We would encourage all Vocations Directors and others involved in vocations promotion within diocese’ to attend and where applicable accompany those who are in discernment or engaged in a pre-entry screening programme.
The day while informal by nature will aim to give those present a sense of life in the seminary and a taste of the life lead by seminarians today of all ages and backgrounds.
Seminarians will be available to talk to candidates who will be offered tours of the campus and see a short video and testimonies will be shown prior to Mass and lunch.
The first Anniversary Mass for Fr Michael Rogers RIP will be celebrated in St Teresa’s Church, Tullyherron at 7.30 pm on Wednesday, 7 May.
Gigs and Gags: Peace Building Through Songs and Humour with Tommy Sands and Willie Drennan.
This event was so successful last year, that we thought we would do a sequel this year! To read more about last year’s event please click here.
This event is free of charge. There is light refreshments afterwards. To book a place please contact the Dromantine Conference Centre on 028 (or 048) 3082 1964.
This is an annual event organised by, Edgehill College, Belfast, SMA Fathers, Dromantine, OPRFM, Armagh Diocese, and Mater Dei College, Dublin.
Priestly Ordination of
Maciej Zacharek
Redemptoris Mater House of Formation
Friday, 30 May 2014 at 4.00 pm
St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh
On Friday, 30 May 2014 at 4.00 pm, Cardinal Seán Brady will ordain Maciej Zacharek to the Priesthood. This will be the first priestly ordination from Redemptoris Mater House of Formation, a new institution of the Archdiocese of Armagh, located in Dundalk. Maciej is 33 years old and originally comes from Wygoda, Poland. He is the youngest child of Władysław and Daniela and has three older brothers. He started his formation to the priesthood in the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Washington D.C., but was asked to come to Ireland to help start the new House of Formation in Dundalk, by Cardinal Wuerl of Washington. He completed a Licence in Theology at Maynooth, directed by Bishop Leahy and is currently working towards a Doctorate in Theology there. After his diaconal ordination last November, Maciej was assigned to the Holy Redeemer Parish, Dundalk. As well as exercising his ministry in the parish, he has also been helping to minister to the Polish community in the Dundalk and Drogheda areas.
The House of Formation was founded in 2012 by Cardinal Brady to form priests, for the New Evangelisation, who are both diocesan and missionary. These vocations come from the Neocatechumenal Way which has been present at parish level in Ireland for the last 32 years and in the Archdiocese of Armagh for 10 years. This charism which emerged after Vatican II, aims to help parishioners discover more deeply the treasures of their baptism and to live as Christians in today’s society. One of the fruits of the deepening of the baptismal graces has been a flourishing of vocations to the priesthood. Saint John Paul II, who opened the first of these new seminaries in 1988, gave it the name Mother of our Redeemer (Redemptoris Mater in Latin), his favourite title of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There are now 100 such Redemptoris Mater seminaries and Houses of Formation throughout the world. Already almost 2,000 priests worldwide have been ordained for different dioceses from those houses.
The seminarians live in Dundalk. Fr. Giuseppe Pollio and Fr. Neil Xavier O’Donoghue are responsible for their formation. The young men travel to Maynooth for their philosophical and theological studies. A particular characteristic of the House of Formation is its internationality; apart from Maciej, there are nine other seminarians of seven different nationalities. Seven men are studying philosophy: Bartlomiej Kleczynski (23 years old) from Glogow, Poland; Callum Young (23) from London; Carlos Esteban (30) from Madrid, Spain; James Norney (20) from Belfast; Juan Jesus Gonzalez (22) from Jabugo, Spain; Stefano Colleluoli (21) from Atri, Italy and Tobia Roson (20) from Udine, Italy. The other two are studying theology: Jorge Roberto Yandun (30) from Quito, Ecuador and Joseph Rodriguez (28) from Dallas, U.S.A. When, please God, ordained, they will be incardinated into the Archdiocese of Armagh and serve in the parishes of the Archdiocese. They will also be available, at the discretion of the Archbishop of Armagh, to serve as missionaries, both in other parts of Ireland and internationally, thus allowing the Archdiocese to have a new missionary thrust, answering the Holy Father’s call for the New Evangelisation.
Following the success of last year’s Conference, the Council for Marriage and the Family of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference is holding its second Annual Conference, “Marriage and Family at the Heart of the Parish” on Saturday, 14th June next at the Holy Cross Diocesan Centre, Clonliffe College, Dublin. The Conference will explore how parishes can support families in their calling to live, pass on and share their faith, given the pastoral challenges that affect families today. The day will involve an opening address by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, input from Dr Tony Fahey of UCD and from Ms Colette Furlong (Sligo Parishes Cluster Catechist) and drama presentations followed by reflection and discussion.
The three conference aims are:
- To explore the ‘pastoral challenges to the family in the context of evangelisation’ (Pope Francis)
- To explore how the parish community supports families in their Christian calling to share their faith
- To inform the work of the Council for Marriage and the Family
Participants:
o This conference is offered to leaders in parishes and dioceses, and others exercising faith and pastoral leadership, including parents, grandparents, teachers, members of Parish Pastoral Councils as well as other groups and organisations serving the Church’s mission.
Council for Marriage and the Family of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference: Conference, “Marriage and Family at the Heart of the Parish”
14th June, Clonliffe College
Further information is available from Ms Trish Conway at Columba Centre, Maynooth, Co Kildare, Tel: 0876220349
and bookings can be made to [email protected].
Deacon Sean McGuigan will be Ordained a Priest for the Archdiocese on Sunday 15th June at 3pm, St Patrick’s Church in Desertmartin. Deacon Sean has been studying for six years at the National Seminary of Ireland, Maynooth and was ordained a Deacon last year. Upon completion of his final studies in May, he will be the second Priest ordained for the diocese this year. We pray God’s blessing upon Sean at this time and wish him well for his future ministry in our diocese.
For more information on the Priesthood within the Archdicoese, have a look at our vocations website atwww.armaghpriest.com
Drumcree Pastoral Centre, Portadown.
We are delighted that our annual Religious Education Day Together will take place again this year in Drumcree. The focus of the day is to provide Religious Education teachers with an opportunity to meet in order to discuss issues of mutual interest in their ministry, have time for personal prayer and renewal and for sharing of resources.
On Friday 27 June, which is The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Day of Sanctification of Priests, worldpriest.com are organising their fifth global Rosary Relay for Priests throughout the world. On that day, pilgrims will be gathering at Our Lady’s Shrine, Knock at 2.45pm to pray the Rosary for all priests. At the same time, the Rosary will be prayed in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh and people will come together to thank God for all our priests and to implore the protection and care of Our Lady upon them. People are encouraged to join in this special Rosary Relay as it will be an opportunity for people to join in raising their hearts to God, to pray for all priests, that they will continue to be blessed in the good work that they do.
On Sunday 29th. June 1914 St. Peter ’s Church was formally consecrated.
If you have stories/information of interest we’d be glad to hear them. Please put them in writing and send to St.Peter ’s or email [email protected]
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