'Another great moment for the Diocese of Limerick:' Parishioners to venerate relics of saints

PARISHIONERS across the Diocese of Limerick will over the coming week get to venerate relics of two saints associated with promoting devotion to the sacred heart worldwide.

The 300 year old relics of Saints Margaret Mary Alacoque and Saint Claude la Colombiere will be presented at St John’s Cathedral this Friday evening at 7pm Mass and remain available for veneration at allotted times right through to Wednesday of next week.

St Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French nun of the Visitantine order, was recorded as having had several apparitions of the Sacred Heart in the years from 1673 to 1675 in her convent chapel in Paray-le-Monial.

Such is the significance of these that her Sacred Heart visions appear in stained glass, statues and paintings in many churches throughout Ireland.

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Fr Claude was a Jesuit priest who served in London during Penal times when celebration of Catholicism was prohibited. He was also the spiritual director of St Margaret Mary Alacoque.

Looking ahead to the arrival of the relics, Bishop of Limerick, Brendan Leahy said:

“This is another great moment for the Diocese of Limerick in what is becoming very much a year of renewal. We’ve had our diocesan pilgrimage to Rome as part of the late Pope Francis’ Jubilee Year of Hope, the privilege as a group from Limerick of being present when he made his first appearance to the public since he fell ill. We, of course, deeply mourned Pope Francis’ loss on his passing and, conversely, celebrated Pope Leo XIV’s election. All this aside from our great faith celebrations of Lent, Easter and so much more.

“So, it has been a year of deep spiritual engagement and locally now we have the privilege and the opportunity to venerate the relics of these two saints who are so associated with devotion to the Sacred Heart. This will be another moment of great spiritual engagement for us. A moment to pause, venerate, petition and, ultimately, to be grateful for our faith and how it sustains us,” added Bishop Leahy.

Veneration of the relics begins with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Brendan Leahy this Friday evening, May 23 in St John’s Cathedral at 7pm followed by veneration.

After that veneration of the relics will be on Saturday, May 24 from 5.15pm to 6pm. Veneration of Relics Mass at 6pm. On Sunday, May 25 from 11.15am to 12pm, Veneration of Relics (Mass at Noon.)

On Monday, May 26 Veneration of Relics from 4.45pm to 5.45pm (Mass at 5.45pm.) On Tuesday, May 27 Veneration of Relics 4.45pm to 5.45pm (Mass at 5.45pm.) Finally, on Wednesday, May 28 Veneration of Relics 4.45pm to 5.45pm (Mass at 5.45pm).