Fr. Jack O’Connor

Mar 14, 2015

It is the end of a wonderful day of celebration of my uncle Jack’s 50th jubilee of his ordination as a priest of the diocese of Christchurch. While the actual date is July 5 (1965), we combined the celebration with Jack’s 85th birthday (last month), and as Jack himself reflected, when you get to his age it’s better to have the celebrations at the earliest opportunity!

Jack may well have been the only priest of the Christchurch diocese to have served in every region of the diocese. Over the past half century he has spent time in parishes in Mid Canterbury (Ashburton), Westland (Ross, Greymouth & Ngahere), South Canterbury (Fairlie twice, Temuka), Chatham Islands, North Canterbury (Hawarden / Cheviot / Hanmer Springs parishes) and Christchurch (Riccarton, St. Albans, Sockburn, Bryndwyr). At present while living at Bryndwyr he serves as a Chaplain at St. Bede’s College and it was the enthusiasm of staff and boys of the College that led to them hosting today’s celebrations.

Jack, from all of us who love you: ad multos annos

IMG_3542

IMG_3549

above:  Mark, Jack’s brother speaking on behalf of his generation.

IMG_3569

Kathryn, Jack’s niece, my sister, speaking on behalf of our generation.

IMG_3612

with Kay (sister)

IMG_3574

IMG_3575

IMG_3579

Mary and Bridget (nieces) with Jack

IMG_3603

with Anne (cousin)

IMG_3599

a family group

IMG_3621

with the St. Bede’s hosts for the celebrations

IMG_3631

1 Comment

  1. Ad multos annos Fr Jack. I think it 62 years since I last saw you! I had great respect for you uncles, Fr Steve and Fr Con, both very influential in my education and development in the faith.

    Wishing you all the very best (from Melbourne)

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Posts

the teenagers

the teenagers

A few years ago I discovered the wonderful way that God uses my imagination in my prayer.
Such openness to imagination when seeking God does not take us away from reality into fantasy but instead brings me into what is most real and inescapably personal and intimate.

Annunciation

Annunciation

A couple of thousand years ago, a young Jewish woman was going about her normal morning routines, perhaps with a mixture of house and garden work, chatting with parents and neighbours, aware of the local drought, the sickness of a neighbour and annoyed by the neighbourhood’s lack of sleep caused by the Romans’ noisy party the night before, when God broke into her routine and entered her life in a new and powerful way.

the real centre

the real centre

Over the last month I have had the opportunity to work with many people across Aotearoa and further afield. In every retreat and seminar I have been with committed and faith-filled people who often feel as though they are on the periphery of the Church

the adventure

the adventure

It’s easy to make the mistake of seeing life as a treadmill, day after day ups and downs, a movement through time from youth to old age, then death and beyond.
Too often if feels as if we are helplessly captive carried along by the momentum of all that is expected of us and demanded from us, and we risk falling into an existence mode, a daily rhythm of survival, enduring, coping and so the treadmill rolls on.

the bigger picture

the bigger picture

Over the years, and even in recent months, weeks and days, I’ve prayed many prayers which have not been answered as I had hoped.
You’ve probably had the same experience: praying and wondering if and when or how your prayer will be answered.