Deacon Dermot McCarthy (left), Archbishop Diarmuid Martin (second left), Fr Bill Dailey CSC, Director of the Newman Centre, and Fr John Jenkins CSC, President of Newman Dame. Photo: John McElroy. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has said that one of his proudest achievements in leading the Church in Dublin is the launch of a new centre aimed at creating space for dialogue between faith and reason.
The Notre Dame Newman Centre for Faith and Reason has marked an important milestone in Dublin with the celebration of the first anniversary of the project.
Based at University Church on St Stephen’s Green, the centre is an initiative of the US University of Notre Dame in Indiana in partnership with the Archdiocese of Dublin.
Dialogue
Speaking at Mass at the church last Thursday evening to mark the US holiday Thanksgiving, Dr Martin said: “I thank Notre Dame University for responding to my appeal to try and give realisation to the dream of Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman that this place would be a place of dialogue between faith and life in contemporary Ireland.”
Dr Martin told Massgoers that “if you want to find a true relic of Newman this is it. This is something that he has left us.
“It’s one of the projects of which, as Archbishop of Dublin, I’m most proud,” he said.
Archbishop Martin pointed out that “faith is not an abstract ideology, it’s not an imposition”.
He said that faith is “not something out of date, it’s a singular path for opening ourselves to the generosity and the mercy of our God and giving an example of where we find fulfilment in our lives and to show how Faith can enrich society”.
Amongst events to mark the first anniversary of the centre included a lecture of Limerick-born Notre Dame Prof. Cyril O’Regan on Newman’s vision for the dialogue between faith and reason.
The centre also hosted an inaugural performance of renowned composer Patrick Cassidy’s The Mass which was performed to a packed church on Tuesday evening.