Parish priest, Fr. Paul Alexander, Deacon Jackie Breen and Papal Nuncio Most Reverend Jude Thaddeus Okolo blessing the congregation with the relic of St Patrick at the Novena mass held in St Patrick's Church Saul.
Photo: Bill Smith The Papal Nuncio to Ireland visited Co. Down to participate in a new initiative for the renewal of faith through an all-island novena, following in the steps of St Patrick.
Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo visited St Patrick’s Church in Saul on the feast of Candlemas as part of the novena and was welcomed by Fr Paul Alexander PP along with parishioners, including school-children, who gathered in the church in Saul close to where Ireland’s patron saint began his mission.
Holy ground
Archbishop Okolo said of the visit, “It was indeed nice and uplifting, praying together on that holy ground, on which St Patrick trod.”
Two first class relics of St Patrick were also displayed for public veneration – the relic of his jawbone from the treasury of the Church in Down and Connor diocese and also a piece of bone which came to Ireland from Rome in 1932. St Patrick’s altar stone is also in the church, which is famous for its stained-glass windows telling the story of St Patrick’s arrival in Saul.
In his homily, Fr Paul Alexander said: “St Patrick’s first church in Ireland was here in Saul and from here the Faith spread. St Patrick brought the light of Christ to Ireland, the same light was we read about in the Gospel today on this feast day of the presentation, the feast of light.
Archbishop Okolo said that St Patrick was not sent by to Ireland by God by chance”
“We have to follow the example of St Patrick and bring the light to others. We have to start again, bringing the light of Christ into our hearts, our families and into our homes. We all know these are days of darkness, we have been living through them, days of fear and anxiety. We need the joy of the Gospel, the joy of Christ, joy brought to Ireland, by St Patrick.”
Fr Paul continued: “Each of us has to ask ourselves, what am I going to do to bring the light of faith to others? Generations of our ancestors kept the Faith alive. What are you going to do to keep the faith alive? Let us revive our Faith and go forward with St Patrick”.
Archbishop Okolo said that St Patrick was not sent to Ireland by God by chance.
“His mission in Ireland was a deliberate intention of God. We can read this in St Patrick’s writings and from the example he left behind,” Archbishop Okolo said.
Opposition
“When St Patrick wanted to come back to Ireland, there was a lot of opposition. In his time, there were many missionaries including bishops and priests. We have hardly heard of many of these, but we all know about St Patrick. This is very striking. Why is it so? St Patrick did not speak much, he didn’t write much. Today there are too many words – words, words, words – written words, spoken words, words on the internet, words on the microphone, words on the streets and the market places. There are too many words, just one word is important – the word of God. If we could just listen to even a single word of God.”