Details of upcoming Christmas services in Athlone's Friary church

A number of special Christmas services will be held at the Friary Church in Athlone over the coming days.

It's now almost a year on from the Franciscan Friars' move out of Athlone, but since then local volunteers have kept the church open and functioning.

Mass will be celebrated in the Friary at 9.30am this Sunday, December 24 and Monday, December 25; and at 10am on Tuesday, December 26.

There will also be a Christmas Eve carol service in the Friary at 7pm on Sunday.

The Christmas crib at the Friary church this year carries special significance as it's the 800th anniversary of the 'nativity scene at Greccio' which was created by St Francis of Assisi and is regarded as the world's first nativity scene.

To mark the anniversary, the Apostolic Penitentiary has granted a plenary indulgence to all the faithful who, from December 8, 2023, to February 2, 2024, visit a Nativity scene in a church entrusted to the Franciscan friars anywhere in the world.