Catholic tradition part of our heritage

Our tradition and ritual from the Catholic Church is very much part of our identity and cultural heritage.

This was brought home to me recently in a pilgrim walk from Kilcoole to Kilquade, Co Wicklow, along the ancient Mass path of our ancestors.

Much of the walk was hampered by weather conditions and a sparkling rainbow appeared as the pilgrims said the rosary and reflections before going on to the ancient church in Kilquade for a heart warming ritual of prayer, Latin verse and Benediction, followed by the ritualistic cup of tea.

The smells of incense wafted in between the thick stone walls of the hundreds of years old church while the ancient Mass paths converged on it from all directions like the spokes of a wheel. Back then, the Mass-goers were poorly clad and hungry, their deep faith in the Eucharist was all they had to sustain them. The ancient bell is the same bell that was in use on Kilquade church and rang out over the hills from the early 1900s.

This journey of the old Mass paths is comparable to the journey made this week of the different countries meeting in Dublin for the International Eucharistic Congress.

Aingeal Ní Mhurchú

Delgany

Co Wicklow