24 hour vigil and confession was "church at its best"

Tullamore priest Fr Shane Crombie has described last week's 24 hour vigil and confession at Tullamore's Church of the Assumption as "the church at its best". Five local priests were assisted by up to seven priests from neighbouring parishes to pull off a day long vigil that allowed church visitors to avail of confession at any time of the day or night. The event began at 8.30pm on Thursday, December 15, wrapping up one day later at 8.30pm on Friday, December 16. Fr Shane said the event that formed part of the church's Christmas celebrations allowed the Church of the Assumption to be an oasis in the middle of all the festive hustle and bustle happening outside. He said the event was very calm and peaceful, while the atmosphere in the church itself was beautiful. Nobody was under any pressure, he added, with visitors free to come in, say some prayers or go to confession in their own time. He added that he also noted a lot of younger visitors called by the church during the event. "It was a chance to be genuinely there for people," he said. "It was the church at its best."