Teconnaught woman honoured by the new Papal Nuncio

Teconnaught woman honoured by the new Papal Nuncio

20 September 2017

A TECONNAUGHT great grandmother who has dedicated her life to prayer has been honoured by Ireland’s Papal Nuncio.

Ninety six year-old Roseleen Rogan was asked to be a special guest of His Excellency Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo, Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, just months after his appointment by Pope Francis.

The invitation was made during her annual trip to Knock to do a Novena with her three daughters Mary Joe Walker, Imelda Savage and Stella Rea.

When they arrived, they were advised that Archbishop Eamon Martin was celebrating the 2017 Grandparents’ Pilgrimage to Knock and was seeking the oldest grandparents to be presented with a certificate during Mass.

Roseleen, a grandmother to 15 and great grandmother to 18, was delighted to be invited to take part in the ceremony and despite a few nerves, said she felt honoured to take part in the mass.

During his homily, Archbishop Martin credited grandparents like Roseleen for maintaining family bonds.

“Family is all about connection and you, my dear grandparents of Ireland, are vital links in the chain,” he said.

“As Pope Francis says, you help us to appreciate the continuity of the generations.

“Very often it is you who ensure that faith and the most important values are passed down to your grandchildren.

“Your words and affection help children and young people to realise that history did not begin with them, but that we are all part of an age-old pilgrimage. You bridge the generation gap.”

Roseleen, who grew up on a farm in Teconnaught, is a devoted Catholic and spends her days praying for good intentions.

Rising at 6.30am, she makes her own breakfast before going into her living room where she will say up to 60 Novenas throughout the day.

Praying for those affected by tragedy and illness, she says she keeps a list of intentions and tries to keep those worse off than her in her mind.

Enjoying a deep faith since childhood, Roseleen remembers considering life as a nun as a young woman, but said she could not fulfil a vocation at the time as she was needed to help on the family farm.

“I also prayed a lot in my youth, and now that it is peaceful and quiet I have even more time to pray,” she said.

“I did consider entering a convent as my younger sister later did, but it was just not suitable at the time.

“There was a big family of us and it was not easy for my parents as there were 14 children, three of whom died in childhood.

“My husband Joseph was also a very holy man, we tried our best.

“There are so many sick and distressed people, so many people worse off, and I am fit to sit and pray, I have the time to dedicate to prayer.”

Praying from morning to evening, Roseleen says she does not keep count of the Novenas she says, but rather prays as people come to mind, even after she retires to bed at night.

“People ask me to pray for them and when I hear of anybody in difficulty I add them to my list of intentions,” she said.

“I never count them, I keep going. I just take a break for Emmerdale.”