Bishop Fintan recently blessed the newly constructed extension to Knocknamanagh National School in Minane Bridge

The extension comprises two ASD Classroom Suites and additional SEN accommodation.

The blessing and official opening by Minister Michael McGrath TD was a great parish occasion as well as a significant moment in the life of the school community. A large number of parents joined with the pupils and school staff along with members of local organisations for the blessing and official opening.

Canon George Murphy PE addressed the gathering on behalf of the school Board of Management. Mons. Aidan O’Driscoll Co-PP was also in attendance.

Bishop Gavin is Patron of Knocknamanagh National School and Mr. Con O’Callaghan is school principal.

Regina O’Sullivan

Regina is a past pupil of St Aloyisius School, Sharman Crawford St, Cork. She graduated from Mary Immaculate College, Limerick in 1982 and has also completed a post graduate Higher Diploma in Educational Leadership from University College Cork.

Regina recently retired from Scoil Mhuire agus Eoin in Mayfield after 38 years on the staff there 20 of which were served in the role of principal.

Regina was involved with the successful amalgamation of the two parish schools in Upper Mayfield Parish in 2017, bringing together Scoil Mhuire Banríon GNS and Scoil Eoin Aspal BNS to form Scoil Mhuire agus Eoin co-educational primary school.

Regina has extensive knowledge of the primary school system and she is particularly familiar with schools in a DEIS context. She is deeply committed to the advancement of Catholic Education and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA) nationally.

Her other noted interests in the area of education are a deep interest in partnership with parents and community. The promotion of inclusion in our schools has been the basis of much of Regina's work over the years.

St. Columba's Boys National School in Douglas is Blessed and Officially Opened

Principal, Dan O’Connor | Bishop Fintan Gavin | Chairperson of BOM, Donal Murray

St. Columba's Boys National School in Douglas is Blessed and Officially Opened

Bishop Fintan recently blessed the new school building at St. Columba’s Boys National School in Douglas. The new building is on the same campus as St. Columba’s Girls National School with Facilities for Deaf Children in West Douglas. The new building was completed in 2020 and has been in use since that time however due to covid restrictions, the official blessing and opening has not been possible until October 2022.

Bishop Fintan blessed and congratulated all involved in the development and construction of the new school building in the heart of Douglas especially the students who filled the school hall, school staff, parents, families and the wider school community.

Bishop Fintan is patron of St. Columba’s Boys National School. The chairperson of the Board of Management is Mr. Donal Murray and the school principal is Mr. Dan O’Connor.

A new Adoration Chapel has just opened in Saints Peter and Paul's Church in the heart of Cork City, just off Patrick Street

If you are in town, pop in and say a prayer for the Holy Souls during this month of November.

It is open on Wednesdays (10am to 8pm), Thursdays (8am to 7.30pm) and Fridays (8am to 7pm).

Ss Peter and Pauls Church, Cork was dedicated for worship in 1866. The architect was G. W. Pugin and the sanctuary was designed by George C. Aishlin. The original plans for the church included a tall spire but this was never built.

See SS. Peter and Paul's Parish

Bishop Fintan Gavin has announced that the death has occurred of Archbishop Patrick Coveney who has resided in Crosshaven Parish since his retirement as Apostolic Nuncio to Greece in 2009.

Archbishop Coveney was born in 1934 and is a native of Tracton Abbey Parish.  He was ordained as a priest of the Diocese of Cork and Ross in Rome in 1959.  

His first pastoral appointment was in Kidlington, Archdiocese of Bermingham, for one year before joining the staff of St. Finbarr’s Seminary, Farranferris from 1960 – 1966. 

In 1966 he joined the Secretariat of State in the Vatican and then entered the Pontifical Ecclesial Academy in 1969. He served as Secretary to the Apostolic Nuncio in Argentina from 1972 -1976 after which he returned to Rome to rejoin the Secretariat of State until 1982. He then moved to New Delhi until 1984 as counsellor to the Nunciature there and then to Khartoum in Sudan until 1985.

He was consecrated as Titular Archbishop of Satrianum in the Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Anne in the Diocese of Cork and Ross on 15th September 1985 and was appointed as Apostolic Pro Nuncio to Zimbabwe and Apostolic Delegate to Mozambique until 1990.  He then served as Apostolic Nuncio to Ethiopia residing in Addis Ababa as well as Apostolic Delegate to Djibouti until 1996.  

He was appointed as Apostolic Nuncio in New Zealand, the Marshall Islands, Samoa and Apostolic Delegate for Oceania in 1996 until 2005 residing in Wellington.  

In this period he also served as Apostolic Nuncio to Samoa, Tonga, Marshall Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Vanuatu, Nauru, Cook Islands and Palau.  

He was then appointed as Apostolic Nuncio to Greece from 2005 residing in Athens until his retirement in 2009.

Archbishop Coveney returned to the Diocese of Cork and Ross to reside in Crosshaven Parish. He assisted in Crosshaven parish as well as celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation in many parishes throughout the Diocese of Cork and Ross at the invitation of Bishop Gavin and Bishop Buckley.

May he rest in peace.