Several ceremonies to mark 170th anniversary of Navan church

Noelle Finegan

Published: Wed 17 Dec 2008, 9:05 AM

Last updated: Wed 17 Dec 2008, 3:17 PM

Next year marks the 170th anniversary of St Mary"s Church, Navan, and a number of special events have been arranged throughout 2009 to celebrate the occasion. The annual Ecumenical Service for Christmas Unity takes place on Sunday 18th January at 7.30pm in St Anne"s Chapel and the preacher will be Bishop Richard Clarke, Church of Ireland Bishop of Meath and Kildare. The Silver Jubilee of the Episcopal Ordination of Bishop Michael Smith, Parish Priest of Navan, will be celebrated with a Mass on Saturday 7th February at 6pm in St Mary"s Church. The teacher and journalist Breda O"Brien will be the guest speaker at 11am Mass on 14th February marking St Valentine"s Day. All married couples are invited to attend to renew their marriage vows. The parish pilgrimage to the Holy Land takes place from 8th-19th March while the parish jubilee mission conducted by the Redemptorist Fathers takes place from 21st-28th March inclusive and the annual Holy Week retreat takes place from 6th-8th April and will be conducted by Fr Ronan Drury, Maynooth. The Apostolic Nuncio will make his first visit to the parish to celebrate Mass on Sunday 10th May at 11am, marking Vocations Sunday. To mark the 20th anniversary of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the parish, there will be a special Mass on 14th June at 5pm. The preacher will be Fr Joe Clavin, PP, Dunshaughlin, who founded adoration in the parish in 1989 while he was Administrator in Navan. Mass for the sick and elderly of the parish with anointing of the sick will be celebrated on 1st July at 3pm in St Mary"s Church. The Francisan Friars of the Renewal in Limerick will hold a youth retreat from 24th-26th September. The Harvest Mass of Thanksgiving takes place on 4th October 2009 and the annual Mass of Bereavement takes place on Sunday 1st November 2009. In addition, a history of the parish is currently being complied and will be launched in the late autumn. The Jubilee Service of Carols will takes place on 20th December 2009.