Two families represented the Diocese of Kilmore at a recent Mass in the Basilica of Our Lady of Knock to mark the one year countdown to the beginning of the World Meeting of Families in Dublin next year. Families from across the diocese were invited to submit a short summary of what family meant to them and two families were chosen from the submissions received. 

Each diocese in Ireland was presented with a special family petitions box by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin with Kilmore’s box presented to Ronan Mascarenas and Orwen Conaty.  The petitions box will visit each parish in the diocese of Kilmore over the course of the next number of months.  The various contemplative communities around Ireland have agreed to take a share of these petitions throughout the year and to pray for each petition received. In June of next year, all the petitions will be gathered up and brought to the final Mass for the WMoF 2018 next August.

The Diocese of Kilmore will celebrate the countdown to the World Meeting of Families at a special ceremony in the Cathedral of SS. Patrick & Felim, Cavan, at 7:30p.m. on Monday 25 September next. This will coincide with the beginning of the fourth annual diocesan Novena to Mary, Untier of Knots, the theme of which this year is ‘We are Family.’

All 34 parishes will be invited to send representatives to the ceremony at which Bishop Leo O’Reilly will preside.  The guest speaker will be Fr. Timothy Bartlett, Secretary-General of the World Meeting of Families.  The new icon of the Holy Family, commissioned for next year’s event, will be present in the Cathedral in Cavan from Monday 25 to Friday 29 September.  

Photographed here with Bishop Leo O’Reilly of Kilmore and Fr. Ultan McGoohan, Diocesan Director of Pastoral Services are members of the Conaty family from Bunnoe and the Mascarenas family from Cavan, who attended the recent World Meeting of Families countdown event at Knock Shrine.