The logo includes the people of Cork and Ross from our Diocesan Logo
The Church is the People of God. We are all unique, all different, and yet, we are called by name to be members of God’s family, united in faith and love.
The boat has traditionally been a symbol for the Church. Some of the first apostles were fishermen by trade. When Jesus invited them to be his disciples, he said, “Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people” (Matthew 4:19). They would be sent to bring the Good News of God’s love to all nations and people.
The boat is in motion. Pope Francis describes the Church as ‘on the move.’ One of the symbols of the Holy Spirit is wind. On Pentecost, the disciples heard the sound of a ‘wind from heaven’ and were filled with the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 2:2). The sail of the boat is full, because the Holy Spirit is leading us.
The boat and the sail are green, because green symbolises hope, life and growth. We are people of hope and “we must fan the flame of hope that has been given us” (Pope Francis). Our Year of Prayer, Listening and Discernment coincides with a Jubilee of Hope which Pope Francis proclaimed for the whole Church. “Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us”(Romans 5:5).
The mast of the boat is the cross, representing Jesus and his love for us. The mast is gold - a symbol for joy. We rejoice because Jesus is Emmanuel, God-with-us, and he promised to be with us always (cf. Matthew 28:20). Our scripture quotation, “Even the winds and the seas obey Him”, is taken from the account of Jesus calming the storm in Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus is with us, calming our storms, and calling us to greater faith in the God who loves us.
Our Prayer from the Boat is a prayer that God will lead us to a hope-filled future for our faith communities as we play our part in building the Kingdom of God in our time and place.
The Logo for our Year of Prayer, Listening and Discernment