An evening pilgrimage and prayers by candlelight in the grounds of Rushen Abbey will form part of 2009's ‘Praying the Keeills’ Week. 

The evening will begin at 9pm on Friday 22nd May in the Parish Hall of the Abbey Church, Ballasalla, where a simple supper will be available. Everyone is welcome and admission is completely free of charge. There is no need to book – just turn up on the night.

After the supper in the Parish Hall, there will be a procession to the grounds of Rushen Abbey for an act of worship and candlelit pilgrimage. The event will conclude in the Abbey Church.

An illustrated talk by Manx National Heritage Curator of Field Archaeology, Andrew Johnson, will form another part of the ‘Praying the Keeills’ Week event programme on  Monday 18th May at 7.45pm at the Promenade Methodist Church, Douglas. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Andrew will talk about the discoveries made at a keeill site at Mount Murray Country Club by Channel 4’s Time Team in 2006. He says 'The excavations demonstrated that some of these keeill sites, so many of which have been investigated in the past, can still tell us something new, exciting and informative.'

This is the fourth successive year that a week in May has been set aside for ‘Praying the Keeills’. Organised by local churches, ‘Praying the Keeills’ Week takes place from 16th -23rd May 2009 and includes a varied programme of events, including visits to the Island’s ancient keeills. 

For more information, please pick up a leaflet from the Manx Museum in Douglas or visit www.prayingthekeeills.org.

So come along to the Parish Hall of the Abbey Church for supper, followed by a candlelit pilgrimage around the beautiful Abbey grounds on Friday 22nd May.

Should it be a rainy evening, the prayers will take place in the Abbey Church.