THE FORMER archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor will attend the first public meeting of his apostolic visitation to the Armagh archdiocese in Drogheda this evening.
In a statement on the Armagh website, he says: “People, religious and priests of the archdiocese are all welcome to attend these public meetings.” This evening’s meeting takes place at the Westcourt Hotel in Drogheda and begins at 7.30pm. It is the first of four such meetings planned for this week.
Tomorrow’s meeting will take place at the Carrickdale Hotel, Carrickarnon, Co Louth. On Thursday evening it will be at the Armagh City Hotel in Armagh and at the Glenavon House Hotel in Cookstown, Co Tyrone on Friday evening. All meetings will begin at 7.30pm.
As part of the visitation, and as requested by the Pope for each such visitation, a service of penitence and healing will be held in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh on Sunday, January 23rd at 3pm. Cardinal Murphy O’Connor will officiate with the Catholic primate Cardinal Seán Brady and Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh Gerald Clifford also present. Among those on Cardinal Murphy O’Connor’s visitation team are Dr Sheila Hollins, professor of the UK Board of Psychiatry at St George’s University of London, and Msgr Mark O’Toole, rector of Allen Hall seminary in Chelsea.
In Dublin the Archbishop of Boston Cardinal Seán O’Malley has resumed his apostolic visitation which began last November. Since he arrived at the weekend he has again been meeting abuse victims, clergy and others, by appointment, at All Hallows College in Drumcondra.
The Archbishop of Ottawa Terence Prendergast will resume his visitation to Tuam archdiocese on March 6th during which he intends to climb Croagh Patrick and officiate at a service of penitence and healing in Tuam Cathedral, on Tuesday, March 8th.
The service of penitence and healing in Cashel and Emly archdiocese will take place at 3pm on Sunday next at the cathedral in Thurles, Co Tipperary where Archbishop of Toronto Thomas Collins will officiate.
