All faiths urged to commemorate Pope
Organisers of the Sunset Remembrance service for Pope John Paul II tonight called on people of all faiths to join the commemoration.
With thousands of worshippers expected to attend religious services around the country in honour of the Pope, Fr Pat O’Donoghue said all denominations had a role to play in remembering the Pontiff.
“The idea is to give people the opportunity to gather at a place of significance. It is going to be a reflection of the different places that he visited,” he said. “It’s very, very clear we want to extend a welcome to everyone.”
Fr O’Donoghue, director of music for the Dublin archdiocese and co-ordinator of the service, said the chair Pope John Paul II sat on during the 1979 Phoenix Park Mass would form the centrepiece of the service.
“The whole idea was that the chair used by the Pope himself during that Mass is empty,” he said. “It’s another way for us to remember him.”
Messages of hope and prayers offered by the Pontiff on his journey around Ireland will also be broadcast to the thousands who attend.
It is also hoped John Michael Talbot, a Franciscan monk and singer, will be able to perform at the service.
The Diocese of Dublin has invited all parishes in the country to toll their church bells for two minutes, from 8.58am until 9.00am tomorrow as a mark of respect for the Pontiff.
The Sunset Remembrance for John Paul will begin at around 6.30pm at the Papal Cross in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.
The ceremony, to be broadcast on big screens to more than 10,000 worshippers in the park, was organised at the request of the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr. Diarmuid Martin.
Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin Eamonn Walsh will lead mourners in prayer as the service, due to end at 7.15pm, is broadcast live on RTE.
Songs and prayers will commemorate the life of the Pope, along with music from the Army Number 1 Band, Liam Lawton, Bernadette Greevy and the Dublin Diocesan Music group.
RTE’s Joe Duffy will reflect on his memories of the Papal visit to Galway more than a quarter of a century ago.
The giant Papal cross, the scene of the Pope’s historic Mass to the millions in 1979, has been repainted for the service. A nearby car park and roads leading to the area have been improved for the thousands of expected mourners.
A special stage area has been constructed and three television will relay the events to the thousands in the park.
A spokesman for the Office of Public Works advised people to wrap up warm for the evening and warned that access to the park would be restricted from mid afternoon.
Buses will run from Georges Quay and Tara Street to the park while the Gardaí have put in place a traffic management plan for the area.
Buses, drivers with disabled car passes and private coaches will be allowed access to the park at all times. Disabled parking will be available at the visitors’ centre car park, the Polo Grounds and the Ashtown Gate area.
