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.

Pope Francis on the need to pray for vocations

Last week, Pope Francis  asked the faithful to pray for vocations, so that God may send priests and nuns whose hearts are for Him only; free from the idolatry of vanity, of power and of wealth.

Speaking during morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta on March 3rd, Pope Francis took his cue from the Gospel reading of day which tells of a rich man who ran up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and asked him what he should do to inherit eternal life. This man – the Pope said – really wanted to hear what Jesus had to say. “He was a good man, a man who had observed the commandments from his youth, but this was not enough for him, he wanted more. The Holy Spirit was pushing him further”. Jesus looked at him, loved him and said to him: ‘Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor; then come, follow me’. At that statement, his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions:

“His heart was restless, because the Holy Spirit was pushing him to get closer to Jesus and to follow him. But his heart was full and he lacked the courage to empty it. He made his choice: money. His heart was full of money…. But he was not a thief, or a criminal: no, no, no! He was a good man: he had never stolen! He had never cheated anyone: his money had been earned honestly. But his heart was imprisoned, it was attached to money and he lacked the freedom to choose. Money chose for him”.

How many young people – Pope Francis continued – feel this call to get close to Jesus within their hearts, and they are enthusiastic about it. “They are not ashamed to kneel before Him” and to “publically show their faith in Jesus Christ” and “they want to follow Him, but when their hearts are full of something else and they lack the courage to empty their hearts, they turn back and their joy becomes sadness”. There are many young people today – Pope Francis said – who have a vocation, but sometimes there is something that stops them:

“We must pray so that the hearts of these young people may be emptied, emptied of other interests and other sentiments, so that they may become free. This is the prayer for vocations. ‘Lord, send us nuns and send us priests, defend them from idolatry, the idolatry of vanity, the idolatry of pride, the idolatry of power, the idolatry of money’. This prayer of ours is to prepare these hearts so that they are able to follow Jesus closely”.

The man described in the Gospel reading – the Pope said – is “such a good man and then he is so sad”. Today there are many young people like him. This is why we must pray intensely to God:

“Lord, help these young people so that they may be free, not slaves, so that their hearts be for You only; so that the call of the Lord can be heard and can bear fruit. This is the prayer for vocations. We must pray a lot. But we must be careful: there are vocations. We must help them to grow, so that the Lord can enter into those hearts and give this indescribable and glorious joy that belongs to every person who follows Jesus closely”.

Dominican news from around the world

 It has been a busy summer with important and joyful events for the Dominican friars, sisters, laity and nuns throughout the world. We are happy to share some of them with blog readers and ask you to pray for the Order and for vocations.

 

The English province celebrated two ordinations during the month of July. Brother Nicholas Crowe was ordained to the diaconate and Brother Gregory Pearson to the priesthood. The ordination ceremonies took place in Blackfriars, Oxford. Both were ordained by Bishop Malcolm McMahon of Nottingham, a Dominican friar and are pictured above.

 

 The Saint Joseph province in the United States continue to attract large numbers of men to the Order each year. In July, they received eighteen men into their novitiate in Cincinnati, Ohio on August 8th, the feast of our holy father, Saint Dominic. The following week (August 15th), eight novices who had completed their novitiate made first profession. The twenty six brothers are pictured above.

 

 The Master of the Order received the profession of three brothers at the end of the General Chapter on August 8th, the feast of Saint Dominic. The joyful event took place in Split, Croatia.

 

 

While here in the United States, the most talked about religious are the Dominicans! This time though it is the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist from Ann Arbor in Michigan. They have been on many of the television networks promoting their debut sacred music album entitled 'Mater Eucharistiae'. This young, new and vibrant congregation of Dominican religious women were founded in 1997 and already have 110 members - and are growing. This blogger had the privilege of meeting some of them recently in Connecticut.

 

 

 The Mexican Dominican province received four men as novices(above) on August 3rd - and so they begin their year long discernment of their vocation with the friars of that province.

 



The Dominican friars of the Central province in the United States celebrated the first profession of five brothers (pictured above) and received six new novices on August 18th last.

 

All these joyful events (and they are just a flavour of the many other events that we could highlight) are a constant reminder to us of the goodness of God to the Order, but more importantly that we realise that it is the prayers of so many that make the Dominican life flourish. Please continue to pray for all the branches of the Dominican family especially in Ireland - that we may all continue to receive vocations for the important mission of preaching the Gospel

 



New female religious order arrives in Ireland

The Franciscan sisters arriving at their new home - pic courtesy of Drogheda Independent

 

The Franciscan sisters of the Renewal have arrived in Ireland. They were welcomed to Drogheda yesterday at a special celebration in St Mary's parish church by the local bishop Michael Smith. Also in attendance were Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, the Papal Nuncio to Ireland Charles Brown, the new bishop of Kildare and Leighlin Denis Nulty and local parishioners and clergy.

This new community arrive at an important time in Ireland. Previously in the parish, the Mercy sisters were very active, but with an ageing congregation and few vocations, they have withdrawn from the area. On the invitation of the local bishop and the suggestion of Cardinal Dolan, the sisters will take up residence in the town of Drogheda in the words of Bishop Smith to "bring a consciousness of God’s love to the poor and neglected, visiting the sick, walking with the homeless, feeding the needy. They will seek to touch the poverty within, the inner needs of the human heart, with the compassion of Christ.”

The sisters arrive soon after the Meath diocese welcomed a community of Benedictine monks from Oklahoma to Stamullen last year. It is very heartening for religious in Ireland to see these invitations from an Irish diocese to other religious orders with an international outreach. Their presence is to be welcomed and there is great anticipation that these very visible religious will attract vocations to their way of life. It has often been said in religious circles in Ireland that the lack of 'visible' religious is one of the many reasons as to why there are fewer vocations to religious life in this country.

The sisters join the many other religious communities in the Drogheda area, including the Dominican friars and Dominican contemplative nuns. Welcome to them and we all look forward to collaborating in furthering the mission of the church and the work of attracting and cultivating vocations to religious life in Ireland.

Master of the Dominican Order on the joy and challenge of new vocations

 Master of the Dominican Order - fr Bruno Cadore OP

The Dominican friars throughout the world will send delegates from the various provinces to a General Chapter in Trogir (Croatia) from July 22nd to August 8th next. It is a General Chapter of diffinitors which will spend three weeks looking at and reviewing the legislation of the Order as well as planning for the future. As part of the preparation for the General Chapter, the Master of the Order, fr Bruno Cadore OP presents to the chapter and each brother in the Order a document outlining the state of the Order at the present moment - Relatio de statu Ordinis.

It is a wide ranging document covering all aspects of Dominican life - particularly the four pillars of Dominican life - prayer, study, community and preaching. In his 'relatio', the Master writes about they joys and challenges associated with new vocations and new members of the Order. It is worth sharing with readers of this blog:

"Initial formation is a major task for the great majority of the provinces and for the Order as a whole. It is really an immense grace that we are receiving new brothers, their generosity, what it is they dream of achieving as Preachers in a world of profound change, the 'worlds' and the 'cultures' which they bring with them to the Order, as well as their calls to witness to the friendship of God with humanity and the announcing of the Gospel. All of this ought to stimulate our apostolic creativity. How are we to open with them ways for this generosity to find its full realisation, without the long but necessary years of initial formation and institutional study stifling the flame? What ought to be the specificity of formation and studies for this? What is the specific service of the Church for which we think the Order has a duty to prepare them? How can we propose to them studies which are not just those that meet the requirements for priestly ministry? How are we to deploy well the promotion of vocations (some provinces really neglect this aspect too much), without forgetting the promotion of the cooperator brother at a time in the Church when there is a call to strengthen the lay ministry of evangelisation? All of these questions occupy the many superiors and masters of formation in the Order but they ought to be carried by the friars as a whole. It is important, for example, that everyone shares a common attachment to the life in which the young are being formed. In certain places, the development of collaborations seems indispensable in order not to exhaust the energies of some brothers."

Thank you Pope Benedict!

As we enter the final hours of the pontificate of Pope Benedict, it is appropriate to express thanks for all that he has done for the promotion of vocations to priesthood and religious life. I have always been struck by the fact that on almost every official visit out of Rome, the Holy Father consistently made some reference to the necessity for priestly and religious vocations. He was strong in his encouragement for those considering answering the call of the Lord. He challenged and urged support of families and parishes in their responsibilities to promote vocations - and had gentle yet firm words for those charged with forming these new vocations.

All of this did not fall on deaf ears. Worldwide, the Catholic Church has seen an increase of more than 6,000 priests during Pope Benedict’s papacy, most of them to the diocesan priesthood, according to data collected by Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA). The number of diocesan priests in the world exceeded 277,000 in 2010, levels higher than those recorded in 1970. Numbers of male and female religious throughout the world have also risen.

Many suggest, and I agree, that it was his encouraging words on the occasion of his inauguration and repeated many times afterwards that set a tone and prompted many men and women to follow Christ in the way of consecrated vocation. The words? “Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. ... Open wide the doors to Christ — and you will find true life.”   

Solemn profession of Redemptoristine nun is a historic event!

 Sr Maura Walsh OSsR pictured with Gerard Dunne OP after her solemn profession ceremony.

Today, I attended a historic and joyful event. The Redemptoristine nuns in Drumcondra, Dublin 9 celebrated the solemn (or final) profession of Sr Maura Walsh OSsR - the first solemn profession for the Redemptoristines in almost 40 years. To be accurate it's 39 years - the last time there was such an event was the final profession of the current prioress of the community Sr Gabrielle Fox OSsR in 1972.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I have a long-standing admiration for the work and ministry of this community - and a particular appreciation for their work in vocations ministry. They are a model for any monastic/contemplative community, and indeed other religious orders and dioceses in how to go about the task of promoting vocations.

However, the day belongs to Sr Maura - a native of Mountbellew, Co Galway. She worked in the health services industry before joining the Redemptoristine monastery five years ago. Irish Dominican Vocations wishes Sr Maura every blessing as a fully professed Redemptoristine nun, congratulates the five sisters in simple profession in the monastery and the community for their dedication and witness. Please add a prayer for those preparing to join the community in the not too distant future.

The 'O' Antiphons - Dominican Nuns Drogheda

The Dominican nuns at Siena Monastery, Drogheda, Co Louth are the only community of monastic Dominican nuns in Ireland. Their life of prayer, contemplation, study and community is a vital witness of the Dominican Order in Ireland. The friars of the Irish Dominican province receive huge support from the prayers of the nuns and we are very much in their debt. As vocations promoter for the friars in Ireland, I try as much as possible to highlight the vocation of our nuns in Droegheda as well. In trying to promote their way of life during this season of Advent, I am posting videos of the nuns singing the beautiful 'O' antiphons which are chanted in the ocatve before Christmas. The 'O' antiphons refer to the seven antiphons that are recited (or chanted) preceding the Magnificat during Vespers of the Liturgy of the Hours. They cover the special period of Advent preparation known as the Octave before Christmas, Dec. 17-23, with Dec. 24 being Christmas Eve and Vespers for that evening being for the Christmas Vigil. The videos also include some still photos of the life and work of the Dominican nuns at Siena monastery. For more information see http://www.dominicannunsireland.blogspot.com/ or http://www.dominicannuns.ie/

Importance of Word of God for Vocations - Verbum Domini

Pope Benedict recently published Verbum Domini, an apostolic exhortation drawing on the Synod of Bishops held in 2008 to reflct on 'the word of God in the life and mission of the Church'. It is an interesting document in which the Holy Father is underlining the importance of the word of God in living our personal vocations: our lifelong call to holiness, and the specific call of each person. Pope Benedict addressed specific words to people in various vocations and states in life - including bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians and those in consecrated religious life together with married couples and families. His words will resonate with Dominicans and those thinking of the Dominican vocation with our particular emphasis on the proclamation and preaching of the Word of God. Below are some quotable quotes from Verbum Domini and those they are addressed to:

To Ordained Ministers: '....bishops, priests and deacons can hardly think that they are living out their vocation and mission apart from a decisive and renewed commitment to sanctification, one of whose pillars is contact with God's word........priests need to approach the word with a docile and prayerful heart so that it may deeply penetrate his thoughts and feelings and bring about a new outlook in him........those aspiring to the ministerial priesthood are called to a profound personal relationship with God's word, particularly in lectio divina, so that this relationship will in turn nurture their vocation.....'.

To those in consecrated life: '.....both old and new expressions of special consecration are called to be genuine schools of the spiritual life, where the Scriptures can be read according to the Holy Spirit in the Church, for the benefit of the entire people of God.....contemplative men an women by their lives of prayer, attentive hearing and neditation on God's word, remind us that man does not live by bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.....'.

To the lay faithful:'....who live out their specific vocation to holiness by a life in the Spirit expressed in a particular way by their engagement in temporal matters and by their participation in earthly activities'. Pope Benedict appealed to dioceses to provide opportunities for the laity 'to be trained to discern God's will through a familiarity with his word, read and studied in the Church under the guidance of her legitimate pastors.'

To married couples and families: '.....it must never be forgotten that the word of God is at the very origin of marriage and that Jesus himself made marriage one of the institutions of his Kingdom, elevating to the dignity of a sacrament what was inscribed in human nature from the beginning.........fidelity to God's word leads us to point out that nowadays this institution is in many ways under attack from the current mentality......part of authentic parenthood is to pass on and bear witness to the meaning of the life in Christ: through their fidelity and the unity of family life, spouses are the first to proclaim God's word to their children........the ecclesial community must support and assist them in fostering family prayer, attentive hearing of the word of God, and knowledge of the Bible'.

Saint Martin de Porres, the Saints and Vocations....

November 3rd is the feast day of our Dominican brother, Saint Martin de Porres. There is no doubting that Saint Martin is a saint for all ages and his life and work continue to inspire many people. As I have often noted elsewhere on this blog, I owe my Dominican vocation in no small part to the influence of Saint Martin de Porres, and I try with every opportunity to introduce him to others - and particularly those interested in vocation to the Dominican form of life.

It is no wonder that Saint Martin resonates with twenty-first century Catholics concerned with issues of justice, racial prejudice, the continuing divide between the rich and the poor and commitment to those at the margins of society. Martin with his commitment to all these issues and more is an ideal figure for a secular world. It becomes clear why he is beloved of so many, and why he has inspired many to follow him in the Dominican way.

It brings home the point that Saint Martin de Porres and indeed all those saints who lived vowed religious lives - if they are to make a difference, then there has to be some other unique aspect of their lives, some sign of grace, that makes a difference. While many would look at and focus on Saint Martin's commitment to the poor and deprived as the be all and end all, the fact remains that it was his life grounded in spirituality with the particular emphasis on community, sacrifice and the suffering love of Christ that marks him out as very different.

Today, many religious, particularly women's apostolic congregations that have worked long and hard in the areas of education and social service are suffering from fewer vocations and dwindling numbers. If one can serve the poor as a social worker, why become a brother, nun or priest? It is the distinctiveness of the religious vocation - that piece that marks it as different from the secular notion of career - that has become highly obscured. As Saint Martin, and many of the other saints remind us, it is the imitation of Christ, the following of Jesus in the service of the poor that makes the life of Martin both luminous and inspirational.

Saint Martin de Porres, pray for us.

General Chapter of Dominican Order - Rome, September 2010

The General Chapter of the Dominican Order takes place in Rome from September 1st to 21st 2010. One of the tasks of this Chapter will be to elect the 87th Master of the Order. This will be the 290th General Chapter in the history of the Order since the Chapters of 1468, 1642 and 1952 were annulled or did not meet.

The members of the Chapter, or capitulars, include priors provincial, vice-provincials and vicars general, who are the superiors of the provincial or regional entities in the Order, and elected delegates of the provinces and vicariates throughout the world, as well as the Master of the Order, Carlos Azpiroz Costa, and the former Master, Timothy Radcliffe. There will be 130 delegates to the Chapter. In addition there will be six guests from the Dominican Family and six members of the Master’s curia or council: the syndic or bursar of the Order; the socii, or general councillors who have responsibility for the Intellectual Life and the Apostolic Life; and three socii, or general councillors, responsible for the regions of Latin America and the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe, and North-West Europe and Canada.

The General Chapter, which is the highest authority in the Dominican Order, is an assembly of friars representing the Provinces of the Order, coming together to discuss and define matters pertaining to the good of the entire Order. When necessary it elects the Master of the Order. From the very beginnings of the Dominican Order, one can distinguish two types of General Chapter: Chapters of Provincials and Chapters of Diffinitors. To these is added the General Chapter, comprised both of Provincials and Diffinitors.

The General Chapter is above all a legislative assembly. In preparation for the General Chapter, a series of videos on various aspects of the life of the Dominican Order have been prepared as you will see below. They give a good insight into the life, works and concerns of the Order worldwide and should be of interest to those interested in the Dominican vocation.

Governance:

Study (1):

Study (2):

Mission (1):

Mission (2):

Consecrated Life:

'What to do about vocations to the Priesthood?'

A letter to The Furrow in the current edition (February 2010) caught my attention recently. For international readers of this blog, The Furrow is a long established and highly regarded religious journal in Ireland with a wide readership and produced at St. Partick's College, Maynooth. The letter entitled 'What to do about vocations to the Priesthood' is written by Fr Chris Fox, a Mill Hill missionary priest. Fr. Fox was for a number of years the National Director for Vocations in Ireland (1972-1981).

The letter is interesting and wide-ranging and Fr Fox quotes the 'latest statistics' which show that due to the deaths of serving priests in Ireland over the last few years, only one in twenty is being replaced. He goes on to give a social analysis of trends in Ireland and Irish culture over the past number of decades ending up with a description of Ireland as 'part of post-modern Europe dominated by secular values' but suggests that this may cause a renewed hunger for spiritual meaning which is a ready framework in which the challenge of vocation to the priesthood can be presented.

Fr Chris goes on to make a number of suggestions. (1) Direct the 'message'of vocation to a more senior level. He makes the point that there are many men of an older age (40+) who can be attracted to priesthood as is evidenced by the number of such men in seminaries in the United States. (2) The question of married priests will have to be raised. The shortage of priests is threatening the eucharistic life of the church. (3) Celibacy. He says it is a great charism and a meaningful vocation but that there is now little cultural support for celibacy. (4) Promote the married diaconate but also encourage a more active role for the laity.

Fr Fox is to be thanked for the letter and the stimulation of a debate on the vocations question in Ireland. However, it is a pity that the suggestions put forward don't put any new ideas on the table. The question of directing the message of vocation to more mature (in age) individuals has some merit and it is clear that the average age of entrants to seminaries and religious houses of formation is on the increase. The other suggestions and ideas are tired and over used at this stage - as if married priests and relaxing the law on celibacy would somehow bring to an end the dearth of vocations. It would have been more helpful to look at the causes of the drop in vocations and try to remedy those instead. For example, why did dioceses and religious orders (in Ireland) almost completely neglect the promotion of vocations for almost two decades? Why was priestly formation not taken seriously for so long? Why was it that those (being formed) who were trying to live authentic holy and spiritual lives seen as 'conservative' and 'traditional'? Answers to these and similar questions might be more useful in pointing a way forward.

Church Attendance and Religious Practice on the Rise in Ireland

A recent poll commissioned by the Iona Institute and conducted by the reputable Red C market research company confirms what many in Ireland have been experiencing - that people are returning to the church. The increase in church attendance is small but significant compared to a similar poll carried out in early 2008. An analysis of the findings can be found by clicking this link http://www.ionainstitute.ie/pdfs/Press_Release_by_The_Iona_Institute_2Nov2009.pdf.

Since the findings of the poll suggest that young people (despite the common perception) are not turning away from the church in large numbers, it begs the question as to how best the Irish church can engage with young people. The results of the poll also would lead one to believe that with the right engagement and with proper encouragement and challenge that some of these young people would consider the option of a religious and priestly vocation as a viable and real choice.

(Thanks to David Quinn, director of the Iona Institute, for permission to use the links above on this blog).

A New Saint For The Dominican Order

On Sunday next, October 11th, Pope Benedict will raise to sainthood Francesco Coll y Guitart OP (1812-1875), a Spanish Dominican friar who founded the Dominican Sisters of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Below is a brief biographical extract of fr. Francisco:

Francisco Coll y Guitart, O.P. was born on May 18, 1812 in Gombren (Cataluna) Spain. He joined the Minor Seminary of his home Diocese of Vic in 1822. In 1830, he joined the Dominicans in the Convent of Santo Domingo de Vic. He made religious profession in 1831 and was ordained a priest on May 28, 1836. He died in Vic on April 2, 1875. He was a popular preacher of missions in various dioceses of North Eastern Spain. Those who knew him characterized his life by his fervent zeal for preaching; he prayed long hours, studied, and dedicated a great deal of time to preparing the sermons for his missions. He believed in the efficacy of collaboration in preaching missions. Hence, he collaborated with diocesan priests, Jesuits, Claretians, Augustinians, and fellow Dominicans in preaching missions, and novenas. His missions were popular with Bishops and diocesan priests. He was a friend of Saint Anthony Mary Claret with whom he founded the “apostolic fellowship” for evangelization in 1846.

Another saint of the Order through whose intercession we can pray for an increase of vocations to the various entities of the Dominican family.

The continuing need to pray for vocations

I am always heartened to hear of groups of people who take on the responsibility to pray specifically for vocations to religious life and priesthood. Both evidence and experience point to the fact that the numbers of people, parishs, groups and communities engaged in vocational prayer are growing all over Ireland at a great rate. It is worth noting that the prayers of these people are not being left unheard. Although statistics and figures are not yet readily available to hand, it appears that in Ireland this year there will be a significant increase in new members to religious life (male and female) and to seminary.

I suspect that many will find this to be somewhat strange considering the very difficult situation in which the Irish church finds itself. However, it is the continuance of the prayers of ordinary people along with the inspiration of God that continually prompts people to respond in a generous way to follow the Good Shepherd. I have heard people question why young people would, in this current climate, test their vocation in the church in Ireland. I have also heard their motivation being called into question. It is evident to me and others in vocation ministry that those now testing their vocation are a much more mature, reflective and prayerful generation than in the past. A final, but very important point to stress is this: the new generation of candidates have never known the Irish church to be any other way than the way it is now: a broken church and a church beset by scandal. But they are acutely aware that the mission to spread the good news of the Gospel is needed now more than ever. That's the ultimate reason that they are making this radical choice at this time - and it is the reason why we need to continually pray for vocations.

Youth Festivals and Vocations

Vocations in Ireland, as one might expect, come from many different sources. It is something of a rarity to find vocations coming from the 'traditional' Catholic family. My experience is that young people who are curious about their faith and have a desire to express their Catholic faith often have to seek out other young Catholics and organisations in order for this to happen. It is for this reason that the new evangelisation movements such as Youth 2000, Pure in Heart and many others are a significant resource for young people. It is from involvement with these groups that the question of vocation will arise. Indeed, over the past number of years, these young Catholic organisations have been the foundation and inspiration for many vocations to religious congregations, both male and female.

The summer season sees many of these Catholic groups organise summer youth festivals. It is worth mentioning some of the upcoming events. You may be interested in attending one or all of them.

Firstly, there is a festival in Galway, which will last for two weeks (july 4-19) and is open to people of all ages. Several parishes in the city will be hosting a variety of faith based events - concerts, discussion groups, parish missions and joyful celebrations of the Eucharist. Full details are available at http://www.creideamh.org/

Secondly, a festival open to those aged 18-35 years takes place at Knock Shrine from July 23rd to 26th. The theme is 'You are the Light of the World'. This event was hugely succesful last year and is expected to be even bigger this year. The various dioceses around the country are promoting this event and more information can be had by visiting www.knock-shrine.ie/youthfestival

Thirdly, the Youth 2000 summer festival takes place at Clonmacnois, Co. Offaly from August 13th to 16th. Over 1,000 participants are expected to attend the event which will have a particular emphasis on the celebration of the Eucharist, prayer, concerts, a series of talks and witnesses and healing services. To find out more, please visit http://www.youth2000.ie/

Best wishes to all the organisers and participants of these events this summer!