A Pilgrimage Across the Sea

It was a homecoming of sorts for Fr. Robert M. Egan, CSV, when he and Fr. Richard Rinn, CSV, led a tour in October to Ireland. Both had traveled to the Emerald Isle before, but for Fr. Egan, it was a chance to return to his roots, County Mayo, home of his mother’s family.

The 10-day trip was something of a pilgrimage, with Fr. Egan and Fr. Rinn leading travelers to historic cathedrals in Armagh, Galway, Killarney and Dublin, as well as Kylemore Abbey in Connemara, the oldest Irish Benedictine abbey. The group visited the burial site of St. Patrick, and even attended Mass said in Gaelic at the Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and St. Nicholas, in Galway.

A highlight came midway during the trip when Fr. Egan and Fr. Rinn celebrated Mass in the Apparition Chapel in the village of Knock in County Mayo. The chapel was built on the site where Mary, St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist appeared to 15 witnesses — young and old — in the tiny village in 1879.

“We’ve come to this holy space, celebrating our faith and praying for all our intercessions that we remember at this Mass,” Fr. Egan said at the start of the Mass. The visit to the shrine included a tour of the extensive grounds, including its five churches, extensive art collection – from glasswork to mosaics and sculpture – museum and gardens.

The chance to explore Ireland with the Viatorians drew parishioners from St. Viator Catholic Community in Las Vegas, St. Thomas More Catholic Community in Henderson, NV, and Saint Viator High School in Arlington Heights, including Br. Rob Robertson, CSV.

However, this tour differed from previous visits. Their journey began in Northern Ireland and included tours of Belfast and Derry. Along the way, they visited sites of the violence, or “troubles,” between the Loyalists and the Republicans. But they also heard of the vast improvements to the country since the peace agreement was reached in 1998.

Still, visiting the site of the apparition and calling on Our Lady of Knock to bless them as pilgrims, was a highlight.

“Today, we gather to think of Mary in our life,” Fr. Rinn said in his homily. “We have the simplest prayer to her in the ‘Hail Mary,’ which when said slowly and thoughtfully can make all the difference in the world.”

For Fr. Egan, the tour was his fifth visit to his ancestral homeland. Yet, coming to Knock, where the apparition occurred, and has drawn two popes to visit, including Pope Francis in 2018, remained as powerful as ever.

“As pilgrims, seeking Mary’s intercession,” Fr. Egan said, “we pray that we have open hearts and open ears, and may know the power of God’s grace.”

Kylemore Abbey in Connemara, County Mayo

Fr. Robert M. Egan and Fr. Richard Rinn celebrate Mass in the Apparition Chapel. (L-R) Br. Rob Robertson, Fr. Richard Rinn and Fr. Robert M. Egan