'The seed of peace must be nurtured from within': Fr John Deignan

We contacted a number of people from in and around the Athlone area to ask them about their highlight of 2025 and their hopes for the new year. This is the response from Fr John Deignan, the parish priest in St Peter and Paul's, Athlone.

* My highlight of 2025 was...

Looking back at 2025 in our parish, it was a year that was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It was a year that tested the resilience of our community, as we faced an unprecedented number of personal tragedies that left scars on the lives of many. Yet, in the midst of such darkness, a beacon of hope emerged. The outpouring of support, love, and care from our community was a testament to the transformative power of unity and compassion.

In the face of adversity, our parish came together, united in our grief and our resolve to support one another. We witnessed strangers become friends, neighbours become confidants, and acquaintances become family.

This sense of oneness, this feeling of belonging to something greater than ourselves, is the essence of true community. It is the realisation that we are not alone in our struggles, that we are part of a larger tapestry of lives, interconnected and interdependent.

* My hopes for 2026 are...

As we step into the threshold of 2026, our hearts cry out for peace. We yearn for a world where conflicts cease, where wars are a distant memory, and where love and understanding triumph over hate and division. But we know that peace is not something that can be imposed from the outside; it is a seed that must be nurtured from within. It begins in our homes, in our relationships, and in our daily interactions.

When we cultivate peace in our own lives, it radiates outward, like ripples on a pond, touching the lives of those around us. It is a choice we make every day, a conscious decision to prioritise empathy, kindness, and compassion.

As we embark on this new year, let us carry the lessons of 2025 with us. Let us remember the power of community, the strength of unity, and the resilience of the human spirit. Let us pray for peace, not just as a distant ideal, but as a lived reality, one that we can create, day by day, in our own lives and in the lives of those around us.