St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, will be re-opened with a rite of dedication on Sunday, 25 May at 3.00pm, after major restoration. The Cathedral has been closed for 17 months. Dr Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of All-Ireland, will officiate at the ceremony. ATTENDANCE Present will be Mary McAleese, President of Ireland. Also in attendance will be the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, the Archbishop of Dublin, Cardinal Desmond Connell, Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow, and Archbishop Kelly of Liverpool. Cardinal Egan of New York whose Cathedral also bears the patronage of St Patrick, will be represented by the Cathedral Rector, Mgr Eugene Clark. The Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, and several Irish Bishops will be present. Bishop Michael Jackson, Church of Ireland Bishop of Clogher, Dr John Dunlop of the Presbyterian Church and Dr Edmund Mawhinney of the Methodist Church, will attend. MESSAGE FROM THE POPE A special message from Pope John Paul II on the occasion of the Dedication at the Cathedral will be read out by the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Lazzarotto. WORKS Major structural wear-and-tear to the Cathedral over the past one hundred and thirty years demanded an immediate and determined response. The Cathedral has been re-roofed. Major cleaning and restoration, internally of the mosaics and stained glass windows, and externally of the stone, have taken place. The Stations of the Cross have been repaired. New heating, electrical and public address systems have been installed. The sanctuary has been reordered. The clock and 39 carillon bells have been repaired. Considerably greater parking at the Cathedral has been made available. Ease of access for the disabled has been a priority. The Synod Hall with its two large meeting rooms has been refurbished, and has had a lift installed. FUNDRAISING The total cost of the restoration has amounted to £6 Million (€9 Million). The Heritage Lottery gave a grant of £1 Million (€1.4 Million). A capital campaign has taken place in parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Armagh to raise £7 Million (€10.5 M): (£5 M (€ 7.5 M) for the Cathedral; £1 M (€1.5 M) for the development of lay ministries in the Archdiocese; £1 M (€1.5 M) for the needs of retired priests). EVE OF DEDICATION / CARILLON BELLS To signal the completion of the restored Cathedral, the new external lighting and floodlighting installed at the Cathedral will be switched on at 9.30pm on the eve of the Dedication, Saturday 24 May, and the restored 39 carillon bells will be played. The new lighting will illuminate the 210 foot spires which will be clearly visible within a radius of several miles. DEDICATION CEREMONY / DEPOSITING OF RELICS As part of the rite of dedication, relics will be deposited in the new altar of Pope St Celestine I (422 – 432) who sent St Patrick to Ireland, of St Malachy, native of Armagh City and former Archbishop of Armagh (1134 – 1137), and of St Oliver Plunkett, martyred Archbishop of Armagh (1669 – 1681). RE-ORDERING OF THE SANCTUARY Central to the restoration of the Cathedral has been the re-ordering of the Sanctuary. The new altar and ambo are of Tunisian limestone. The altar has been inspired by the early-Irish crosses and has imagery of Christ (Crucified, Risen, Return in Glory), flanked by Apostles, on three sides. The fourth side visible from the main body of the Church shows Our Lord with four Irish saints: Patrick, Malachy, Brigid and Oliver Plunkett. The new sanctuary floor is of Bologna porcelain from Italy. The marble steps and surrounds are Spanish. A brass screen incorporating two pairs of gates from the original sanctuary, has been erected at the back of the sanctuary. A brass screen has also been erected at the Blessed Sacrament Chapel; the new bronze tabernacle, flanked by two angels, is a representation of the arc of the covenant, while also being inspired by the 9th Century Book of Armagh. An ambulatory allows people to walk around the perimeter of the sanctuary. Seating has been installed at both the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and the Marian Shrine to allow the visitor pause for private prayer. Discreet state-of-the-art plasma screens on which live pictures will be transmitted have been installed on columns in the side aisles and around the sanctuary. This will greatly enhance the participation of the whole congregation, regardless of where they may be seated. A new public address has been installed with a loop system for the hard-of-hearing. RESTORED CATHEDRAL, NEW ERA Archbishop Brady has said in a message to the priests and people of the Archdiocese: “I thank you sincerely for your great commitment and dedication to the Faith and to the Church in Armagh. It has truly been very edifying and satisfying for me to be Archbishop at this momentous time. I am very eager that the restored Cathedral might truly be for us all a clarion call to become a renewed people, a restored Church, a rededicated community.” An extract from the Archbishop’s homily in which he will broach some national issues will be released later. A history of the Cathedral can be accessed on the Archdiocese of Armagh website: www.armagharchdiocese.org (the virtual tour of the Cathedral has not been updated since the restoration). Ends 23 May 2003 Further details from: Rev. Peter McAnenly, Diocesan Secretary Tel: (028) 3752 2045 (code 048 from RoI) Mobile: 07974 665242 (00 44 7974 665242 from RoI) Click here for special feature on re-dedication of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh |