(From left) John McCaffrey, President of the Association of Papal Orders in Ireland, Dr Katie Scott, Dr Daire Keogh and Archbishop Dermot Farrell following Dr Keogh’s investiture as a Knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great during the Association’s Annual Mass at Newman University Church, Dublin. Photo: Eric Dumas. The President of Dublin City University, Dr Daire Keogh, was invested as a Knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great during the Annual Mass of the Association of Papal Orders in Ireland at Newman University Church, Dublin.
Archbishop Dermot Farrell conferred the papal honour in the presence of Archbishop Eamon Martin, Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Luis Mariano Montemayor and members of Ireland’s papal orders.
Presenting the award, Archbishop Farrell praised Dr Keogh’s distinguished service to education and the Church. He highlighted Dr Keogh’s leadership in higher education, his scholarship in Irish Church history and his contribution to Catholic education, including his role in overseeing the integration of the Mater Dei Institute of Education into DCU.
Describing him as “a man of deep personal faith”, Archbishop Farrell said Dr Keogh’s work had made a significant contribution to both the Archdiocese of Dublin and the wider Church.
In his homily, Archbishop Martin reflected on Christ’s parable of the house built on rock, urging Catholics to build their lives on the firm foundation of God’s word rather than “the shifting sands of popular culture”.
Beginning with the story of an Indian Catholic who handwrote the entire Bible during the Covid-19 lockdown, he encouraged the faithful to follow the example of Ireland’s early monks by allowing Scripture to be written “on our hearts” as well as read with our minds and proclaimed with our lips.