The Catholic primate of All-Ireland, Archbishop Seán Brady, will be principal celebrant at a Mass in Clonmacnoise next Sunday which will begin celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the visit of Pope John Paul to Ireland on September 29th, 30th, and October 1st 1979.
Sunday's Mass at Clonmacnoise, organised by the Irish Bishops' Conference, will include a special message to the people of Ireland from the Holy Father.
In attendance will be local bishop and Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, Dr Colm O'Reilly, the Bishop of Cloyne, Dr John Magee, and the Bishop of Meath, Dr Michael Smith. The latter two bishops played key roles in organising the 1979 papal visit.
Every Catholic diocese in Ireland has been invited to send representatives to Clonmacnoise. It has been agreed that Sunday's event will be part-pilgrimage, with people being encouraged to walk to the monastic site from designated points nearby.
The second major national event being planned by the bishops to mark the anniversary will be a Mass in the Holy Trinity Church, Cork city, on Sunday October 3rd.
It will also initiate "Mission Alive" week. It will be celebrated by the Archbishop of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Most Rev Pius Ncube.
In keeping with the missionary theme it will emphasise that over the past 25 years, Pope John Paul has been the missionary par excellence. It will be televised live on RTÉ at 11.05 a.m.
"Mission Alive" events will take place at the GAA Sports Centre in Bishopstown, Co Cork, from October 3rd to 6th, and will involve photo stands telling the story of contemporary mission. Over the three days, schools and parish communities will attend this interactive exhibition.
A triduum of celebrations around Ireland will take place over the days on which the actual visit took place.
On Wednesday, September 29th, Masses will be celebrated in the 26 diocesan cathedrals around Ireland.
On Thursday, September 30th, there will be Sung Evening Prayer at St Patrick's College, Maynooth. It will be dedicated to priests and religious members. On Friday, October 1st, parish Masses will take place throughout the island.
From September 27th, homilies and speeches delivered by Pope John Paul during the 1979 visit will be available on the Catholic Communications Office website (www.catholicommunications.ie).