Chai Brady
Archbishop Eamon Martin Archbishop Eamon Martin has urged families to connect with each other, and is praying particularly for those whose family life has been broken by “distance, by disagreement or breakdown”.
In his St Patrick’s Day message the Primate of All Ireland said he was delighted to link with the “family of the Irish” at home and abroad.
Archbishop Martin prayed that by hosting the World Meeting of Families in Dublin this August, Ireland will enable families not only to connect with each other, but with the wider Church.
“On this St Patrick’s day, I am praying especially for those for whom the connections within family life are broken by distance, by disagreement or breakdown, or simply by the pace and distractions of fast-moving everyday life in the twenty-first century,” he said.
Families are sometimes “so busy” they drift apart but expressing feelings, eating, sharing memories and praying together for a few moments can re-connect families, the archbishop said.
“Family connects us to a home, ‘ár muintir féin’ the people who are our flesh and blood. It links us to a community, a parish, a county and an ever-expanding network of people and places,” he said.
“Family also connects us to a history and culture, a language and tradition, to our ‘DNA’, our roots, to our past, present and future. For many of us Family connects us to faith and values, to baptism and the community of believers.”