25/10/2011
The Office of Evangelisation was established by Archbishop Martin in 2008 to promote the work of education in faith, liturgical and scriptural animation and the work for justice and charity. The Office is charged with giving particular priority to the spiritual care and evangelisation of young people, offering to work with agencies inside and outside the Archdioceses that have a remit in this area. The Office is also responsible for developing practical ways of supporting families, the fundamental base for passing on the faith to the young.
Fr Kieran McDermott is co- parish priest of Dundrum and will continue in that post. He is currently secretary to the Bishops’ Advisory Committee on Ecumenism, co-secretary of the Irish Inter-Church Meeting (IICM), and a member of the following ecumenical bodies: Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) Four Nations Writers’ Group; the Dublin Council of Churches (DCC); IICM Theology Forum; Dublin Diocesan Committee on Ecumenism and the Trust Council of the Irish School of Ecumenism.
He was ordained in 1985 after studies at Holy Cross College, Clonliffe. He later undertook specialised studies in Ecumenism at the University of St. Thomas (Angelicum) in Rome. He served as Priest-Teacher in Colaiste Lorcain, and Parish Chaplain Castledermot. In 1989 he was appointed Dean of Residence/Chaplain at UCD and was appointed Head of the Chaplaincy Department in 1997. During his tenure as President of UCD Athletics, a Sports Scholarship Programme was created, enabling elite athletes to establish a training base in Ireland. In 1999, working with the college authorities, he initiated the Newman International Annual Lecture and in 2000 founded the UCD Choral Scholars.
The expansion of the Office of Evangelisation to include Ecumenism, with this appointment, reflects the nature, mission and responsibility of the Church in the modern age. Evangelisation is the mission of the Church, ecumenism is a movement within the Church. The ultimate goal of ecumenism and evangelization are the same: that all be one in Christ.
Fr McDermott will take up his new responsibilities as Episcopal Vicar on 14th November, the Feast of St. Laurence O’Toole, and Patron of the Diocese. ENDS
