The President, Mrs McAleese, attended Good Friday services at St Peter's Church in Phibsborough, Dublin, yesterday afternoon. Afterward, the congregation presented her with three pictures reflecting the life of St Vincent.
Arriving at the church accompanied by her husband and son, Mrs McAleese was greeted by the parish priest, Father Sean Farrell, and was led to a seat in the front pew. The President presented the second reading, a selection from Letter to the Hebrews.
Tomorrow at 6 a.m. Easter morning ecumenical sunrise services will take place at Howth Summit and Killiney Hill, when local churches will worship together. In Howth, breakfast will be provided afterwards at Scoil Mhuire, while in Killiney breakfast will be in the Carry Hall at Holy Trinity Church.
Easter Sunday Mass in the ProCathedral will be celebrated by the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Desmond Connell, beginning at 11 a.m. Mozart's Coronation Mass KV.317 with motets by Aichinger and Rutter will be sung by the Palestrina Choir with the Pro-Cathedral Orchestral Players.
Guest soloists will be Rosemary Collier, Victoria Massey, John Curran and Padraig MacCrystal.
The Easter Day Sung Eucharist at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, will begin at 11 a.m. The address will be given by the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Walton Empey. Festal Evensong is at 3.30 p.m. at St Patrick's Cathedral where there will be a Holy Eucharist at 8.30 a.m. with a Festival Eucharist at 11.15 a.m. The address will be given by the Rev Dr H. O'Driscoll.
Festal Evensong at St Patrick's begins at 3.15 p.m.
The first televised Mass from Glendalough will be broadcast internationally, via Eurovision, by RTE tomorrow morning. It can be seen on RTE1 television from 10 a.m.
The celebrant will be Father Sean O'Toole, parish priest of Glendalough, while the homily will be delivered by Father Martin Clarke, communications officer for the Irish Bishops' Conference.