On Sunday, 2nd February 2025, Killester Parish welcomed the Archbishop of Dublin, Dermot Farrell for his second visit to Killester in 2025. The Archbishop celebrated Mass during which the rare relic of St. Brigid was on display. It was wonderful that so many people joined us online and to see so many people fill the church and be part of the ceremony to reinstate the relic in its new shrine.
To remember this very special occasion, people attending the Mass were given a beautiful St. Brigid’s cross and a St. Brigid’s prayer card.
In his homily Archbishop Farrell said, “We are re-dedicating this parish church to Saint Brigid—whose core charism was her all-embracing charity. You will remember the story of her spreading her mantle. But for Brigid, and all her contemporaries, women and men—their good words were grounded in, and kept alive by, kept vibrant, by their ongoing, open, dynamic life in Christ—nourished by constant contact with the word of the Lord—a fundamental characteristic of Gaelic Christianity—and with a hunger for Christ’s Body.”
The Mass of St. Brigid, composed by Eileen Dwyer, was sung by our wonderful choir.
During the Mass Fr. Joseph Whelan, Parish Priest, welcomed everyone to the celebration and he led the congregation in saying the Litany of St. Brigid. Following that, a procession worked its way around the church and the Archbishop blessed the new mural of St. Brigid, painted by award winning artist Ross McHale, commissioned to celebrate the reinstatement of the relic. Once the relic was placed in its new shrine at St. Brigid’s altar, the final blessing was given. After Mass a number of handmade and blessed St. Brigid’s crosses were given out.
Everyone was invited to refreshments in the Resource Centre and the Archbishop joined us for cuppa and a great chat with visitors and parishioners.
