New Irish bishop to make vocations a priority

Bishop Kevin Doran was installed as Bishop of Elphin on Sunday last in Sligo - one of the north western dioceses in Ireland. He is a former vocations director of the Archdiocese of Dublin. In a wide ranging address at the end of the ordination ceremony, Bishop Doran indicated that vocations are one of the key challenges facing his diocese and signalled that they would be a priority for him. In an enterprising move, he challenged the congregation at his episcopal ordination to help address the vocations 'crisis' by identifying six candidates from their own communities and families between now and next Easter.

He also reminded those gathered that 'vocation does not begin when people are teenagers or young adults.....it begins when God calls us into life and when, through baptism, He invites to be members of His family'. He said that it makes no sense to expect that people can be ready to commit to any Christian vocation, marriage, priesthood, religious life or diaconate if they have not first of all been helped to recognise God's invitation in baptism and respond to it.

It's wonderful to hear a new Irish bishop speak in these terms - making vocations a priority. Hopefully his initiative and challenge will bear fruit. Bishop Doran may well change the language around the question of vocation - this can only be a good thing.

Irish Dominican Vocations wish Bishop Kevin well in his ministry in the diocese of Elphin - and are grateful for his contribution to the work of vocations in his previous role as vocations director for the Dublin archdiocese.

Double priestly ordination for Irish Dominican friars

Fr Luuk Jansen OP and Fr Colm Mannion OP

The Irish Dominican friars joyfully celebrated the priestly ordination of two of our brothers yesterday in Saint Saviour's Dominican church in Dublin. Fr Luuk Jansen and Fr Colm Mannion were ordained by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin in a moving ceremony with a packed congregation. The new priests were joined by a large number of Dominican brothers from Ireland and abroad, their families and friends.

Fr Luuk is originally from the Netherlands and discovered the faith through a colleague while working in the west of Ireland. A number of years after being baptised, he entered the Irish Dominican novitiate in Limerick and continued his formation and studies in Dublin which culminated in his ordination as a priest yesterday.

Fr Colm, from Birr in County Offaly, worked with an an international airline and for the Legion of Mary before entering the novitiate with Fr Luuk and Br Matthew Martinez who will be ordained next month in his native Trinidad.

We wish our newly ordained priests every blessing in their ministries and pray that their commitment will encourage others to consider the Dominican way of life.

Archbishop Martin lays hands on the ordinands.

Priestly Ordinations 2014

Left to right: Bro Matthew Martinez OP, Bro Luuk Jansen OP and Br Colm Mannion OP

The Irish Dominican friars are looking forward to the presbyteral ordinations of three of our friars this year. Tomorrow (July 5th, 2014), Brothers Luuk Jansen and Colm Mannion will be ordained priests in Saint Saviour's Dominican church, Dominick Street, Dublin at 3.00 pm. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin will be the ordaining prelate.

On Saturday, August 2nd, Bro Matthew Martinez will be ordained priest in the Dominican church of Saint Finbar in hid native Trinidad.

Irish Dominican Vocations asks your prayers for our brothers as they prepare for priesthood in the Order and a continuance of prayers for vocations to the Irish Dominican province.