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Visitors' guide to Cathedral launched

January 31st, 2017 1:20 PM

By Jackie Keogh

Archbishop Charles J Brown chatting to the authors of the visitors guide to St Patrick's Cathedral in Skibbereen, Gerald O'Brien and Philip O'Regan, last Sunday afternoon, after he had officially launched the publication.

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Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Charles J Brown, said it was a pleasure to visit Skibbereen to formally launch a new publication that illustrates the history, and the beauty, of St Patrick’s Cathedral.

 

PAPAL Nuncio, Archbishop Charles J Brown, said it was a pleasure to visit Skibbereen to formally launch a new publication that illustrates the history, and the beauty, of St Patrick’s Cathedral.

The booklet, which was written by local historians, Gerald O’Brien and Philip O’Regan, and was illustrated by photographers Paddy Feen and Jeremy Kingston, is freely available at the cathedral.

The publication was made possible through a generous bequest of Monsignor Michael J Coughlan, of Licknavar, Skibbereen, and San Diego, California.

The Monsignor returned to St Patrick’s on July 14th 2012 to celebrate the diamond anniversary of his ordination. On that occasion, he summed up the significance of the Cathedral saying: ‘It was the beginning of my spiritual life, the scene of my Baptism, First Holy Communion and Confirmation, and I served as an altar boy there. 

‘I had my first public mass there on June 9th, 1952, assisted by Fr John Barrett after my ordination at St Peter’s College, Wexford, the day before.’ Large gilt-edged letters appeal to people sitting in the pews in St Patrick’s Cathedral to ‘Be still and know that I am God’ and adds to its quantum of solace.

The Cathedral looked resplendent at the special 11.30am mass last Sunday, which was concelebrated by Archbishop Brown, Fr Michael Kelleher and Fr Chris O’Donovan. And the pleasing sounds of the church choir and the children’s choir helped to make the occasion all the more memorable. From its imposing front cover through to the page two floor plan, and history, right through to the detailed descriptions and high-resolution photos of the altar, the furniture and the superb stained-glass windows, the new guide to St Patrick’s is a beautiful read and will, for many years to come, serve as a useful guide for locals and visitors alike.

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