The Catholic Church around the world is presently celebrating a year dedicated to Consecrated Life – to honour the witness of those men and women religious who have consecrated themselves to a life of prayer and witness.
To mark this special year, Bishop Liam MacDaid, Bishop of Clogher, will preside at a celebration of Evening Prayer (Vespers) on Sunday evening next, 8 November, in Saint Joseph’s church, Park Street Monaghan, at 5.00pm.
Members of Religious Congregations in the diocese, their families and associates, are invited to attend. Parishioners from around the diocese will be very welcome, especially those who have connections with religious congregations, past or present. The liturgy is being planned by the Clogher Diocesan Liturgy Commission and hosted by Monaghan & Rackwallace parish.
The Year of Consecrated Life was proclaimed by Pope Francis for this year and continues until 2 February next. Its purpose is to celebrate the charisms, role and contribution of consecrated and religious life in the Church; to honour its passion for listening to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church today; and to embrace the future with hope so that the Church can do great things to make the joy of the Gospel known.
Presently, there are five religious orders in Clogher: the Passionist Order at the Graan outside Enniskillen and the Sacred Hearts Community at Tanagh, near Rockcorry make up the two male religious orders. The Sisters of Mercy have sixteen houses spread across the diocese, in addition to the Northern Province headquarters at Clogher; the Sisters of Saint Louis have three communities, including Monaghan which was their first Irish foundation; and the Daughters Our Lady of the Sacred Heart have a community in Ballybay.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- For further information please contact the Clogher diocesan office, +3534781019. Email: [email protected]
- Morning and Evening Prayer are key parts of the daily life of all priests and religious and also of many lay people. These liturgical celebrations have their roots in the earliest days of the Church and are a particular hallmark of religious houses. Known sometimes as the Prayer of the Church or the Liturgy of the Hours, the service consists of psalms and canticles, a Scripture reading and intercessions. Since the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) the Prayer of the Church has seen a revival in terms of its use in parishes and other communities, particularly on weekdays. Traditionally, it is prayed in common as a community act, with the psalms being sung, using chants that can be taken up easily.
- The Catholic population of the Diocese of Clogher is 86,047: there are 37 parishes in the diocese which has 85 churches and the Patron Saint is Saint Macartan. Clogher is a cross-border diocese which includes counties Monaghan, most of Fermanagh and portions of Tyrone, Donegal, Louth and Cavan.
For media contact: Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678 and Brenda Drumm 00353 (0) 87 310 4444
