Latest news with #MattTalbot
Irish Times
a day ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Children making Confirmation asked to include vaping in their abstinence pledge
Children making their Confirmation in Ireland will be invited, from next year, to take an expanded 'pledge'. As well as vowing to abstain from alcohol until adulthood, they would abstain from vaping and smoking. The pledge has long been a rite of passage for 12- and 13-year-olds receiving the Catholic sacrament, traditionally involving a promise to abstain from alcohol and drugs. The development forms part of Church leaders' efforts to encourage children to make healthier lifestyle choices in their formative years. The Irish Bishops' Drugs and Alcohol Initiative, in partnership with the Catholic Primary School Management Association, which provides advice and support to the boards of management of over 2,800 schools, will make a new online module available to all schools whose students wish to take the updated pledge. READ MORE The expanded pledge seeks to honour Matt Talbot who died 100 years ago last week. Talbot was first exposed to alcohol aged 12 and became a heavy drinker before quitting when he was 28 and devoting his life to spirituality. He was described as 'a person of hope, faith, and charity' by Archbishop of Dublin, Dermot Farrell. The Irish Catholic Bishops Conference said that the updated pledge 'supports our young people in terms of physical and mental health, and goes some way to address the concerns of parents regarding new and harmful substances impacting the health and wellbeing of their children'. [ Child-related benefits lift 150,000 children out of poverty, ESRI finds Opens in new window ] Chris Macey, director of advocacy with the Irish Heart Foundation, said such practices 'normalise vaping in the eyes of children'. A ban on the sale of vaping products and e-cigarettes to people under 18 came into effect in 2023. According to a 2024 Growing up in Ireland survey, almost 10 per cent of 13-year olds had tried vaping.
The Journal
a day ago
- Health
- The Journal
Kids to be asked to take Confirmation pledge not to vape
FROM NEXT YEAR, the Catholic Church in Ireland will encourage children making their Confirmation to take an additional pledge not to vape until they are 18 years old. The updated Confirmation pledge will see children abstain from alcohol, smoking and vaping until the age of 18. It has been a longstanding tradition in Ireland for children to take a pledge at their Confirmation, at the age of 12, not to drink until they are 18. Advertisement It comes in a bid by church leaders to encourage healthier lifestyle choices during young people's formative years. From next year, the Irish Bishops' Drugs and Alcohol Initiative, in partnership with the Catholic Primary School Management Association, will make a new online module available to all schools whose students wish to take the updated Confirmation pledge. The initiative is being rolled out in honour of Matt Talbot, the Apostle of Hope, whose centenary death has just been marked by the Archdiocese of Dublin. Talbot, a Dublin native, has been described by the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference as a 'figure of deep faith and personal transformation, whose legacy of prayer, penance, and devotion to the sacraments offers real hope for those struggling with addiction today'. The decision to include vaping in the pledge is being made to honour Talbot's legacy, while also supporting young people's physical and mental health, the church has said. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
