Archbishop Dermot Farrell shares the vision behind the Building Hope renewal process for the Archdiocese of Dublin and how this process will move forward in 2023 through parish partnerships.

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Christmas message from Archbishop Dermot Farrell

Well first of all Christmas is a message of hope
Jesus came to be born among us
to bring a message of Hope
I'm always inspired and I'm humbled
by the the generosity of people towards those
who for example who are seeking refuge in our land
and towards those of this land
for whom life has been more than difficult
You can think of many people who find themselves
for example in a very difficult
or maybe at life's edge in our country
So I'm always inspired by that generosity of people
and that's how we bring the hope of the Lord to people
by generosity by reaching out to these people
and in our generosity when we give of ourselves
and our people are giving of the resources
you think of the many Charities
that people subscribe to at Christmas
Vincent de Paul Crosscare and so on
We're giving of our generosity
then Christ comes to life in us when that happens
But we're also bringing hope to those people
who find themselves on the edge
and Bethlehem when that happens is no longer far away
It's no longer a place in a distant country
and more... I suppose what the Word is
is actually taking flesh in each and every person at that stage
Christ is born in us and Christ is born among us
and that I think is really the Good News of Christmas
It's also the hope of Christmas
and it's the hope that the Christ child came to bring
So to put that a different way
the journey to Bethlehem is a journey
in some sense you might say to our neighbour
and who is my neighbour as the gospel says
Well my neighbour is all humankind with no exceptions
So it's not a journey to a land far away
I'm not journeying to Palestine to Bethlehem
but it's a journey to those who are in our streets
It's to those who are in our parishes
is to those who are in our neighbourhood
somebody who's living very close to us
and what I would pray today
is that we would have the the eyes to see Christ
in our sisters and brothers this Christmas
and may Christ be born in each and every one of us this day
because that's the way we really can celebrate
the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ

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JulieAnn Moran and Fr Declan Hurley reflect on key themes that have emerged from the synodal process at both national and international level.

For more information see www.synod.ie

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Austen Ivereigh shares with us about being part of the group that drafted the Working Document for the Continental Stage of Synod 2021- 24. This document is a synthesis of all that has emerged in the first phase of the Synod process, which was the greatest listening exercise the Catholic Church has ever carried out.

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Papal biography Austen Ivereigh discusses how Pope Francis is leading the Church to become a synodal Church and to be more inclusive in how we discern the path ahead.

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“We feel lifted up and encouraged ….” Nicola Brady (Chair of the Synodal Group) on the National Pre-Synodal Assembly which took place in Athlone and Clomacnoise.

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"I just feel a great sense of gratitude for everyone who has been walking with us on this synodal journey ... " Archbishop Eamon Martin on the National Pre-Synodal Assembly which concluded with prayer at the ancient monastic site of Clonmacnoise

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"Today has been prepared for a long time ... you could say that we have been coming to this day since the Second Vatican Council" ... Bishop Brendan Leahy on the National Pre-Synodal Assembly

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Bishop Fintan Monahan on how themes that emerged in the Killaloe Diocese synthesis were echoed by other dioceses at the National Pre-Synodal Assembly

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