Paul Ryan from Clogagh in Timoleague Parish was formally launched on the path to ordination as a deacon in a ceremony in Kinsale Parish Church recently
Bishop Fintan Gavin acknowledged Paul's suitability for ordination in the presence of Paul's wife Bríd, their daughter Anne and son Tomás, who was accompanied by his partner Emma Murphy from Newcestown.
Parishioners of Kinsale, among whom Paul has been engaged in pastoral work over the last while, prayed that Paul's path to ordination would be smooth, in a ceremony during the parish's 12 noon Mass on Pentecost Sunday, 19 May.
There are already three permanent deacons ministering in the Diocese of Cork and Ross.
Paul Ryan with family and clergy at Kinsale Church