Vocation Prayer Initiative in Kilkenny

 The icon of Saint Dominic before the main altar in the Dominican Black Abbey church, Kilkenny.

As part of our ongoing prayer initiative for Dominican vocations, the icon of Saint Dominic specially commissioned for the prayer campaign has arrived in the Dominican Black Abbey church in Kilkenny city.

The opportunity to preach at all of the weekend Masses about the Dominican vocation along with the introduction to the month of prayer for vocations were the highlights of the weekend just gone. It is very heartening to know that there are already large groups of people around the country associated with the Dominicans who are praying for vocations on a regular basis. One of the main thrusts of this prayer initiative is to broaden that base of prayer by extending the invitation to prayer to greater numbers of people.

The icon of Saint Dominic is designed as a focus to encourage people to pray. The reaction to the beauty of the icon has been impressive. With the launch in Kilkenny concluded, the icon will remain there for the next month.

The Dominican friars have been in Kilkenny since 1225, with some interruptions during times of persecution. The Black Abbey church attracts large numbers of tourists throughout the year and is a popular place of worship for the local people.