This Sunday, 21 April, Good Shepherd Sunday, Archbishop Kieran
O’Reilly SMA will celebrate a Mass of Welcome at 1.00pm for the relics
of Polish martyrs, Blessed Zbigniew Strzałkowski and Michal Tomaszek.
This Mass will be celebrated at Saint Joseph and Saint Brigid Church, Bohernanave, Thurles, Co Tipperary, E41 KF98, in the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly.
Looking forward to Sunday’s special celebration, Archbishop O’Reilly said, “I welcome the relics of two modern day Polish missionary martyrs, Blessed Zbigniew and Blessed Michal. It is a privilege for the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly to have the opportunity to venerate their memory.
“The Church in the world today has many brave and courageous religious and lay people who are placing their lives in danger to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. The presence of the relics will enable us to bring to our hearts and minds the many Christians in our time who are suffering as they witness to their faith. I thank the Polish community, and Father Jaroslaw Kurek OSB, for facilitating the bringing of the holy relics to the Archdiocese”
Glenstal Abbey-based Father Kurek OSB, originally from Poland, has been the lead organiser for the visit of the holy relics to Ireland.
Father Kurek said, “It is the goal of the Polish community to strengthen the Catholic faith by venerating the heroic Franciscans who sacrificed their lives in the Peruvian Andes in 1991. We wish to share the good news of their lives and ministy with both the Polish citizens and with our Irish brothers and sisters in faith who, over the last twenty years, have magnanimously accepted us on their land and in their workplaces.”
Attendance at Sunday’s Mass of Welcome celebration will include the General Consul of the Embassy of Poland, Mr Maciej Wójcik; the Abbot of Glenstal Brendan Coffey OSB; members of the monastic community; as well as clergy and parishioners of the archdiocese.