Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1913-09-06
cRoAGH PATRICK.

Where the Atlantic laves the Irish
coast at one of It's westernmost points
nestles Clew Bay with its myriad
isles. Thereabouts the renowned
Grace 0'Malley (Grainne Nj Mhaille,
whose name is so often vilely cor
rupted to Granuaile), once made HIS
tory, and in one OF those isles over
which, in reality II not in name, she
once ruled as Queen, all that was
mortal of her now reposes.
But long before Grainne appeared
on the worlds stage and began her
romantic II somewhat stormy career,
there we're those who made history
on the margin OF Clew Bay. One
there was in particular Near at
hand there towers above the bay a
bare, solitary, lofty mountain. IL
rises sheer from the plain. Il is iso-
lated an dis more or less conical in
shape. Hence its name. In far dis
tant days II bore another name, but
for many ages past Il has been known
as Croagh Patrick; locally II is often
referred to as "the Crnach."
Since the fifth century history and
legend have associated Croagh Pat
rick with Ireland's apostle. On its
bare and lofty summit did he per-
form his celebrated fast of forty days
and forty nights. There did he en-
gage in long and earnest prayer.
There did he struggle with the powers
of darkness. There did the angel
appear 70 him. There, as immemorial
tradition has II, did he ask and per-
sits in asking until his prayer was
granted, that the faith of the race
whom he had won for Christ should
never fail.
For ages after Patrick had passed
from earth to heaven, there to make
ceaseless intercession for the race Of
his prediction, the crest of Croagh
Patrick continued to be a place OF
pilgrimage. So indeed Il remained
almost to our own day Fallen into
allegiance for some time, the annual
pilgrimage was resumed ten years
ago. Since then Il has year by year
grown in popularity and dimensions.
This years pilgrimage. which took
place Sunday, July 81, seems to have
eclipsed all its predecessors.
The summit of Croagh Patrick is
now crowned by an oratory which
for the religious exercises of
the annual pilgrimage. In this tiny
oratory on the day OF the recent pill
grimage the Adorable Sacrifice was
necessarily offered almost from dawn
to midday. The celebrants of these
masses came not only from all parts
of Ireland, but from places as far
apart as Canada, Texas, Ohio, Mas
and Africa. The crowd OF
pilgrims that assembled the mountain
during the forenoon was enormous.
In the language in which Patrick
preached Father Augustine. of the
Capuchins, delivered a powerful SER
mon to tohse assembled. Later DR..
professor OF ecclesiastical
history in Maynooth College, deliv-
cred an eloquent sermon in English. |
Verify is Croagh Patrick a holy
It symbolizes some of the
rarest and most cherished traditions
of the Irish church. The resumption
in these our days of the great ANIMAL
fasting and Of his wrestling for the
perpetuity of the faith of the Gael,
end its continued and ever increasing
success, bear eloquent testimony to
the vitality and fervor Of Irish faith,
and are happy augury for its future.
No small thing this in an age when
in so many lands religious indiffen-
entism is SO markedly on the increase
and the faith once delivered to the
saints has grown so cold. May the
to Croagh Patrick and the
faith of which II is so eloquent an ex-
preston endure unto the consumma-
ton of things!N