Emily Mulcahy from Cobh and Edmond Roche from Fermoy, Co Cork were both part of a group of 44 individuals from around the world personally confirmed by Pope Francis in St. Peters Square. 

The Irish duo are altar servers from the Diocese of Cloyne and were chosen at random.  The Vatican held the special Confirmation ceremony as a part of the Year of Faith Celebrations on Sunday, April 29th. 

Anointing each person with holy oil, and even kissing some on the cheek, Pope Francis confirmed the group of people ranging in age from 11 to 55 then silenced the crowd with his ensuing words. 

Emily’s father, Paul Mulcahy was taken back by the experience for his daughter and said,  “This was a very emotional moment, overwhelming in fact..There was a huge crowd here but when Pope Francis began to speak, you could hear a pin drop. I would have loved to understand what the Pope was saying and I look forward to reading the translation tonight.” 

Speaking in Italian, Pope Francis preached,  “You see, the new things of God are not like the novelties of this world, all of which are temporary; they come and go, and we keep looking for more. The new things which God gives to our lives are lasting, not only in the future when we will be with him, but today as well.”

The Pope went on to enthuse, “How beautiful it would be if each of you every evening could say: Today at school, at home, at work, guided by God, I showed a sign of love towards one of my friends, my parents, an older person! How beautiful.”

On a sadder note, Pope Francis then took the time to address the horrible tragedy in Bangladesh where a clothes factory crashed to the ground killing hundreds with hundreds more still missing.  

He said, “Let me express my profound solidarity with those families who are grieving for their loved ones and from the bottom of my heart I most strongly urge that the dignity and safety of workers be always safeguarded.”