Programme of events announced for 50th anniversary celebration

Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Coosan is preparing to mark its 50th anniversary with a variety of events set to take place later this month.

The Parish Pastoral Council is extending an invitation not only to the people of Coosan, but to all the people of St Mary’s Parish, Athlone, and further afield to be part of its celebrations for the Golden Jubilee of the church.

The Golden Jubilee and Family Day Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Paul Connell in Our Lady Queen of Peace Church on Sunday, August 27 at 12 noon followed by outdoor music and family fun.

There will be a Mass on Monday, August 28 at 7pm with a talk and prayers led by Eddie Stones. Eddie is based in Emmanuel House of Providence, Clonfert and works to help people experience the healing power of God in spirit, mind and body.

Then on Wednesday, August 30 there will be a Mass at 7pm in thanksgiving for the various prayer groups active in the parish now or in the past and for the blessings that come through their prayers.

On Thursday, August 31 at 7pm there will be a Mass with a special invitation extended to secondary school pupils. Liam Kidney will act as the guest speaker. Liam spent eight years in the army as a telecommunication technician and eight years working in IT before changing his career to follow his lifelong dream to work as a professional photographer for 14 years. He will explain the journey he made while following his dreams, the lessons learned and how Covid turned it all on its head overnight.

The celebrations will conclude after 12 noon Mass on Sunday, September 3 with a walk from the Yacht Club to the Commemorative Cross on Ballyglass Hill which will include a short prayer service at the cross.

Throughout the past 50 years, Coosan Church has been a sacred place for families and individuals to gather in faith, to celebrate the sacraments, to spend some quiet time in prayer and reflection or to simply light a candle and to be still in the presence of the Lord.

On Friday, August 20, 1971 the then Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnois, Bishop Cahal Daly, turned the first sod on the site of the new church to be built in the townland of Clonbrusk. Two years later, on Sunday, August 12 1973, Bishop Daly officiated at the solemn dedication of Our Lady, Queen of Peace Church, Coosan.

Speaking at the official opening of the church at the time, Bishop Daly said: “To build a new church today, it has been said recently, is an act of courage and even defiance. It is a protest against a materialistic society and against an economy governed by profit and pleasure.

“In economic terms, a church building is non-productive and nonprofit-making. This is why in capitalist society it has become very difficult to fund or even to obtain loans for church building. This is why in communist society older churches are turned into museums and new churches are refused planning permission.”

During the intervening 50 years, Coosan Church has been at the heart of the life of the community. Significant family and parish occasions have been celebrated there. Families have gathered for baptisms, weddings, funerals, first communions and confirmations as well as for Sunday and daily Mass.