Shrine and reliquary of Saint Valentine, containing his holy relics, located in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Whitefriar Street, in the Archdiocese of Dublin.
- In 2025 Accord in the Republic of Ireland, outside of the Dublin area, provided 239 programmes for 3,612 couples, and increase of 16%, or 505 couples, over 2024.
- New Amárach survey shows majority of Gen Z and Millennials wishing to get married in Church
Today Bishop Denis Nulty, Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin and President of Accord clg, blessed the engagement ring of an engaged couple at the Shrine of Saint Valentine in the Carmelite Church on Whitefriar Street, Dublin, followed by the celebration of Mass. The couple, Lauren Stewart and David Higgins, got engaged in early 2025 and are getting married in April in the Church of the Most Holy Rosary, Abbeyleix, Co Laois.
About the couple
Lauren is a renewable energy consultant originally from Carlow, now living in Dublin, and David is an economist and writer from Knocklyon parish, Dublin. The couple commented, “We were impressed by the Accord Marriage Preparation Programme as it brought us closer together and deepened our understanding of each other. The course is practical and is delivered over a twenty-four hour period. It moves fast and it prompts you to consider aspects of your relationship you may have overlooked.”
Bishop Nulty congratulated Lauren and David on their engagement and extended his warm good wishes for a long happy life together. He also welcomed the increase in the number of couples attending Accord’s Marriage Preparation Programmes in 2025 and expressed his gratitude to all the Accord volunteer facilitators in each of the dioceses in Ireland who made this possible. He also noted the positive findings of the research carried out by Amárach in the percentage of young people identifying as Catholic and their future intentions to marry in Church. “The Church” he said “is at the service of its community at all times. It is encouraging to see the strength of faith present in today’s society and I encourage all couples to consider the various ways they can celebrate their lifelong commitment to each other by choosing to celebrate the sacrament of marriage in a Church.”
Bishop Nulty continued, “Like all sacraments, the sacrament of marriage is a sign of God’s grace being active in people’s lives. The sacrament of matrimony was initiated by Christ himself at Cana when he turned water into an abundance of fine wine.
“A mature faith is an understanding of God’s presence in our daily lived experience. Christ said, ‘I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.’ Living out the life long sacrament of marriage and raising a family together is a worthy vocation and a practical living out of Christ’s commandment to “love one another as I have loved you.”
Director of Accord, Tony Shanahan said, “I would like to thank Lauren and David for their participation at the blessing ceremony. In their evaluations at the end of each programme, couples invariably comment on how much they enjoyed the programme, and praise it for its practical approach and relevance to modern family life. They find that it gives them the opportunity to spend quality time together to reflect on the meaning of their commitment to each other, the dreams they share, as well as gain deeper insights into the practicalities of managing communications, conflict and intimacy in a lifelong relationship.
“I am delighted to announce that, in 2025, Accord clg has recorded an increase of 16% attending our marriage programmes, over 2024. This resulted in Accord providing 239 programmes for 3,612 couples last year in the Republic of Ireland, outside of the Dublin area. I also welcome new data, from Amárach Market Research, that has found a majority of Gen Z and Millennials wish to get married in Church. This indicates an appreciation of the sacrament of marriage in the young generation.”
Highlights from the Amárach Market Research survey (see methodology below)
– Religious faith is rising amongst younger generations – 69% of adults aged 18-24 identified as Roman Catholic (against 53% of 25-34 year olds and 76% of all adults).
– 60% of unmarried Catholics would want to marry in a Catholic Church (including 63% of under 35s).
– Of Catholics who married outside of a church venue 40% would have chosen to have their wedding officiated at by a Catholic priest if that option were available.
– Less than half of Catholics (47%) are aware that it is possible to have a wedding ceremony in Church without also having a mass
– Fewer than a quarter (23%) of Catholics are aware of convalidation ceremonies (i.e. a Church wedding after a civil ceremony)
Mr Shanahan continued, “Accord’s Marriage Preparation Programme also serves the needs of couples who are legally married civilly, but who wish to convalidate their marriage in a sacramental ceremony under Canon Law. In continental Europe it is quite common for the religious ceremony to be conducted separately from the civil ceremony on the same day or later, provided the necessary requirements are met. Catholics who are married civilly can choose to make their marriage a lifelong covenant in a sacramental ceremony at any future date without time limit.
“Accord provides our Marriage Preparation Programme throughout the island of Ireland, both in person and online. Online programmes are very helpful for couples living abroad who cannot attend in person. Our programme is also appropriate for couples getting married abroad. Consequently the extent of Accord’s work in marriage preparation is not fully recognised in data published in the Central Statistics Office.
“Whilst our Marriage Preparation Programme is the usual way that couples prepare for receiving the Sacrament of Marriage, Accord’s counselling service is also available for couples who wish to be supported in exploring their relationship in greater depth and taking it to new heights”, he said.
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ENDS
Notes for Editors
- Archbishop Dermot Farrell is Archbishop of Dublin. Father James Eivers O.Carm is Prior, and Father Eánna O hÓbáin O.Carm is Parish Priest of Whitefriar Street Church.
- Methodology used by Amárach Market Research, and key findings, in its survey commissioned by Accord clg: Nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults over the age of 18 in Republic of Ireland (gender/age/location/socioeconomic group), conducted online. Margin of error + 3.1% at 95% confidence level. The field work dates for the survey were 25 to 28 August 2025.
- In Catholic teaching the expression of mutual consent in the exchange of marriage vows creates a covenant between the couple and it is the most absolute promise two people can make to each other. The couple’s Christian baptism is what enables them to bestow the Sacrament of Marriage on each other. The presence of a bishop, priest or deacon is necessary to have as an official witness on behalf of the Church, but it does not replace the couple’s role as ministers of the Sacrament. As Pope Francis stated in his 2016 Apostolic Exhortation on love in the family, Amoris Laetitia, The Joy of Love, “May we never lose heart because of our limitations, or ever stop seeking that fullness of love and communion which God holds out before us” (Chapter 9).
- The holy relics of Saint Valentine are contained in a reliquary within a dedicated shrine in Whitefriar Street Church, Dublin. The church was founded by Father John Spratt (1796-1871) in 1825 on the site of the 13th century Carmelite Monastery, and was opened in 1826 when he became its first Prior. Father Spratt was renowned in Europe for his skill as a preacher. Following a visit to Rome in 1835, Pope Gregory XVI was so impressed that he gave Father Spratt a reliquary containing relics of Saint Valentine which he brought back to Dublin. Saint Valentine was a priest who performed marriage ceremonies in defiance of the Roman emperor Claudius II’s edict, and was martyred on 14 February in 269 or 270 AD