Cathedral News

The week between Passion Sunday and Easter Sunday is the most sacred of the church year, and will be celebrated in solemn fashion in Galway Cathedral.

Saturday 17 March 2012 is the feast of St Patrick, principal patron of Ireland, and is a major feast in the Irish ecclesiastical calendar as well as an important public holiday. Mass in the Cathedral will be celebrated on Friday at 18:00, and on Saturday at 09:00, 11:00 and 18:00. The Saturday 11:00 mass will be celebrated as Gaeilge.

The Bethany Bereavement Support Group is a parish-based ministry which aims to help the bereaved and grieving. The Catheral Bethany Group can be contacted at 085-2258827.

Ash Wednesday this year falls on Wednesday 22 February. Mass in the Cathedral is at the usual weekday times - 09:00, 11:00 and 18:00 - and ashes will be distributed at each.

The full results of the Cathedral survey conducted a number of months ago are now available for download.

The annual Solemn Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help begins on Monday 6 February 2012, and runs until Tuesday 14 February. The theme of this year's novena is Eucharist, food for life. There are six sessions each day, as follows: Monday-Saturday: 07:45, 11:00, 13:10, 15:30, 19:30, 21:30 Sunday: 09:00, 10:30, 12:30, 16:30, 18:30, 20:15 The preachers at the novena this year are Séamus Enright CSsR, Brendan Keane CSsR and Derek Ryan CSsR.

Thursday 8 December 2011 is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, as well as the traditional start of the run-up to Christmas. Mass in the Cathedral will be celebrated on Wednesday 7 December at 18:00, and on Thursday 8 December at 09:00, 11:00 and 18:00. In addition, a vigil of prayer for the feast will take place on Wednesday 7 December; it begins at 18:45 and concludes with benediction at 20:00, and will include prayers for vocations.

Christmas is one of the most joyful seasons of the church year, and is celebrated in the Cathedral with appropriate solemnity. Here are details of the various events taking place at this time.

Special services of remembrance will take place in the Cathedral on the four Mondays of November - 7, 14, 21 and 28 November - beginning at 20:00 on each of those evenings. These services will afford an opportunity to cherish the memories of our deceased loved ones with prayer, reflection and music. The regular Monday novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help will not take place on those evenings; novena prayers will be recited at the 18:00 mass instead.

The Cathedral Pastoral Committee is conducting a survey with a view to identifying the pastoral needs of all those who worship at the Cathedral. The survey takes the form of a questionnaire, which can be downloaded from here. We would very much appreciate your taking the time to fill out the survey and return it to the Cathedral before 31 October 2011 - thank you in advance for your help.