The Irish Bishops’ Conference is celebrating the 1979 visit of Pope John Paul II with 
two national events and in addition, these national events will be complemented with a
triduum of celebrations corresponding to the visit dates 25 years ago.  The events are:
* Clonmacnoise on Sunday 19th September; and, 
* “Mission Alive” in Cork on Sunday October 3rd;
* Three days of celebrations around Ireland.

Clonmacnoise will involve celebration of Mass by the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of 
All Ireland Dr Seán Brady.  Every diocese has been invited to send representatives.  It 
was agreed that this event would be part-pilgrimage, with attendees encouraged to walk 
to the monastic site from designated points near the site.  

The Cork celebration will start in Holy Spirit Church, Dennehy’s Cross, in Cork city on 
Sunday October 3rd and will initiate “Mission Alive” week.  The celebration of a televised 
Mass by Archbishop of Bulawayo Pius Ncube from the Republic of Zimbabwe will open “Mission 
Alive” week.  In keeping with the missionary theme, this event will emphasise that over 
the last 25 years, the Pope has been the missionary par excellence.  The theme of the Mass 
is “Proclaim the Message”.

“Mission Alive” will be held in the GAA Sports Centre in Bishopstown Co Cork from 3rd to 
6th October involving photo stands telling story of contemporary mission.  Over the three 
days schools, parish communities in the south will attend this interactive exhibition. 

The triduum of celebrations around Ireland will involve:
* September 29th Wednesday: Masses to be celebrated in diocesan cathedrals around Ireland;
* September 30th Thursday: Sung Evening Prayer of the Church in Maynooth College, 
dedicated to priests and religious.  
* October 1st Friday: Parish Masses, with possible themes focusing on the sick and/or the missions.

Clonmacnois - September 19th 2004
The Diocese of Ardagh & Clonmacnois will host the commemoration on the occasion of the 
annual “Pattern” (traditional Pilgrimage) of St. Ciarán who was the founder of this once 
important monastery.  Although Pope John Paul II came to Ireland in 1979 for the centenary 
of the Knock Apparition, it was his visit to Clonmacnois that clearly fascinated him. 

The principal celebrant and preacher will be Dr Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and 
Primate of All Ireland.  Also in attendance will be the local bishop and Bishop of 
Ardagh and Clonmacnois, Dr Colm O’Reilly, the Bishop of Cloyne Dr John Magee and the 
Bishop of Meath Dr Michael Smith.  The latter two bishops played key roles in organizing 
the Papal Visit of 1979. 

Pilgrims from all over Ireland will gather at Clonmacnois for this occasion.  The ceremony 
will include the traditional pilgrimage prayers around the monastic ground, combined with 
short extracts from Papal addresses during the 1979 visit.  Monks from Glenstal Abbey along 
with local choirs will assist the celebration.

“Mission Alive”
Holy Spirit Church, Dennehy’s Cross, Cork City - October 3rd 2004
“Mission Alive” has been in existence since Jubilee 2000.  Previously Mission Sunday 
consisted solely of a fund raising collection.  “Mission Alive” however, as a Catholic 
Church awareness raising initiative, is broader than this.  It focuses on our understating 
of mission and looks at the changing face of missions.

Now each year a different venue around Ireland is chosen.
-	“Mission Alive” will start with the celebration of Mass by Archbishop of 
Bulawayo Pius Ncube from the Republic of Zimbabwe, on Sunday October 3rd.  Mass will 
be televised on RTÉ 1 and takes place in the Holy Spirit Church, Dennehy’s Cross, in 
Cork city at 11:05 am.  In keeping with the missionary theme, this event emphasises 
that, over the last 25 years, the Pope has been the missionary par excellence.  The 
theme of this Mass is “Proclaim the Message”;
-	“Mission Alive” festival will be held in the GAA Sports Centre in Bishopstown 
Co Cork from Sunday October 3rd to the 6th October.  It involves photo stands telling 
the story of contemporary mission.  Over the three days schools and parish communities 
will attend this interactive exhibition;
-	throughout the whole country “Mission Alive” focuses on the theme of mission;
-	“Mission Alive” in 2004 is supporting the ‘Day for Life’ which has also been 
designated for October 3rd.  This year’s ‘Day for Life’ involves the publication of a 
pastoral letter on suicide issued by the Irish Bishops’ Conference.  This year’s Day 
for Life theme provides the opportunity to highlight the Holy Father’s teachings on 
the sacredness of human life. 

Triduum of Events – 29th , 30th September and 1st October
Corresponding to the actual dates of the Pope’s 1979 visit to Ireland, the Irish Bishops’ 
Conference has organised the following triduum (three days) of events:

* September 29th 2004
Masses to be celebrated by bishops in diocesan cathedrals around Ireland;
* September 30th 2004
Also as part of the Irish Bishops’ Conference silver jubilee celebrations of the
1979 visit to Ireland by Pope John Paul II, an Evening Prayer of the Church will 
ake place in the College Chapel in St Patrick’s College, Maynooth at 7:30pm on 
Thursday September 30th 2004.  This celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours/Evening 
Prayer of the Church will be sung by the College Choir and presided over by the 
Apostolic Nuncio His Excellency Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto.  It will be attended 
by seminarians, priests, vocations directors, leaders of sisters, brothers and religious 
communities in Ireland and lay students from the university.  Part of the event 
will be broadcast on RTÉ television.
* October 1st 2004
Parish Masses, with themes addressing the sanctity of human life, the sick and the missions.

Audio versions of 1979 papal homilies - www.catholiccommunications.ie

From Sunday September 27th, the following homilies and speech by Pope John Paul II will 
be available on the Catholic Communications Office website www.catholicommunications.ie 
as audio download files:
* Homily by the Holy Father at Mass in the Phoenix Park on September 29th, 1979;
* Homily by the Holy Father at the Mass in Drogheda on September 29th, 1979;
* Homily of Holy Father at Mass for Youth in Galway on September 30th, 1979;
* Homily of Holy Father in Knock on September 30th, 1979;
* Speech by Holy Father to seminarians in Maynooth on October 1st, 1979;
* Homily by Holy Father in Limerick on October 1st, 1979.

ends
September 2004