Every Sunday morning in the old days
The priest got in the pulpit gospel read
He then read out a list of names
Of all the lately dead
And then the sick who were at home
All the names were read
And we sat there and we listened
As sick and dead were named
And we prayed for them together
They were family and they were friends
This was the world we lived in
The people there at Mass
And those on that list the priest read out
The sick and those now passed
And naming them was powerful
It brought them to our mind
And helped us feel the togetherness
And helped us to be kind
And every morning here at home
When breakfast time is done
I go to Mid West Radio
Where the obituaries are run
And there I sit and read the names
And see where they were from
And if I ever knew the place
Passed through it on a run
It helps me keep that feeling
Of parish life gone by
When the news concerning others
(Are they sick or did they die?)
Was shared among parishioners
At Sunday Mass to pray
A reminder that your own turn
Will come along some day
Brian Fahy
25 April 2022
+ It was a formula recited every week. Your prayers are requested for the following who are sick…for the following lately dead…and for the following whose anniversaries occur about this time…Precious loved ones always remembered.
Erris Poetry 