On 2nd February, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, over 100 religious women and men from communities throughout the Diocese of Cork and Ross joined with Bishop Fintan to celebrate Evening Prayer in the Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Ann to mark the World Day for Consecrated Life
The Poor Clare Sisters on College Road also participated via the Cathedral livestream in their monastery.
The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is set aside in the Church as a special day to pray for women and men in consecrated life. Pope Saint John Paul II instituted the World Day for Consecrated Life in 1997.
The music and singing was provided by students from St. Aloysius Girls Secondary School Cork.
Br. Denis Aherne OFM and Br. Simon Fernandes Lead the Entrance ProcessionIn a testimony during the celebration, Br. Simon Fernandes (a member of the Chaplaincy Team in Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh, Bishopstown) highlighted the faith of his grandmother, who introduced him to Mass and to prayer, as profoundly influencing his vocation. He spoke of the wisdom of older Religious in Ireland today, the young people he has encountered who are searching for God and his personal experience of God’s love during his formation journey. He emphasised the important role of Religious of all ages in witnessing to the joy of the Gospel in today’s secular society.
