Croagh Patrick Pilgrimage

By TOM DENNEHY

Croagh Patrick is dedicated to our great patron saint, Saint Patrick, who brought the faith to Ireland. He is a wonderful saint and we need to pray to him today more than ever. Saint Patrick fasted for 40 days on this mountain in 441 AD and built a church.

During an archaeological excavation on the summit in 1995, the foundation of a stone oratory dating back to between 430 and 890 AD was unearthed. The present church was built in the early 1900s.

The custom of climbing this mountain, especially on the last Sunday in July - now known as Rioch Sunday - has been handed down from generation to generation. Croagh Patrick, nicknamed The Reek, is a mountain with a height of 764 metres and is an important place of pilgrimage especially in County Mayo. It has a pyramid -shaped peak and overlooks Clew Bay, rising above the village of Murrisk, twelve miles from Westport. The climb itself is a difficult one and presents a challenge to all who venture; it takes about four hours from the base to the summit and back to base.

Mountains are special places and have been mentioned more than 500 times in The Bible as places of significance. We read in sacred scripture how Jesus went up the mountain to pray on many occasions. Before he chose his twelve apostles, “He departed to the mountain to pray and he spent the night in prayer to God, when day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose twelve, whom he named apostles. (Luke 6; 12- 14)

On Mount Tabor, there was an important moment in preparing the apostles for the prophesies Jesus had to fulfil. Jesus met with Moses and Elijah and his Divinity was revealed to the apostles, Peter, James and John and the voice of God was heard from Heaven saying, “This is my Son, listen to Him.”

On Mount Sinai, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and on The Mount of Olives, Jesus ascended into Heaven and gave his final instructions to his apostles, “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations and teach them to observe all that I have commanded you. I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” Matt; 28;19.20.

Each year, more than 50,000 people climb Croagh Patrick on Reek Sunday. We have learned from experience that climbing presents a challenge to us and when reaching the top we get a different perspective on life – we feel closer to God and our worries are taken away when we surrender everything to Him. We get a great sense of achievement. People climb for their own personal reasons, praying for an intention, for someone who is ill or as a personal challenge.

This year the pilgrimage will be held on July 31st. It is a wonderful sight to see so many people follow the path and a great testimony to the faith which has been passed on through the generations.

The programme for this year begins with celebration of Holy Mass on the summit at 8am and will be followed by Holy Mass at 9am, 10am,11am, 12 pm, 1pm, and 2pm. Confessions on the summit are from 7.30am to 2pm.

So why not accept a challenge? Join with many thousands of people who will make this year’s pilgrimage. Thread the path followed and made holy by those who have climbed this holy mountain down through the generations.

Breast Plate of Saint Patrick.

Christ with me.

Christ before me.

Christ behind me.

Christ within me.

Christ below me.

Christ above me.

Christ on my right hand.

Christ on my left hand.

Christ in my sleeping.

Christ in my waking.

Christ in the heart of all who think of me.

Christ in the mouth of all who speak of me.

Christ in every eye that looks at me.

Christ in every ear that listens to me.