News

Friday 13th February 2026

Today Bishop Denis Nulty, Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin and President of Accord clg, blessed the engagement ring of an engaged couple at the Shrine of Saint Valentine in the Carmelite Church on Whitefriar Street, Dublin, followed by the celebration of Mass.  The couple, Lauren Stewart and David Higgins, got engaged in early 2025 and are getting married in April in the Church of the Most Holy Rosary, Abbeyleix, Co Laois.
 
About the couple
Lauren is a renewable energy consultant originally from Carlow, now living in Dublin, and David is an economist and writer from Knocklyon parish, Dublin.  The couple commented, “We were impressed by the Accord Marriage Preparation Programme as it brought us closer together and deepened our understanding of each other.  The course is practical and is delivered over a twenty-four hour period.  It moves fast and it prompts you to consider aspects of your relationship you may have overlooked.”
 
Bishop Nulty congratulated Lauren and David on their engagement and extended his warm good wishes for a long happy life together.  He also welcomed the increase in the number of couples attending Accord’s Marriage Preparation Programmes in 2025 and expressed his gratitude to all the Accord volunteer facilitators in each of the dioceses in Ireland who made this possible.  He also noted the positive findings of the research carried out by Amárach in the percentage of young people identifying as Catholic and their future intentions to marry in Church.  “The Church” he said “is at the service of its community at all times.  It is encouraging to see the strength of faith present in today’s society and I encourage all couples to consider the various ways they can celebrate their lifelong commitment to each other by choosing to celebrate the sacrament of marriage in a Church.” 

Bishop Nulty continued, “Like all sacraments, the sacrament of marriage is a sign of God’s grace being active in people’s lives.  The sacrament of matrimony was initiated by Christ himself at Cana when he turned water into an abundance of fine wine.
 
“A mature faith is an understanding of God’s presence in our daily lived experience.  Christ said, ‘I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.’  Living out the life long sacrament of marriage and raising a family together is a worthy vocation and a practical living out of Christ’s commandment to “love one another as I have loved you.”