Monthly newsletter for Dioceses and Parishes Issue 5 – March 2014
Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference
Columba Centre, Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, Co Kildare
Theme of Trócaire’s Lenten Campaign 2014 – ‘Water’
This year’s Trócaire Lenten campaign is about the global water crisis. There are 1.1 billion people in our world who are living without access to a reliable source of water. Nine year old Enestina Muyeye (pictured), the young girl featured on this year’s Trócaire box, comes from a small rural community in Dedza, central Malawi. Enestina’s community has relied for years on a contaminated river for drinking water, washing and irrigation.
Trócaire, working in partnership with the Catholic Church in Malawi, has recently installed a drinking water pump and is working to support people in this strong and vibrant community as they strive to improve their lives.
Across the developing world Trócaire is addressing the serious impact of water scarcity by helping people to access safe water for drinking, sanitation and irrigation. This work is made possible through the generous support of parishes across Ireland, which is greatly appreciated. To find out more about Trócaire’s Lenten campaign visit trocaire.org/lent.
Please bring home a Trócaire box this Lent.
Migration conference papers and audio of speeches now available
The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Councils for Immigrants and Emigrants jointly hosted a conference last month entitled ‘Journeying Together: Challenges Facing the Migrant Today’. Archbishop Diarmuid Martin delivered the keynote address saying: “The Church must be a space where real human concern reaches out from our hearts to the migrant or the refugee as a brother and sister and embraces the migrant really with that “Caritas Christi” which is the mark of the Christian life.” Full text and audio on catholicbishops.ie.
Increased demand for ACCORD
New figures for the year 2013, released by ACCORD Catholic Marriage Care Service, indicate an increase in demand for its two key services. During 2011 and 2012, there was a modest increase in demand for ACCORD marriage preparation courses, however during 2013 demand increased significantly by 7.2% with over 7,600 couples taking part. Demand from individuals and couples for ACCORD’s marriage and relationship counselling service continues to rise. ACCORD counsellors delivered a total of 50,952 counselling hours in 2013, an increase on 2012.
See accord.ie.
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