The volunteers who transported the Relics of St Bernadette around the Diocese of Cork and Ross. (L/R) Culm Long, Cecelia Healy and David Howard. The visit of St Bernadette in Ireland has come to an end, with stops in Elphin and Cork and Ross Dioceses. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Cecelia Healy, who drove the relics to Cork’s cathedral, said it was a “memorable and great experience.”
Along with being one of the volunteers to drive the relics, Ms Healy was also appointed as a steward for the relics. She said the experience was a “nice, peaceful and lovely feeling… Me, as well as the other helpers, felt that we were caring for the relic. It was a privilege to do the transporting of the relic and be a steward. We got to meet such lovely, lovely people.”
Driving the relics of St Bernadette was a unique experience for Ms Healy and her team. When they reached the North Cathedral, “everyone was clapping. There were people being extremely emotional, some were even crying.”
Bishop Fintan Gavin of Cork and Ross has said having the Relics of St Bernadette has been “a great blessing for Ireland.” He said: “It has allowed people an opportunity to express their faith and has allowed people an opportunity to feel solidarity with other people.”
Similarly, Ms Healy said watching everyone gather to be in the presence of the relics, as well as meeting with people to coordinate the handling of the relics, made everything feel “like a family.”
Bishop Gavin says that in today’s culture where the Catholic Faith can “seem almost marginal,” the visit of the Relics of St Bernadette has brought diverse communities together where they can celebrate their religion freely.
Fr Tom Hayes, resident in the Parish of Clonakilty, said the volunteers were chosen because for years, they were part of the team of helpers who “served on the diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes.”
Ms Healy states that she has been a helper for the pilgrimage of Lourdes for 12 years, and was inspired by her mother, who had been a helper for 34 years. “Lourdes to me is very special because my mom as well was connected to Lourdes.”
According to Ms Healy, when transporting the relics throughout the Diocese of Cork and Ross, her and the other two volunteers, David Howard and Culm Long, had to be careful since the relics were heavy. Mr Howard and Mr Long had to do all the heavy lifting because of the difficulty of transporting the relic onto its platform. Everything had to be “correctly done and handled.” The relics were welcomed in the Diocese of Cork and Ross from October 30 to November 1.