On Thursday, 26 June, Maura Hyland, Director of Veritas, presented Pope Francis with a copy of the newly published Irish Catholic Catechism for Adults.
The presentation followed the 7 a.m. Morning Mass celebrated by the Pope Francis in the chapel in Santa Marta. In his homily Pope Francis said:
‘And this is why the people followed Jesus, because He was the Good Shepherd … He was a pastor! A pastor who spoke the language of His people, who understood, who spoke the truth, the things of God: He never negotiated with the things of God! But He spoke in such a way that the people loved the things of God. That’s why they followed Him.’
Pope Francis thanked Ms Hyland for presenting him with a copy of the Irish Catholic Catechism for Adults and expressed his hope that it would promote the work of Adult Faith Formation throughout the Church in Ireland.
Speaking afterwards about the presentation, Maura Hyland said:
‘It has been a great honour for me to meet Pope Francis and present him with a copy of the Irish Catholic Catechism for Adults. I have been inspired by Pope Francis since he became pope, especially by the way he communicates his message so clearly, and it was wonderful to experience that first hand. I am delighted that Pope Francis has expressed his support for the work of Adult Faith Formation that is taking place in Ireland.’
Published by Veritas, Ireland’s leading religious publisher and retailer, the Irish Catholic Catechism for Adults is a new publication from the Irish Episcopal Conference. The result of several years’ work, this Catechism is a call to renewal of faith among adults, at a time when people may be questioning whether the good news of Jesus Christ applies to them. It responds to the recommendation in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that Episcopal Conferences would develop ‘local catechisms, which take into account various situations and cultures, while carefully preserving the unity of faith and fidelity to catholic doctrine’.
Each chapter opens with a story or lesson of faith featuring a number of notable people of faith, including Irish people such as Nano Nagle, Catherine McAuley and Matt Talbot, as well as others such as Pope John XXIII, St Augustine and many more. It aims to provide Irish Catholics with an accessible, easy-to-understand introduction to Church teachings in a format they can relate to.
Ireland is only the second country in the English-speaking world to publish a local catechism based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It received the official recognitio of the Holy See in late April and was launched by the Irish Bishops’ Conference on Monday, 9 June.
Extra resource material is available at www.irishcatechism.ie
Notes for Editors
- Photograph above is owned by Veritas/ L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO and permission to publish is granted to recipients.
- The Irish Catholic Catechism for Adults is published by Veritas and retails at €24.99.
- Interviews with Maura Hyland can be arranged on request – please contact Derek Byrne on 01-8147538 or email [email protected].
