Beatles’ ‘All You Need is Love’. There was only one way to follow such a beautiful ceremony – by all coming back to visit the school for refreshments and more magical moments.
Students were delighted to show their grandparents and family members their classrooms, introducing them to teachers and friends and showing them artworks and writing displays on the walls. For the celebration, every room in the school was full, but not as full as all their hearts.