A VICTORIAN railway bridge is being transformed into a Christmas stable where people can sleep out to raise funds for the homeless.
The Advent Sleep Out - under The Bridge at Bush - is a partnership between Cooley Parish in Co Louth and the Peter McVerry Trust.
Bales of straw are already being gathered by parish families.
The event runs from November 28, the first Sunday of Advent, until December 23.
"This is an opportunity for our parish community to keep homeless people at the very heart of our preparations to celebrate the birth of Christ," said Fr Malachy Conlon.
"It's an opportunity to bring us out of our materialism and selfishness and a chance for people to express their solidarity with the homeless people.
"We can come together in the season of Advent in a very tangible way to give voice to our genuine concern for those in our country that have nowhere to call home.
“At Christmas we can get so wrapped up in ourselves in the sense of not having any consciousness of the crisis going on in places such as Belarus and different parts of the world and here at home."
Peter McVerry thanked parishioners for their support.
"This is very creatively recreating the nativity scene - Jesus who was born homeless - at the old bridge at Bush. This will be a tremendous boost to us and will enable us to continue to serve homeless people," he said.
