Archbishop Martin: Let’s not forget our missionary genes but hope and trust in God

Archbishop Eamon Martin joined the Society of African Missions to celebrate 100 years since the opening of Dromantine as a house of formation. During a centenary Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Patrick and Saint Colman in Newry, the Archbishop reflected on the missionary history that began in 1926 when Dromantine opened as a theological college for the society.

The Archbishop noted that the college trained generations of men for priesthood and missionary work in Africa and other regions. He credited the missionary spirit of the Irish Church with responding to the call to mission following periods of social and political upheaval. He also thanked the Society of African Missions for their pastoral work in local parishes, their ministry to young people, and their work at the Dromantine Retreat and Conference Centre.

Historical records from the Diocese of Dromore show that Bishop Mulhern formally opened Dromantine Castle in the Parish of Glenn in September 1926. The first eleven men from the college were ordained as priests in Newry in June 1927, beginning a tradition of annual ordinations at the cathedral.