Ceremonies have been taking place across the country today to mark Good Friday, regarded as one of the most significant dates in the Christian calendar.
Church leaders in Limerick, including Bishop Brendan Leahy along with Dean Niall Sloane of St. Mary's Church of Ireland Cathedral in Limerick led a "way of the cross" procession through the city from noon today.
The procession was to remember in particular those in the community who are marginalised - those who are sick, or suffering from addiction, prisoners, and migrants and refugees who have been forced to flee their homes.
The procession began at St John's Cathedral in the city where Bishop Leahy and Dean Sloane carried the cross first to St John's Hospital, and on to five other prayer stops in which members of the Ukrainian community and other lay members of the Church carried the cross.
Bishop Leahy said it was an important time on Good Friday to remember people who are ill or dying, who feel lonely or in despair, migrants, and those who are homeless and in any way going through pain.
The Bishop said his Holy Thursday mass at Cuan Mhuire Centre in Bruree, Limerick, which is the centre that treats people suffering from addiction.
He will mark his Easter Sunday mass at Limerick Prison, reminding them also that they are people of dignity and not forgotten this Easter.
Michael Guerin, a counsellor based at Cuan Mhuire, said frequently people caught up in addiction may well have had a strong faith and lost it because of their addiction and way of life, and feel they are not worthy of support.
He said the visit of Bishop Brendan, who said mass and spoke to and listened to all who attended, was of great support to people who are suffering.
Dean Sloane said because of the isolation caused by Covid, this was the first time in four years the procession was possible, and it reminds us of the importance of praying for others as Christian leaders and also remembering those who cannot do the walk and to pray for them.
This Easter also marks the formal appointment of the first 21 lay ministers for the Diocese of Limerick who have undergone two years of academic pastoral studies in lay ministry and leadership at Mary Immaculate College, and who will now assist in a number of parish duties, including prayer and funeral preparation and services, and helping children prepare for the sacraments.
Bishop Leahy said the appointment of the new ministers has been forced on the diocese because of the huge fall-off in vocations over recent decades, but he said it will also enrich the Church as they are essential to the journey the Church is now on.
