Archbishop Eamon Martin— says he longs for “a New Pentecost in Ireland”, a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit to transform and renew the faith in this country.
The Archbishop speaking at the Summit ‘17 Conference in Croke Park,13th—15th July, organised by FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students founded in 1998 in Kansas and now active in more than 110 university campuses across 36 states in the U.S.
As part of its mission, FOCUS trains graduates and undergraduates in Church teaching, prayer, scripture, evangelisation and discipleship, and then asks them to work as missionaries at third level institutions, usually serving for a two-year period.
Speaking to the Dublin conference, Archbishop Martin said that the Day of Pentecost some 2,000 years ago was not “a once-off”; rather, he said: “The Holy Spirit has remained as the driving force of the Church’s missionary outreach down the centuries. But the power of the Spirit can sometimes lie dormant within us, awaiting the spark that will trigger the explosion of ‘a new Pentecost’, ‘a new springtime’ for faith and friendship with Jesus.
He said he has already noticed the shoots of this new springtime in so many people and places across Ireland—quiet faith initiatives, sometimes small and sporadic, with more and more people finding within themselves the courage to say ‘Yes’ to God’s will for them.
Addressing the young men and women before him, Dr. Martin said: “Brothers and sisters, it is easy to point to forces today that may be hostile to faith; some go so far as to say the Church in Ireland is near to collapse. Like many believers in the Western world, we have to contend with a society where Gospel values are often under threat or even attack. At times we can feel a little like those in Ephesus who did not even realise there was a Holy Spirit, alive and active, pouring out His gifts, driving forward the Church’s mission.
“I am convinced that the Spirit is actively at work in Ireland today preparing us for a new springtime of growth and abundance in faith. But this will only flourish if we are alert and open to the Spirit’s calling and gifting of many people for the service of the Gospel in this time and in this place”.
The mission and challenge that we share as lay faithful, religious and priests, is to speak faith, hope and love into a world that is darkened by violence, war, greed and despair; a world that is divided more than ever into those who have and those who have not. Into this world the Spirit anoints us, gifts us, sends us out to renew the face of Earth”.
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TRÓCAIRE—Emergency Church Appeal at all Masses on this weekend, Saturday 22nd / Sunday 23rd July.
Please be generous in your support of this Emergency Church Collection.
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USING YOUR EIRCODE SMARTLY
It has come to my notice that the Eircode number for each individual house works for guiding a person to the house with exactitude. Hence the request from emergency services for people to know their Eircode. IT WORKS. I recommend that homes have their Eircode adjacent to their phone and be able to give it to those who need it to find their house. This includes priests who may have to search for a house, perhaps at night, when called to a sick call. For a searcher to find the house, they must have Google maps on their phone. These are the only maps, to my knowledge, that work with Eircode at present.
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MASS FROM ST. MARY’S CHURCH, MALLOW
NOW LIVE ON THE INTERNET
All Masses from St. Mary’s Church can now be watched live on the internet. You can now follow Mass and all Services from St. Mary’s Church live. Most households now have an internet connection, for some, if not all, members of the household. It is hoped users will share their facility for others who may not have the skills.
The service is intended firstly for the sick and housebound. It will also facilitate relatives and friends who are unable to attend a funeral Mass or families abroad who cannot attend a wedding.
The existing radio link remains in place also.