By Marilyn Madigan
For the past 130 years, the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians has been celebrating the Feast of St. Brigid. The Feast is making a comeback in Ireland. In 2023, St. Brigid’s Day was observed for the first time as a National Holiday in Ireland, the first honoring a woman.
That year, we hosted a webinar with Herstory, the organization that advocated for the Holiday for St. Brigid. Also in 2023, we were able to meet up with Melanie Lynch and the Herstory Displays at Queens University in Belfast during the FFAI Tour.
1,500th St. Brigid’s Anniversary
In 2024, the 1,500th Anniversary of the death of St. Brigid was commemorated in Kildare. The theme of the commemoration was Celebrating a Woman, a Life, a Legacy.
Many events were held in Kildare, including an ecumenical service at St. Brigid’s Cathedral. We were honored to visit the Cathedral for a tour. A highlight was each of us ringing the church bell and making a wish.
In addition to visiting the Cathedral, members on the 2024 Freedom for All Ireland (FFAI) Tour visited the National Shrine in Faughart, Co. Louth. The LAOH donated to the restoration of the Shrine in 1997, to honor our Patroness, St. Brigid.
We also had the privilege of visiting Solas Bhride, a center to “welcome pilgrims and to foster the spirituality inspired by Brigid.” Brigid’s flame was rekindled in 1993 and continues to burn at Solas Bhride as “a beacon of hope, justice and peace for the world.”
To honor St. Brigid and the 1,500 Anniversary of her death, the LAOH have initiated a new program, Brigid’s Hearth, which is still a work in progress, to assist those in ministry to our church. St. Brigid was a woman of hospitality, charity, peace, feminine strength and leadership.
We hope that this program will assist both our Clergy, men and women in religious life to share the example of St. Brigid with all those they minister to.
The Committee of Fr. Duns, Fr. Spicer, Fr. Harris, Sr. Lisa Breslin, Sr. Kathleen Smith, Brianna Curran and I plan to meet shortly. Any ideas for this program are welcome, please email me: [email protected] or [email protected].
Prayer to St. Brigid
Brigid of the Mantle, encompass us,
Lady of the Lambs, protect us,
Keeper of the Hearth, kindle us.
Beneath your mantle, gather us,
And restore us to memory.
Mothers of our mother,
Foremothers strong.
Guide our hands in yours,
Remind us how to kindle the hearth.
To keep it bright, to preserve the flame.
Your hands upon ours,
Our hands within yours,
To kindle the light,
Both day and night.
The Mantle of Brigid about us,
The Memory of Brigid within us,
The Protection of Brigid keeping us
From harm, from ignorance, from heartlessness.
This day and night,
From dawn till dark,
From dark till dawn
Amen
I hope this year that all of us have wonderful St. Brigid’s celebrations. I look forward to visiting St. Brigid’s sites again this year on the FFAI Tour as we honor a Woman of Peace.
On February 1, the Our Lady of the Rosary Division and the Boland Berry Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians held their annual celebrations of the Feast of St. Brigid and St. Patrick. This year the United Irish Societies of Cleveland Parade Theme is Celebrate the Life of St. Brigid. Celebrate the day starting at Mass at St. Colman’s or St. William and Robert and then join with our St. Patrick Day Honorees: Shannon Corcoran, Mary Murphy Joyce, Katie Schmitt and Michael Conkey, as they lead the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
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Marilyn Madigan
*Marilyn Madigan is a Registered Nurse recently retired from University Hospital. She is an amateur Historian and served as National Irish Historian 2014-2016 for the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians and is currently serving as National Secretary.
