6th November - All the Saints of Ireland

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God;
blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God;
blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, says the Lord.

(Communion Antiphon from Mass for feast of All Saints of Ireland)

November 6th is the feast of All the Saints of Ireland. It was in 1921, during the papacy of Pope Benedict XV (1914-22; he beatified Oliver Plunkett in 1920) that the Feast of All the Saints of Ireland was instituted. The same Pope also granted Ireland the honour of having a litany of its native saints approved for public recitation. Only four saints, St Malachy (1094-1148), St Lawrence O'Toole (1128-80) and St Oliver Plunkett (1625-81) and St Charles of Mount Argus (1821-93), have been officially canonised. All the other Irish saints, such as Saints Patrick, Brigid, and Colmcille, are saints, as it were, by acclamation of the local Church.
The scope of this feast, while it includes canonised saints, is wider. It also includes those who had a reputation for holiness and whose causes for canonisation have not yet been completed, such as Blessed Thaddeus MacCarthy (1455-92), the seventeen Irish martyrs of the 16th and 17th centuries, Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice (1762-1844), Blessed Columba Marmion (1858-1923) and the Servant of God Matt Talbot (1856-1925) and people like Legion of Mary envoys Edel Quinn and Alfie Lamb, whose causes have already been introduced. But it also includes those whose lives of sanctity were known only to their families, friends or members of their parish diocese or religious community.

You can read more about the feast day at CatholicIreland.

The readings of the Mass for the feast day are available from Dublin Dioceasan Liturgical Resource Centre.

Here is one depictions of some of the Irish saints from the Irish College in Rome whose patronal feast day November 6th is.

The first picture shows Mary our Mother with the façade of the basilica at Knock beside her alongside St. Patrick, St. Columbanus and Bl. Columba Marmion, OSB.

The second picture depicts St. John the Baptist, St.Oliver Plunkett, St.Brigid and Ragheed Ganni. Ragheed Ganni was a student at Milltown Institute, Dublin and then in the Irish College in Rome. He later became a priest but was martryed in 2007. The saints intercede for us who are still on the pilgrim way.

 

To see the rest of this beautiful chapel, have a look HERE.

 

Previous posts from SS102fm including the Litany available HERE.