As part of the celebrations organised by World Missions Ireland to mark October as ‘Mission Month’ you, or a representative, are invited to attend a photocall to promote the National Day of Prayer for Children. Bishop Denis Nulty, Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, will be the chief celebrant and Ms Julieann Moran, national secretary for the Society of Missionary Children, is organising the event. The theme for Mission Month is ‘Reach Out and Spread the Joy’.
Photo opportunities
Permission for photography has been given by parents of the children participating at the event. At the end of the prayer service, there will be a balloon release by the children outside the cathedral on the college green. Photographers can enter Carlow College (which is situated directly opposite) to take a group shot from an upper window. The balloons will be in the mission colours of green, red, yellow, blue and white. Following the balloon release, Bishop Nulty will cut a cake in the pastoral centre to mark the 10th birthday of the National Day of Prayer for Children. The children will also have their artwork with drawings of their own families. Details are as follows:
| Where | Cathedral of the Assumption, Carlow |
| When | 12.00pm on Friday, 13 October 2017 |
| In attendance | Approximately 700 children from schools across the counties of Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois and Wexford including: Myshall National School; Holy Family BNS, Askea; Twomilehouse School, Kildare; Saint Laserian’s Special School, Carlow; Mayo National School, Laois; Saint Brigid’s National School, Kildare; Saint Joseph’s National School, Carlow; Patrician Primary School, Newbridge; Holy Family Girls’ NS, Askea; Saint Brigid’s National School, Bagenalstown, Carlow; Graiguenamanagh Boys National School, Kilkenny; Bishop Foley National School, Carlow; Ballyroan NS, Laois; Leighlinbridge NS, Carlow; Ballinabranna NS, Carlow; Killeshin NS, Laois; Scoil Phádraig Naofa, Tullow, Carlow; Clonegal NS, Wexford; Kildavin NS, Bunclody; Scoil Mhuire, Carlow; Newtown Dunlecky NS, Carlow; Saint Evin’s NS, Monasterevin, Kildare; and Saint Fiacc’s NS in Graiguecullen. |
Background
The purpose of the National Day of Prayer for Children is to spiritually support children through prayer to transform our world for the better. The motto of the Society of Missionary Children is ‘Children helping children’ and this is promoted through prayer, sacrifice and offerings, to help create awareness among young people about the plight of their less well-off counterparts in poorer mission countries. The National Day of Prayer is a countrywide event, with the main celebration taking place in the Cathedral of the Assumption in Carlow. Schools and parishes around the country, north and south, will be participating in a prayer service, a celebration of the Mass, or by praying the mission rosary on the day. This is the 10th year of the National Day of Prayer which is celebrated by the Society of Missionary Children (Pope Francis’ official children’s charity for overseas mission) on the second Friday of October each year. To complement the World Meeting of Families 2018, the theme for this year’s national day of prayer is ‘Let’s be Family’.
ENDS
Notes for Editors
- World Missions Ireland (wmi.ie and @MissioIreland on Twitter) is part of Pope Francis’ official charity for overseas mission and it is responsible for coordinating resources and for distributing these equitably on the basis of need. The twofold purpose of Mission Month is to raise awareness about the evangelising work of Irish missionaries abroad, and to raise funds to support their work.
Photographs for use by media: please contact John McElroy 00353 (0) 87 241 6985
For media contact: Catholic Communications Office, Maynooth: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678 and Katie Crosby (in Carlow) 00353 (0) 86 862 3298
