‘Missionary saint a rock for migrants’ says Bishop

For the first time after over 1,300 years the relics of St Kilian, a missionary native from Mullagh, Co. Cavan are coming back home. The saint left Ireland with a few companions in the 7th century to spread Christianity through mainland Europe and never came back.

The relics of St Kilian and his two companions, St Totnan and St Kolonat will arrive in Ireland on October 2, when they will be celebrated in St Patrick’s College Maynooth. On October 3 they will arrive in Mullagh and travel around Co. Cavan until October 6, when they will go back to Würzburg, the saints’ place of death and home of their relics for the past few centuries.

Fr Paul Prior, parish priest of Mullagh Parish said that St Kilian could be considered one of the first Irish migrants. Like him, many men and women had left their places for new horizons. Fr Prior said that St Kilian might “inspire the migrants to trust in the journey, to trust in God”.

Bishop of Kilmore Martin Hayes said “people who leave their home, they need an anchor. They need a rock…and I think Killian represents that.” Independent of the reason for moving, Bishop Hayes believes these migrations are also an “opportunity for different peoples to meet…and to have an influence upon each other…

“To bring their faith as well and without imposing it on anyone else, bring the example of their faith in coping with their difficulties… To bring that example of faith and endurance and resilience to others.

Full article on St Kilian and the relics visit in next week’s issue.