By editor - 02 March, 2016
A special vigil within Lent will take place at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Mullingar next weekend as part of the Diocese of Meath’s 24 Hours of Mercy.
Priests will be available for confession throughout a special 24-hour period in Mullingar over 4-5 March to help celebrate the Year of Mercy.
The Cathedral will host “24 Hours of Mercy”, beginning on Friday 4 March at 10am.
There will be a Healing Mass on Friday evening at 7.30pm, as well as Mass in candlelight at 11pm and a Dawn Mass at 4am.
Children from the parish will join Mass at 10am while teenagers have been given a designated period for youth prayer before lunchtime on Friday.
At least one priest will be in the Cathedral every hour to hear confessions.
The event will also allow pilgrims to pass through the Cathedral’s Holy Door of Mercy, which provides a plenary indulgence for those who are properly disposed.
The 24 hour vigil is part of the Church’s Jubilee of Mercy, declared by Pope Francis. It concludes with Benediction on Saturday after 10am Mass.
St Eugene’s Cathedral in Derry will also open for 24 hours at the weekend marking a special period for the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
The vigil at St Eugene’s Cathedral will begin at 12 noon on Friday and continue until 12 noon on Sunday with prayers and adoration right through the night.
The church is especially looking for people to pray and be with the Lord during the night.
“It is in prayer that we encounter the Lord. Prayer is essential for life-long healing,” Bishop Donal McKeown said.
There are also a number of services taking place in churches across Derry diocese for Lent and for the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
24 Hours for the Lord will also take place in the Archdiocese of Armagh in St Malachy’s Church from 7pm on the Friday to 7am on Saturday and in St Patrick’s Cathedral from 7am – 7pm on Saturday.
The 24 hours will begin with Mass being celebrated by Archbishop Eamon Martin at 7pm in St Malachy’s Church on Friday evening and it will conclude with the 7pm Vigil Mass being celebrated in St Patrick’s Cathedral on Saturday evening.
During the 24 hours, there will be special times of prayer and reflection.
There will also be opportunities for Confessions during the 24 hours and people are encouraged to make a special effort in this season of Lent and in this Year of Mercy to celebrate the love and mercy of God.
