Almost 500 pupils from more than 20 schools in the Diocese of Cork and Ross participated in Maranatha 2025 at Cork City Hall last Thursday night.
The concert is the first for the diocese of what will become an annual music and faith-based day for post-primary school students across the city and county.
The event was created to bring young people together to celebrate faith and identity through music and have fun at the same time with students gathering for a full day of activities before the Maranatha 2025 concert in the evening.
An engaging workshop took place in the morning that touched on the fundamentals of faith and how they are loved by God. A full musical rehearsal followed in City Hall in the afternoon, before the evening concert which was open to the general public.
The students on the Cork City Hall stage enjoyed numerous standing ovations throughout the night’s performance from the audience.
Addressing the young people and the hundreds of attendees from across the diocese in the audience, Bishop Fintan Gavin thanked everyone who made it possible and said Maranatha’s purpose was focused on an important question for all young people.
“The biggest question all of us face in our life is about our identity: Who am I? In a sense, our whole life is trying to work out who we are,” he said. “If there’s anything I want you to hear this evening coming out of Maranatha it is this: you are the beloved daughter and son of God. You are loved by God!”
