Fist Visit as Cardinal to his Alma Mater

On Tuesday 4th December, the Maynooth College campus celebrated the homecoming of Cardinal Seán Brady to his Alma Mater.  In addition to being Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, Cardinal Brady is Chairman of the Trustees of Saint Patrick's College, and Chancellor of the Pontifical University. 

The new Cardinal was the chief celebrant at Mass in the College Chapel with over fifty concelebrants, which included the bishops of Ireland, as well as the priests from the faculty in the College.  In his homily, Cardinal Brady described his long association with Maynooth, from the priests who gave him the sacraments since his baptism, the priests who taught him in Saint Pat's in Cavan, and the many priests who taught him during his student days in Maynooth all being alumni of Maynooth College. 

The seventy seminarians in the College, as well as three hundred faculty and staff from the College, the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Trocaire and the Episcopal Conferences attended the Mass and the supper that followed.  On behalf of the students and staff of the College, the President, Fr Hugh Connolly, invited the Armagh Students to present a hand engraved slate with the Cardinal's Coat of Arms, while a leather bound gilded Book of Good Wishes was presented to the Cardinal by Seán Maguire, a seminarian from the Cardinal's home parish in the diocese of Kilmore.