THE history and longevity of St Michael’s Church in Enniskillen was remembered and honoured over the weekend as a 24-hour vigil took place to celebrate its 150 years in existence in the town.
A ‘Twenty Four Hours For The Lord’ prayer service kicked off on Friday evening at 7pm which included a selected reading from ‘Misericordia Vultus’, a document written by Pope Francis.
Prayers and different services also took place right throughout the night on Friday and into the early morning on Saturday, which also included a well-attended Morning Mass at 10am.
The community were included in the 24-hour vigil with young people taking part in the ‘Children’s Liturgy Prayer’ and a ‘Stations of the Cross’, carried out by the local John Paul 2 group.
The celebration concluded on Saturday at 7pm with a ‘Closing Prayer’, following the Vigil Mass.
St Michael’s Church was officially 150 years old on St Patrick’s Day (March 17), when the new build and development of the building was completed in 1875, five years after the project began.
The anniversary of St Michael’s Church coincides with the celebration of the Holy Year.
Pope Francis launched the special jubilee year of celebrations, which takes place every 25 years, when he opened the Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Christmas Eve.
Monsignor Peter O’Reilly, parish priest at St Michael’s Parish Church in Enniskillen, feels that the Holy Year of Jubilee comes at an important time when many people are in need of hope.
“The purpose is to refocus our lives with an awareness of the love of God, and the intention is to let our lives change accordingly,” Monsignor O’Reilly told the ‘Herald.
“Every life settles into a rut or goes off the rails. We all lose energy. This is especially true of our inner lives. Sometimes, we want to change, but we are not sure where to begin.”
It’s also understood other events will be taking place throughout the year to mark the anniversary.
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