The weekend ‘Jubilee of Hope’ was truly inspiring and spiritually uplifting. Fr Eamon Mulachy is an amazing priest. We are pilgrims of hope. Many thanks to all the wonderful, hard-working participants who made the weekend such an enjoyable experience.

Overall, it was a positive experience. I would give it 4 stars out of 5. It was lovely to have a bit of greenery at the front, and again, to look out of my bedroom window onto the green centre court. The room was airy, with plenty of space to move about. The corridors and staircase were roomy enough to pass people without bumping into them! The en suite was surprisingly large for a single bedroom. The conference room and chapel were conveniently located on the same site. The missing star was mainly due to a few issues — including finding hairs on my food plate and the overly chunky broccoli. However, I must stress that I enjoyed the food and the overall dining experience. Despite the missing star, I would be happy for CDA to book there for any future events!

As a hearing member of the CDA, I wish to thank all those responsible for any part of the organisation. My discussion group with Fr Paul and Denise included both Deaf and hearing participants, and we received responses from everyone. For me, this was symbolic of synodality — being together and listening to one another. Synodality is so meaningful, and I am reminded of the amazing work of the Holy Spirit in guiding the organisers to choose the dates, as explained by Father Eamonn!

Thank you for your teamwork in making this event a success, and thanks to Fr Eamonn and the interpreters for their hard work. It was especially pleasing to see Sr Maria McCready being awarded Honorary President of the CDA for life! She truly deserved it for her many years of dedicated service to Deaf people. This event also reminded us how important HOPE is in strengthening our unity within CDA UK. May it continue to flourish, inviting new members to join and enjoy friendship, support and togetherness.

From Friday 10th to Sunday 12th October, we attended the Catholic Deaf Association Conference at Hinsley Hall in Leeds. The weekend included a wonderful group of Irish Deaf attendees who flew in from Ireland, accompanied by their own Irish Sign Language interpreter. We enjoyed socialising with one another, relaxing in our comfortable rooms, and indulging in the delicious meals—especially the tempting cheesecakes! On Saturday, Fr Eamonn Mulcahy, a Spiritan priest, delivered a full day of spiritual, exhilarating, and electrifying talks on the theme Pilgrims of Hope. Having flown in from Rome, he shared his joy at standing beside Pope Leo and revealed that the Pope is working on a new book. Later that afternoon, Fr Paul Fletcher celebrated Mass in the beautiful chapel, assisted by fellow priests. The chapel’s wooden vaulted ceiling added to the sense of reverence and awe. In the evening, Joselyn, the CDA Chairperson, hosted a lively auction to raise funds for the Catholic Deaf Association—bringing fun and generosity together to close the day.

I was blessed to have been able to attend the recent CDA Jubilee Conference in Leeds. The last one I attended was in Brighton in 2016, so it was lovely to see friends and colleagues face to face once again. We began Saturday morning with a presentation by Fr Eamonn Mulcahy. The theme of 'Pilgrim of Hope' led to a meaningful and deep discussion: 'What is hope? What does the word mean to you?' We then went into groups to explore this further and to reflect on how we can witness 'your hope in your heart.' The session was very powerful and interesting — we see and use the word hope often, but when you start to discuss it, you realise it can mean so many different things to different people. At Mass in the evening, Sr Maria McCready was presented with gifts for having served the Deaf community for well over 50 years. This was followed by a lovely evening meal and a chance to catch up with friends, both old and new. Sunday morning’s session, led by Fr Paul Fletcher (SJ) and Peter McDonough, guided us through a reflection on pilgrimage. I really enjoyed the weekend and found all our discussions deeply interesting. I left feeling hopeful.