A special homecoming Mass was held on Saturday evening to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Bishop Emeritus of Raphoe, Philip Boyce.
Bishop Boyce was back in the Mevagh parish to toast 60 years of priestly ministry.
Some weeks ago, a celebratory Mass was held in St Eunan’s Cathedral in Letterkenny, but he was back among his own parishioners at the weekend to mark the moment.
Carrigart Parish Priest Fr Paddy Dunne and Fr Míchéal McClafferty OCD, a native of Murlog, Downings, and a Carmelite priest in the Carmelite Retreat Centre at Termonbacca in Derry concelebrated Saturday evening’s Mass at St John the Baptist Church in Carrigart.
“What a milestone, 60 years as a priest,” Bishop Boyce reflected. “The Lord has worked wonders. I never thought that I would live to see this day, but Jesus has his deep designs for each one of us. All I can do is to give him sincere thanks and to live the remainder of my life as generously as I can for his honour and glory.”
Bishop Boyce, now aged 86, recalled how he was ordained at the Teresianum – the International College of the Discalced Carmelite Fathers in Rome – in 1966 alongside 14 others from different countries.
His mother and father, Joseph and Brigid, travelled to Rome to be present. It was his mother’s first, and only, time on a plane, and he remembered how they had collected money over a period of months to aid with paying for the journey.
“Different times,” Bishop Boyce said. “The Holy Spirit came down and we were transformed into priests for all eternity. It was a solemn moment: the laying of the Bishop’s hands; the solemn preface; and the anointing with the sacred chrism.
“We had the congratulations of one and all and I gave my first blessing to my parents.”
Bishop Emeritus of Raphoe, Philip Boyce. (North West Newspix)
He remembered vividly going to St Peter’s Square at the Vatican where Pope Paul VI gave a blessing from a window of St Peter’s Basilica.
“The weather was glorious and all of nature seemed to rejoice,” he said. “On that Sunday evening, we visited some of the Roman basilicas and I still remember the devotion that I saw in the eyes of my good parents as they gazed with awe and reverently touched the relics of the Sacred Passion and of the True Cross and the tombs of saints and martyrs.”
Bishop Boyce said if he had to live life over again “I would not choose any other way than that of the priesthood”.
You may also be interested in
He said: “The life of a priest may have its difficult moments, but being able to celebrate Mass daily and help so many people and serve them as a priest brings a joy that is very deep and very rewarding.
“The mysteries in the hands of a priest are unfathomable. . . Looking back on 60 years as a priest I have to thank the Lord for many things.”
As a young boy, he attended Derryhassen National School at at just 13 years of age – after the coaxing of newly-ordained priest Fr Michael Browne from Carrigart – he went to Cork to attend secondary school at Castlemartyr – an establishment run by the Discalced Carmelites.
“Things were different then,” he said of going off at such a young age. “We are indeed guided by divine providence. I never regretted it.”
After five years, he attended a Carmelites Novitiate in Galway, going on to study philosophy in Dublin before moving to the Teresianum to study theology.
He remembered the influence of early teachers Ms McGill and Mr McFadden “who laid a foundation in our lives”.
Following his ordination to the priesthood, he stayed in Rome, teaching Pontifical Theological Faculty of the Carmelites in Rome until he was ordained as Bishop of Raphoe in 1995, ordained by Cardinal Jorge María Mejía having been appointed by Pope John Paul II.
He announced his resignation in 2015, when he turned 75, although Pope Francis asked him to continue in ministry. In 2018 he was appointed Apostolic Administrator for the Diocese of Dromore, a role he held for just over a year before returning to Donegal, where he resides as Bishop Emeritus of Raphoe.
Bishop Boyce prayed for vocations in the Raphoe Diocese and beyond, praying for “those who follow a call”.
Fr Dunne added: “It is a joy to have him home again to celebrate his 60th anniversary. He has given his liver to Christ and the service to God and his people.”