Archbishop Farrell has announced a nine-day period of prayer, reflection and planning for the renewal of the Church in the Archdiocese of Dublin which is to begin on the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord. As Dr Farrell said at the Holy Thursday Chrism Mass in the Pro-Cathedral:
“In our diocese, the Building Hope initiative involves people and priests creating a joint mission – a mission together – in which new pastoral areas will comprise a number of parishes in partnership. This necessarily involves a ‘letting go’ of the past and an embrace of what is to come. For this pastoral initiative to be successful, there needs to be a shared appreciation of the rationale, and a shared conviction of the necessity to embrace change… Rather than viewing change as a negative, the real challenge is to see change as an opportunity for creative ways to sustain a viable and vibrant future for the faith communities of our Diocese… Let us not be under any illusion as to the demand and depth of that change. In fact, it might be more accurate to call it a conversion.”
Here’s the prayer we are all invited to say from May 21st [The Ascension of the Lord] to May 29th [Feast of Our Lady, Mother of the Church]:
Novena Prayer to the Holy Spirit
for the renewal of the Church in the Archdiocese of Dublin
Come, Holy Spirit, revive and renew us.
Come, Holy Spirit, inspire and enthuse us.
Come, Holy Spirit, unbind and release us.
Open our eyes to see God’s grace around us.
Open our ears to hear God’s voice within us.
Open our hearts to welcome God among us.
Send us out with joy to live the Gospel.
Send us out with peace to act as one.
Send us out with love to build up hope.
Pin it up on your fridge or slip it into your prayer book. There are some prayer cards with this text available at the back of the church. We are distributing them to our Confirmation candidates to involve their intercession in this initiative.