2013 Press Releases
UCC staff receive Papal honour
Three UCC academics have been conferred with the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St Gregory the Great for their services to the Holy See.
Dr Caitríona Ó Dochartaigh, Professor Padraig Ó Riain and Dr Brian Ó Donnchadha join the likes of Irish comedian and philanthropist Frank Carson, boxer Sir Henry Cooper, Alfred O’Rahilly, former President of UCC and TD for Cork City and Rupert Murdoch.
The three academics were formally recognised at a reception in UCC with one of the highest honours the Catholic Church can bestow. The honour was conferred in the name of Pope Francis by the Archbishop of Tuam, Michael Neary on behalf of Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
Dr Caitríona Ó Dochartaigh, Department of Early and Medieval Irish, Professor Padraig Ó Riain Professor Emeritus of the Department of Early and Medieval Irish, and Dr Brian Ó Donnchadha of Ionad na Gaeilge Labhartha in UCC were awarded the honour for their contribution to the preparation of the new Missal in the Irish language in their role as the lay members of the Sapienti committee. The Committee is an advisory body to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments for liturgical texts in the Irish language.
Pádraig Ó Riain and Brian Ó Donnchadha were made Knights of the Order of St Gregory the Great and Dr Caitríona Ó Dochartaigh was made a Dame of the Order of St Gregory the Great, at the reception hosted by Professor Anita Maguire, Deputy President, UCC.
The order of St Gregory the Great was founded in 1831 by Pope Gregory XVI as an order of merit to be bestowed on laypeople in recognition of their personal service to, and work on behalf of the Holy See.
The honour was originally only bestowed on men, but since 1994 women can now also receive the award. Among the past Irish recipients of the honour was Alfred O’Rahilly, President of UCC and TD for Cork City, who was honoured in 1954.
Dr Ó Dochartaigh expressed her delight at being conferred with the honour: ‘We are both humbled and overwhelmed by being awarded this extraordinary honour, and we would like to express our sincere gratitude to both the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Archbishop of Tuam.’
The Sapienti Committee is currently engaged with the review of the proposed translation into Irish of the Latin Missale Romanum. It is hoped that the full revised translation of the Irish Missal, including many texts which were not previously included in the current Leabhar Aifrinn will be available to Irish speaking communities in the near future.