Easter brings hope to the Irish Church

Easter brings hope to the Irish Church Adults across Ireland receive the sacraments of initiation during the Easter Vigil on Saturday April 19.
Hundreds of adults come home to the Faith

More than 100 catechumens were welcomed into the Catholic Church across Ireland during the Easter ceremonies and most were young adults from diverse backgrounds.

Seventeen adults were received into the Catholic Church at Galway Cathedral during the Easter Vigil; in Dublin, over 70 adults went to their local parishes to be Baptised, Confirmed and receive their First Communion. In Cork at least 3 young adults were baptised and 11 were confirmed.

Addressing seventeen new members of the Catholic Church in Galway Cathedral, Bishop Michael Duignan said: “God has touched your hearts. You are now his – our brothers and sisters in the faith”. The Bishop described the moment when the catechumens received their First Communion as “the first of a lifetime of sitting and feasting and being spiritually nourished”.

In his homily, Bishop Alan McGuckian of Down and Connor, where 15 individuals received their baptism and 15 where confirmed, said “Soon the catechumens will be baptised. This is not just a symbolic ritual or an initiation into a community – it is a profound spiritual reality in which God offers a new birth.”

What you are about to experience tonight is nothing less than a divine exchange. You are baptised and confirmed as a whole new creation… We become part of God’s provision for a world in need – bearers of resurrection hope in everyday places”.