October 10, 2017
Greetings from Ireland!
Bishop Cunningham, Father Joe O’Connor, 24 pilgrims, and yours truly landed in Dublin, Ireland, today, beginning the Catholic Sun’s second pilgrimage across the Emerald Isle. (You can read about our 2015 pilgrimage here.)
Our Lady Queen of Heaven Church at Dublin Airport.
We hit the ground running this morning, heading straight from the terminal to Our Lady Queen of Heaven Church for Mass — just a quick jaunt across the airport parking lot.
Father Joe O’Connor offers the homily at Mass Oct. 10.
Bishop Cunningham and Father O’Connor concelebrated Mass for our group, and Father O’Connor’s homily — reflecting on Martha’s anxiety and worry over many things and encouraging us to use our time on pilgrimage to rest in the Lord’s love — helped set the tone for our journey of faith.
The Long Room at Trinity College’s Old Library.
Our beloved driver Pierce and guide Mia took us on a driving tour through Dublin before a visit to the Book of Kells at Trinity College. The Book of Kells is a “lavishly decorated copy, in Latin, of the four Gospels… probably produced early in the 9th century by the monks of Iona,” according to the exhibit materials. The detailed illumination, the artistry, and the palpable feeling of history were astounding.
No photos are allowed inside the manuscript exhibit, but we could take as many as we wanted in the magnificent Long Room in the college’s Old Library.
The Papal Cross at Phoenix Park.
Another drive through Dublin took us through Pheonix Park, where St. John Paul II celebrated Mass for more than one million people during his 1979 visit to the country. (The park is also home to the residence of the president of Ireland and the residence of the U.S. ambassador to Ireland.)
Tomorrow we visit historic ruins, an early Christian settlement, and a monastic community.
Join the journey here, on our Facebook page, and on the Diocese of Syracuse’s Instagram account. (Be sure to follow Bishop Cunningham on Twitter, too.)
Be assured of our prayers for you!
(All photos by Katherine Long for the Catholic Sun)
