Derry-born singer Dana Rosemary Scallon has been conferred with a Papal honour, in recognition of her service to the Catholic Church.
Dana was formally made a Dame of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great at a ceremony in Baile Chláir, Co Galway, this evening.
Fewer than 100 other Irish people have been similarly honoured, with Dana becoming only the fourteenth Dame to be conferred in Ireland.
Speaking to Gript ahead of the ceremony, Dana said she felt honoured to receive the honour and had chosen to receive the Damehood, given by Pope Francis, surrounded by her family in county Galway.
The Papal order of Saint Gregory was established in 1831 by Pope Gregory XVI, and is bestowed in recognition of a person’s exceptional service to the Catholic faith and the Catholic church.
“I feel honoured to receive this and I share it with so many wonderful people who have inspired and supported me in my life.
“I wanted to receive it surrounded by my husband and children, family and friends and my parish family of Claregalway.
“I’m very grateful to our Bishop Michael Duignan and our parish priest Fr Ian O’Neil, for making this possible.
“I’m told there are very few women who have received this honour and again, I accept it and share it with the incredible women who have inspired me in my life, beginning with my own mother. She would have enjoyed this investiture so much.”
Bishop of Galway and Clonfert Michael Duignan, was the chief celebrant at Thursday evening’s mass, during which he conferred the honour, which is conferred following a detailed nomination process.
During his homily, Bishop Duigan said that on bestowing the honour on Dana, the Holy Father Pope Francis had recognised the entertainer’s “lifetime of faith-filled service” in her “tireless work to promote Catholic faith, and Catholic values.”
“Like Saint Brendan, Dana, you too have discovered that pearl of great price, and you too have given everything in pursuit of its possession. Over decades now, you have tirelessly held up the Christian faith as a sure wisdom for the journey of life. An unquenchable light in the many darknesses that life brings, and a beacon of hope for the future.
Speaking on the Feast Day of Saint Brendan of Clonfert, one of the twelve apostles of Ireland, he continued: “To be a Dame, or to be a Knight, requires the bravery, the stamina, of Brendan, when it comes to the life of faith.
“It requires being out front, leading the way. Finding new paths, new ways, new faith-filled adventures. The investiture of a new Dame or a new Knight reminds us all of our profound calling as Christians not only to welcome the gospel message into our own hearts and our own lives, but also to move out, to share it with those around us. To share it with our families, our friends, our work companions, our community, our fellow country men and women.
The Bishop of Galway and Clonfert referred to an Ireland “which tends to relegate the life of faith to the margins of life, and would often prefer if it was not spoken of at all,” adding that in such a climate, being a Christian witness “is no easy task.”
“We run the risk of being misunderstood, pigeon-holed, laughed at, and even ignored,” he said. “However, Christianity was never for the faint-hearted.”
He called on believers to be not only gentle and respectful, but also to be brave in sharing the “joy of faith” and “the wisdom of the gospel.”
He thanked Dana on behalf of the Christian community in Ireland, for her faith and her witness, as he congratulated her on receiving the important recognition, praying God’s blessing on the 72-year-old and her husband, Damien, and their family.