Derry hosting Eucharistic Procession on Sunday

Archbishop Eamon Martin and Bishop Dónal Mc Keown have invited pilgrims from all over Ireland to participate in a Eucharistic Procession in the city.

Derry’s Eucharistic Procession is one of many taking place internationally on Sunday, November 23, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Feast of Christ the King.

The Feast of Christ the King was instituted in 1925 by Pope Pius XI with his encyclical ‘Quas primas’ to crown the jubilee year.
Sunday’s procession will begin at 1.00pm, following 12.00pm Mass and Exposition in St Columba’s Church, Long Tower.

It will be led by Bishop McKeown, along with the Carmelite Friars, the Franciscan Friars, and members of Servant of God Sister Clare Crockett’s order - the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother.

Outside the Church, the Eucharistic Procession will make its way along Bishop Street Outer, Bishop Street Inner towards The Diamond, down Shipquay Street, and across the Embankment into the Quay.

Participants will then walk down the Quay to the first jetty, where Bishop McKeown and other members of the clergy will get into three boats, supplied by Foyle Search and Rescue.

The boats will travel to the Foyle Bridge, the Peace Bridge and Craigavon Bridge, before returning to the jetty, which will take approximately 50 minutes.

According to co-organiser Barry Mallett from the organisation Guardians of the Faith, the visiting of the three bridges will commemorate the three falls of Christ.

“The waters of the River Foyle will also be blessed in memory of all the people in Ireland who have died by suicide and for all the families affected by suicide and mental health.

“We will then come off the boats and process over to the Peace Bridge, in the centre of which Bishop Dónal will bless the four points of Ireland - north, south, east and west - and consecrate the waters of Ireland to St Columba, into Ebrington Square, where there will be prayers, choirs, music, and a final blessing by Bishop McKeown,” he added.

“We are inviting as many young people as possible to come along. They will all receive a pack to take home which will include Rosary Beads, a Miraculous Medal and Holy Oil.

“Guardians of the Faith have organised this event to highlight the Feast of Christ the King and to raise awareness of the more than 6,000 incidents in the River Foyle in the past 30 years, which is twice as much as The Troubles.

“We wanted to bless the waters to commemorate all of the souls that have died and all the families affected by suicide and to bring attention to the increase in suicide and poor mental health in the young people of Ireland and to bring the faith back to them. This is what Sunday is about.

“Prayer groups from across Ireland, including the Legion of Mary, St Vincent de Paul, the Flame of Love, are coming to Derry. We are expecting between 5,000 and 10,000 people. It is a day of real joy and celebration and it is also a day of commemoration.

He added: “Bishop Dónal is inviting all the families from the four corners of Ireland to come to Derry because people need hope and people need light and people need faith.”

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In a video posted online on Monday, Archbishop Martin sent his “best wishes and blessings to everyone who will be gathering in my hometown of Derry on the Feast of Christ the King for the worldwide Eucharistic Procession”.

Archbishop Martin said: “It is the second of these processions. You may recall there was a wonderful gathering in Derry on the Feast of St Brigid on February 1, and the organisers are hoping this Eucharistic procession will be bigger and even better, so I encourage you to join in your prayers.

“If you are near Derry on the Feast of Christ the King, go along, participate.

“I understand there are many parishes from all over Ireland, indeed all over the world who will be joining in this moment of praise and prayer to Christ the King on the centenary of that wonderful feast which was declared on December 11 in the year 1925. So, God bless everyone. I ask the Lord to look after you.”

Guardians of the Faith can be contacted at: christthekingis100@gmail.com.