The Chief Ordaining Prelate will be Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, who will be assisted by Most Reverend Michael Smith, Bishop Emeritus of Meath and Most Reverend John Buckley, Bishop of Cork and Ross. Rev. Fergal Cummins, who will be ordained to the priesthood by the new Bishop of Meath on Sunday 30 September, will proclaim the Gospel. The Apostolic Mandate from Pope Francis will be read by Fr Padraig McMahon, Cathedral Administrator and classmate of the new Bishop. The homily will be preached by Fr Denis McNelis, Parish Priest of Laytown and Mornington. Cardinal Séan Brady, Archbishop Emeritus of Armagh will preside at the Mass.
Other concelebrants for the Mass will include Archbishop Jude Thaddaeus Okolo, Apostolic Nuncio; Bishop Dermot Farrell and Bishop Denis Nulty, both formerly priests of the Diocese of Meath; and several retired Prelates from Cork, including Archbishop Patrick Coveney and Bishop Padraig O’Donoghue. Bishop Fintan Monahan, who was ordained to the diaconate together with the Bishop Deenihan in 1990 by Bishop Michael Smith, will also concelebrate the Mass.
Concelebrants at the Mass will include priests and religious clergy from the Diocese of Meath and from the Diocese of Cork & Ross.
Representatives of Christian denominations in attendance will include Bishop Paul Colton from Cork, Canon Alastair Graham from Mullingar and Fr Kyrillos Hanna from the Coptic Orthodox community.
During the ceremony Bishop Deenihan will exchange geetings with representatives of various aspects of life in the Diocese of Meath. These include the following:
- Oliver and Karen Gaffney from Castlepollard parish, with their children Brian (who will be confirmed by the new Bishop next year), Dylan and Sean;
- Jaison and Manju Kunnathuparambil and family, originally from Kerala in India;
- Janice Decaymat, who came to Ireland from The Philippines and is working in the caring profession;
- Tomás Nally from the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes;
- Patrick and Kathleen Dinnegan from Mullingar parish;
- Mary Hughes and Martin Marshall who volunteer with the Westmeath homeless charity TEAM (Temporary Emergency Accommodation in the Midlands);
- Rose Mulligan from Navan ‘Meals on Wheels’ and Sr Catherine Lillis, Columban Sister who runs Tabor House Centre for Addiction Recovery, Navan.
The music for the Mass will be provided by Mullingar Cathedral Choir and the Cathedral Choristers, under the direction of William Woods. Ronan McDonagh will be among a number of musicians taking part in the ceremony.
The Scripture readings will be read by Sui Chan (Mullingar) and Sean O Caoimh (Cork). The offertory gifts will be presented by Irene Carton (Meath Diocesan Office), Breda McSorley (Cork Diocesan Office), Sr Finbarr Breslin (Women’s Community Projects, Mullingar) and Matt Melvin (Principal of Scoil Etchen Naofa, Kinnegad).
