Athlone priest to deliver homily at bishop’s ordination

Athlone-based parish priest Canon Liam Devine is set to deliver the homily at the ordination of the new Bishop of Elphin this weekend in Sligo.

Dublin-born priest Fr Kevin Doran will succeed Christopher Jones on Sunday as the new Bishop of the Elphin diocese, which spans large areas of Roscommon.
In a first for the diocese, the entire ordination ceremony in the the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Sligo will be streamed live on the internet, starting at 5.30pm.

The westside of Athlone and parishes in South Roscommon are expected to be well represented among the attendance on the day, however, such has been the desire of people from all over the diocese to attend the historic event that the main body of the cathedral has been reserved for parish representatives and guests with tickets only.  

In an attempt to accommodate those who do not have tickets, access will be on a first come first serve basis to the cathedral galleries.
There will also be an opportunity for people to participate in the celebration by coming to the nearby College of the Immaculate Conception, Summerhill where the ordination ceremony of the Dun Laoghaire native will be relayed on a large screen and communion will be brought from the cathedral.

Along with Fr Doran’s family and friends over 150 priests, 30 Bishops, 25 Permanent Deacons and representatives from various Christian communities will also be present. These will be joined by over 500 hundred representatives from parishes throughout the diocese and from various diocesan organisations.

A special effort has been made to recognise the contribution of various voluntary caring organisations and so over 50 members from these organisations will be present. The entire ceremony will be streamed on the internet and can be viewed live or downloaded from www.elphindiocese.ie