Sixty singers from Cashel & Emly Diocese to perform at Papal Mass in the Phoenix Park

Sixty singers from throughout the Diocese of Cashel & Emly will be part of the choir that will sing at the Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in the Phoenix Park in Dublin this Sunday. 

They will be among hundreds of pilgrims from the county attending or participating in the ceremonies organised in Dublin and Knock this weekend for the Pope's visit to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families. 

Fr Liam Power of the Diocese of Waterford & Lismore, which covers a large area of South Tipperary, said nearly all parishes in the Diocese were running buses for parishoners attending the ceremonies and quite a number of lay people from throughout the Diocese will be volunteering at the various ceremonies and World Meeting of Families events. 

Fr Martin Hayes said 460 people from the Diocese of Cashel & Emly have been issued with tickets to attend the World Meeting of Families Festival in Croke Park on Saturday.  He hadn't figures for how many from the Diocese will be attending the Pastoral Congress in the RDS and the Pope's final Mass in the Phoenix Park on Sunday. 

As reported in The Nationalist last week,  the Pope will be greeted with a performance by a group of eight Comhaltas Ceoltoiri musicians from the Bru Boru Heritage Centre in Cashel when he arrives at Dublin Airport for his Irish visit. 

Twenty-five of the 60 strong group of singers from the Cashel & Emly Diocese who will be part of the massive Papal Mass Choir in the Phoenix Park will also sing with the Munster choirs at the Pastoral Congress Mass in the RDS on Friday. 

A group of 17 students from Scoil Mhuire Secondary School in Carrick-on-Suir will be among the large team of volunteers at the Papal Mass in the Phoenix Park.

 Their teacher Mary Greene, who will be one of 4000 Eucharistic ministers at the Mass, said the students will be assisting the Eucharistic ministers during the ceremony. 

"The girls are getting a unique opportunity to take part and experience a once in a life time event," Ms Greene told The Nationalist.

"The students will be accompanied by teachers Aisling Healy and Claire Doran when they travel to Dublin on Saturday. They will camp overnight in host schools, prior to travelling to the Phoenix Park," she added. 

Meanwhile, the Dioceses of Cashel & Emly and Waterford & Lismore will have stands at the Pastoral Congress in the RDS.  

Fr Hayes said the Cashel & Emly Diocesan stand will feature a video of all the churches in the Diocese, video excerpts from the Diocesan Family Fun day on April 29, a video presentation of prayer rituals at Cabragh Wetlands and Holycross Abbey as well as art work from primary schools, images of parish life submitted by parishes and a collage illustrating the purpose and achievements of the Diocese's organisations. 

A Diocesan Prayer Evening took place in the Cathedral of the Assumption in Thurles last night (Tuesday) in preparation for the World Meeting of Families.