Cardinal Brady to lead celebrations for Feast of Saint Oliver Plunkett

St Oliver Plunkett

Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, will lead the annual Festival of Saint Oliver Plunkett in Drogheda, Co Louth, this Sunday, 7 July.

The 2013 procession, culminating in the celebration of the festival Mass, will commemorate the 93rd anniversary of the beatification of Saint Oliver by Pope Benedict XV on 23 May 1920, and the 38th anniversary of his canonisation by Pope Paul VI on 12 October 1975.

His Excellency the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Charles J Brown, will be this year's homilist at the 4pm Mass in Saint Peter's Church, West Street, Drogheda, which is the Memorial Church for Saint Oliver. Archbishop Eamon Martin, Coadjutor Archbishop of Armagh, and Bishop Michael Smith, Bishop of Meath, will concelebrate this Mass as
will the Archdiocese of Armagh's most recently ordained priest Fr Paul Murphy, who was ordained on 30 June. Father Murphy celebrated his first Mass on 1 July, the Feast of Saint Oliver Plunkett.

One of the features of this year's festival will be the colourful 'Procession of the Relics' of Saint Oliver Plunkett. In an historic first, the relics will process from the Diocese of Meath across the River Boyne into the Archdiocese of Armagh.

The procession will leave the Holy Family Church, Ballsgrove (south of the River Boyne) at 3pm and proceed three kilometres to the National Shrine of Saint Oliver Plunkett in Saint Peter's Church, after which Mass will begin. The procession of the relics will be accompanied by the Kingscourt Band, the Knights of Columbanus, members of other Orders and pilgrim groups. The colour party will also be drawn from the local scouting troop and representatives of local Catholic organisations.

Music at the 4pm festival Mass will be performed by Saint Peter's Male Voice Choir directed by Mr Edward Holly.

Each year thousands of pilgrims visit Saint Oliver Plunkett's shrine in Saint Peter's Church to venerate his relics and to learn about the saint's extraordinary life of service and inspiring ministry. Pilgrims pray for the sick and troubled, for family and friends. They fittingly turn to Saint Oliver, who was martyred for his faith in a time of political, religious and social turmoil, to pray for his intercession concerning conflict areas at home and abroad.

Saint Oliver Plunkett, a former Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, was martyred for this faith in Tyburn, England, in 1681. He was canonised as a martyr by Pope Paul VI in 1975.

Saint Oliver was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Meath in 1654. Each year celebrations of his life and ministry also take place in the Diocese of Meath in front of the old ruined Church at Loughcrew, Oldcastle, Co Meath, the birth place of Saint Oliver Plunkett.

For more information on St Oliver see: www.saintoliverplunkett.com/