Bell of Eucharistic Congress to visit
TOUR OF DIOCESE AHEAD OF CONGRESS
The Eucharistic Congres Bell, which will be touring the diocese.
THE BELL will soon be tolling for Catholic parishioners in the Diocese of Ferns.
The Eucharistic Congress Bell will be taken on a pilgrimage around the diocese from next week.
The bell, which originated in a monastery in Northern Ireland, will herald the staging of the International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin next June.
The last time the Congress was held in Ireland was 80 years ago in 1932.
The symbolic bell, which rings out a call to prayer, began its pilgrimage around Ireland on St Patrick's Day last year.
Ferns is the last diocese to receive it. The bell will visit the following venues, arriving at 2 p.m. each day:
Thursday, January 19, Church of St Mary and St. Michael, New Ross. Friday, January 20, Carmelite Monastery, New Ross. Saturday, January 21, Church of All Saints, Templetown. Sunday, January 22, Church of Assumption, Our Lady's Island. Monday, January 23, Church of Assumption, Bride Street, Wexford. Tuesday, January 24, Church of the Annunciation, Clonard. Wednesday, January 25, St Aidan's Cathedral, Enniscorthy. Thursday, January 26, St Senan's Church, Enniscorthy. Friday, January 27, St Aidan's Monastery, Ferns. Saturday, January 28, Church of St Michael, Gorey. Sunday, January 29, Church of St Bridget, Annacurra.
Ceremonies will be held in all of the participating churches and people will be invited to ring the bell.
It is being rung throughout the country to promote awareness of the 50th International Eucharistic Congress, taking place with a week of ceremonies at the RDS and Croke Park from June 10 to 17.
Fr Jim Fegan, Eucharistic Delegate for the Diocese of Ferns, said the bell is a call to parisioners to prepare for this major event and to renew their faith.
He encouraged people in every parish in the diocese to go and hear the bell in the church nearest to them.
- MARIA PEPPER
