Year 7 were very lucky to be invited to celebrate mass in St. Patrick's Cathedral with the pupils and staff of St. Ciaran's, Ballygawley. It was a great privilege to come together for mass in the Cathedral in its 150th year!
The children learned about the history of the building and the importance of the Cathedral as a place from which to live out our faith.
The Cathedral is one of the most ancient institutions in Ireland, standing on one of the earliest Christian sites and tracing its foundation to St Patrick in AD 445. The construction of the building was started in 1840, but work was suspended during the Irish Famine of 1845-48. Work recommenced in 1854 when J J McCarthy was appointed architect. It was dedicated for worship in 1873 but the magnificent interior decoration was not completed until early in the 20th century. The cathedral was finally consecrated in 1904.
We would like to commend our Year 7 pupils for their attention and reverence during this very special mass in St Patrick's Cathedral and we extend a special word of thanks to Mr Canavan and Mr Lavery for their kind invitation.
