Jesuits (Society of Jesus, SJ)

Communities

PORTADOWN (founded 1980)

‘Iona’, 211 Churchill Park, Portadown, Co Armagh, BT62 1EU
Tel (028) 3833 0366
Fax (028) 3833 8334

Hall
Drumcree Community Centre, 3 Ashgrove Rd
Mrs Jennifer McCann, Tel (028) 3833 4522

Apostolates
Spirituality, confessions, counselling, community development, spiritual direction, inter-community relations, inter-church work, Promoting Ecumenism, Irish Language Ministry, Prison Ministry

ARMAGH

19c Mullacreevie Park, Armagh, BT60 4BA
Tel & Fax (028) 3751 1661

Apostolates
Reconciliation, community development, writing.

Dominicans (Order of Friar Preachers, OP)

DUNDALK (Founded 1777)

St Malachy’s Priory, Anne Street, Dundalk, Co Louth
Tel (042) 933 4179

Church of St Malachy, Anne St (1866)

Masses
Saturday 10.00 am & 6.15 pm (Vigil)
Sunday 8.00 am, 10.00 am & 12.00 noon
Holydays 6.15 pm (Vigil), 10.00 am, 11.00 am & 6.15 pm
Weekdays (Mon – Fri) 10.00 am & 6.15 pm

Schools
St Malachy’s Infants’ Sch, Anne St
St Malachy’s Girls’ PS, Anne St
St Malachy’s Boys’ PS, Anne St
St Malachy’s Pre-School, Anne St; (See Parishes, Dundalk, St Patrick’s)

Halls
Friary Youth Centre and the Dominican Hall, Anne St;
The Friary Field

Apostolates
Rosary Centre, Legion of Mary, St Martin de Porres Vincent de Paul Conference, Dominican Laity, Annual Dominican Pilgrimage to Knock (2nd Sun, Oct), St Malachy’s Youth Club, Chaplaincy to St Malachy’s Schools, Dundalk Arch Club, Junior & Senior Altar Servers, Retreat Work

Cistercians (Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, OCSO)

COLLON (Founded 1938)

Mellifont Abbey, Collon, Co Louth
Tel (041) 982 6103
Fax (041) 982 6713

Abbey Church (1946)

Masses

Sunday 8.30 am
Week days and Holydays 8.15 am
1st Friday 8.15 am

Liturgy of the Hours (Daily)

Matins 4.00 am
Lauds 7.30 am
Terce 9.30 am (8.30 am, Sun with Mass)
Sext 12.15 pm
None 2.15 pm
Vespers 5.45 pm (5.00 pm, Sun, with Benediction)
Compline 8.05 pm

GuesthouseDays of Recollection, Private Retreats

Augustinians (Order of St Augustine, OSA)

DROGHEDA (Founded 1295)

St Augustine’s Priory, Shop Street, Drogheda, Co Louth
Tel (041) 983 8409
Fax (041) 983 1847

Augustinian Church, Shop St (1866)

Masses

Saturday 7.00 pm
Sunday 11.00 am, 12.00 noon, 1.15 pm
Holydays 11.00 am, 1.05 pm, 4.15 pm
Weekdays 11.00 am, 1.05 pm, 4.15 pm

Apostolates

Hospital Chaplaincy, Our Lady’s College, Greenhills

The Role of Women in the Church – November 2006

One of the nine areas in the Diocesan Pastoral Plan is devoted to developing the role and ministry of women in the church. The one all-encompassing objective for this group is Women: equality, role and ministry recognised and enabled by 2007.

The group consists of 3 laywomen, 2 religious sisters, two clergy representatives and one layman. As a group we would welcome more representation from young women and women with children. If you are interested in being involved contact me (Kate Acton) on +442837525592.

Initial Approach
The group’s initial approach was to explore further what these terms mean to each of us. Everyone has differing views on what constitutes equality and what role women should play in our Church. The group is also conscious that to recognise and enable women will mean some cultural changes in our parishes for both clergy and lay people. While discussing this we identified areas that we thought should be developed on behalf of women in the Archdiocese.

Mission Statement:
The group have drawn up the following Mission Statement:

Through our Baptism we are initiated into the People of God, committed to a relationship with Christ and to making visible His presence by living as His disciples.

Our committee is concerned to empower the full membership of every parishioner to make this Baptismal Gift a reality.
Because women have traditionally been marginalized and limited our focus is to explore the present obstacles and ensure their growth to full life in Christ.
Group Ethos
As the subgroup addresses the involvement and ministry of women in the church we bear in mind:
a) The example of Jesus in the Gospel
b) The experience of women – being recognised and enabled in our parishes.
c) The present teaching and practice of our Church around these issues;

Activities in Progress
1. We are currently devising a questionnaire to be distributed to a targeted cross section of women within the Archdiocese. The aim of this questionnaire is to learn about the experiences of women in the Archdiocese of Armagh.

2. We are currently educating ourselves in relation to church law with regard to the role of women and the realm of possibility with the Archdiocese of Armagh to develop this.

Future Activities
From the early stages the group recognised the importance of education around the role of women in our Church. This education needs to take place among the clergy and lay people of our parishes as in order to develop the role of women we need to influence parish structures and leadership approaches as well as introduce the possibilities available to women in our Church. This change will enable women to become more involved in parish ministry.

Recognition of the role of women in our Church is important. Their role as mother and nurturer of our children is recognised however it is important to acknowledge that women have other roles in our parish. We will be identifying female role models from the gospels and the saints including Mary the Mother of God to highlight how women can be evangelisers and shapers within our Church today.

Prayer is a very important aspect of our Christian living. We plan to distribute prayers for women twice yearly. Prayers will be compiled or chosen and adapted because they speak to women and highlight the great women of our church. It is through prayer that we can build our relationship with Christ to strengthen ourselves to be more like these women in our faith.

Pastoral Plan Working Groups

The Armagh Diocesan Pastoral Plan has nine working groups. This section outlines the rationale of each group, in the hope of providing an insight into their work.

Family Ministry
From a Christian perspective ministry is a service rendered to others in Christ and because of Christ. The vocation to minister is rooted in baptism and confirmation. Thus all Christians are called to minister and have a responsibility to minister. This broad understanding of ministry has opened up the possibility of recognizing that much of what happens within family life is ministry. When we speak of family ministry we begin primarily with the ministry that family members carry out within their own family and secondly the ministry that families carry out within their church, community, society and world.

Outreach and Ecumenism
Priorities in this area will vary from region to region and decisions about priorities need to be assessed at local level. The group therefore focuses on modeling successful experiences throughout the diocese and hope they can be of help and support at local level in encouraging networking. “We strive for greater inclusion of the growing diversity of peoples in the diocese of Armagh.” This diversity can be seen through the many languages, socio economic groups, the range of cultural heritages and the spectrum of professions and jobs which exist in our diocese. So much good work is happening in the context of ecumenism and outreach that we would hope to share something of this to the advantage of local communities

Care for Priests
Priesthood is intrinsic to the life of the church. The role of the priest is diverse and essential to the mission of our diocese. The work of this group focuses on providing the necessary support for priesthood in order that it can be a sign of Christ through the example of the priests faith and through the pastoral service each priest gives. Through support and encouragement the priest should be able to grow spiritually, emotionally and intellectually and become an inspiration to all members of the church.

Role of Women in Church
Through our Baptism we are initiated into the People of God, committed to a relationship with Christ and to making visible His presence by living as his disciples. Our Committee is concerned to empower the full membership of every parishioner to make this baptismal gift a reality. “Because women have traditionally been marginalised and limited, our focus is to explore the present obstacles and ensure growth to full life in Christ”. There are many examples of women in the Gospel that can inspire us.

Adult Faith Formation
Catholics who come to know Jesus Christ have always sought ways of explaining their experience of Him to others, and of displaying this experience through faith directed action. There is now the challenge to share this with a new generation. Clearly only those who have first taken this truth to themselves, who experience the presence and the power of the Spirit of Jesus, can truly grasp this tradition and pass it on to others. This group focuses on organizing events and initiatives allowing adults to explore their own faith journey and experiences, and in doing so developing their own faith formation.

Meaningful Liturgy
The group seeks to enhance our experience of God through the planning of meaningful liturgies. There work is centred on enabling the entire diocese to encounter the mystery of God revealed to us through Christ. Through the production of rich resources, excellent courses, and being instrumental in bringing about changes in our liturgical practices we hope all can encounter ‘full, conscious and active participation in liturgical celebrations’ which is so strongly emphasized by Vatican II in the Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy.

PALS
P.A.L.S focus on four areas. Parish Pastoral Councils (P), Attending to Parish and Diocesan structures (A), Leadership and Training in the Church (L), Diocesan and Parish Surveys (S). It is hoped that the work of this group will encourage a ‘spirituality of communion’ without which our structures would be merely institutional. This in turn means the group will focus on attempting to find structures which will lead to increased participation, a Church working together and accountability for our diocesan mission.

Prayer and Spirituality
The group aims to provide nourishment for people through their experience of prayer and companionship in the Lord by the existence of small prayer groups and providing the opportunity for different types of reflective prayer experiences As Pope Benedict XVI has indicated: “In the Church’s Liturgy, in her prayer, in the living community of believers, we experience the love of God, we perceive his presence and we thus learn to recognize that presence in our daily lives” Deus Caritas Est. It is vital that we continue to be nourished through the Eucharist, but that we also encounter Christ in all people whom we meet and through personal reflection on the Word of God.

Youth Ministry
The group’s vision is of a church in which young people, motivated by a personal faith in Christ, will feel accepted, valued and empowered to fully participate.The work of this group ensures that young people are encouraged and affirmed on their journey of faith. Through leadership training, school, parish and diocesan initiatives, we seek to enrich the Christian community.

Wider Circle Trauma Progrmme

Many of us are close to someone who has experienced a traumatic event in their lives. Or perhaps we have been traumatised ourselves.

Through its structured self-help trauma programmes, the Wider Circle seeks to restore a sense of hope in the lives of people who have suffered a trauma. Traumatic experiences can range from a serious car accident to abuse and, of course, as a result of the conflict in Northen Ireland. A traumatic event can be anything where someone suffers a severe shock.

Many traumatised people experience disturbed memories, feelings of isolation and helplessness. Through its Trauma Programmes the Wider Circle provides a supportive and safe environment where people can deal with frightening emotions and experiences. They can share their stories and their problems and know that they are not alone in their suffering. They are encouraged to accept their trauma as something that happened in the past, rather than something they have to live with all the time.

The Wider Circle Trauma Programmes are free of charge, and are available both to those who have suffered a trauma and to those who care for traumatised individuals. Sessions focus on sharing traumatic experiences through a process of story telling in a supportive and confidential small group atmosphere.

The date of the next Trauma Programme will be available from the Armagh Diocesan Pastoral Centre.

For more information contact the Armagh Diocesan Pastoral Centre, +353 42 933 6393.

Bereavement Support

When a bereavement or death occurs within a family, among a group of friends or within a community, it can have a profound effect on all members. Grieving is a natural process which evolves from an emotional loss. If it is not dealt with at the appropriate time, it may be repressed or become chronic.

The Armagh Diocesan Pastoral Centre offers bereavement support to grieving adults. It is provided by experienced bereavement care givers who offer individual support in confidence.

The support is available on Thursday mornings from 10.30a.m. – 12.30p.m. No appointment is necessary.

For more information contact the Armagh Diocesan Pastoral Centre, +353 42 933 6393.

Begining Experience

The loss of a partner, through death or separation, can be a devastating blow for any husband, wife or partner. Apart from the normal trauma of coping with their loss and grief, many people in this situation feel unwanted and unloved, uneasy with married friends and generaqlly unsure of themselves. They will probably experience a range of emotions and feelings – like denial, in which they find it hard to accept the terrible reality of what has happened.

There will also be times of anger, depression, and even and unwillingless to want to live. To find oneself on one’s own, making decisions, looking after family, and trying to adjust to the new situation can be extremely difficult. But now there is hope through a programme specially designed to help people who have lost a partner and find themselves on their own again.

The Beginning Experience (B.E.) helps separated and widowed men and women to make a new beginning in life by helping them deal with the grief process and to come to terms with what has happened. Gradually they discover for themselves that ‘just existing’ can be transformed radically into ‘new living’. Although the programme has been developed by, and is for, Catholics, it is open to people of any faith or none. The common bond is one of pain and sorrow.

B.E. has been a life line for many people.

For more information contact the Armagh Diocesan Pastoral Centre, +353 42 933 6393.

Rainbows

Rainbows is an international non-profit making organisation founded in America by Suzy Yehl Marta, to help children who have experienced a change in their family through the death, separation or divorce of a parent, or any other significant loss such as the death of a grandparent or sibling. The rainbows process enables young people to work through their grief. Well over 500,000 children and young people have taken part in Rainbows.

Rainbows helps by providing an emotional safe setting in which children can talk through their feelings with other children who are experiencing similar situations. They are helped to articulate their feelings by an adult facilitator or listener. Rainbows helps by providing materials i.e. workbooks, story books, games and activities, which form a structured programme to lead the children gently through the grieving process. Rainbows helps by supporting the children to re-build their self-esteem, enabling the children to name, understand and come to terms with many emotions they experience, reassuring the children who have anxieties or feelings of guilt, and encouraging the children to move towards forgiving those people whom they feel have caused their pain.

The next programme will commence in October 2019: Wednesdays – Afternoon: 4.30pm – 5.30pm and Evening: 8.00pm – 9.00pm.

For more information contact the Armagh Diocesan Pastoral Centre, +353 42 9336393.

Other Agencies