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Archbishop Eamon Martin celebrates Mass for the centenary of the Legion of Mary

Archbishop Eamon Martin’s Homily at the Mass for the centenary of the Legion of Mary

Dear brothers and sisters, you will remember the day you first made your legionary promise, praying to the Holy Spirit, with the legionary standard in your hand.  On that occasion you declared your entire dependence on Mary as the mother of your soul.  You undertook to be her soldier and her child.

“Most Holy Spirit, I, desiring to be enrolled this day as a legionary of Mary, yet knowing that of myself I cannot render worthy service, do ask of you to come upon me and fill me with yourself, so that my poor acts may be sustained by your power, and become an instrument of your mighty purposes…

So, taking in my hand the legionary Standard…

I stand before you as her soldier and her child, and I so declare my entire dependence on her. She is the mother of my soul”.

In today’s Gospel (Mk 9:30-37), Jesus speaks about spiritual childhood – teaching how true greatness in God’s eyes is to be as innocent and humble as a little child.  It reminds us of course also of the “little way” of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, and of the childhood of Jesus and Mary that is described in the “true devotion” of Saint Louis Marie de Montfort, which was central to the spiritual thinking of the great Frank Duff, founder of the Legion of Mary, 100 years ago.

Lest anyone underestimate the power of “spiritual childhood”, one only has to observe its fruits: from humble beginnings of only 15 people gathered around a small altar of the Immaculate Conception in Dublin’s Francis Street 100 years ago, the Legion of Mary has touched the lives of millions of people in almost every country of the world.  Today it has over four million active members, more than seventy million auxiliary members, – a great army of spiritual children of Mary engaged in an outpouring of apostolic work: door to door evangelisation; parish and hospital visitation; reaching out to the marginalised in prison and on the streets; gently teaching and explaining the Catholic faith; and all this, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and under the protection of Mary.

My dear brothers and sisters in the Legion of Mary here in the Archdiocese of Armagh I congratulate you, thank you and bless you on your 100th anniversary.  Your praesidiums throughout our diocese have overseen amazing prayerful and apostolic works throughout this diocese.  Your members, both alive, and those who had gone to their rest, have made a real difference in the lives of so many.  You have helped to save souls for Christ, ‘bringing Christ to the world and the souls who need him’, and helping, through the power of the Holy Spirit, ‘to renew the face of the earth’.

Spiritual childhood of Jesus, and of Mary, does not of course mean spiritual weakness.  As your promise puts it, you are not only Mary’s children; you are also her soldiers, and, under the Holy Spirit, you are soldiers for Christ. You are a Legion, equipped for battle against evil, godlessness, selfishness, and all the sin and despair that Satan sows in the world.

It is interesting that in today’s Gospel passage, Jesus spoke His words about spiritual childhood immediately after predicting and instructing His disciples that: “the Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again (Mk 9:30ff)”.  Jesus was under no illusions that the Good News will face many obstacles, much opposition, persecution, ridicule even death.

Today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom (2:12,17-20), is equally clear that the “godless” lie in wait for the virtuous, since they annoy them and oppose their way of life:

‘Let us test him with cruelty and with torture,
and thus explore this gentleness of his
and put his endurance to the proof’.

The great Frank Duff, and inspirational legionaries like Eden Quinn and Alfie Lambe, shared this conviction and emphasised time and again that you are a “Legion”, armed for battle.  You wear armour of Christ; you are guided by the grace of the Holy Spirit and you proceed under the standard of Mary.

The legionary, according to the handbook, must therefore “clothe himself or herself in the armour of God”, and must have loyalty, courage, discipline, endurance.  But, equally, he or she must also walk with love and sympathy, be ready to finish the course, and be prepared to serve without limitations. 

The Legion of Mary therefore seeks to blend humble childhood of Mary with the determination and zeal of being her soldiers.  This powerful combination of qualities has enabled your legionaries to make such a lasting impact on the world.  Just as Jesus sent out His disciples to be “wise as serpents” and “harmless  as doves”, so also you are sent out to “conquer the world”, while walking in the “Way of Peace”.

These characteristics are needed more than ever today as we endeavour to keep the faith alive here in Ireland and beyond.  The challenge, of course, is to attract new members and to encourage, in particular, more young people to discover the Legion.  This may mean re-examining the way we recruit, form and retain junior members.  Perhaps a way towards this is to emphasise the qualities which I have spoken about today – to be both a child of Mary and a soldier of Mary.

Therein lies the power of the Gospel and the power of the Legion of Mary which, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has sustained your Legion for the past one hundred years.

May God continue to bless you and grant success to your valuable endeavours.  Happy Anniversary

+Archbishop Eamon Martin

 

Irish Church leaders promote service of reflection and hope

Irish Church leaders promote service of reflection and hope

 

A Service of Reflection and Hope to mark the centenaries of the partition of Ireland and the formation of Northern Ireland will take place in Saint Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral, Armagh, on Thursday, 21 October 2021.

The service is being organised by the Church Leaders Group, as part of their wider programme of collective engagement around the 1921 centenaries, with an emphasis on their common Christian commitment to peace, healing and reconciliation. 

Armagh has been chosen as the location due to its significance as Ireland’s ecclesiastical capital – a status which has its origins in the 5th Century when the present site of the Church of Ireland cathedral was presented to Saint Patrick for building his ‘great stone church’.

In a joint statement issued on Saint Patrick’s Day the Church Leaders emphasised the need to ‘be intentional in creating spaces for encounter with those who are different from us, and those who may feel marginalised in the narratives that have shaped our community identity’ and, in doing so, ’to face difficult truths about failings in our own leadership in the work of peace and reconciliation’.  This Christian act of worship will involve people from across the community, from diverse backgrounds and traditions, and with different beliefs and aspirations, coming together to pray for the healing of past hurts and to seek God’s guidance in a spirit of hope for the future. The ongoing risks of Covid-19 will restrict the space for in-person participation, but the service will be broadcast and local church communities will be invited to support the initiative in prayer. 

At the heart of the Church Leaders’ joint engagements over the course of this year, in prayer, in dialogue and in collective outreach to the wider community, has been a focus on relationships. In their joint statement they say: ‘We find inspiration and encouragement in the progress that has been made through our peace process in building relations of mutual respect and trust across these islands. These relationships are often tested, and will at times be found wanting, but our communities have also demonstrated great resilience, solidarity and compassion, evident most recently in the response to Covid-19’. 

This Service of Reflection and Hope is offered as a contribution to the work of building community and deepening relationships.

Most Revd Eamon Martin,  Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland

Most Revd John McDowell, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.

Rt Revd David Bruce, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland

Revd Dr Sahr Yambasu, President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, the

Very Revd Dr Ivan Patterson, President of the Irish Council of Churches

 

 

Commissioning of The Divine Renovation Leadership Team in the parishes of Knockbridge and Kilkerly

Bishop Michael Router’s Homily for the , 15th August 2021.

 

Divine Renovation is a programme developed by Fr. James Mallon’s from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada which tries to move parish life away from maintenance and tries to re-orient it towards mission and evangelisation.

 

Homily Text

Today’s gospel on this Feast of the Annunciation recounts the visit of Mary to Elizabeth.  Mary had just received the news that she was to be the mother of God’s Son, and that he was to come into the world to bring salvation to all who received him. The gospel today includes her remarkable statement known as the Magnificat in which she outlines how the power of God was working through her to bring salvation to the world. Through the child in her womb, the child that she had said yes to, God would turn the world on its head. He would show the power of his arm, he would rout the proud of heart. He would pull down princes from their thrones, exalt the lowly, fill the hungry with good things and send the rich away empty.

It is a remarkable statement of mission from someone who was young, humble, poor, and powerless and who lived in a land that was oppressed, on the margins, and politically unimportant. Yet though she would know much suffering, confusion and pain in her life, what she proclaimed would come true, and her child Jesus would grow into the single most important and influential man who ever walked the earth. Jesus revealed the Father to us as a merciful and just God and therefore undermined all systems of government, power and influence that survived through injustice and brutality. From humble beginnings, from deep confusion, from a moment of crisis Mary’s yes to her mission brought the savior into the world and nothing was ever the same again.

It is possible to look at the condition the Church finds itself in today and say that it is in a situation similar to Mary’s, powerless, immersed in confusion and crisis. But in many ways being in crisis is a good place to be. It sparks the creative energy within people and helps them to dream about new methods of mission and new approaches to religious life. Necessity is the mother of all invention, and it is true that when we are in most need good things begin to happen.

Today the challenge is clear to those of us of faith in Ireland, that we need to move away from trying to preserve in an unreflective way the model of church that we have had for the past 170 years since the famine, to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and to begin to focus our thoughts and our energies on renewing the mission of the Church that Jesus founded. The mission of the Church has always been to bring the life-giving message of Jesus to all people wherever they are to be found. Jesus himself did not stay within the walls of the temple or the synagogue, important as those places were for him as a Jew. He strayed beyond their safe and comfortable boundaries and wandered into the marketplace, through the fields and farms, into the houses and the places where people gathered to relax and to socialise. It was in those places that he encountered people where they were at, doing the things that were so ordinary yet so important. It was there that he made a real and lasting impression.

It seems to me that if we are to go forward as a Church in this challenging century we must go back to Jesus’ own model of leadership. Those who take their faith seriously both lay and religious must shed their fears and engage with others in the workplace, the school, the football club, the bingo hall, the pub, on internet sites such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, or indeed wherever it is that people gather. It is, however, very important that we do so in a delicate and sensitive manner. There is nothing worse than someone forcing what they believe to be certainties down someone else’s throat no matter how well intentioned they may be. It is simply our job to witness to the faith through our actions as much as our words and not be afraid to talk about the joy and comfort it brings into our lives.

In the age in which we live there is a very strong temptation in religious matters to play it safe and to mix only with the dwindling number of people who share our faith and who don’t challenge us. Such an approach makes us feel secure and we priests, in particular, feel appreciated. Such an inward-looking approach, however, will not bring success in the long-term task of building the Church. The alternative approach of reaching out to and journeying with those who don’t share our faith is much more dangerous but also much more effective in the long term.

Jesus is always our role model for evangelization in a secular society, and we can learn much from reflecting, particularly, on the story of Jesus on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-25). In that post-resurrection encounter Jesus meets people who are struggling with loss. He walks with them and listens. He asks questions. He gives meaning to the complicated mystery of life. His words burn within them and make a deep impression because they have the ring of authentic truth. He eventually reveals his identity at a simple supper table. This encounter offers guidance to us on how to be Church in a secular world. Like the disciples on the road, we are so disheartened by what we have lost – status, large congregations and young people in our churches – that we have forgotten that the one resource we really need is Jesus, the one who is alive and well and who walks beside us on the journey. Please God the synodal pathway we have embarked upon as a diocese, as a national and universal Church may reawaken new energy and a missionary zeal within us.

The process of divine renovation, which we launch in the parishes of Knockbridge and Kilkerly today, is a call to move away from the burden of maintenance, of trying to frantically preserve what we have, and instead trying to embrace the uncertainty and the challenge of mission wherever that may take us. To help lead the Church in Knockbridge and Kilkerly in this process of divine renovation of moving from maintenance to mission, I will shortly commission a leadership team who will help to overhaul the focus of the Church here and to encourage everyone who is baptized to accept their call to mission and to participate in the great work of evangelization which can no longer be left, if it ever could, just to priests and religious.

+ Bishop Michael Router

 

 

 

Death of Fr Christie O’Brien PE

The death has taken place of Fr Christie O’Brien PE on Saturday 14th August 202

Archbishop Eamon Martin expresses his sadness at the news of the death on Saturday, 14 August, of Fr Christie O’Brien, PE.  May he rest in peace.

Due to Government guidelines and coronavirus restrictions, a private funeral for family and close friends will take place on Monday, 16 August. Removal from Halligan’s Funeral Home, Station Road, Rathvilly, Co. Carlow, R93 C560, on Monday at 11.30am to St. Patrick’s Church, Rathvilly, arriving for 12 noon Requiem Mass.  Burial afterwards in Rathvilly Cemetery.

Fr Christie’s Funeral Mass can be viewed live on the following link: www.rathvillykilteganparish.ie/our-parish/webcam

Please remember Fr Christie in your Masses and prayers at this time.

Archbishop Eamon extends his sympathy and that of Cardinal Seán, Bishop Michael, the clergy and people of the Archdiocese, to his brothers, Fr Tom and Pat, his sister, Anne, and the extended O’Brien family.

 

Accord Catholic Marriage Care Service CLG is currently recruiting volunteers to train as marriage preparation programme facilitators.

Accord Catholic Marriage Care Service CLG is currently recruiting volunteers to train as marriage preparation programme facilitators.

Accord is seeking registration of interest from those who have a positive attitude towards marriage in the Catholic Church and the enthusiasm to be part of a team supporting couples who are preparing for the Sacrament of Marriage.

Successful applicants will receive professional training and will be part of a team delivering marriage preparation programmes locally in accordance with best practice.

Contact Aisling on 01 505 3112 or by email to [email protected].

The closing date for receipt of registration of interest forms to be included in Selections for this year is Friday 27 August.

Additional information is available on www.accord.ie.

CLERGY APPOINTMENTS FOR THE ARCHDIOCESE OF ARMAGH, EFFECTIVE 28 AUGUST 2021

CLERGY APPOINTMENTS FOR THE ARCHDIOCESE OF ARMAGH

EFFECTIVE 28 AUGUST 2021

 

Archbishop Eamon Martin announces the following clergy appointments for the Archdiocese of Armagh, effective 28 August 2021.

Archbishop Eamon thanks the priests and deacons of the Archdiocese for their continued ministry and service and wishes well those who are taking up these new appointments.  He also thanks the people of the Archdiocese of Armagh for their ongoing prayers and support of their clergy.  He encourages them to welcome their new pastors in the coming weeks.

The Archbishop is deeply grateful to the Society of Mary (Marists) who are leaving Holy Family Parish in Dundalk after forty years of generous service to the local community.  He wishes well Fr Cormac McNamara, SM, Adm, and Fr Francis Corry, SM, CC, who are departing the parish.

The Archbishop is very grateful also to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) who, in addition to their ministry in St Joseph’s Parish, Dundalk, have agreed to serve Holy Family Parish for a fixed period.  The Archbishop has appointed Fr Derek Ryan, CSsR, CC, St Joseph’s, Dundalk, and Fr Richard Delahunty, CSsR, to be Administrator and Curate in Holy Family Parish, Dundalk, respectively.

Fr John Hughes, PE, CC, Moy (Clonfeacle), to retire, and to be priest-in-residence, Moy   

Fr Fergus Breslan, PE, Moy (Clonfeacle), retired, to be priest-in-residence, Middle Killeavy

Fr Eamonn McCamley, to assist in the parish of Drumglass, Killyman & Tullyniskin (Dungannon)

Fr Desmond Branigan, CC, Magherafelt, to be CC, St Peter’s, Drogheda

Fr Thomas McHugh, CC, Cathedral Parish, Armagh, to be (pro tem), Adm, Moy (Clonfeacle), and Adm, Eglish

Fr Barry Matthews, CC, St Peter’s, Drogheda, to be CC, Cathedral Parish, Armagh

Fr Juan Jesus Gonzalez Borrallo, newly ordained, to be CC, Magherafelt

Fr Callum Young, newly ordained, to be Assistant to the Rector, Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary, Dundalk

Deacon Stephen Wilson, newly ordained, to serve in the parishes of Knockbridge, Kilkerley & Louth

Deacon Colm Hagan, newly ordained, to serve in the parishes of Donaghmore, Pomeroy & Termonmaguirc

29 July 2021

 

 

The Archdiocese of Armagh has Two Vacancies for Youth Ministry Coordinators

St Patrick’s Archdiocesan Trust Limited

VACANCY

Youth Ministry Coordinator x 2

Archdiocese of Armagh

 

[ 3 Year Fixed-Term Contract (subject to an 11 month Probationary Period)]

The Archdiocese of Armagh seeks to appoint two motivated and talented professionals, each to undertake the full-time roles of Youth Ministry Coordinator. The Youth Ministry Coordinators will work with the Diocesan Pastoral Team and be responsible for implementing the youth ministry element in the Diocesan Pastoral Plan. They will work with parishes and pastoral areas to meet the goals of the Armagh Diocesan Youth Commission’s (ADYC) Strategic Plan 2019-2024 ‘Encourage, Enable and Empower.’ The plan reaches out to all young people in the Archdiocese of Armagh to provide faith formation and to enable the development of peer ministry. This will involve developing a wide range of network communications with parishes, families, schools, and community organisations. This is an excellent opportunity and challenge for two experienced candidates to join our Diocesan Team.

The appointments will on a permanent full-time basis requiring 35 hours attendance each week, generally Monday-Friday. Flexibility in work pattern and hours worked will be requirements of these roles.

(Even though the Coordinators will work as part of a diocesan team, one will be based in the North and one in the South of the diocese.)

Starting salary: £24,982 (or € equivalent)

If interested in making an application for either of these posts, please download, complete and return an Application Form below. 

 Accompanying Job Description can also be found below.

Click Here For Job Description 

Click Here For Application and Monitoring Form

Closing date for receipt of completed applications is Friday 13 August 2021 at 5pm

St Patrick’s Archdiocesan Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer

 

Bishop Michael Router: 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time St. Peters Church, Drogheda. 100th Anniversary of the Signing of the Truce

Bishop Michael Router: Homily for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

“100th Anniversary of the Signing of the Truce”

St. Peter’s Church, Drogheda, 11am on the 11th July 2021

 

 

 

The second reading of today’s Mass is taken from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians. The letter touches on the issue of living in a world where there are many differences between people. The author St. Paul was a Jew, but he was writing this letter to a gentile, non-Jewish, audience. He was trying to teach the Church in Ephesus that in Christ God had broken down the walls and barriers between people and has given us the means to overcome the hostility that can be present because of differing beliefs. The letter acknowledges that living with difference is not easy, it requires great effort, humility, gentleness, and patience. As the section of the letter read today reminds us, God adopts not a single group with one ethnic or religious identity, but he chooses and adopts a diverse group of people. Unity and equality will eventually be found under Christ.

It is a very appropriate message for today’s Mass on this the 100th Anniversary of the truce that brought to an end the War of Independence in Ireland. The truce was called on this date, July 11th, 1921, and it brought to an end a two-year conflict that, like many wars, was notable for its acts of brutality. It is also important for us to acknowledge today the role that devotion to St. Oliver Plunkett made to bring about peace and the beginning of a process that brought a long sought-after Irish freedom.

The months leading up to this day in 1921, where amongst the bloodiest in the war of independence. The IRA killed many civilians who they claimed were collaborators and traitors. On the other side the Black and Tans and the Auxiliary’s sought revenge for IRA attacks and did so in a very harsh and bloody way. These reprisals, and the general cruelty of these rogue British units, began to turn public opinion around the world in favour of Irish independence. There were many attempts at peace initiatives undertaken during the first six months of 1921 and some of the most notable ones were undertaken by church personnel such as Cardinal Logue of Armagh, Bishop Fogarty of Killaloe, and Archbishop Patrick Clune of Perth in Australia.

During 1921 many government buildings were destroyed around the country including numerous RIC barracks, courthouse’s, tax offices and other local government offices. The customs house was destroyed on the 25th May and this was a devastating blow to the administration of Ireland as most of the tax records and local government records for the country where kept there. These, among other smaller incidents, made Ireland ungovernable, and the war almost unwinnable, for the British. By July 1921 things were descending rapidly into chaos and there was a real risk of a blood bath. Over 1000 deaths alone were recorded from the beginning of the year and many people were beginning to suffer severe hardship.

Throughout the whole conflict the Church maintained a strong stance in opposition to the violence perpetrated by all sides, but also used its voice to put increased pressure on the British government to find a solution. Time and again, Catholic Bishops, both individually and collectively, asked for prayer and there was a huge response both at home and abroad to their request. Just a year before, in 1920, Saint Oliver Plunkett had been beatified, the final step before becoming a Saint. His beatification was a big occasion for the Irish and many people began praying to him for a cessation of violence and a renewal of peace. Their prayers finally and remarkably came to fruition with the coming into effect of a truce between the British Armed Forces and the IRA on the 11th July, the very first day that the feast of blessed St Oliver Plunkett was celebrated in Churches around the world. Many people came to realise that this was more than a coincidence and that in St. Oliver we had gained a powerful intercessor for peace in this land. Saint Oliver’s feast day changed to the July 1st after his canonization in 1975 and it is to be noted with joy that the first meeting of the new Northern Ireland Assembly, an essential element of the Good Friday Agreement, was held on 1st July 1998 the new Feastday. The sharing of power, symbolised by that event, has led to a greater level of cooperation between nationalists and loyalists in Northern Ireland and subsequently to a more stable peace.

As we celebrate the anniversary of the truce today and give thanks for all the progress that has been made over the past 24 years in particular, we have to be mindful that the peace in this island is still fragile. The truce, unfortunately, didn’t bring the hostilities to an end. A horrific civil war blew up within months and tensions in the years since have at times led to conflict, terrorism and murder most notably between 1969 and 1997. The reluctance over the years by all sides to accept a peaceful solution to the problem of finding a shared identity and purpose, have led to many innocent deaths and many shattered lives.

Violence achieves nothing. It is destructive and holds back genuine progress. The violence perpetrated from 1969 onwards held back the progress on civil rights that was being made in the late 1960’s and held back progress on this island for over thirty years. We pray to St. Oliver Plunkett today that those who still advocate violence or who excuse past atrocities will have a change of heart so that we can overcome our differences and know, as St. Paul reminds the Ephesians, the freedom that comes from such a change of heart and attitude.

Recent events have shown us that there is a long way to go if all the people of this island are to respect each other and live together without division or violence. All of us must strive to create a place that will be inclusive and welcoming. A united Ireland, if that is to become a reality, will have to be a place where religious and cultural differences are recognised and are protected not dismissed or ignored.

All of us who want to achieve peace and true freedom will need to be very vigilant and work hard to achieve God’s plan for us. In the gospel Jesus sent out his disciples in pairs to bring the good news of salvation to all. He anticipated that they would meet opposition as the enemies of truth and love are unfortunately many in this world. He gave them however, a very wise piece of advice. He told them if they faced opposition and hostility, they were to wipe the dust of their sandals and start all over again.

The road to genuine peace, which can only be achieved through the power of Christ and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, will continue to be a difficult one but we must never give up. Today, through the intercession of St. Oliver Plunkett, we ask for the blessing of genuine peace in this country, a peace that will only come about when we respect the primacy of God and respect each other as his adopted sons and daughters.

+Bishop Michael Router 

 

Year of Reflection and Prayer for the Archdiocese of Armagh Closes

Year of Reflection and Prayer in the Archdiocese of Armagh Closing Ceremony

 

The Year of Reflection and Prayer that began at the end of January 2020 came to a close with a closing ceremony yesterday evening in St. Patrick’s Cathedral Armagh.  The year was scheduled to conclude in February 2020 and amidst the Covid 19 pandemic a decision was taken to extend the year until the end of June 2020. 

 

The Year of Prayer and Reflection was an attempt to listen in the silence to what God was saying to us as individuals and as a faith community. It was not a time for big events, large gatherings, or attention-grabbing speeches, but a time to let God’s Spirit rest in us and to prepare us for the road ahead. 

Bishop Michael Router in his homily addressed those gathered in St. Patrick’s Cathedral noting that,

“In many ways it was a blessing that we launched the Year of Reflection and prayer when we did because, at that time, we didn’t know what lay ahead for us. Nothing could have prepared us for all that we have experienced over the past 15 months. In reality quiet reflection and prayer were often the only permitted responses.”

In his address Bishop Michael acknowledged the significant difficulties that all have experienced in the last eighteen months stating that, “The effective closure of most forms of social interaction, schools, workplaces, churches, and entertainment, is something that people younger than 80 years of age had only seen before in disaster movies.” 

Bishop Michael importantly spoke about the challenges and difficulties experienced by the Church prior to the Covid 19 Pandemic drawing attention to the Synodal Pathway invoked by Pope Francis. Drawing attention to the changes that Vatican II introduced Bishop Michael stated that these changes

“Prevented the Church from becoming a remnant of the past retreating into itself and becoming more and more distanced from people.” and that “Pope Francis has identified the model of synodality as a means of responding to the challenges and issues through a slow, yet ultimately more effective process of listening consultation and conversation” 

Whilst the Archdiocese is officially closing a ‘Year of Reflection and Prayer’ in the diocese the reflection and prayer never ends and will be an essential element of each step along the way. The next step will be to begin an active period of listening and consultation over the next two years as we prepare for a Diocesan Synodal Assembly in Autumn 2024. The final year before the Assembly will be spent analysing what we have learned through the consultation and conversation and working with the delegates, the elected and selected ‘Some’ from the parishes and other church bodies who will attend the actual Assembly itself.

During this phase they will bring the fruits of the listening, consultation, and conversation to the ‘One’ the bishop and make recommendation for a future diocesan plan. And as Bishop Michael stated “the principle of ‘All’, ‘Some’, and ‘One’ comes into effect and opens up responsibility for the ongoing mission of the Church to all the baptised.”

To assist us in this task of organising the consultation and preparation for the Assembly a core group from around the diocese has been formed and were commissioned at the ceremony in St. Patrick’s. They are predominantly members of the lay faithful, who will work alongside elected members of the diocesan clergy and female and male religious. This group,  will work together to establish the Synodal process here in the local Church of Armagh, a process, that will hopefully address some of the challenges that lie ahead for all of us who take our faith seriously.

As a local Church the Archdiocese of Armagh will also feed into the universal Churches synodal pathway leading to the Synod of bishops in Rome in 2023 and the island wide process that will culminate in a National Assembly or Assemblies in 2026. Over the coming years there will be widespread consultation with everyone inside and outside the Church.  This model of operating as a Church is for the long term it won’t simply be over or set aside when the actual physical Assemblies take place in Rome, Ireland or Armagh. 

Click here for the full text of Bishop Michael Router’s Homily 

 

Ordination to the Priesthood of Fr Callum Douglas Young and Fr Juan Jesus Gonzalez Borrallo

Ordination to the Priesthood of Fr Callum Douglas Young and Fr Juan Jesus Gonzalez Borrallo

 

In a joy filled ceremony Archbishop Eamon Martin ordained Fr. Callum Douglas Young and Fr Juan Jesus Gonzalez Borrallo as priests for the Archdiocese of Armagh on the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul Apostles in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral – Armagh on the 29th June 2021.     

Callum was born in London in 1991 and is the eldest child of  Neil and Bernadette Young. He has five younger brothers and sisters. He began his formation for the priesthood in the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Dundalk in the year 2012 and was ordained deacon on 28th August 2020 and has been ministering in Newry Parish since October 2020.

As part of his formation, he spent some time in the Holy Land, UAE and Bahrain. Over the years, Callum has been on pastoral placement in the parishes of Cookstown, Coalisland and Newry.

Juan Jesus was born in 1991 and comes from El Repilado (Spain). He is the first child of Jose Antonio and Maria de las Nieves and has three younger siblings. He started his formation to the priesthood in the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Dundalk in the year 2013 and was also ordained a deacon on 28th August 2020.

Juan Jesus has done pastoral placements in the parishes of Dungannon and Newry Cathedral. As part of his formation in the Seminary, he has been in mission in the Holy Land, Mozambique and Argentina and has been ministering in Moyraverty Parish since October 2020.

We ask that all throughout the Archdiocese continue to keep these two young men in their prayers.  May they have many years of grace filled ministry ahead of them.  

Ad Multos Annos!

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