A day alive with meaning - Cemetery Sunday at Staghall

Throughout the summer and early autumn months in parishes all over rural Ireland large crowds gather at churches and cemeteries for the annual ritual that is Cemetery Sunday.

There was an enormous gathering for the Annual Blessing of the Graves in Staghall on Sunday, September 1, which consisted of a concelebrated Mass at 11.30am followed by the blessing.

The main celebrant was Fr. Gerry Comiskey, P.P. and he was joined by Cardinal Sean Brady, Bishop Leo O’Reilly and newly ordained priest, Fr. Jordan MacGabhann.

Preparations had been taking place for weeks prior, and the mood of the day was more joy than sorrow, a family and community reunion in the fullest sense; the living reconnecting with their deceased family members in prayerful remembrance.

Cardinal Brady congratulated the local community on the beauty of their recently restored church, which celebrated the 150th anniversary of the dedication of the chancel in 2020.

The Cardinal’s great-grand uncle Fr. James Brady was the parish priest of Drumlane from 1888-1918. He is buried near the steps of the church and history records show he devoted himself tirelessly to the spiritual renewal and well-being of his flock for the 31 years he spent in the parish.

He retired February 18, 1918, and died December 15, 1919. When preaching at Fr. Brady’s funeral, Bishop Finnegan recalled how, when he was a curate in Teemore, he often visited Fr. Brady. On such occasions, he always found him to be “the very soul of honour and princely hospitality”.

“He was,” his Lordship went on, “a priest who always had a remarkable high ideal of his fellow men and was never known to depart from the high bedrock of principal.”

Cardinal Brady commended the ancestors of the parish for handing on the faith from one generation to the next. He also issued an appeal to all those listening to be attentive to the values of Jesus Christ and to communicate them with enthusiasm and courage, commenting on the long and distinguished history of Drumlane Abbey. He further remarked on the zeal of the monks who had established and sustained the sacred place over the centuries.

Some of those gathered remarked on the weeping ash, a distinctive feature of the cemetery since the church was built. Sadly, the tree has decayed because of ash disease and must be cut down before the winter draws in for fear that it would fall and damage the headstones commemorating the souls of the faithful departed.

At the gate as people lingered in conversation. One woman referred to Gerard Smith’s article in the Celt the week before and quoted the old adage used by him: ‘People never die when they live on the lips of the living’.