Monthly newsletter for Dioceses and Parishes Issue 12 – October 2014
Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference
Columba Centre, Maynooth, Co Kildare
Synod of Bishops begins in Rome on The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelisation
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin, will represent the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference at the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which will take place at the Vatican from 5 to 19 October to discuss the topic: The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelisation.
Speaking ahead of the Synod Archbishop Martin said: “The challenge posed by Pope Francis for the upcoming Synod of Bishops is to be open to ways of applying the primacy of mercy to particular situations while remaining faithful to fundamental truth.”
Bishops ask for the prayerful support of the faithful to guide the Synod fathers and recommend the prayer from Pope Francis to the Holy Family.
The synod working document or Instrumentum Laboris is available to view on a special section on www.catholicbishops.ie/synod where regular updates will be posted over the coming weeks.
For social media updates please follow @CatholicBishops on Twitter, and also on Facebook.
The Cry of the Earth: A Call to Action for Climate Justice
Ahead of the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi on 4 October, bishops launched their pastoral reflection The Cry of the Earth: A Call to Action for Climate Justice. Speaking at the launch Bishop William Crean, Chairman of Trócaire said: “Climate change is one of the most critical issues of our time. Climate change is not just a technical, scientific and economic issue, it is also a moral issue. The central moral issue is that the choices we make can undermine the well-being of millions of people, especially the poor.” See text and parish resource on catholicbishops.ie.
Day for Life 2014 #LiveLife
This year’s Day for Life is celebrated on Sunday 5 October on the theme Protect and Cherish Life. In this year’s Day for Life pastoral message bishops invite everyone to get involved in caring for, nurturing and protecting life at every stage and in every condition. To young people especially we ask you to ‘#LiveLife’ and celebrate it from its beginning to its natural end. Read and share the full message and pray the Day for Life prayer available on catholicbishops.ie
News SNIPPETS
- At their Autumn General Meeting in Maynooth bishops elected Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh as President of the Irish Episcopal Conference. He succeeds Cardinal Seán Brady who retired last month.
- The press release from the Bishops’ Conference Autumn General Meeting is available on www.catholicbishops.ie.
- Rosary Sunday will be celebrated in parishes on Sunday 5 October. It’s an invitation to people in parishes, in homes, in religious orders to pray the Rosary for the intention of the Family, linking in with those gathered in Rome for the Synod on the Family.
- Bishop Brendan Leahy, Bishop of Limerick has convoked a synod in theDiocese of Limerick for Spring 2016. Preparations for the synod, the first in 70 years, will include an 18 month listening process in the diocese.
- Podcast: How parishes can use the new Irish Catholic Catechism for Adults http://tinyurl.com/lx3hxls.
Pope Francis’ Tweet of the Month: “When a society lacks God, even prosperity is joined by a terrible spiritual poverty.” Follow Pope Francis on Twitter@Pontifex, and also @newsva_en.
Produced by the Catholic Communications Office. Further information and contact details see www.catholicbishops.ie. Also on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Audioboo.