Holycross Novena will close this evening after the 9:30pm session

Today is the final day of the Holycross Novena in Honour of Our Lady of Perpetual Help with all religious objects being blessed as part of the ceremonies.

The Novena continued this morning at 7:00 am and 10:30am, while this afternoon's session at 4:30pm is expected to be packed to capacity, as will the very popular 7:30pm session, and the final session of the 2019 Novena at 9:30pm, after which the historic Abbey will fall silent .... for a short while at least.

Saturday's Anointing of the Sick ceremony was packed out in both the Abbey and the marquee as people came in search of healing - physical, mental and spiritual. And this beautiful ceremony was followed on Sunday by the Blessing of Infants which is always one of the most memorable ceremonies when parents, grandparents and guardians present their children at the Abbey for a special blessing.

This years Novena has been blessed with great weather and this has certainly made for great ease of access and egress to and from the Abbey and its surrounds. The car parks, which have been faithfully manned by attendants at all sessions, have held up really well and are being used extensively by pilgrims.

The final day of the Novena will see thousands in attendance once again

The Novena is a mammoth task each year and the many teams of helpers, led by Parish Priest, Rev Fr Celsus Tierney, will breathe a sigh of relief this evening when the final session comes to a close - relief that is, that everything has gone so smoothly and that so many have received many graces and blessings thanks to their attendance in such numbers. Organisers have been buoyed by the sheer numbers which continue to come year after year to celebrate the Novena; bring their prayers and petitions before the Altar; and help to create the unique atmosphere for which the Holycross Novena is renowned. Music, song and prayer combined makes for a very powerful demonstration of the faith and the Abbey and marquee have hosted those celebrations for nine days straight now.

The theme of Hope has been explored in many guises throughout the course of the Novena with prayer for vocations being particularly pertinent at this time in the Church - the vocations icon has been present in the Abbey over the course of the Novena and visitors have been asked to pray particularly for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

There is still time for you to get to a session of the Novena today. The doors of Holycross Abbey have been thrown open to everyone over the course of the festival of faith and whether you have completed the nine days, a few of the days, or if today should be your first and only day in attendance, you will be more than welcome.