Irish-American Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York celebrated Mass at a “Mass rock” in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland, during a pilgrimage with roughly 40 people from the Archdiocese of New York on Aug. 21.
Dolan shared in a video that he has had the honor of celebrating Mass in several special places such as St. Peter’s Basilica, Lourdes, and the Holy Land, but this location is particularly meaningful.
“I don’t know if anything is more meaningful than having Mass on a rock in the middle of the woods, hidden away, and recalling those brave Irish people who, because they were persecuted for their faith, at the threat of their lives, would sneak out into the woods when the priests would come, with sentinels watching for the British troops, and come to hold Mass and holy Communion here,” he said.
During the 16th and 18th centuries, under the Penal Laws, all expressions of the Catholic faith were prohibited in Ireland. Priests risked fines, imprisonment, and death for celebrating Mass. This forced priests to celebrate Mass outdoors, in secret locations, using rocks as makeshift altars.
Many of these “Mass rocks” are still in existence today and serve as a symbol of the hardships Irish Catholics endured during British rule.
During the Mass for the group of pilgrims, Dolan emphasized the importance of the Eucharist.
“We take it [the Eucharist] for granted. The stats tell us our people aren’t even showing up or believe in the doctrine of the Eucharist,” he explained.
Dolan added: “When you’re in a place like this and see that people are willing to risk their lives for the joy and the grace and the mercy of receiving our Lord in holy Communion — I don’t know about you, but it does something for me.”
The group of pilgrims will be in Ireland until Aug. 28 and are visiting locations such as Ballintubber Abbey, which was one of the only locations Mass could be freely offered during the Penal Laws in Ireland, as well as the Knock Shrine, the Dingle Peninsula, and the Cliffs of Moher.
Dolan will conclude the pilgrimage by celebrating Mass on the 150th anniversary of the dedication of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh, Ireland, which took place on Aug. 24, 1873.
The Mass will take place on Sunday, Aug. 27, at 11 a.m. local time and is open to the public.
It was this church that was the origin of St. Patrick’s “Great Stone Church,” which he reportedly built. St. Patrick would later go on to become the first bishop of Armagh.