Tipperary priest returns home for holiday from Brazil

Patrick Street native Fr Brendan Meagher is currently home on holiday from Brazil where he has worked as a Redemptorist priest for the past 38 years.

However, his roots are very much in North Tipperary, being a descendent of the Meaghers of Annfield and of the Costigans of Clonakenny.

His dear departed colleagues and friends of many years were Frs Martin and Matt Ryan of Cooleen, Templederry, and he also worked with Fr Matt on the Brazil Mission for over 30 years.

As part of his work he cares for abandoned children in some of the poorest areas of the country.

To aid him in his cause a coffee morning was held in the McAuley Centre last Saturday to raise funds for the project.

Fr Brendan would like to thank all those who contributed to the coffee morning where the funds raised will make a massive difference to those whose lives are so different from our own.

Fr Brendan lives and works amongst the poorest of the poor in Fortaleza, Brazil.

Over eleven years ago a grandmother Dona Fatima from the city of Parnaiba in the State of Piaui on the North East Coast of Brazil came to Fr Brendan pleading for help for her two abandoned grandchildren, Clarissa and Cecilya who were only two and three years of age.

He assured her he would, even though he didn't have a penny to his name, but he knew that family and friends would rally around and that in some way they would raise money to look after the maintenance and education of the girls until they were old enough to do so themselves.

The girls who are now 12 and 13 years old live in very modest circumstances with their grandparents, both of whom are in very poor health.

They attend school daily and love doing their best and achieving good grades.

After school they do their homework, help with the cooking, cleaning and care for their grandparents doing whatever they can to help.

When Fr Brendan agreed to help, he was practising Faith, real down to earth Faith, in himself, his sisters and brothers, in family and friends.

The "yes" that he nervously offered to Dona Fátima more than 11 years ago has been the greatest blessing of his life.

The little project he built around those two girls and their Granny is one of joy, of love and laughter and all who participate in the project experience the same blessings that freely flow; the joy, the love and laughter, the compassion, that arises from cheerfully giving in aid of the impoverished and less fortunate of our complicated society.

Fr Brendan would like to assure everyone that all contributions made will go directly to his Abandoned Children's Project.