Today, Friday 23 September, the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin and Minister for Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys TD will officially launch Ministry Advocacy and Compassion a unique audio visual exhibition chronicling the role of the Church in the events of 1916.
For the first time, previously unseen historical documents from the Dublin Diocesan Archive will be on display alongside material from many other Religious Orders who were at the centre of events in Easter week – including the Capuchins, Dominicans, Franciscans, Irish Sisters of Charity, Jesuits, the Loreto Sisters and the Sisters of Mercy.
This exhibition takes you into the heart of the fighting during the Easter Rising, where Catholic priests risked their lives to minister the Sacraments to the wounded and dying. It examines the crucial acts of the nuns and clergy, as they responded to the immediate needs of the hungry and displaced by providing them with much-needed food and shelter and includes eyewitness accounts of those who ministered to the condemned leaders.
St. Kevin’s Oratory in the Pro Cathedral has been refurbished to host the exhibition which includes artefacts and handwritten letters from the rebel leaders of 1916 and an interactive digital display of documents from the Diocesan Records.
The exhibition also includes fascinating correspondence between Archbishop William Walsh and the authorities during and after the Rising and letters received from Joseph Mary Plunkett, Patrick Pearse, Father Laurence Stafford and many others.
The official launch will take place in Saint Mary’s Pro Cathedral at 7.00pm this evening. The exhibition will be open to the public from lunchtime tomorrow, Saturday 24 September, and every afternoon until the end of this year. Entry is free. For more on the exhibition see www.dublindiocese.ie.
ENDS
