RTE to broadcast 'Reek Sunday' Mass

Tomorrow Sunday the annual 'Reek Sunday' Mass on the summit of Croagh Patrick will televised for the first time.
The 11 am Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Michael Neary of Tuam, will be relayed live by RTÉ.

The broadcast, presented by RTE's Nuala Carey, will begin at 10.45 a.m.

Three cameras and equipment are being airlifted to the tiny church on the mountain peak and two miles of cables are being lain over rough terrain down the side of the 2,510-foot mountain to broadcast vans at the base.
The usual Mass schedule for the day has been altered to facilitate the broadcast. Masses will now be celebrated every half hour between 8am and 10am. The televised Mass is at 11am. There will be Masses again every half-hour between 12 noon and 2pm.
Musicians, including accordion player Brendan Begley and a choir made up of local groups, will provide music during the celebration.
Petitions sent to the presbytery in Westport will be included in the 11am Mass and burned afterwards.
In keeping with this specially dedicated Year of Vocation for the Catholic Church in Ireland, the theme for the 2008 Croagh Patrick pilgrimage is 'Vocation'.
A dedicated stand providing information on vocations and on the archdiocese of Tuam is being set up at the foot of the mountain and will be staffed by members of the archdiocese's vocations team and seminarians.
30,000 pilgrims are expected to undertake the traditional trek up the holy mountain at the weekend.
To open the traditional Reek pilgrimage, Archbishop Neary will celebrate Mass at St Mary's Church, Westport on Saturday evening and start the pilgrimage climb from the car park in the village of Murrisk at 7 am on Sunday.
Legend holds that St Patrick spent 40 days and nights fasting on the summit in 441 AD, following the examples of Christ and Moses.
This pilgrimage has been carried out uninterrupted for over 1500 years.
Mayo Mountain Rescue, the Order of Malta and the Civil Defence, will be on standby for the duration of the pilgrimage to cope with any pilgrims getting injured or falling ill.
Intending climbers have been warned to come prepared for cool weather conditions, bring suitable warm and waterproof clothing, good footwear, a walking stick or staff and water and to be mindful of the safety of themselves and other pilgrims.

Source: Catholic Ireland

Eucharistic Congress Coming To Ireland

Pope Benedict has announced that Dublin will host the next Eucharistic Congress in 2012.
The Pontiff made the announcement during a televised address beamed from Rome to thousands of pilgrims attending the final mass of this year's congress in Quebec City in Canada.
The Dublin event will be the 50th congress. The event is staged every four years and was last held here in 1932.
Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin, welcomed the news, saying they were 'honoured and humbled' that Dublin had been chosen for the event.
'We are deeply conscious that 2012 also marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council.' they said in a statement.
'The purpose of the Congress is to deepen our knowledge of the Eucharist which in itself is central to our Catholic faith.' the statement continued.
'Over the next four years, parishes are invited to suggest how best to celebrate the 2012 Congress the statement added.The first International Eucharistic Congress was held in France in 1881 where gathered 300 people at the head of Eucharistic movements in European countries.
The event now attracts some 15,000 pilgrims for a week of celebrations, adoration, catechesis, cultural events, fraternal gatherings, and commitments to aid the poor.

Source: RTE