An altar with a penal cross is seen at Tobernalt Holy Well and the site of a Mass rock on Aug. 25, 2024. COURTESY OF ROBIN L. MURPHEY
Pilgrims encounter Christ, the Good Shepherd, during Ireland pilgrimage
BY ROBIN L. MURPHEY, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
Each of us are pilgrims on a journey to “discover the place of [our] resurrection,” as Monica Weis wrote in “Thomas Merton and the Celts: A New World Opening Up.” This pilgrimage is part of daily life as we die to this world to rise again in the love and graces of the Triune God, living our own Paschal Mystery, through our baptism.
In August, 21 pilgrims from across the Diocese of Owensboro set off for Ireland by car, plane, bus, and foot to further encounter Christ.
Like the rocky hillsides and cliffs, amid Ireland’s beauty is a rocky past. During the penal period, priests were banned from publicly shepherding their flocks, those who remained faced martyrdom. Catholics though were not dissuaded in their forbidden faith. Instead, they went deep into the foliage and hillsides finding secluded areas with significant-sized rocks, many ruins of old monasteries destroyed by Cromwell’s forces. These rock surfaces became altars – or “Mass rocks” – for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and places Catholics prayed and worshiped in secrecy from persecution. Many remain hidden, but known Mass rocks continued to serve as places where local and global Catholics embrace and express their Catholic faith, increasing in 2020 as enclosed gatherings were restricted.
(Left to right) Fr. Mike Clark and Fr. Will Thompson, the spiritual directors for the Ireland pilgrimage, concelebrate Mass at the Our Lady of Knock Shrine on Aug. 25, 2024. COURTESY OF ROBIN L. MURPHEY
Beyond these visible expressions of faith, the diocesan pilgrims were reminded daily of Christ, the Good Shepherd. Fields, hillsides, and roadways were smattered with sheep being shepherded as they roamed. Each day, the pilgrims’ journey began with the flock gathering for the reception of Christ in the Holy Eucharist and a shepherding message grounding their journey.
The 21 pilgrims stepped away from their everyday lives to discover their place of resurrection and return with new wisdom and humility in Christ. As the pilgrims returned transformed, may we too share in their experience: seeing life in a new way – embracing the natural and spiritual worlds centered in Christ, being challenged to look up and beyond the temporary of the earth to the eternal triumph of Calvary’s death. May we give ourselves to Christ and remember those who have gone before and are living today in a world of persecution.
You don’t have to travel to exotic or far-off places to experience the beauty, diversity, history, and spiritual depths of the faith. But you are called to be open to step out into the unknown and walk with Christ and one another. Many opportunities exist across the diocese, in your local parishes and communities to engage in the faith and accompany others as we navigate our earthly journey toward eternal life
Robin L. Murphey is the communications coordinator for Immaculate Parish in Owensboro.
Originally printed in the November 2024 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
