A special thanksgiving mass will be celebrated at the Franciscan Friary in Athlone this morning to mark the withdrawal of the congregation from the town.
An official announcement was made at the end of October last year that the last friars would be leaving the town this month due to an ageing and reducing membership.
The congregation first came to Athlone over 800 years ago and the news of their departure came as a shock to many people in the town who've attended mass and services there over the years.
A group is in the process of being set up to run the church for th coming months and two masses a week are to be said by friars who will commute from other areas where the congregation has a presence.
The long term future of the church has yet to be decided.
The mass today takes place at 11 o' clock and the chef celebrant will be the provincial of the Irish Franciscans Fr Aidan McGrath.
