Kilcullen Family Afternoon Tea and Mass

On the 14 of Jan 2017 in order to mark Rory Kilcullen’s 40th and Padraic Kilcullen’s 75th birthdays, the Kilcullen family decided to have a remembrance mass in their home. This developed into an opportunity to raise awareness and funds for two charities close to the family’s hearts by holding Afternoon Tea following the mass. As one of the instigators of the MS North West Therapy Centre which opened in 1993, Padraic lost his battle with MS and passed away in 1995. In 2009, the family suffered another bereavement when Rory lost his life to suicide. With these losses in mind, the family embraced the chance to raise awareness of the services available in The MS north West Therapy Centre and Pieta House, which are free of charge, with the hope of helping to prevent another family from suffering similar losses. Fr Declan Boyce celebrated a lovely mass and family, friends and neighbours stayed and chatted over tea and coffee. The MS North West Therapy Centre exists to enrich the lives of people with MS and other neurological conditions by providing essential services and support to clients and their families. Their telephone number is 071 9144748. Padraic’s wife Breege told us of the importance of the service provided by the MS North West Therapy Centre and how her husband Padraic had known that he may not be around to avail of the services but that it would be of benefit to others. She stated that it is ironic now that both her brother and sister are now attending the centre and how the centre has been of great benefit to them both. “Deirdre Murray from the MS North West Therapy Centre had asked me to do a coffee morning and we thought we could use this opportunity to do that. As it was such a social event I would encourage anyone to hold a coffee morning for the MS centre and they will oblige with a starter kit for you” said Breege. Pieta House provides a free therapeutic approach to people who are in suicidal distress and those who engage in self-harm. Phone number of Pieta House, Tuam is 093 25586 and the 24/7 Suicide Helpline 1800 247 247. Rory’s brother Gary spoke after the mass about the impact of the loss of a loved one and a friend which never leaves you. He highlighted the importance of asking for help when you need it. He encouraged everyone at the mass to look out for signs of depression in their friends and families and to be aware of the services available in Pieta House. With the help of family, friends, neighbours, local businesses and the generosity of the community a total of €8,220 was raised. This means that these deserving charities received the sum of €4,110 each. People called with donations throughout the day and for the weeks following the event. The family are very happy with the amount of money raised and are very aware that this could not happen without the tremendous support of those around them. The success of the event is a testament to the people of Sligo and an optimistic start to 2017, the year in which Sligo is the European Capital of Volunteering. The Kilcullen family stated “For us this was a great way to start 2017, given that It was a really nice opportunity to meet up with neighbours, family and friends and the feedback from everyone was very positive. We would recommend this as a very enjoyable fundraiser and social event for anyone that is thinking of a way to raise awareness and funds. We felt the presence of Padraic and Rory on the day and we were very touched by the amount of people that helped us to celebrate their special birthdays. We are sure that they would be very proud and honoured.”