Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Young Killarney emigrants recalled at special Mass

NEARLY 500 names of young emigrants have been placed alongside the Christmas crib in St Mary’s Cathedral, Killarney, in response to a suggestion by local priests to help fill the void left in many local houses this Christmas.

Fr Kevin McNamara said there had been such a response to the invitation, at a carols service before Christmas, to write the names of loved ones on large boards, that it was decided to hold a special Mass on Sunday afternoon, which was attended by about 800 people.

There has been a recent spike in emigration from the wider Killarney area.

Fr McNamara said the placing of the names – headed “Your Loved Ones will be Remembered” – alongside the crib was “a positive statement for those who had left. We are telling them they are not forgotten.”