Carry the Good Friday Cross together in a show of unity in Dublin
The Catholic and Church of Ireland archbishops of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin and Dr Michael Jackson, made history last night when they led up to 500 people through the streets of the capital to celebrate Good Friday.
FOR the first time in centuries the two archbishops of Dublin led a procession of the faithful through the streets of the capital last night as part of an historic ecumenical walk to celebrate Good Friday.
Up to 500 worshippers — including both Catholics and Protestants — followed behind Catholic Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and Church of Ireland Archbishop Michael Jackson as both of them carried a wooden Taize cross at the front of the procession.
Faithful of all nationalities and ages — from teenagers to octogenarians — took part in the walk.
They first gathered at Christ Church Cathedral where prayers were said at the Church of Ireland landmark before they began the 2km trek down Dame Street and across O’Connell bridge.
The procession then continued along O’Connell street to St Mary’s Pro Cathedral.
Chinese as well as Irish — repetitively sang short hymns interspersed with periods of silence in the tradition of the Taize service which originated in a French monastery in the village of Taize, France.
The silent inter-faith procession was devised by both Archbishops in order to encourage greater unity between faiths.
“They hope that people of both traditions will come together to pray and produce a visible sign of the churches’ work together in the wider community,” said a spokesman for the Catholic Church.
“The Good Friday Procession between Christ Church Cathedral and St Mary’s Pro Cathedral holds together a common Christian witness to the love of God in the depth of suffering and loss,” Archbishop Jackson said.
“It shares with the citizens of Dublin the conviction which both Archbishop Martin and I hold, that what unites us in Christ is more significant and transformative than whatever divides us.”
Church of Ireland organiser Greg Fromholz said he was delighted with the turnout.
“We expected about 40 people and we have closer to 400,”
Significant
“It’s really exciting that people are still interested in celebrating Easter,” he said.
But even more significant was the fact that worshippers from both the Catholic and Protestant faiths took part in the event together, he said.
“The word ecumenical actually means household,” he said.
“But the dysfunctional household in Ireland tonight has found common ground and it shows a lot of hope,” he said.
“This certainly is historical and symbolic.”
Fr Kevin Doran (59), a priest at the St Vincent de Paul church in Marino, north Dublin, said he was also encouraged by the numbers.
“One of the things that is exciting for me is increasingly the Catholic Church and Church of Ireland are working together to bear witness to Jesus Christ,”he said.
“People overseas are surprised at this, given our history, that Catholics and Protestants would be praying together,” he said.
But Eleana Knock, a student from Germany attending Dublin City University, said such joint religious celebrations between faiths are common in her homeland.
“It’s really great,” she said.
“In Germany it’s a big thing that Catholics and Protestants do things together.”
Secondary student Eoin Gregg (15), from Clondalkin, said he was also happy to take part with other members of the Clondalkin Youth Service group from his local Catholic church.
Over 1,500 software jobs to be posted on new site
Enterprise Ireland to set up new website & advertise '1,500 jobs'
In Irish software firms on-line
Enterprise Ireland has confirmed it plans to set up a new website for its clients that will also allow jobseekers — home and abroad — to submit CVs over the internet.
An Enterprise Ireland spokesperson said there will be at least 1,500 opportunities in indigenous companies, which will include Dublin-based Realex Payments, Datalex and Version 1.
Details of the jobs will be posted on a revamped version of its jobs website ‘It’s Happening Here’, which will include a facility to search a jobs database.
The existing website has just 20 vacancies, including posts for a software engineer, project manager, technical support administrator, web developer and customer support staff.
The spokesman said this was because the technology for the new user-friendly site is still being trialled.
Last week, an Irish Independent trawl of the website revealed there were 350 jobs on offer, although it was unclear how many still existed because there were no closing dates.
However, these jobs have since been taken down and there were just 20 there yesterday. In addition, a search for IT jobs on major jobs websites including Irishjobs.ie showed there were around 800 vacancies in companies, including multinationals, last week.
This suggested claims by industry leaders and state officials that there were 2,500 vacancies in the ICT sector were over-optimistic.
Enterprise Ireland firms have particular problems attracting highly-skilled candidates because they do not have big recruitment budgets like the multinationals.
In addition, they are often based outside Dublin and may not be able to offer packages to match the rival ICT giants.
Professionals
News of the jobs comes as opportunities for highly-skilled staff in banking, insurance, legal services and sales rose by 18pc since last year.
The number of vacancies for professionals jumped to 27,020 in the first three months of the year, up from 22,900 in the same timeframe last year, according to recruitment consultants Morgan McKinley.
Its latest Irish Employment Monitor showed an increase of 9pc in the number of new professional job vacancies coming onto the market last month.
The survey covers jobs including accountants, risk managers, tax seniors, audit managers, business analysts, software developers, engineers, and sales managers.
Oestrogen has link to breast cancer in younger women 'A new study reveals'
A gene which reduces the risk of breast cancer in younger women by altering oestrogen levels has been identified for the first time, raising hope of more effective treatment.
At least 40 per cent of breast cancers are thought to be linked to high oestrogen levels but the connection has so far only been established in post-menopausal women.
Now researchers have for the first time identified a genetic mutation which is directly linked to lower oestrogen levels and reduced breast cancer risk in younger women.
The finding represents an “important step forward” in our understanding of how hormones and breast cancer are related and may ultimately help alter the way doctors monitor and treat the disease, researchers said.
Previous studies have been able to establish firm links between a variety of hormones and breast cancer in older but not younger women because hormone levels are easier to measure after the menopause.
Scientists from the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine studied hormone levels in the urine and blood of more than 700 premenopausal women while taking account of natural variations which occur due to the menstrual cycle.
They found that women with lower traces of oestrogen in their urine were significantly more likely to have a common genetic variant which is known to be linked to the way sex hormones are broken down.
Those who had the gene variant, which is shared by about 15 per cent of all women, had 22 per cent lower levels of oestrogen traces, suggesting the gene was breaking oestrogen down more efficiently.
Further tests on more than 25,000 people found that those who had the genetic mutation also had a slightly lower risk of developing breast cancer before their 51st birthday.
Dr Olivia Fletcher, who led the study, said: “This is the first time anyone has found a DNA change that is directly associated both with hormone levels and breast cancer risk in younger women.
“The aim of these studies we do is to identify subgroups of women who are at a high risk. This variant on its own is not going to be able to do that but if we find more like it we may be able to start to do that.”
Dr Julia Wilson, Head of Research at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, said: “This research is a crucial first step to understanding breast cancer in younger women and how we can more effectively treat it.
“The gene identified raises the prospect of doctors knowing not only what treatment a breast cancer patient needs, but also what dose, so more women can survive the disease.
Kate Law, director of clinical research at Cancer Research UK, added: “We know that hormone levels affect breast cancer risk in women who have been through the menopause, but this research shows they may also play a part in the disease in women under fifty.
“Finding this genetic link could help researchers improve the way we diagnose and treat breast cancer in younger women in the future.”
World Health Day celebrated with focus on healthy, and active ageing.
- World Health Day is Saturday, the World Health Organization’s birthday
- Its focus is on understanding the truths and challenges of an aging population
- By 2050, there will be 400 million people age 80 or older, WHO estimates
The World Health Organization celebrated its birthday last Saturday by focusing on aging, including a host of events, research and information under the theme, “Good health adds life to years.
Leaders and nonprofit organizations took to Twitter to mark World Health Day and toast the WHO, whose constitution was enacted April 7, 1948, to affirm its mission as the “directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system.” These groups included the Kenyan Red Cross, Grand Challenges Canada, the Cleveland Clinic and the International Diabetes Federation, among others.
The U.N. itself also chimed in, with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urging civic and private leaders to devote “attention and resources to ensuring that people everywhere have the chance to grow older in good health.”
That includes realizing the many ways older people contribute to society, as well as knowing what it will take to take care of them as they age. By 2050, the WHO estimates that there will be almost 400 million people age 80 and older — compared to about 14 million people in that age group around 1950.
“Older people make many valuable contributions to society — as family members, as active participants in the workforce and as volunteers within communities. The wisdom they have gained throughout their lives makes them a unique resource for society,” Ban said in a press release. “But more older people also means an increased demand on health care and social security systems.”
The WHO itself marked World Health Day with festivities at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
The organization’s campaign aims, in part, to challenge stereotypes about older people — like that they can’t take care of themselves, can’t work or play as well as others, and are no longer attractive.
The WHO said it is important that older people are engaged in their societies and in their health, and that citizens and governments are similarly committed. Having sound preparations and actions to address the aging population is not only a moral imperative, but also one that makes sense economically and politically, according to the agency.
“If we can ensure that people are living healthier as well as longer lives, the opportunities will be greater and the costs to society less,” WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in the foreword of the “Global Brief for World Health Day 2012.”
“This great demographic challenge of the first half of the 21st century therefore demands a public health response, and WHO has identified this as a priority.”
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