Bishop Liam MacDaid
BISHOP Liam MacDaid, who retired last month on health grounds, will be honoured at a special event this weekend.
Bishop MacDaid’s retirement, due to an ongoing battle with Parkinson’s Disease, was announced on October 1 and took immediate effect. The 71-year-old’s request to step down was made some months ago to Pope Francis on medical advice. He was appointed Bishop of Clogher by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 in succession to Bishop Joseph Duffy.
The priests and people from all parishes across the Diocese of Clogher will gather in St Macartan’s Cathedral in Monaghan for a Mass of Thanksgiving at 3pm on Sunday followed by a reception in the nearby Hillgrove Hotel.
All 37 parishes in the diocese will be represented through participation in the liturgy. The Mass is taking place on the Sunday on which the entire Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Jesus Christ, Universal King. The Diocesan Administrator, Monsignor Joseph McGuinness, who is now responsible for the day-to-day administration of the diocese until a new bishop is appointed, will be chief-celebrant. He will be joined by all the priests of the diocese and other visiting priests. The homily will be delivered by Monsignor Larry Duffy PP, Carrickmacross.
“The event will be an opportunity for all the priests and people of the diocese to express their thanks to God for Bishop Liam’s ministry, his many gifts and the generosity with which he shared them,” a spokesman said.
Everyone attending is asked to bring along a candle (of any size) which will be lit from the paschal candle during a short Ceremony of Light at the conclusion of the Mass and carried by all as they leave the Cathedral.
In addition, a candle will also be lit for each church and oratory in the diocese, over the period of the vacant See, during which the priests and people of the diocese await the appointment of a new Bishop by Pope Francis. These candles will be brought from the Cathedral to each church and oratory in the diocese by people from each parish.
A booklet and special card to commemorate the event will also be available. For the benefit of those who cannot attend, the Mass will be live-streamed on the diocesan website www.clogherdiocese.ie and via the diocesan Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/dioceseofclogher/
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