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Irish Examiner
30-06-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Bishop leads tributes after death of Fr Oscar O'Leary OFM
The Bishop of Cork and Ross has led tributes following the death of a popular priest who ministered to Cork's Traveller community for more than three decades. Bishop Fintan Gavin described Fr Oscar O'Leary OFM, who died on Sunday at the Franciscan Friary in Cork city, as a man of great compassion. Poignantly, Fr Oscar died just a week after the diocese marked the 60th anniversary of his ordination. 'I am grateful to have come to know Fr Oscar over these last six years,' Bishop Gavin said. I have always been struck by his compassion and care of people. 'He imbued the compassion and mercy of Christ to all, especially the most vulnerable. 'The Traveller community found a real companion and friend in him as he journeyed with them in good times and challenging times bringing them the comfort and support of Christ. May he rest in peace.' Fr Oscar O'Leary who died on Sunday, pictured a week ago (front, left) at a lunch hosted by Bishop Fintan Gavin to mark the jubilees of priests who minister in the Diocese of Cork and Ross. The group included Bishop Emeritus John Buckley (front, right). Fr Oscar was among a group of priests who attended a lunch last week, hosted by Bishop Gavin, to mark various jubilees of ordination to the priesthood by priests who minister in the Diocese of Cork and Ross. He was honoured for his silver jubilee, alongside Emeritus Bishop of Cork and Ross, Bishop John Buckley, who was ordained a priest in 1965. Among Fr Oscar's long years of ministry were many years spent devoted to the pastoral care and support of the Traveller community in Cork. He celebrated many Traveller weddings, christenings, and funerals, and he worked behind the scenes to try to resolve disputes and feuds which flared up from time to time. He was also the principal celebrant of the funeral Mass for murdered two-year-old Santina Cawley in July 2019. 'It is not the length of the life lived by someone, but what that person brings in to our lives when they are here,' he told mourners.
Irish Independent
23-06-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Message of unity and peace as thousands take part in Cork city's Eucharistic procession
Amid the brightly coloured sparkling umbrellas of the Indian Syro-Malabar community and Ukrainians in traditional vyshyvanka or embroidered shirts were the Dominican friars in their black and white habits. They were joined by Franciscans in brown habits, members of the Legion of Mary and young Catholics from Youth 2000, as the procession made its way across the River Lee via the Christy Ring Bridge. Once again, the Butter Exchange Band led the event with fittingly solemn religious hymns, as it has since the procession started almost a century ago. Cork city's traffic ground to a halt to allow the religious parade pass. In his address at the concluding outdoor benediction on Grand Parade, Bishop Fintan Gavin said the procession was 'not simply a tradition or a spectacle' but a 'proclamation' and 'a living testimony'. He prayed for 'a war-torn world that needs peace and healing now more than ever' and for families striving to stay together amid pressure and pain, young people searching for meaning and purpose in a chaotic world, for the elderly who feel forgotten and migrants who feel alone. Cork's Lord Mayor, Fergal Dennehy, recalled how the procession had been established in the first years of the new State as a way of bringing people together in the aftermath of the Civil War. 'Given the state of our world today I think it is very important that the message today was one of unity and peace,' he told the Irish Independent. 'Today we can see the expanding community in Cork here. It is a very different community to what it was 99 years ago when this procession began. There is a great sense of togetherness here today.' Trish Harrington has been a member of the Butter Exchange Band for 46 years and has played in the procession for every one of those years. 'It was only men in the band up until 1978, I was the first uniformed female in the band.' ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Wife and husband, Noreen and Liam Willis from Cork, take part in the procession every year with their fellow parishioners in Mayfield. They recalled how as recently as 40 years ago the procession was a male-only affair. The men walked while women and children stood along the route looking on. 'In later years, it became more family-orientated so everyone is walking,' Noreen explained. Another Cork local, Frank O'Neill, was one of those who watched the procession yesterday as mobility issues prevented the 66-year-old from taking part, which he has done annually since he was an altar boy. 'The streets were packed,' he recalled. 'The mothers and the children would be looking on as the men walked in the procession. It is nice to see the different nations adding colour and swelling the numbers now.' Husband and wife, Taras and Anna Kushnir from Ukraine revealed that they met in Cork in 2003 under the Shandon bells and their three boys were all born in Ireland. Participating was not just about faith but expressing gratitude to Ireland.
Irish Examiner
20-06-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Establishment of 24-hour adoration is 'a real sign of hope' for the church, says Cork bishop
The Bishop of Cork and Ross has described the establishment of 24-hour Eucharistic adoration for the first time in Cork city as 'a real sign of hope' for the church. Fintan Gavin said the fact that dozens of lay people have volunteered their time to ensure that people can now pray before the consecrated and exposed Eucharist at any time of the day or night, seven days a week, in the heart of the city, is 'wonderful blessing for the city'. 'Adoration is very much a personal encounter with Jesus, rather than a cultural thing as has tended to have been the case in Ireland in the past,' he said. 'It's where people make a personal commitment, it's a conscious decision on their part, and part of the challenge for me, for bishops, as spiritual leaders of faith communities, is to find ways to support that choice. And I have had great support in that here in Cork. The idea that in a busy city, there are people praying for us round the clock, is a real comfort, a real gift. Eucharistic adoration is a Catholic devotion where the consecrated Eucharist, or Blessed Sacrament, is exposed for worship and prayer in the belief that Jesus is 'truly present' in the Eucharist. It can involve the Eucharist being placed in a closed tabernacle but more commonly, it is exposed to the faithful in a monstrance. It is popular in big US parishes, and there are adoration chapels around the country open for set hours, some days of the week. It is also live-streamed in some cases. However, it is believed that this is the first time that 24-hour, or perpetual adoration, has been made available in an Irish city. A large team of volunteers signed up to help make it happen, and they are being coordinated by a 28-strong committee. It means that perpetual adoration is now available from 8am to 8pm in St Peter and Paul's Church, just off St Patrick's Street, and in the Dominican Church at St Mary's on Pope's Quay from 8pm, running right through the night. Volunteers are on hand at all times. Access to the night-time chapel is controlled via a fob, with security systems and procedures in place. Bishop Gavin has attended several times for personal prayer and said he has been struck by the variety of people there. 'There are people from all walks of life, and sometimes it's been hard to get a seat," he said. There are young and old, people coming back into their faith, people recovering from addiction, they find solace in it. He said he himself has prayed for guidance on the concrete challenges facing the diocese day to day, but also in relation to the bigger challenges facing society and the world. 'I have to be in touch with God, with Jesus. If I'm not, I have nothing to add to people," he said. 'There is a solidarity in people praying together. 'In a world of noise, this reminds us that there is another way and the answer is often in silence. 'In a world of frantic busy-ness, it is a reminder and a witness to slowing down." He paid tribute to the volunteers but especially to the late Willie Walsh, from Carrigaline, who encouraged the diocese to establish perpetual prayer. Ann Keating chairs the Cork and Ross Adoration Committee, which arranges the volunteers' roster. 'Last year we gave presentations at different masses including all the Polish and Brazilian Masses. After the presentations, we had 600 people who signed cards committing to an hour of adoration a week,' she said. Ann Keating at St Peter and Paul's Church in Cork. Picture: David Creedon Aine Lee, aged26, is among the volunteers. 'I find it incredible that we have 24-hour Eucharistic adoration in Cork city,' she said. 'It is so amazing that I can pop into the chapel at any point of the day or night to spend some time with Jesus who is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. What a blessing.' Meanwhile, the 99th staging of the city's historic Eucharistic procession takes place on Sunday, leaving from the Cathedral of Saint Mary and Saint Anne at 3pm. The procession will be led by the Butter Exchange Band who have led it since 1926. Thanks to increasing attendance since its post covid rejuvenation, its final prayers are being held outdoors again. The event will culminate with final prayers and benediction on the Grand Parade, where a specially constructed platform and altar will be built. A new radio frequency will be used to transmit the event to participants on the route, and to those who are overseas, in hospital or housebound, allowing them to listen in. The first Corpus Christi procession took place on June 6, 1926, as part of wider efforts to heal the divisions of the War of Independence and the Civil War. Some 4,000 people participated last year. Read More Number of historical abuse allegations against Church rise by over 50% in a year
Irish Examiner
14-05-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Rising numbers prompts benediction at Cork's historic Eucharistic Procession to move outdoors
Rising attendance at Cork's historic Eucharistic Procession has prompted a return of the outdoors benediction ceremony this year. The move was announced on Wednesday night as the Bishop of Cork and Ross, Fintan Gavin, announced details of this year's event next month, a religious event that has been a part of the social fabric of the city for almost a century. 'The Eucharistic Procession is deeply rooted and of huge importance to the people of Cork City and beyond,' Bishop Gavin said. Fintan Gavin, Bishop of Cork and Ross speaking at the launch. Picture: Brian Lougheed 'We are almost 10 decades on since the first procession through the streets of the city. 'Last year, we had a tremendous turnout and this year we are preparing for the ever growing numbers. 'The most notable innovation to this year's procession is the decision to take the final prayer and benediction back out onto the streets to a specially constructed platform at the National Monument on Grand Parade. This will allow for greater participation of the growing numbers participating. 'I'm most grateful for everyone's assistance in continuing — and growing — this long-standing Cork tradition.' The Eucharistic Procession, to mark the feast of Corpus Christi, has been a significant part of the city's religious heritage for 99 years. The idea of taking the procession through the city emerged in the years after the turmoil of the War of Independence and the Civil War as part of wider efforts to close rifts and facilitate healing in a city deeply divided by the conflicts. The first procession took place on June 6, 1926, under the auspices of Bishop Colahan, with tens of thousands of people participating. The Eucharistic Procession on Grand Parade on May 26, 1940. It grew to become the largest Eucharistic Procession in the country, with tens of thousands of people walking annually from their parish churches to the city centre for benediction outdoors on Daunt Square. But against the backdrop of a fall-off in church attendance and a near collapse in vocations, attendance at the procession dwindled over the last two decades to just a few hundred faithful, before covid brought the event to a complete halt. However, in 2023, Bishop Gavin embarked on a mission to rejuvenate and reimagine the event and was blown away by the response when some 4,000 people processed from the Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne through the streets to attend benediction at Saints Peter and Paul's Church on Paul St, where he delivered the sermon at his first Eucharistic Procession since his appointment as bishop in 2019. Numbers increased significantly last year, and thousands processed through the streets, before hundreds packed into the church, with hundreds more left standing outside watching the ceremony on big screens. With a larger crowd expected this year, Bishop Gavin has decided to take the final prayers and benediction of the blessed sacrament outside again, with a stage and altar due to be erected on the Grand Parade. Fintan Gavin, Bishop of Cork and Ross, with Cllr Tony Fitzgerald and members of Mayfield Community School choir. Picture: Brian Lougheed 'This year's procession will have participants from every continent and many countries,' he said. Cork's Catholic parishes have been welcoming newcomers to Cork for a couple of decades now and they are making a very valuable contribution to the life of our parishes and our diocese as well as working in so many walks of life. "I'd like to invite individuals and groups from across the city and county to be part of the celebration. You cannot have the word 'community' without 'unity'." The Eucharistic Procession will take place on Sunday, June 22, leaving from the Cathedral of Saint Mary and Saint Anne at 3pm.
Irish Independent
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Anger in Cork at City Council's decision not to open a book of condolence for Pope Francis
Independent Ireland Deputy Ken O'Flynn says a decision taken by Cork City Council not to open a Book of Condolence for Pope Francis is generating real hurt and disappointment among residents, 'many of whom who feel that it reflects a stunning lack of generosity and respect at a time when political leaders across the world are uniting to praise the legacy of the Pontiff' who died on Monday. 'There is simply no reason why Cork City Council cannot follow the example of City Councils elsewhere in the country who have opened a Book of Condolence- especially for people who live on the south side of the city,' said O'Flynn on the decision by the council, following the death of the Pope, who met the then-Lord Mayor of the city Tony Fitzgerald in 2018. 'I am aware that a Book of Condolence will be available at the Cathedral and that is right and proper. But we must recall that Pope Francis was not just a beloved spiritual leader to billions of Catholics, he was also a head of state, who wielded his enormous public influence across the globe and here in Ireland for the common good of the most disadvantaged. 'It is incredible that Cork City Council felt it could just ignore this political and diplomatic reality. Its failure to provide the bare minimum in terms of respect is deeply regrettable. 'I want to know how the Council arrived at this decision. Was it proposed and rejected? If so, I want to know by whom. Did it even make on to the agenda? 'The decision not to proceed with making a Book of Condolence available must be reversed immediately.' In 2005, thousands queued on the morning of Tuesday, April 5, 2005, to sign books of condolences for the former Pope John Paul II in Cork. Unlike now, two books of condolences were available in the city, both at the Cathedral of St Mary & St Anne, but also at Cork City Hall. Then Lord Mayor Seán Martin was the first to sign the book at City Hall, which was left open for the week following his death. However, current Lord Mayor Dan Boyle has told the Irish Independent that he was informed by City Hall that protocol is not to open a book of condolence, and instead it's to encourage the public to sign the Book of Condolence that has been opened at St Mary's Cathedral. "First thing yesterday I checked with Corporate Affairs in City Hall about protocol on this. "We consulted with the Diocese of Cork and Ross and agreed that their having a book of condolence was importance. This morning I have signed that Book of Condolence at St. Mary's Cathedral.' In a statement given today to the Irish Independent, Cork City Council said that the Lord Mayor has sent a letter of condolence on behalf of the people to Bishop Fintan Gavin. In the letter, the Lord Mayor tells the Bishop that he is 'saddened by the loss of a leader who helped redirect and repurpose the Catholic Church towards more traditional Christian values of helping the displaced and dispossessed.' "The Lord Mayor's office was in consultation with Bishop Fintan Gavin in relation to a Book of Condolences for the Pope,' the council statement reads. 'A book of condolences has been opened at the Cathedral of St Mary & St Anne, Shandon and online. The Lord Mayor attended the cathedral this morning to sign the Book of Condolences and will be encouraging Councillors, and the wider community to sign the Book of Condolences at the cathedral.'
