Eucharistic bell for All Saints

A key symbol of next year’s 50th International Eucharistic Congress, the Bell reflects such important Christian traditions as the invitation to faith, to prayer, to reconciliation and to mission.

It will stop at just nine venues in the Down and Connor Diocese between April 7-18 on its long pilgrimage which commenced in the Archdiocese of Dublin on March 17 and which will end there at the opening of the Congress in 2012.

During the year, the Bell and its accompanying Icons, will have traversed the island of Ireland, having also journeyed to Spain, France, and the UK.

All Saints Ballymena is one of only two venues in the local diocese to host the bell for more than a day and its arrival - in time for 10am Mass - on Friday will make the Church the focus of prayer and celebration in preparation for the 2012 Eucharistic Congress.

Bells are often rung to call the flock to Church to pray for all who have died whose faith is known to God alone.

And, over this weekend, the Bell will be rung ‘to call believers to remember how Christ gathers us together, calls us to listen to God’s word, invites us to be nourished by the Bread of Life and sends Christian people on mission to the world’.

The school children of the parish are preparing an exhibition to be displayed in the Parish Centre from 10am to around 3pm on Friday.

To further illustrate the central importance of the Word of God there will be an exhibition of different translations and editions of the Bible including the Douai; the King James Bible, the Jerusalem Bible, the Revised Standard Version and editions in Polish, Tagalog and Keralese.

Everyone is welcome to view the display and also the illustration of the significance of Icons in the Orthodox Church and latterly in the Western Churches. A talk will also be given on the importance of the word of God in the Church.

The Eucharistic sacrament will be celebrated on both Friday and Saturday and parishioners from every area of the parish will read the Prayers of the Faithful and all the various parish organisations will join to present their gifts for God’s blessings. The Parish Choir, Folk Group, the school children and the Irish Traditional Group will lead the congregation in singing and chant.

Local parishes have been invited and Glenravel Parish will be holding a special celebration themselves on Friday evening.

The Polish Community will gather on Saturday evening at 5.30pm at All Saints to re-enact the Palm Sunday entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, a time of rejoicing and communion with Christ against the background of ‘the coming Crucifixion and glorious Resurrection’.

And at 7.30pm a Vigil Mass will be held for Palm Sunday after which the Eucharist Congress Bell will be escorted from the church for the next leg of its long pilgrimage which will see it travel to Portstewart, home of its origin, the Dominican Convent.