The Missionary Society of St Columba continued their centenary celebrations with mass celebrated by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and a Family and Mission day in the grounds of Dalgan Park for families readers and friends of the Columban Missionaries. Pic shows Archbishop Diarmuid Martin in procession at the conclusion of mass in Dalgan Park on Sunday. Pic: John Mc Elroy. A huge crowd gathered on July 1 to celebrate Family and Mission Day at St Columban’s, Navan, Co. Meath to mark 100 years of Columban mission.
This was the occasion for the Missionary Society of St Columban to welcome their many faithful friends, promoters, relatives of the priests and Sisters of St Columban, and their families. They began arriving in cars from mid-morning and were joined by groups travelling by train from Cork, Kerry, Sligo and Galway who were met by buses at Heuston Station.
The celebration of the Eucharist was led by the Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland Most Rev. Diarmuid Martin.
Homily
In his homily Archbishop Martin spoke of the Missionary Society of St Columban as “…a world-wide spiritual and missionary movement embracing priests, religious Sisters and lay missionaries, inserted into a wider movement of individuals and families who support and are enriched by the Columban tradition”.
Later in the afternoon, there was a delightful multi-cultural concert including a group of musicians and singers from Latin America, a group of Filipino dancers, songs from Korean lay missionaries and a performance of young Korean drummers, songs and dances from a Navan Chinese group and a splendid session of traditional music from Antoin MacGabhann and friends.