“I am grateful that OpenAI Ireland met with me to discuss the Holy Father’s encyclical letter at this time when humanity stands at a ‘historic crossroads.”

This week, on 28 July, Archbishop Eamon Martin met with Emma Redmond, Head of OpenAI Ireland, to discuss Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical letter Magnifica humanitas – On safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence.  The meeting took place in Ara Coeli, the Archbishop’s residence in Armagh, and Ms Redmond was accompanied by Derek Nolan, Policy and Partnerships Lead for Ireland and the Nordics at OpenAI Ireland.

Following the encyclical’s publication in May, Archbishop Martin invited leaders in public life, technology, education and business, healthcare, research, and of faith communities, to give careful consideration to the impact of artificial intelligence on humanity, and to do so with seriousness and courage.

Archbishop Martin said, “I am grateful that OpenAI Ireland met with me to discuss the Holy Father’s encyclical letter at this time when humanity stands at a ‘historic crossroads.”  I feel that our discussion was fruitful especially in the context of the onus and responsibilities held by governments, companies and citizens in the ethical shaping of artificial intelligence on the island of Ireland, and universally.  We agree that the common good of humanity can best be served by defending the dignity of workers and of every human person, especially the most vulnerable among us.”

Emma Redmond said, “I welcome Archbishop Martin’s engagement and his reflection on how AI can serve human dignity and the common good. OpenAI strives to ensure that advanced AI benefits everyone. We believe AI should expand people’s capabilities, not replace human judgment about what matters; be developed safely and responsibly; and create opportunities whose benefits are widely shared. Discussions like these are an important part of ensuring the development of AI is informed by a broad and inclusive range of perspectives and always focused on serving people and society.”

Click HERE to read Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical letter Magnifica humanitas – On safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence

Archbishop Eamon Martin is Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.  In attendance with Archbishop Martin was Janet Forbes, Digital Evangelisation Lead with the Archdiocese of Armagh, and Martin Long, director of the Catholic Communications Office.

“Sharing the Wisdom of Time”  National Grandparents Pilgrimage, Knock 2026 

Each summer, Grandparents, families, and friends from across Ireland and beyond gather at the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock for the Catholic Grandparents Association’s National Grandparents Pilgrimage.  The day always proves to be a joyful day of prayer, music, and thanksgiving for the gift of Grandparents and the elderly.

This year as we celebrate the Sixth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, those who attended gathered around the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV: “I will never forget you” (Is 49:15).  Archbishop Eamon, in his homily reminded those who attended that “There is one gift which grandparents, with their lifetime of experience, can uniquely share with children and youth – and that is the gift of wisdom.”

Text of Archbishop Eamon’s Homily in Knock Basilica, 26th July 2026

Many grandparents nowadays say they get a whole new lease of life from being around young people. I was surprised recently when a 70 year-old grandad was able to explain to me all about “TikTok” and “Snap Chat”, and I got a real shock when he asked me if I knew that “Fontaines D.C.” and “Lewis Capaldi” were playing Electric Picnic” this year?! I didn’t!

Apparently he’s a “granennial” – that’s a made-up word to describe the modern, 21st century grandparent who is all up-to-date with the new technologies, dance moves and trendy phrases. I’m told you get that way from ‘hanging out’ with your ‘tech-savvy’ grandchildren!

Clearly grand-parenting today is very different to when I was growing up. But thankfully the special and timeless qualities of grannies and grandads have not been lost – like being a good listener, one-to-one, taking the time to read and play and laugh with young people; to share the family stories, traditions and connections. And of course, to pray.

When it comes to handing on faith, Catholic grandparents have a unique vocation. They show children how much God loves them, and teach them their first prayers and devotions. I often meet grandparents in the Cathedral at Armagh with a toddler, showing and explaining how to genuflect, make the sign of the cross, or light a candle. Grandparents are expert at sharing family prayers and favourite saints.

Of course grandparents can learn the latest fashions from their grandchildren, but there is one gift which grandparents, with their lifetime of experience, can uniquely share with children and youth – and that is the gift of wisdom. Wisdom is a priceless gift, which few others are trusted to share in the way that grandparents are.

In today’s first reading, the young king Solomon had the foresight to ask God for the gift of wisdom. Rather than choosing wealth and power, Solomon asked for the ability to discern between Good and Evil. The Lord rewarded him with “a heart wise and shrewd as none before him has had and none would ever have after him”.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says Wisdom is the first and highest gift of the Holy Spirit. Wisdom allows a person make good judgements and decisions that are enlightened by God, and to best grasp what God wants for us.

That is why parents and children will often turn to grandparents and the elderly for wisdom – especially to those who are strengthened by a firm faith and hope in God to be able to judge wisely. Older people can point to what is worth treasuring in life today – like love and forgiveness; peace, honesty and truth; humility, closeness, and generosity with time. Like the scribe in today’s gospel, they are able to bring out “things both new and old”. From the store of their memories, they can draw valuable lessons from both the past and the present.

The world today needs this type of wisdom; wisdom that is deep, long-lasting and often hard-earned: such wisdom is the fruit of years of experience, including from having made mistakes and reflected on them. A wise person has learned how to see the bigger picture from the perspective of God. When asked advice, they won’t recommend rushing in and making immediate knee-jerk reactions. The wise and faithful person will take time; they will pray for guidance of the Holy Spirit; they have the patience to discern and seek out the things that are truly lasting and valuable – the pearls of great price.

The late Pope Francis used to say that he learned so much from his grandmother Rosa. He described the special gift of grandparents as “sharing the wisdom of time”. He emphasised the importance if having intergenerational connections and conversations – where young people can speak about the things they’re interested in today, and grandparents can speak about deeper issues, even venturing to share what might hurt you, or prevent you from being the person God wants you to be. Caring grandparents and other elderly people will sometimes gently caution the young to stay away from risks and dangers that could destroy their young lives or impact negatively on their mental, physical and spiritual well being.

Given all of these reflections on the wisdom and vocation of grandparents, it is interesting that Pope Leo, in his message for this year’s Day for Grandparents and Elderly, wants to draw our attention to a sad reality in today’s world: that so many older people feel isolated, vulnerable and alone.

He reflects on the suffering of elderly people who sometimes feel the world has forgotten them – even, in some cases, that their children and grandchildren have left them behind, and that a “profit-driven” society ceases to value them.

Pope Leo wants them to know that God‘s love for them does not fail. He quotes a beautiful phrase from the prophet Isaiah “I will never forget you; I have carved you on the palm of my hand” (Is 49:15).

Paul Leo encourages all of us, especially young families, to keep up the valuable practice of visiting grandparents, elderly relatives and neighbours, as well as checking up on those who may no longer have any immediate family to look after them. He wants us to reassure elderly people that they are never abandoned by God or by their family, even as they become more frail and fragile, and possibly feel isolated and lonely.

In turn, he reminds grandparents and elderly people that their unique vocation includes praying for their family members, for the state of the world, and especially for peace. That message chimes in well with what Pope Francis once said: “The prayer of grandparents and of the elderly is a great gift for the Church, it is a treasure! A great injection of wisdom for the whole of human society: above all for one which is too busy, too taken up, too distracted (Pope Francis Audience 11 March 2015)”.

To conclude, I want to thank the members of the Catholic Grandparents Association, here in Ireland and around the world, for continuing to spread the message about the wisdom and essential role of grandparents not only in families and in society, but also in God‘s Church. Your work has now captured the attention and support of three popes: Popes Benedict, Francis and Leo.

May the grandparents of Jesus – St Joachim and St Anne – continue to bless the mission of the Catholic Grandparents Association and help grandparents everywhere to pass on faith and keep prayer alive at the heart of the family here in Ireland and beyond.

+Archbishop Eamon Martin

Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of All Ireland

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has accepted the retirement of Bishop Donal McKeown and appointed Bishop Michael Router, Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh, as the new Bishop of Derry.  

Archbishop Eamon’s Statement on the Appointment of Bishop Michael as the New Bishop of Derry

I am delighted to share in the joy of my home Diocese of Derry as Pope Leo XIV names Bishop Michael Router as the new Bishop of the Diocese.  I know that Bishop Michael will receive a warm welcome from the people, priests and religious of Derry.

Since his episcopal ordination seven years ago, he has been a tremendous support to me as Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh.  We will miss him a lot.

Bishop Michael brings many gifts to his new role.  His assistance to me in the governance and administration of the Archdiocese of Armagh, as well as his oversight of our Pastoral Team, youth ministry and adult faith formation, has helped him gain valuable leadership experience which he will no doubt develop further in the Diocese of Derry.

Bishop Michael is a team player who in recent years has led our Synodal process towards a highly successful Congress on Youth, Faith and Family back in March 2026.

Bishop Michael has a warm and welcoming personality.  He is a gifted preacher and communicator who proclaims the Gospel with conviction.  He has a natural pastoral instinct for the care of the clergy, support of religious.

In addition, he appreciates all those who serve and exercise ministry in the Church.  He contributes generously to the work of the Episcopal Conference, serving as Chair of the Council for Healthcare, Vice-President of Accord CLG, and liaison bishop with the Irish Bishops’ Drugs Initiative.  He is a member of the Irish Inter-Church Committee, a board member of Towards Healing and a member of AccordNi and CCMS.

I also take this opportunity to thank Bishop Donal McKeown and wish him many blessings in his retirement.  A few months ago Bishop Donal celebrated his silver jubilee as bishop, having spent thirteen years as Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor and twelve years as Bishop of Derry.  He retains his youthful hope and sense of mission, as well as his down-to-earth friendliness and authenticity.  Bishop Donal continues to serve God and the Church with great generosity and a deep commitment to the Joy of the Gospel.

Bishop Donal’s many years in education kept him young at heart.  He has always seen the potential for young people, inspired by faith, to make the world a more loving, forgiving and hope-filled place.  He has shown tremendous dedication to Catholic education, rooted in Gospel values and centred on the development of the whole person: spiritually and mentally, as well as intellectually and physically.

At Episcopal Conference level, Bishop Donal has brought great wisdom to the conference table, especially in the fields of Education, Pastoral Renewal and Faith Development.  His command of languages, including Italian, German and his native Irish tongue, has given him a breadth of insight into culture, identity and international thinking.

At a human level Bishop Donal is a person of genuine empathy, kindness and compassion – he is a true ‘son of encouragement’ and a caring pastor.  I pray he will have health and happiness in his retirement and, after a good rest, embrace whatever new calling the Lord has in store for him.

On behalf of my brother bishops I express my gratitude and congratulations to both Bishop Michael and Bishop Donal.  I offer them my prayerful support in the future.

May Saint Patrick, Saint Columba, Saint Eugene and all the saints of Ireland bless them both. Guím gach beannacht ó Dhia orthu agus ar a gcuid saothair.

+ Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and President of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

“Ireland, which once sent thousands of missionaries around the world, is now in need of mission herself”

+ Archbishop Eamon Martin

Homily of Archbishop Martin during Mass to dedicate the seminary church

It is a happy coincidence that, as we officially open the new extension of our Redemptoris Mater Seminary, and dedicate the Seminary Chapel and Sanctuary of the Word, that the Gospel reading for this ‘13th Sunday in Ordinary Time’ happens to be the conclusion of Jesus’ ‘missionary discourse’ in chapter ten of Matthew’s Gospel.  For this is the missionary seminary of the Archdiocese of Armagh.

We have been reading from the missionary discourse over the past three Sundays, beginning with the call and sending out of the twelve apostles to proclaim that ‘the Kingdom of Heaven is near at hand’.  In commissioning His disciples to heal the sick; to raise the dead; to cleanse the lepers, and to drive out evil spirits, Jesus asks them to be generous with their gifts; to take only what is essential for the journey; and, to rely instead on God’s providence through the generosity and hospitality of those they meet along the way.

Jesus cautions His new missionaries that He is sending them out ‘like sheep among wolves’; they will have to be ‘wise as serpents and guiltless as doves’.  ‘You will be hated by all on account of my name’ Jesus says.  In some cases, He warned, they will be handed over to the courts; they will bear witness before governors and kings; some will face imprisonment and other punishments for the sake of His Word, but they need not worry about what to say, because the Holy Spirit will be with them.

In today’s short final extract from the ‘missionary discourse’, we hear those challenging words: ‘anyone who does not take his cross and follow in my footsteps, is not worthy of me.’  Jesus is clear that going into the world to bring His good news will sometimes mean persecution.  But He promises that all their efforts and sacrifices will be rewarded in heaven, including for those who welcome and show hospitality – even a cup of cold water – to his friends.  ‘Anyone who welcomes you, welcomes me’; and, those who welcomes me, ‘welcome the one who sent me’.

Today we are present in what will be the most sacred space, at the centre of the Seminary – the place where the Eucharist will be celebrated and the sacrifice of Christ made truly present here on the altar.  We also honour the sanctuary where the Word of God will be proclaimed – as in the days of Ezra – and where our students will pray and adore Christ truly present in the Eucharist.

At the centre of life for the seminarian – as in the life of the ordained priest – is the study and proclamation of the Word of God; the celebration of Holy Mass; the praying of the Divine Office; and prayer before the tabernacle.

Today represents a hugely significant moment in the life of the Archdiocese of Armagh.  This seminary project, conceived with a clear vision some fifteen years ago, has, with the help of God, been developing and bearing fruit through prayer, hard work, and the dedication of so many people, offering their gifts, time, resources and talents.  The Redemptoris Mater seminary was born out of a conviction that the world today still needs to hear and understand that the Kingdom of Heaven remains close at hand.

God has been calling young men to this Archdiocesan seminary from around the world.  Their vocations have been nourished in families and communities of the Neocatechumenal Way.  Our seminarians have included candidates from Ireland, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Poland, the United States and England.  They receive their human, pastoral and spiritual formation here in Dundalk, and their academic formation in philosophy and theology at Saint Patrick’s Pontifical University, Maynooth.

So many people have guided the development of our Seminary over the past 14 or 15 years, and we grateful to God for their sacrifices, hospitality and generosity.  May God reward them.

I wish to put on record today our profound gratitude to the seminary Rector, Father Giuseppe Pollio, who has led the development, not only of this beautiful extension, but also the entire seminary project since the beginning. Father Giuseppe, I am sure that you are grateful for all that God has done to bless the progress that you and your team have achieved so far.  We pray that your ongoing courage and dedication will continue to bear much fruit for the new evangelisation.

Vorrei ringraziare i fratelli e le sorelle in missione nel seminario per il loro servizio e la loro dedizione nell’aiutare la formazione dei seminaristi.  I thank God also for the brothers and sisters in mission who so generously give their lives to this mission.  And I also wish to acknowledge the families leading our missio ad gentes initiative here in the wider Dundalk region, which reaches out to accompany and bring back those who have drifted away from Church and the sacraments.  May the Lord give success to the work of your hands.

We all know, of course, that nothing could have happened here without the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the gentle presence of our Blessed Mother Mary, Star of the New Evangelisation.

It is 35 years now since Pope Saint John Paul II encouraged Bishops around the world to support the contribution of the Neocatechumenal Way to the new evangelisation.  This ‘Way’ of renewal, catechesis and formation, with its particular emphasis on the domestic Church of the family, has been bountiful in inspiring vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life.

The very first Redemptoris Mater Seminary was established in the diocese of Rome in 1987 by Pope Saint John Paul II himself.  In 2008, Pope Benedict approved the statutes of The Way and officially recognised it as an important charism within the church.  Both pontiffs urged the communities of the Neocatechumenal Way not to isolate themselves from the life of their parishes and diocese, but instead, to enrich the work of the new evangelisation on the ground, and to be a source of new life by establishing small communities of families within their parishes.  I am pleased that several of our parishes have established such communities to promote renewal and new evangelisation in the Archdiocese of Armagh.

Cardinal Brady, Bishop Michael and I have supported the establishment and growth of this missionary Seminary because we believe that Ireland can be enriched by the presence of young priests who have a strong missionary dimension to their formation.  For Ireland, which once sent thousands of missionaries around the world, is now in need of mission herself.

I thank God that already eleven priests have been ordained from the seminary since 2012, and, please God, there will be many more in the future.  Thanks to the generosity of many benefactors, alongside the Foundation and the Archdiocese itself, and thanks also to the amazing hands-on voluntary work of supporters and the seminarians themselves, we now have here a very high-quality space provided for our students, staff and volunteers, and modern facilities which will be of great value to our entire diocese.

Let us never forget, however, that “if the Lord does not build the house, then the labourers labour in vain.”  Everything we do here is to help the proclamation of the gospel of Christ for our times in Ireland and beyond.  This wonderful seminary building, and especially this Chapel and the Sanctuary of the Word, provide a beacon of hope for the faith in these troubled times, and are a clear reminder that the kingdom of heaven is indeed very near to us!

I am committed to ensuring that the priests who are ordained from this Seminary will not only serve in our own diocese but will also contribute to the wider global mission of the Church.  During their lives as priests, they will be sent for certain periods, by me and by my successors, to bring their gifts and talents to the growth of the Church here in other parts of Ireland and, God willing, to other parts of the world.

Today is the anniversary of my own ordination to the priesthood in Derry in 1987, as I begin the 40th year of my priesthood, I could not think of any better way to mark this anniversary year than to be here today, opening our new extension and dedicating these beautiful spaces for the glory of God and the sanctification of the faithful.  Thanks be to God.

+Archbishop Eamon Martin

Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of All Ireland

Background to the Seminary

Today at 3.30pm, Archbishop Eamon Martin will dedicate the new seminary church at the Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary in Dundalk, and will also mark the inauguration of the new seminary extension.

The Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary is located in the heart of Dundalk on De La Salle Terrace.  The seminary was established in 2012 as an initiative of the Archdiocese of Armagh to form priests for the New Evangelization.  The priests formed in the seminary come from families of the neo-catechumenal way, and serve both in the Archdiocese of Armagh and also in missionary placements assigned by the Archbishop.  To date, eleven priests have been ordained and incardinated in the Archdiocese from the Dundalk seminary.  They receive their human, pastoral and spiritual formation in Dundalk and their academic formation in Philosophy and Theology at Saint Patrick’s Pontifical University at Maynooth.  During their formation the students avail of missionary placements in various parts of the world and in parishes of the archdiocese.

The original building of the seminary was renovated and officially opened in November 2016.  In February 2022, the foundation stone was laid for the new extension works for the housing and formation of seminarians, and for the mission of the seminary itself in hosting and welcoming visitors.  Of the eleven priests formed and ordained from 2012 to 2026, ten were ordained over the last five years. Currently there are fifteen seminarians in formation, and the new buildings capacity of the seminary can provide accommodation for up to eighteen.

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