DAILY MASS readings are among the contents of a new website launched in St Patrick's College, Maynooth, yesterday by the Catholic bishops. Archbishop of Armagh Cardinal Seán Brady said that the readings would be in Irish and English.
"The website (http://www.catholicbishops.ie/) also contains the first online map of the dioceses of Ireland, and will offer users the option to subscribe to news releases issued by the bishops' conference via an RSS feed," Cardinal Brady added.
"The site also contains a bank of audio and video content from the conference, and will have regular feature articles focused on the mission and work of the church in Ireland.''
He said that the bishops hoped to build on the site's content over time and develop new features in line with the needs of users.
The bishops' conference is made up of the 26 bishops from the various dioceses in Ireland together with the seven auxiliary bishops.
It consists of a general assembly and a standing committee together with various commissions and agencies. Day-to-day operations are overseen by a secretariat. The launch took place yesterday on the first day of the autumn general meeting of the bishops' conference.
Cardinal Brady said that the "new user-friendly website'' contained a mine of information on the bishops, detailed information on dioceses, as well as on the people and organisations making up the conference's agencies, commissions, councils and other bodies.
He added that the website should be of special interest to members of the clergy, religious laity, teachers, policymakers, journalists and all those who wished to find out more about the activities of the Catholic Church at home and throughout the world.
Cardinal Brady said that a constant theme of Pope Benedict XVI was evangelisation throughout the media.
"In this, the year of vocation for the Catholic Church in Ireland, it is appropriate that a prominent feature of the homepage is dedicated to this important year whose purpose is to raise awareness of the common vocation that we all share through baptism, as expressed through witness, love and service,'' Cardinal Brady said.
The website includes a feature on the role of the internet for church and society by Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin, and Bishop of Limerick Dr Donal Murray launching inter-church relations, developments and perspectives.
There is also a feature on a seminar organised by the advisory committee on church music. Links include the Vatican, the apostolic nunciature, the Pauline year and the Polish chaplaincy.
Features also include a comprehensive information guide to events taking place with the church.
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(Source: IT)