Media Diary Notice: You, or a representative, are invited to attend the celebration of Mass for the Episcopal Ordination of Father Fintan Gavin as Bishop of the Diocese of Cork & Ross. Details:
Date and Time: 3.00pm on Sunday 30 June 2019.
Venue: Cathedral of Saint Mary and Saint Anne in Cork City. The Cathedral has a capacity for 1,200 people.
In attendance: Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh; Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin; Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly SMA of Cashel & Emly; Bishop John Buckley of Cork & Ross. After Holy Communion, His Excellency Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo, Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, together with Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly, will lead newly ordained Bishop Gavin through his Cathedral to bless the assembled congregation. Members of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, and approximately 150 priests, will concelebrate this ordination Mass. Each of the 68 parishes of the diocese will have representatives at the celebration.
Background: This will be the first ordination of a Catholic Bishop for Cork & Ross since 1984, when Bishop Buckley was ordained auxiliary bishop of the diocese. Bishop Buckley’s resignation was accepted by Pope Francis (having reached the retirement age) on 8 April 2019, and Father Gavin, a priest of the Archdiocese of Dublin was appointed as his successor.
Bishop-elect Fintan Gavin is 53 years old and has served as a priest since 1991. He is the second eldest of seven brothers and sisters and was born on the north side of Dublin. Until this appointment he served as the Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Dublin and also ministered in Our Lady of Victories Parish, Dublin. The ordination ceremony is the culmination of several weeks of planning by people from across the Diocese of Cork & Ross and will be a joyous celebration for the people and for Bishop-elect Fintan, his family and friends.
For the Mass, Bishop Buckley will be the Principal Consecrator and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly will be the co-consecrators. People of all ages and from several parishes will be involved in the ceremony and are busy rehearsing singing, music, readings and prayers.
Media and photography: Access to the Cathedral for media professionals will be by special lanyard only. These will be available in the media room in the Cathedral Presbytery on Cathedral Street (across from the Cathedral side door) at a 2.00pm media briefing on 30 June. All information about the ceremony will be available at that briefing. Seating is reserved in the Cathedral for journalists and the media room will be open during the ceremony and refreshments will be available. Media are invited to contact Brian Lougheed on +353 (0) 87 813 6639 or by email on [email protected] and Tony O’Connell on +353 (0) 86 238 5842 or [email protected] to obtain photographs for publication purposes.
The ceremony will be the first ordination in Cork which will be livestreamed at www.corkandross.org. Another first is the live relaying of the ceremony to a large screen being installed in Skibbereen’s Cathedral where up to 850 parishioners and priests will join in the ceremony in prayer, singing and Communion.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- Timelines for the ordination Mass:
2.15pm – 2.30pm Procession of concelebrating priests leaves Saint Vincent’s Convent to arrive at the Cathedral. The Butter Exchange Brass Band will play at the Cathedral during this time. The Lord Mayor and the Mayor of County Cork will also arrive at this time.
3.00pm Entrance Procession arrives at the Cathedral main door, including bishops, archbishops, cardinal, Bishop-elect Fintan Gavin, deacons, Apostolic Nuncio, co-consecrators and Principal Consecrator.
4.45pm (approximately) the Ordination Liturgy will conclude.
Up to 6.00pm after the conclusion of the liturgy, Bishop Fintan Gavin will greet family, friends, parishioners and the congregation outside the Cathedral.
For media contact: Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Martin Long +353 (0) 86 172 7678 and Katie Crosby +353 (0) 86 862 3298.
