Bishop Fintan with Ella Smith, Aislinn Walsh and Anna Smith at the launch of Maranatha 2026.

Maranatha 2026 – our second annual celebration of music, faith, and young people in the Diocese of Cork and Ross – has officially been launched.

At the launch, teachers from post-primary schools across the diocese took part in a workshop on the music that will be part of the programme was presented.

A group of young adult singers from the Rome pilgrimage recorded the official Maranatha 2026 playlist, which is now available on Spotify (listen here: Maranatha Playlist on Spotify).

Some of these young adults attended the launch and gave teachers a taster of the songs at the workshop.

Maranatha 2026 will take place on Thursday, 26 February 2026, in Cork City Hall. Up to 500 students will gather for a full day of activities, including catechesis and music, all leading up to the concert that evening.

The Diocese recently met with priests and post-primary school teachers to share plans for the Alpha Youth programme, an initiative designed to support young people on their journey of faith by bringing schools and parishes together in partnership.

Alpha Youth is an experience that gives young people a space to have meaningful conversations about life, faith, and purpose.

Two information sessions were held—one in Mardyke House and another in Clonakilty Parish Centre—to explore how Alpha Youth can serve as a tool to engage young people, particularly those of post-Confirmation age, helping them to connect more deeply with faith and parish life.

After completing Alpha Youth, the young people will be invited to continue to meet in their own faith communities with the support of the parish youth leaders.

The information session at Mardyke House where priests and teachers explored how Alpha Youth can serve as a tool to engage young people.

The young adult helpers met on Saturday to prepare ahead of the pilgrimage to Lourdes

Preparations are well underway for this year’s Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes, which will see more than 400 pilgrims travel next week.

On Friday evening, the nurses, helpers, and Civil Defense volunteers who care for assisted pilgrims gathered to finalize rosters and review the practical arrangements for the pilgrimage.

Earlier that afternoon, school helpers from three post-primary schools across the diocese came together for a preparatory session, which also included time for their own personal faith formation.

Have you ever visited a website which was completely compiled and programmed by a saint?

Now you can!

The first two people to be declared saints by Pope Leo XIV both died as teenagers though they lived a century apart.

On Sunday September 7th, Pope Leo XIV will canonise Italians Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati. Both men lived most of their lives in Italy and shared a deep faith in the Eucharist and in giving witness to it by their lives.

Carlo Acutis was born on 3 May 1991 and died from leukemia on 12 October 2006. He was a British-born Italian student celebrated for his devotion to the Eucharist and his use of digital media to promote Catholic devotion. Born in London and raised in Milan, he created a website documenting Eucharistic miracles and Marian apparitions. 

Beatified by the Catholic Church in 2020, he is regarded as a model for young believers and the first saint to have used an email address. He is often referred to as the "first millennial saint".