Clonard Monastery in west Belfast is gearing up for this year’s Solemn Novena, which will run from June 16 to 24. Throughout the nine days, sessions of the Novena, the theme of which is Our Church: A Time for Hope, will be held at the Redemptorist Church, starting at seven in the morning and ending with a candlelight session at eleven at night.
On Saturday June 19, there will be two Anointing of the Sick sessions at 11:00am and 3:30pm, while a Blessing of Babies and Small Children will be held on June 20 at 3:30pm.
The Novena also features a special youth session with Mass on June 20 at 8:00pm.
Rector Fr Michael Murtagh said that up to 13,000 people each day would pass through the monastery over an eighteen-hour period.
The Novena traditionally has an outreach way beyond the city and attracts people from all over Ireland.
It also is watched by people further afield on the monastery’s website, which streams the event live on the internet via www.churchservices.tv.
The Redemptorist hosts stress that the event is not exclusively Catholic and people of all faiths are welcome.
“It’s a traditional Mass with lots of singing and specially invited preachers. Everyone prays together and it is open to people of all faiths,” said Fr Murtagh.
The Novena has been running for almost thirty years and has grown from strength to strength since 1982, he added.
He recalled that when it started, Britain was at war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands and the fact that the stewards wore blue and white sashes annoyed the British soldiers in Belfast because they interpreted it as support for the enemy.
“Back then, it was celebrated as a festival of faith, and although nowadays festivals are usually associated with the likes of Oxigen, the attendance at the novena is very strong and there is a wide range of age groups who visit the monastery during that period.”
“There are four categories of activity recognised in the Novena - mourning, preparation, prayer and indulgence,” said Fr Murtagh.
“It expresses a desire to come together through faith, need and resilience. It gives people the chance to heal a particular problem, while listening to others’ problems.”
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