Ecclesiastical element to Tuam 400

Published: Wed 29 May 2013, 10:05 AM

Last updated: Wed 29 May 2013, 11:05 AM

ECCLESIASTICAL celebrations mark the next element of the ongoing Tuam 400 festival, as Cloonfush plays host to a special St JarlathÃ¢€â„¢s Feast Day Mass that will be celebrated at the site of his original church. A special walk into St MaryÃ¢€â„¢s Cathedral, to retrace the footsteps of the townÃ¢€â„¢s patron, will follow the Mass on Thursday, June 6, at 7pm. An ecumenical service of prayer will then be held at the Cathedral, led by the Church of Ireland Bishop Patrick William Rooke and Archbishop Michael Neary.[private] Local historian Dr Tony Claffey will then deliver a talk on St Jarlath, before sexton of St MaryÃ¢€â„¢s Jarlath Canney rounds off the evening with a tour of the cathedral. The weekend will also feature a photographic exhibition at the new Parish Centre in the Mercy Convent, featuring pictures of the Cathedral of the Assumption down through the years. The exhibition will be open from 6pm to 9pm on Friday, June 7 and 12 noon to 8 pm on Saturday with both events featuring a short talk on parish life by Fintan Higgins. Dr Claffey will lead a walk of the townÃ¢€â„¢s important ecclesiastical sites on Saturday, starting at St MaryÃ¢€â„¢s Cathedral at 4pm. The weekend will culminate with 12.30 Mass at the Cathedral of the Assumption on Sunday, which will be offered as a Mass of celebration for Tuam 400.[/private]