Cardinal Seán Brady was welcomed back to the Co Cavan community where he was born and grew up yesterday. Since he became archbishop of Armagh 12 years ago, he has gone home every year on St Stephen's Day and celebrated Mass for his family and neighbours.
St Patrick's Church at Carrickallen, in the parish of Laragh, was full of neighbours and friends.
When the newly elevated cardinal entered the sanctuary, he knelt and prayed at the font where he was baptised on August 17th, 1939. He was joined by the oldest man in the community, Michael Boylan (90), who was baptised on January 5th, 1917 and the youngest child, Hannah Louise Magee, who was baptised on June 24th, 2007.
Cardinal Brady then unveiled a calligraphic scroll commemorating his baptism and giving details of the major steps he took during his life until his elevation to the College of Cardinals on November 24th, 2007.
The scroll was designed by Fr Enda Murphy and Fr Gerry Comiskey, who both come from the cardinal's native diocese of Kilmore. It was created by Charlie Easterfield, an artist who lives near Dromahair, Co Leitrim. The scroll begins with the words "Children of the water, birth in this stream is birth to holiness", taken from the fifth-century inscription on the baptistry walls of St John Lateran in Rome.
Cardinal Brady was ordained as a priest in St John Lateran Basicilica on February 22nd, 1964. The scroll has an illustration of Dr Brady's coat of arms with the motto "Jesum Christum Cognoscere" ("to know Jesus Christ"), inspired by the words of St John's Gospel: "Eternal Life is this: to know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you sent."