Parishes in the Archdiocese of Dublin are preparing for one of the busiest weekends in the Church year with hundreds of Holy Week and Easter ceremonies taking place in the coming days.
Tomorrow morning in St. Mary’s Pro Cathedral, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin will celebrate Holy Thursday Mass of Chrism with priests and lay representatives from each of the Diocese’s 199 parishes at 10.00am. During the Mass, priests of the Archdiocese will renew their vows of service and Holy Oils used in Sacraments for the coming year will be blessed. The Palestrina Choir will participate under the direction of Ms Blánaid Murphy. At 6.00pm tomorrow evening, Archbishop Martin will be in the Pro-Cathedral to celebrate Solemn Mass of the Lord’s Supper with the Service Washing of the Feet. This will be followed at 7.30pm by the Liturgy of the Hours, Night Prayer, with the Lamentations of Jeremiah (Tallis) sung by the Gentlemen of The Palestrina Choir.
In the Parish of Maynooth, Holy Thursday Morning prayer is at 10.00am while at 5.00pm, Children’s Celebration of the Lord’s Supper takes place. Music will be led by the Family Mass Choir, organised by the Do This in Memory Team which is helping children preparing for Holy Communion this year. Similar services take place tomorrow in each Dublin parish. In the Church of the Sacred heart in Donnybrook ‘Watch and Pray’ takes place on Holy Thursday, at 9.00pm. Mirror of Pain, is a musical composition for the organ by Hendrik Andriessen of Five Poems, by the Belgian Poet, Henri Gheon. The poems describe the sufferings of Jesus Christ, as seen through the eyes of Mary his Mother. The parish organist, Michael Quinn and Soprano, Pauline Graham, will present.
On Good Friday, one of the largest gatherings of people over the weekend will be in Dublin’s Phoenix Park for The Way of the Cross. Beginning at 12.00 noon at the Wellington Monument the procession will continue onto the Papal Cross, led by Archbishop Martin.
On Good Friday evening in the centre of Dublin city, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and Archbishop Michael Jackson of the Church of Ireland will once again lead a silent procession carrying the Cross of Taizé from Christchurch to the Pro-Cathedral. This ecumenical walk of witness begins in Christchurch at 7.15pm with a moment of prayer. Both Archbishops then carry the cross though the city centre streets to the Pro-Cathedral for Prayer around the Cross.
Earlier on Good Friday in the Pro Cathedral, morning prayer begins at 11.00am. At 12.00 noon the Stations of the Cross led by Canon Damian O’Reilly, accompanied with Pro-Cathedral Girls’ Choir. The Celebration of the Lord’s Passion takes place at 3.00pm. In Glasnevin Parish an outdoor Ecumenical Way of the Cross begins 12.00 noon on Good Friday (meeting at St Mobhi Church). Kilmacud Parish has Stations of the Cross at 12.00 noon and the Solemn Celebration of Our Lord’s Passion at 3.00pm. Ecumenical Stations of the Cross start at St. Brigid’s Church of Ireland Church, Stillorgan at 7.00pm, walking to Mount Merrion Church, praying the Stations along the way, arriving for Prayer around the Cross.
On Good Friday in Donnybrook Parish the Seven Last Words of Jesus begins at 7.30pm. Presented by parish organist Michael Quinn, this is a musical reflection on the Passion and Death of Jesus, which interweaves Scripture Readings of the Seven Last Words with reflections and a seven-movement suite for solo organ by Alan Ridout. Each organ piece is a short musical response to the Scripture text.
On Easter Sunday morning, St. Fintan’s parish in Sutton will celebrate an Easter Sunrise Ecumenical Prayer Service Howth Summit. People are invited to assemble in the car park at 6.15am and breakfast will be served afterwards in St. Fintan’s Pastoral Centre. The parishes of Bray also have a 6.00am Ecumenical Prayer Service on Bray Head on Easter Sunday, assembling beforehand in the car park of Our Lady Queen of Peace, Putland Road. In Maynooth Parish on Easter Sunday, parishioners will meet at The Harbour, Maynooth at 6 am to await in prayer the rising of the sun. Music for the early Morning Prayer service will be led by the Chuch Folk Group.
A comprehensive listing of Holy week and Easter Liturgies is currently available on the Diocesan website at www.dublindiocese.ie ENDS
- Further details Annette O Donnell, Director of Communications, Archdiocese of Dublin – 01 8360723
- Photographs will be available on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday from John Mc Elroy Photos on 087 2416985
