Bishops Brendan Leahy and Kenneth Kearon to join in ecumenical prayer live on webcam from Redemptorist Church, Limerick at 11a.m.

Tuesday, 24 March 2020: The ‘Lord’s Prayer’ will be invoked like never before in a single moment when people across the Diocese of Limerick will join as one with others across the world in a global Our Father tomorrow at 11a.m.

Bishop Brendan Leahy will gather with Church of Ireland Bishop of the Diocese of Limerick, Kenneth Kearon, at the Redemptorist Church, South Circular Road, Limerick to dedicate the Lord’s Prayer in response to Pope Francis’ call.  Though Bishops Leahy and Kearon - who have asked that the latest government notice today on physical distancing is adhered to - will be on their own in the Church, the moment of prayer will be carried live on the Redemptorist Church webcam https://www.redemptoristslimerick.ie/web-cam/
 
Pope Francis has asked that the Heads of the Churches and the leaders of every Christian community, together with all Christians of the various confessions, gather to recite “the same time the prayer that Jesus, Our Lord, taught us” – the Our Father at 12midday, Rome time, 11a.m. here.
 
An hour later, Bishop Leahy will then join with bishops and priests from all over Ireland in consecrating the people of Ireland to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for strength and protection from the Coronavirus, COVID-19. 

Said Bishop Leahy: “Pope Francis’ call for us all to come together as Christians across the globe to say the Lord’s Prayer tomorrow reflects the unprecedented crisis we are faced with from the Coronavirus and the need to invoke prayer.  The beauty of this initiative is its simplicity. Wherever we are, either individually or as a family at home, we can take a moment at 11 o’clock on Wednesday to say this ‘Our Father’ prayer either aloud or in the silence of our heart.
 
“And it will be great to think we’re part of a worldwide chorus of prayer, at that moment reaching God together. And it will remind us we all have one Father and we are all children of the one God so sisters and brothers to one another. It will be a time to decide again to redouble our efforts to do all we can to follow guidelines and stop the coronavirus growing.”
 
Bishop Leahy will also lead midday prayers from the Redemptorist Church as a special Novena since St. Patrick’s Day concludes.  The faithful is invited to join from their home, again via webcam, to participate in this Act of Consecration during these unprecedented and worrying days for us all, Bishop Leahy added.