Big role for children in religious services

About 300 Catholics and Protestants are expected to gather for prayer at 11.20 a.m. today in Belfast's Ormeau Park. The event is organised by the Ballynafeigh Clergy Fellowship.

In Dublin at 11 a.m. today, in the Church of the Holy Family in Aughrim Street, the children of Stanhope Street Primary School will present a dramatisation of the Stations of the Cross.

At noon today in the Church of the Ascension, Balally, the Stations of the Cross will be presented by Queen of Angels National School pupils. "Prayer around the Cross" at 8 p.m. will be presented by students of St Tiernan's Community School.

In Ballymun there will be Stations of the Cross at 11 a.m. and noon, led by Bishop Jim Moriarty, Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin. A procession will pass through the streets of the three parishes in the area, starting at St Joseph's Church, Balcurris.

At 7.30 p.m. in Gardiner Street Church "Words from the Cross" will be performed by Donal Neary and students of the Mater Dei Institute.

At 9 p.m. in the Pro-Cathedral there will be "Prayer around the Cross", a meditation for young people.

In Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, there will be prayers at 11 a.m. Choral Evensong, with the "Proclamation of the Cross", is at 3.30 p.m.

A peace service will be held at the Unitarian Church, St Stephen's Green, at noon today.

In Belfast a three-hour service will be held at St Anne's Cathedral, beginning at noon.

In Rathdrum Parish Church, Co Wicklow, No Name Street, a Passion play, will be performed.

RTE Television is broadcasting this year's Holy Week and Easter ceremonies live from the Cathedral of Christ the King in Mullingar. On RTE1 at 3 p.m. the Passion Mass will be broadcast, with the Bishop of Meath, Dr Michael Smith, as celebrant. At 3 p.m. RTE Radio 1 will broadcast a service from the Church of Ireland chapel in Mountjoy, with prisoners taking part.