A great crowd turned out for the 72nd Annual Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption which took place at the Lee Road Grotto.
Bishop Emeritus John Buckley was the Main Celebrant, and he was joined by Fr Cian O’Sullivan, Fr Aidan Vaughan OFM Cap, Fr Tom Mulcahy MSC, Fr Damian O’Mahony, Fr Marius O’Reilly, Fr Greg Howard, Fr Seán O’Sullivan, and Msgr Kevin O’Callaghan.

Servers for the Mass were Alan McNamara and Emmanuel Onyedikachukuwu, seminarians for the Diocese.

A big thank you to the organising committee for their great work in organising this annual Mass.

Bishop Emeritus John Buckley with concelebrants and Mass Servers at the Lee Road Grotto.

The Cork and Ross pilgrims are continuing to have a joyous and blessed time at World Youth Day.

On Wednesday, the group travelled to the Irish Rise Up Meeting, which is the world youth day model of catechesis. The biblical theme for
Wednesday’s catechesis was ‘Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country’ (Luke 1:39) and the topic for reflection was ‘integral ecology’.

In the evening, the pilgrims joined all the Irish Pilgrims to attend Evening Prayer. Sarah Ryan-Purcell and Roger Power from the Cork and Ross group gave a beautiful reflection on St Finbarr and brought holy water from Gougane Barra to be mixed with water from the four provinces of Ireland.

Pope Francis arrived safely in Lisbon yesterday, and the Cork and Ross pilgrims will see him today at the official welcome ceremony.