SacredSpace102fm : 24 June 2018 - World Meeting of Families 2018 - Solemnity of the Nativity of St John the Baptist

24 Jun 2018

24 June 2018 - World Meeting of Families 2018 - Solemnity of the Nativity of St John the Baptist

On this weeks programme John and Shane are joined by Emer Williams to give an update on all things WMoF2018 related including information in relation to the papal visit as part of the WMoF2018 in August. In addition we have our regular run through the saints of the week, local notices and a brief reflection on the Sunday gospel which is the gospel of the solemnity.

You can listen to the podcast of the full programme HERE.

World Meeting of Families 2018

We are into the final count down to the WMoF2018 and it has started to generate a lot of public interest following on the confirmation of the attendance of Pope Francis at two of the main events of the WMoF2018 but on this mornings programme we remind listeners that the reason Pope Francis is coming to Ireland is for the World Meeting of Families rather than specifically for anything else.

The WMoF2018 programme is set out in detail on their website but Emer takes us through the highlights:

1. Opening ceremonies which will take place on will take place simultaneously across all 26 Dioceses of Ireland on the evening of Tuesday 21 August, with the lead ceremony taking place in Dublin. The Opening Liturgy will be a full celebration of Evening Prayer. Entitled ‘Le chéile le Críost’ (together with Christ), it will gather the Church as the family of families, and set us on the path of celebration for the entire World Meeting of Families that will culminate with the closing Papal Mass on Sunday 26th August. It will take place in every diocese in the country, typically in the Cathedral Church.

2. Pastoral Congress August 22 - 24 at the RDS in Dublin

The Congress will offer a daily programme of workshops, discussions as well as fun and prayerful activities for individuals and families, including a tailored programme for children (4-12 yrs) and young people (13-17 yrs). The highlight of each day will be the celebration of the Eucharist in the main arena. Fun activities for all the family will run throughout the day in the Conference venue, except during the celebration of Mass in the Main Arena.

Each day has a particular theme:

Wednesday - The Family & Faith - access Wednesday programme here.
Thursday - The Family & Love - access Thursday's detailed programme here.
Friday - The Family & Hope - access Friday's detailed programme here

In addition there are Family Arenas, Youcat, Teens programme, Children's programme, Youcat for Kids,

The Congress is ticket only and at this stage there are only 3 day tickets left. There are 30,000 registered to attend. You will need to obtain your ticket to attend through the website.

3. Festival of Families at Croke Park - evening of 24th August

First thing to say is at this stage there are no further available tickets for this event. All seats have been allocated. This concert-type event will take place in Croke Park Stadium in Dublin on the evening of the 25th August 2018. It is a celebration of family life around the world that will feature musical and dance performances, as well as five selected families from around the world giving witness to their family’s faith.

This will be the first event of WMoF2018 attended by Pope Francis.

4. Papal visit to Knock

On the morning of 25th August Pope Francis will visit Knock. We covered the papal visit to Knock and the logistics around it on last weeks programme here.

5. Final Mass at Phoenix Park 25th August celebrated by Pope Francis

The World Meeting of Families concludes with a Solemn Eucharistic Celebration that will gather individuals and families from all around the world in thanksgiving and communion. The Mass will mark the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families 2018 in Dublin and the next diocese to host the event in conjunction with the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life will be announced.

The main celebrant for the Final Mass will be Pope Francis. Attendance to this event will be free and ticketed. Though there will be no charge for the tickets, every person in attendance will require a ticket to access the venue. Tickets will be available online on the website from June 25th.

There will be hundreds of thousands of people from across Ireland and abroad attending this event. For your safety and comfort, it is essential that you are aware of the following before committing to attending this Mass.

You can listen to the WMoF2018 segment of the programme excerpted from the main programme podcast HERE.

Gospel - Luke 1:57-66,80

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,
and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
"No. He will be called John."
But they answered her,
"There is no one among your relatives who has this name."
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, "John is his name,"
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
"What, then, will this child be?"
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
The child grew and became strong in spirit,
and he was in the desert until the day
of his manifestation to Israel.