Fr Willie Purcell. Photo credit: CatholicIreland Ava Westendorf
The Purcell Society Gathering or Reunion is said to inspire a “gathering of unity around a surname” says Fr William Purcell PP of Clara. On June 21 through 23, 215 people from around the world who have the Purcell name, most who have never met, will gather in areas of Kilkenny and Tipperary to learn about their ancestors’ history and lineage.
As an admirer of his family name and history, Fr Purcell will be attending the Mass being held at Loughmore, Co. Tipperary on Sunday, June 23. He expressed his readiness for this event to The Irish Catholic by saying his “hope for it would be that it’s an opportunity for one generation or two generations, three generations of families to come together.”
Referencing the crest of his family, aut vicnam aut periam, meaning either conquer or destroy, Fr Purcell described how many people should be interested in attending this event, especially “young people that would research the name and maybe see the lineage where they’ve come from.” These young people can do research on their family name but will learn more from firsthand experiences like this reunion then they will online.
With his eagerness for the event, Fr Purcell claims that this reunion is “a wonderful opportunity for the surname of a family to come together,” and he hopes that other families will have a reunion with their surnames to create unity and a deeper connection, just as he hopes the Purcell reunion will do for him.