KILMORE DIOCESE CELEBRATES THE WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES AND THE VISIT OF POPE FRANCIS
An Opening Ceremony for the World Meeting of Families 2018 will take place simultaneously across all 26 dioceses of Ireland on the evening of Tuesday 21 August, with the lead ceremony taking place in Dublin.
The ceremony for the Diocese of Kilmore will take place at 7:30p.m. that evening in St. Ninnidh’s Church, Derrylin, Co. Fermanagh, in the parish of Knockninny, and will take the form of a special Evening Prayer of the Church with hymns, psalms, readings, a litany and prayers of intercession.
Bishop Leo O’Reilly of Kilmore will preside at the ceremony and address the congregation.
Commenting on the ceremony, Fr. Ultan McGoohan, the Diocesan Director of Pastoral Services, said that “the diocesan celebration will gather the local Church in Kilmore as a family of families, and set us on the path of celebration for the entire World Meeting of Families that will culminate with the closing Papal Mass on the following Sunday.”
“All are welcome to the special evening prayer”, he continued, “and it is hoped that families chosen to represent every parish at the Festival of Families in Croke Park on Saturday 25 August will attend along with the five couples from across the diocese who will attend a special event for recently-married or engaged couples in Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral earlier that afternoon.”
He concluded by saying that “all parishes across the country have been asked to make arrangements for the church bells in their churches to be rung on the same evening from 7:00p.m. to mark the official beginning of the World Meeting of Families. It is hoped that as many of the church bells as possible across the diocese will be rung to herald the beginning of this unique event in the life of the Irish and the Universal Church.”
The combined choirs of St. Ninnidh’s Church in Derrylin and St. Mary’s Church in Teemore – both in the parish of Knockninny – will lead the singing with Fr. Charlie O’Gorman, Diocesan Director of Liturgical Music, as conductor and organist.
Members of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann from the locality will provide music before and after the event. A commemorative tree will be planted in the grounds of St. Ninnidh’s Church to mark the occasion. Refreshments will be served afterwards in St. Ninnidh’s Primary School, adjacent to the church.
Those unable to attend this special Evening Prayer celebration will be able to view it online as it will be live-streamed on www.mcnmedia.tv/camera/st-ninnidhs-church-derrylin/
The Diocese of Kilmore will play its own part during the World Meeting of Families itself with many people having volunteered to help out during the Pastoral Congress which takes place in Dublin’s RDS from Wednesday 22 to Friday 24 August 2018. Thursday 23 August 2018 has been designated as the diocesan day at the Pastoral Congress. Approximately 80 young people from across the diocese have been trained to act as Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion during the Papal Mass in the Phoenix Park on Sunday 26 August 2018 and around 40 people will be part of the choir at that Mass. Five couples from the diocese will also take part in a special ceremony with Pope Francis for recently-engaged and newly-married couples which will take place in St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Dublin on the Saturday afternoon.
