Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This year, Dominican Friars of the Province of Ireland celebrate the 800th anniversary of their arrival in Ireland in 1224, shortly after the founding of the Order of Preachers. Since arriving in Ireland, Dominican friars have been active across Ireland, in towns and in the countryside, across boundaries of class, and ethnicity, and language. They’ve helped shape the vivid moral and spiritual imaginations of Irish people through their preaching, liturgy, and pastoral work.

Take a look at our own Fr. Brendan Curran, OP, through two presentations of A Word of Hope he produced while visiting his ancestral home a few years ago: Fr. Brendan Curran 1 and Fr. Brendan Curran 2

And then, enjoy a short video by an Irish Dominican on the history of Claddagh, Galway, where the Dominicans have ministered to locals for centuries and remain to this day. Be sure to visit The Claddagh Church and priory dedicated to Our Lady under the title, St. Mary on the Hill, when your travels take you to Ireland. They will greet you with a thousand welcomes.

Blessings to you and your family, or as they say in the Irish, Beannachtaí duit agus do do theaghlach!