Trócaire honours 150 years of church with special gift

ST Michael’s Parish Church in Enniskillen recently received a commemorative Trócaire box, to recognise 150 years of the church.
Roisin O’Hara from Trócaire, along with local Trócaire ambassador Bridie Duffy, presented the box to Fr Raymond Donnelly, following a service at St Michael’s Church.
“A commemorative Trócaire box cast in bronze was presented to St Michael’s Parish at Mass on the Solemnity of Christ the King, in celebration of the 150th Anniversary of St Michael’s Church,” they said.
“Trocaire has served communities for 52 years, and throughout that time, St Michael’s parishioners have faithfully and generously supported its annual Lenten and Advent appeals.”
Early records show that St Michael’s Church in Enniskillen dates back to 1803, although the church was officially consecrated on St Patrick’s Day (March 17) in 1875.
To recognise 100 years of the Enniskillen church, a number of special celebrations and events have taken place.
Bishop of Clogher, Bishop Larry Duffy, presided at a Mass in September where he blessed a stone which was erected in dedication to Archdeacon James McMeel.
A ‘Twenty Four Hours For The Lord’ prayer also took place at St Michael’s Parish Church in April, which included a selected reading from ‘Misericordia Vultus’, a document written by Pope Francis.
Prayers and different services 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 the Saturday night at 7pm with a ‘Closing Prayer’, following the Vigil Mass.
A large crowd also turned out to the church in Enniskillen when a permanent relic to newly canonised saint, Carlo Acutis, was enshrined.
Bishop Donal McKeown, the current Bishop of Derry, led the Mass at the Enniskillen church, with the relic enshrined in front of a large turnout of local parishioners.