Diocesan News
Bishop Donal Roche introduces the pastoral letterIreland's Catholic Bishops’ issue pastoral letter on immigration: A Hundred Thousand Welcomes?
The Irish bishops’ have launched a new pastoral letter A Hundred Thousand Welcomes? and Bishop Fintan invites all people to read it and reflect on it.
The theme of A Hundred Thousand Welcomes? is about people welcoming the migrant in contemporary Ireland as modelled by the parable of the Good Samaritan.
The pastoral letter encourages people to welcome the migrant and to reject voices that attempt to sow division and also calls on State authorities to provide more services at a community level.
In the video clip, Bishop Donal Roche introduces the pastoral letter.
There is a short version of the pastoral letter as well as the expanded text at this link:
The Relics of St. Bernadette of Lourdes are on pilgrimage in Ireland and will be in the Diocese of Cork and Ross from 30 October to 1 November
St. Bernadette witnessed eighteen apparitions of Our Lady at Lourdes in 1858 and countless millions of people have visited Lourdes since.
This visit of St. Bernadette’s relics will afford to the many people who can’t go to Lourdes an opportunity to be close to St. Bernadette and to Our Lady of Lourdes.
People will be able to venerate the relics at the Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Anne, Cork, and at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Clonakilty.
The programme is as follows:
The island associated with St. Finbarr’s monastic settlement in Gougane Barra had a capacity congregation for the annual pilgrimage on Sunday
Bishop Fintan Gavin was the principal celebrant of the Mass and was assisted by local priest Fr Anthony O’Mahony Co-PP as well as priests who are natives of the parish of Uibh Laoire.
Bishop Fintan launched a year of prayer, listening and discernment in the diocese as the Catholic Church responds to challenges and opportunities presented by changes in society and church.
He also introduced a special prayer which he is asking the whole diocese to pray during the coming year.
Bishop calls for a time of prayer, listening and discernment
Procession of Altar Servers and Priests at the beginning of the Mass at Gougane Barra
"Even the wind and seas obey Him"Bishop of Cork and Ross invites people to respond to Church changes with a time of prayer, listening and discernment
On a weekend when heavy rain and winds had blown across his diocese, it seems more than coincidence that a new pastoral message from the Bishop of Cork and Ross should begin with a scripture quote: “Even the wind and the seas obey Him”.
Bishop Fintan Gavin read his message on Sunday to pilgrims attending the annual Mass at St. Finbarr’s Oratory, Gougane Barra.
Bishop Fintan’s message is a call to the people of the diocese to commit to a year-long time of prayer, listening and discernment about the future of the Catholic Church in the parishes and chaplaincies of the diocese.
In a time of unprecedented change in society and the Catholic Church in Ireland, people are understandably concerned about their parish’s future, he said.
A year of prayer will be launched this Sunday from one of the diocese's best known places of prayer
Bishop Fintan will lead the pilgrimage to Gougane Barra, on Sunday October 6th and will preside at Mass at 3pm at the Oratory.
Rosary will precede the Mass at 2.30pm.
During the Mass Bishop Fintan Gavin will read a new pastoral message which he is publishing to the entire Diocese of Cork and Ross. It will also be read at all Masses throughout the diocese on the weekend.
Central to the bishop's message is an invitation for everyone in the diocese to begin a year of prayer, listening and discernment asking the Holy Spirit to guide the Church in times of extraordinary change.
Bishop Fintan will also launch a prayer which he is asking everyone to pray during the year.
The invitational message and the prayer will both be available at Gougane Barra for people to take home.
St. Finbarr's Oratory, Gougane Barra
Search
The Balincollig Parishioner
