Christmas Eve Mass in Kilmessan to be broadcast on RTE and Eurovision channels

Christmas Eve Mass from Kilmessan is to be broadcast across the country and across Europe on Sunday night.
Preparations are being completed this week as the Kairos Communications company arrives in the village to produce the broadcast for RTE and the European Broadcasting Union.
Parish priest Fr Terry Toner will be assisted by Fr Robert McCabe, CC, Navan, in the Mass which airs at 11pm on Sunday night.
A crew of 20 will arrive with three truckloads of equipment and there will be six cameras in the church for the Mass.
Fr Finbarr Treacy of Maynooth-based Kairos Communications says that the willingness and community spirit in Kilmessan has been extraordinary since the Church of Our Lady's Nativity was selected during the summer.
“It's an amazing little village,” he said, highlighting the adult and children's choirs under the direction of Lisa Rooney Smith, which has 60 adult members and 40 in the Treble Children's Choir. Soloists are Maria McCool and Aideen Coyle, while there will be piano, violin and tin whistle accompaniment.
“They offered to sing 'Silent Night' in five different languages  - we settled for three,” Fr Treacy said.
Kilmessan Adult Choir, which has just returned from performing in the Saltmines and the Church of Divine Mercy in Krakow, Poland, will focus on music showcasing Irish composers Ephrem Feeley, Bernard Sexton and Liam Lawton, while John Paul Lécot's work provides a French dimension.

The Mass will feature prayers in Irish, Dutch, Italian, French and Polish, with parishioner Caitriona Flaherty reading a multi-lingual introduction, and other members of the community taking part in the readings, prayers, altar serving, and serving as Eucharistic ministers.
“We are delighted to have been able to draw on our own parish resources to provide all that was required for the production of this special Mass,” parish priest, Fr Terry Toner, added.
Kairos visited the area over recent months to record shots of the village and its surrounding heritage sites and landmarks, which will be voiced by Kilmessan man Pat Cleary. The Kilmessan camogie players that recently won the All Ireland Junior Championship title also feature on this segment, as does the local school. 
The church interior was repainted and a new crib built beside the altar, which was erected by James Pearse, father of Padraig, in the 1890s.
Those attending Christmas Eve Mass in Kilmessan are asked to arrive by 10.20pm as seating will be limited, due to the presence of the choirs in the side transepts. Overflow seating with a large TV screen will be provided in the parish hall. The Mass will be broadcast at 11pm on RTE2, and is being made available to the European Broadcasting Union's Eurovision service. It will also be available to view online on the RTE player for two weeks after the broadcast.