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Bishop Donal McKeown’s Christmas Message 2025: Emmanuel — God With Us
Be a bearer of hope this Christmas
Take a few moments to watch Bishop Donal McKeown’s Christmas Message for 2025. Reflect on how you, your family and your parish can become signs of hope, reconciliation and peace in your own community this Christmas.
“Blessed are the peacemakers.”In his Christmas Message for 2025, Bishop Donal McKeown offers a reflective and compassionate message to the people of the Diocese of Derry and beyond, acknowledging the mixed emotions many experience at Christmas — joy, sorrow, hope and loss.
Recognising the realities of our world, marked by conflict, violence and uncertainty — particularly in the Holy Land where Jesus was born — Bishop Donal invites us to look beyond sentimental images of Christmas and engage with its deeper meaning. He reflects on the powerful Gospel titles given to Jesus: Emmanuel, meaning God with us; Jesus, meaning God saves; and Prince of Peace.
These names, he suggests, speak directly into today's world. Emmanuel reassures us that God stands in solidarity with those who struggle. Jesus reminds us of our need for healing, forgiveness and new beginnings. Prince of Peace challenges us to become peacemakers in a world fractured by division, fear and abuse of power.
Bishop Donal calls Christians to be people of hope during the coming year, especially as the Church continues its Jubilee journey. He highlights the importance of reconciliation within our own society in Northern Ireland and encourages families to create space for meaningful conversations, prayer and quiet reflection at home.
As we celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas, Bishop Donal prays that this season will be a time of blessing, healing, reconciliation and renewed hope, as we walk forward together into 2026, bringing Christ — Emmanuel, Saviour and Prince of Peace — to our world.
Recognising the realities of our world, marked by conflict, violence and uncertainty — particularly in the Holy Land where Jesus was born — Bishop Donal invites us to look beyond sentimental images of Christmas and engage with its deeper meaning. He reflects on the powerful Gospel titles given to Jesus: Emmanuel, meaning God with us; Jesus, meaning God saves; and Prince of Peace.
These names, he suggests, speak directly into today's world. Emmanuel reassures us that God stands in solidarity with those who struggle. Jesus reminds us of our need for healing, forgiveness and new beginnings. Prince of Peace challenges us to become peacemakers in a world fractured by division, fear and abuse of power.
Bishop Donal calls Christians to be people of hope during the coming year, especially as the Church continues its Jubilee journey. He highlights the importance of reconciliation within our own society in Northern Ireland and encourages families to create space for meaningful conversations, prayer and quiet reflection at home.
As we celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas, Bishop Donal prays that this season will be a time of blessing, healing, reconciliation and renewed hope, as we walk forward together into 2026, bringing Christ — Emmanuel, Saviour and Prince of Peace — to our world.
Christmas Mass Times - Join your parish for the celebration of Christmas
You are warmly invited to celebrate the birth of Christ with your local parish this Christmas.
Find Christmas Mass times across the Diocese of Derry, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Find Christmas Mass times across the Diocese of Derry, on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
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