Thursday 15 December 7.30pm: Messiah by Candlelight will be presented by The Palestrina Choir, Dublin along with four soloists and the Lyric Opera Ensemble.
Tuesday 20 December 7.45pm: Christmas by Candlelight will be presented by The Choir from St Patrick’s High School Keady along with Karl McGuckin, Fra Fee and Malachi Cush.
Tickets for both events are available at Armagh Parish Office (028 37522813) and Dungannon Parish Office (028 87726893)
Sunday 18 December 5.00pm: Archbishop Eamon Martin will join with St Patrick’s Cathedral Choir for the annual Carol Service and there will be an opportunity for some congregational singing.
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: Reconciliation – The love of Christ compels us. (2 Cor 5: 14 – 20) 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 RC Cathedral, Armagh on Wednesday 18 January at 7.30pm. The guest preacher will be Bishop John McDowell, Church of Ireland 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
Apostolate of Eucharistic Adoration
Armagh Diocesan Meeting
Saturday 28th January 2017
Armagh City Hotel, Armagh. 10am – 2pm
The Armagh Diocesan Committee of Eucharistic Adoration are organising a Diocesan Meeting for committee members and coordinators of parish adoration centres on Saturday 28th January 2017. Parish representatives and all those interested in promoting Eucharistic Adoration are also invited to attend. The meeting, which will be facilitated by Brendan Cleary of the National Committee will commencing with Holy Mass at 10am and conclude with light lunch at 1.30pm. It is hoped that every Adoration Centre and Parish will be well represented at this important diocesan gathering on 28th January.
Dundalk we will be hosting a Songs of Praise for Catholic Schools Week on Thursday, 2nd Feb, called Seinn. This is the 6th year of Seinn in Dundalk and Archbishop Eamonn has attended each year. Our service is a very joyful occasion, with over 1,000 students attending each year. We have our own Youtube channel (search on YouTube for Seinn CSW) with lots of videos/photos from previous years. A trailer advertising this year’s event can be found here https://www.youtube.com/
To mark World Day for Consecrated Life and to launch a new prayer initiative in the Archdiocese of Armagh in 2017, Archbishop Eamon will celebrate Solemn Vespers in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, on Thursday, 2 February at 6.00pm. As well as the religious of the diocese, members of all prayer groups in parishes throughout the diocese are invited to attend. All are welcome to join in this holy hour of prayer and song. Refreshments will be provided after the ceremony.
There is an information session on Tuesday 21st February, 7.30pm – 9pm. The first guided prayer/retreat will take place on Sunday 26th February from 6pm to 7.30pm, and the following five sessions will take place on Tuesdays 28th February, 7th March, 14th March, 21st March, 28th March 7pm – 9pm.
What is it? A retreat in which each person prays on a short Scripture passage each day to see how it relates to his or her actual life. You then meet a guide once a week to chat about the experience. These meetings are completely confidential and non-judgmental. No knowledge of the Scriptures is needed. Nor do you have to be `holy’!
Places: There are only 12 places available, on a first come, first served basis. All meetings will take place at: Mount St Catherine’s Primary School, Windmill Av, Armagh BT60 4BR
There will be an open information session on Tuesday 21 February from 7.30 to 9.00
This meeting will give people a chance to learn more about the process and to meet the guides. If there are still places left people will be able to sign up.
Dates:
The first session of the retreat will be on Sunday 26 Feb 17 from 6.00 to 7.30, and for the following six Tuesdays: 28 Feb, 7, 14, 21, 28 March and 4 April between 7.00 and 9.00.
Who is the retreat for? Anyone seeking something special in their lives who wants to deepen his or her relationship with God. It is important that you attend all sessions
Who will be the guides? Lay Volunteers from Down and Connor Prayer Guides. All have done a guided retreat themselves, found that it changed their lives, and have been trained in how to offer it to others.
How to apply: Phone the Armagh Parish Office at 028 37 522802 or Email: [email protected] with your name, address, phone number and email (if you have one. You can also contact Brian Lennon, s.j. at [email protected]. Places are very limited. Deadline for applications: Sunday 26 February. Particpants will be asked to make a small contribution to costs if they can, but this should be a barrier to no one.
On 11 January this year, Pope Francis blessed six statues of Our Lady of Fatima to be brought to each continent, to appeal for prayer and reparation for world peace and to promote the sanctity of family life in our world. One of the statues blessed on that day will be brought to Armagh on Friday 3 March by representatives of the Alliance of the two Hearts.
The statue will arrive at the main gates of St Malachy’s Church on the Friday evening and there will be a short procession around the Church during which time the Rosary will be prayed. The Statue will be received by Archbishop Eamon Martin at the beginning of the 7.30pm Mass on the evening. There will be a Holy Hour after the Mass, to pray for healing for victims of abuse and there will be an opportunity for people to come and pray before the statue up and until 12midnight.
The Statue will be brought on the Saturday morning to St Patrick’s Cathedral for the First Saturday Devotions. Confessions begin at 9.15am, Mass will be celebrated at 10am and the Rosary will be prayed in Our Lady’s Chapel after the 10am Mass. Representatives of the Alliance of the two Hearts will lead prayers in the Cathedral at midday and there will be an opportunity for people and prayer groups to visit the Cathedral throughout the day to pray before the Centennial Statue.
Archbishop Martin will join for the 7pm Vigil Mass on the Saturday evening and before the end of Mass, homes and families will be consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus and people will have an opportunity to enrol in the Brown Scapular. The special Statue will leave St Patrick’s Cathedral after the Mass on that evening.
The March Bells: Friday 3 March – Sunday 19 March
Listen as the Churches and places of worship in Armagh come together to symbolically celebrate our island’s patron saint by ringing their bells for a short time at 17:17 for the 17 days of the festival. This project is inspired by St Patrick’s own special bell and is a joyful means of uniting religious beliefs and different communities and individuals across the city of St Patrick.
St Patrick & The Book of Armagh – Cardinal O’Fiaich Library: Friday 3 March, 7pm
Tickets £6 Pre Booking essential through The Market Place Theatre
This talk by Roddy Hegarty will explore what the Book of Armagh tells us about St Patrick, by discussing the themes within and focusing on the earliest biographies of St Patrick. What do these tell us about the man, his mission in Ireland and importantly, his association with the city of Armagh. Light refreshments afterwards.
Cantabelles – St Patrick’s RC Cathedral: Friday 10 March, 8pm
Tickets £8 Pre Booking essential through The Market Place Theatre or Armagh Parish Office
A new and exciting vocal ensemble combining rich harmonies and sumptuous vocals to old classic and the more modern hymns. They will present a selection of uplifting liturgical pieces including St Patrick’s Breastplate, Ag Criost an Siol, Hail glorious St Patrick and many more. The evening which will reflect the life and mission of St Patrick will be presented in the beautiful transept of the Cathedral. During 2016 the group had the pleasure of performing with “The Priests” and they also recorded with BBC Radio Ulster.
Illumination – Toni Watts – St Patrick’s RC Cathedral: Saturday 11 March
Toni Watts is one of the few remaining professional manuscript illuminators working in the UK today. Drop in between 3pm and 6pm to see her demonstration taking place in magnificent spiritual surroundings, to watch her working on a page inspired by the Irish insular tradition using 24 carat gold leaf and traditional pigments. See how pigments were extracted from natural sources and how paint and ink were made.
An Evening with Patrick – The Navan Centre & Fort: Wednesday 15 March, 8pm
Free but booking essential through The Market Place Theatre
Armagh Cathedrals Partnership invite you to An Evening with Patrick at The Navan Centre and Fort, Armagh. In addition to some music, story, poetry and prayer, a guest speaker will invite those present to reflect on “Patrick and Ireland today”. It promises to be a very special evening as we celebrate the St Patrick’s Festival in Armagh. The guest speaker will be Archdeacon Gordon Linney and light refreshments afterwards.
St Patrick’s Lecture – The Market Place Theatre: Wednesday 16 March, 1pm
Free but booking essential through The Market Place Theatre
On the eve of St Patrick’s Day, the Primates of the two principal Churches in Ireland, Archbishop Richard Clarke and Archbishop Eamon Martin will speak about what St Patrick means to them in a modern world. In conversation with Tara Mills, the two will discuss how St Patrick’s words still resonate and have relevance for many of the challenges we face today. This year the lecture will explore the theme of Patrick The Exile.
St Patrick’s Vigil – St Patrick’s Cathedrals: Thursday 16 March
The Vigil will commence at the Church of Ireland Cathedral at 9pm where Archbishop Clarke will lead a prayer. Visitors will then be led by both Archbishops in torchlight to the Roman Catholic Cathedral where Archbishop Martin will conclude with a prayer. This symbolic expression of the unity of the Churches is a reflection of Patrick’s own journey of uniting the Irish people with Christianity. Light refreshments will be served in The Synod Hall after this event.
St Patrick’s Tea Party, The Synod Hall, St Patrick’s R.C Cathedral: Friday 17 March, 3 – 6pm Free admission
A special tea party to celebrate St Patrick in the lovely surroundings of this unique hall. Enjoy a special afternoon tea as well as a feast of Irish traditional music and song. People are encouraged to wear something green and come along and enjoy the afternoon’s festivities as we celebrate the feast of our national apostle and what’s a special day in our yearly calendar.
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