First Saturdays Conference 

“First Saturdays Conference Sat 6th December at Knock Shrine. Promises to be a great day with Adoration, First Saturday talks, Childrens Rosary and Holy Mass. Main Celebrant Bishop John Keenan, Diocese of Paisley, Scotland.
Bus from Togher Church via City Centre. To book Ph John Joe Murphy on 087-1302763.”
Regards and thanks,
John Joe Murphy,

Newsletter Insert:

#HaveYourSay about your Catholic School

For Attention of Parents of children attending Primary Schools or have yet to start. 

The Department of Education is currently conducting a Primary School Survey that will determine the future provision of Primary Schools and crucially could lead to lasting changes in your school.  In simple, direct terms, you are being asked if you want your school to stay a Catholic school or if you want that to change. Don’t leave it to others, have your say before 16 December 2025.

See link below.

https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/campaigns/primary-school-survey/

Newsletter Insert:

#HaveYourSay about your Catholic School

For Attention of Parents of children attending Primary Schools or have yet to start. 

The Department of Education is currently conducting a Primary School Survey that will determine the future provision of Primary Schools and crucially could lead to lasting changes in your school.  In simple, direct terms, you are being asked if you want your school to stay a Catholic school or if you want that to change. Don’t leave it to others, have your say before 16 December 2025.

See link below.

https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/campaigns/primary-school-survey/

Hands Dirty.

Weekend for Catholic Fathers and Sons, February Bank Holiday weekend, in Co. Cork.

• Learn basic electrics for around the home
• Get your hands dirty under the hood of a car
• Develop your carpentry skills

The weekend will also include Mass, Adoration, and spiritual talks. Please email the Dominican Order at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or see www.dominicans.ie

First Saturday Conference in Knock

To mark the 100th anniversary of the First Saturday Apparition in Pontevedra, Spain,  there will be a special conference in Knock on the first Saturday in December -  December 6th.  The day begins with adoration and confessions at 10am in the Reconciliation Chapel.  There will be three talks from Bishop John Keenan, Antonia Moffat, and Fr Philip Kemmy in St John's Centre.  There will also be the Rosary led by the Children's Rosary group, a 15 minute meditation led by Fr. Marius O'Reilly, as Our Lady requested for the First Saturdays, and time for lunch.  At Fatima, Our Lady promised that there would be peace in the world and that many souls would be saved through this devotion. 

For more details please visit  firstsaturdays.ie

Medjugorje Pilgrimage from Cork Airport

With Spiritual Director

Group Leader Jim Keogh

This pilgrimage travels to Medjugorje from Cork with Aer Lingus on 3^rd June 2026.

Everyone is most welcome! Full daily programme which includes a visit to all the apparition sites where Our Lady first appeared to the six children in June 1981.Our 4star hotel is conveniently located close to the village centre and the St James Church. Luxury air-conditioned coach transfers to and from Medjugorje to Dubrovnik airport. 7 nights 4* hotel accommodation. Half board: breakfast & dinner each day. Check-in assistance at airports. For further information and full details please contact Jim Keogh 021 4885371 / 0872678793 Please note €100 off per person for bookings paid in full before 3rd November 2025!  N.B. Our places are limited and can only be allocated on a first come first served basis.

YEAR OF PRAYER, LISTENING AND DISCERNMENT

Last September, Bishop Fintan invited us to join with him in a Year of Prayer, Listening, and Discernment across the diocese. During the year, following our information meetings, there was a series of gatherings in each of the 16 Families of Parishes, with religious communities, the new Irish communities as well as engagement with our school communities. The gatherings focused on the themes of:

• Baptism
• Sunday Eucharist
• Review of the Family of Parishes

These gatherings gave us an emerging sense of what God is calling us to do, what we should strive for, and what we must prioritise in this time.

Bishop Fintan would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all those who engaged in the journey so far and to those who supported it with their prayer.

Bishop Fintan has written an initial response to what has emerged from the gatherings and invites us to read this Pastoral Letter which is now available at the back of the church. The Pastoral Letter and the thematic summary of the responses from our Family of Parishes and the diocese as a whole are available on the diocesan website (www.corkandross.org).

An invitation to the 99th Cork Eucharistic Procession:

Please join us for the 99^th Eucharistic Procession which takes place on Sunday, June 22^nd leaving the Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Anne at 3.00pm. It would be great to continue the tradition of parishioners from parishes throughout the city and beyond to walk in the procession.

Parking is available in the grounds of St. Anthony’s Convent, St. Mary’s Road (across from the Cathedral). This year to accommodate the growing large numbers it was decided to take the final prayer and Benediction outside onto a specially constructed platform down at the end of Grand Parade near the National Monument. For more details see www.corkandross.org