A Call to Serve.  ( Armagh Diocesan Celebration )
To celebrate all we do in our great schools we invite all school Principals,  school’s Religious Education Co-ordinator, two students and a member of your school general staff to a Celebratory Mass of thanksgiving in St Patrick’s Cathedral Armagh on Wednesday January 21st at 11.30 am . (Please note change in time from last year please.)

The theme for Catholic Schools Week 2015: Catholic Schools: A Call to Serve, All involved in Catholic Education are called  to reflect on what we understand byservice and how we live out the call to serve. We are all called as members of the school community to recall and rediscover the founding values; in other words, education is all embracing of our full personalities and never simply about transmitting simple facts. This year, school communities are encouraged to answer the Call to Serve; for example, by reaching out to those who are most in need in society.   Do try to celebrate this in your own school as well as participating in Diocesan Celebrations.

Catholic Schools Week 2015 resources

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
At this time of year and we celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18 – 25 January). The theme chosen for this year is: Jesus said to her: “Give me to drink” (Jn 4:7). Throughout the Christian world, people of different denominations come together during this special week for conferences, prayer services and social gatherings. As we celebrate the week, we recall how an Episcopalian Franciscan priest from America, Fr Paul Watson, started these gatherings in 1908 by praying for Christian Unity. This year and our Ecumenical Service will take place in St Patrick’s R C Cathedral, Armagh on Wednesday 21 January at 7.30pm. The guest preacher will be Bishop John McDowell, Bishop of Clogher. All are welcome to join for the special service.

PRAYER
God our Father, we ask you to send your Holy Spirit ever more deeply into our hearts and minds that we may think thoughts of peace, speak words that build up and do the truth always in love, the truth that sets us free, the truth that gives us hope, AMEN

Songs of Praise for Catholic Schools Week.

This is a free event and everyone is welcome.

As we celebrate this Year of Consecrated Life, Armagh Diocesan Vocations Team are hosting a special evening titled “Living Faith in the 21st century” in the former Convent of Mercy, Dungannon on Thursday 29 January at 8pm. The evening will include music and prayer and three special testimonies will be given by a visiting priest and two women who are in religious life.

Father Brendan Collins is a priest of Derry Diocese and he was ordained a priest in 2013. Prior to entering seminary, he studied Business at the University of Ulster and worked in retail management. Father Brendan studied philosophy at Queen’s University, Belfast and Theology at The Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas, Rome. He presently serves in The Long Tower parish and in addition to his parish duties, he is Chaplain at the Ulster University, Magee Campus. In 2012 as a Deacon, he co-founded the first Food Bank in Derry and he remains involved in this organisation to date.

Sister Maire McAteer is 34 and she’s a native of Aghyaran, Co Tyrone. She’s currently a novice with the Sisters of Adoration and Reparation, Falls Rd, Belfast. Maire studied Irish in The University of Ulster, Coleraine and then taught Irish in Omagh. She has a deep love of the Irish language and Irish culture. She’s very happy in her chosen path in life.

Elaine Kelly is 47 and she was born and reared in Belfast. She’s currently a postulant with the Sisters of Adoration and Reparation. Elaine was formerly a barrister for 23 years. She’s an enthusiastic marathon runner and was an active member of the pro-life group, Rachel’s Vineyard. She too is very happy with her life-changing decision to join the religious order.

After the testimonies are given on the evening, there will be some discussion and reflection and refreshments will be served after the gathering. People are encouraged to come along and join in what promises to be a very memorable evening.

The Launch of the Year of Consecrated Life in the Archdiocese of Armagh will take place on Sunday, 1 February 2015 in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh at the 11.00 am Mass.  

The Religious Communities of the diocese have been invited to this Mass to celebrate the World Day of Consecrated Life.

The ‘Rise of the Roses’ group will also be present and Archbishop Eamon will be taking this opportunity to launch their exciting plans.

It will give us all an opportunity to give thanks and pray to God for the great gift which Consecrated Life is to the Church and to the world.

Archbishop Eamon is mindful that being a Sunday, it could be difficult for you to be present, however, should this be of interest to you, or anyone in your parish, please join us at the Mass.

Pope Francis is asking for the Church’s Religious to ‘wake up the world’ through their testimony.  Let us pray that the world will reciprocate and ‘wake up’ to the existence of Religious and how they serve the Church, the community, the people and various other charities and institutions and how the world would be a much poorer place without them.

This initiative was set up by Armagh Diocesan Youth Commission (ADYC) and our hopes are to create a pilgrimage experience for senior pupils (YEAR GROUP) within Colaiste Ris, St. Vincent’s Secondary School, and St. Mary’s College. Here at ADYC we are developing youth ministry in many ways. This initiative is a way of linking school, parish and diocese together in a joint project.

We hope to give each young person an experience of each church they visit, to learn about faith and consecrated life in Dundalk. Each school will be welcomed by ADYC volunteers and accompanied by teachers from the schools. The pupils from the schools will begin the Camino by walking towards their nearest church. After finishing in the fifth church all pupils, teachers and volunteers will gather in St. Patrick’s for a prayer service and presenting of the Pilgrim Certificates.

 Please see below timetable for the forthcoming pilgrim walk.

If you book your place before 7th February the cost will be £30, but book after 7th February then the cost will be £35.  See poster for more details.

Bible in a Day Poster

Reg. Form – Bible in a Day