Rector and parish administrator of St Joseph’s in Dundalk, Fr Noel Kehoe CSsR, described the new initiative as “an exciting new tool in our mission to preach plentiful redemption.”

“During the Novena, we are not just praying for ourselves, but for the entire community,”

“It’s a big undertaking, but people have always been very generous to us” – Fr Seamus Enright CSsR

A Holy Door of Mercy will be opened in Mount St Alphonsus for the nine days of the Novena.

Jubilee pilgrimage will begin in Limerick on the evening of 4 April 2016 and the icon will then travel to every cathedral in the Irish Church's 26 dioceses.

Appeal on behalf of Limerick's poorest began 33 years ago and more than 6,000 hampers were donated across the city and county last Christmas.

Fr Vincent Kavanagh CSsR built up the Annual Novena to Our Lady to the point where more 10,000 people a day were attending Limerick’s ‘festival of faith’ over seven days.