A story about the power of a rose: Fr Paddy O’Kane

I wrote a piece recently about roses that went viral.

So many people who saw it on Facebook told me that they liked it.

Well, there’s another incident that I didn’t have space for.

The time of the year was early August.

Frances Black (pictured) was singing that evening at the Rialto (forerunner to Millennium Forum)..

I picked a glorious red rose earlier in the day and said ‘Lord, tell me to whom should I give this rose as a gift from you?’ (I probably was not so correct with my grammar!).

By the time I arrived at the concert no one whom I felt needed the affirmation of God’s love had crossed my path so I decided to get rid of it by giving it to the manager Johnny Murray to pass on it to Frances.

I thought no more about it.

Imagine my surprise when Frances came out for her encore holding the rose.

She said: “I am dedicating this last song to Fr Paddy O’Kane who sent me this rose before the concert tonight.”

When the concert was over she told me she had stage fright earlier and when she got the rose she saw it as God saying: ‘Frances, you’ll be ok for I am looking after you’ and her nerves left her.