Chai Brady
Pic: Michael Mc Laughlin A high-ranking Vatican prelate will discuss the role and importance of shrines for spreading the faith during “exciting” celebrations for the 140th anniversary of the Apparition at Knock Shrine.
Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation, will speak at Ireland’s most prominent Marian shrine on August 15. The 12pm seminar will focus on ‘Mary in the life of the Church’. He is also expected to celebrate the 3pm and 8pm Novena Masses.
His job at the Vatican is to help reawaken the Faith in parts of the world that are traditionally Christian, but he also has responsibility over the Church’s shrines.
Fr Richard Gibbons PP of Knock said that they are “very focused” on evangelisation in Knock and that it’s part of their renewal programme. “We want to focus on what we can do to help with the renewal of the faith in the country,” he said.
Popular
It was at the International Convention of the Rectors and Pastoral Workers of Shrines in the Vatican in November last year – where Pope Francis said that “Shrines are irreplaceable because they keep popular piety alive” – that Fr Gibbons invited Archbishop Fisichello to Ireland, who he said was “very excited” about the prospect.
“I think he feels the shrines are very, very important centres of evangelisation. They are places people still come to and feel great affinity for and that they can be focus points in terms of preaching the word of God, in terms of renewal programmes and simply encouraging people in their faith,” Fr Gibbons said.
“He has been to Ireland a couple of times and he’s very interested to see how shrines work as well on the ground.”
Archbishop Fisichello joins Archbishop of Tuam, Michael Neary, Bishop of Raphoe, Alan McGuckian, Fr Peter McVerry and more at the Novena celebrations beginning in mid-August.
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