Parishioners across the Diocese of Limerick will over the coming week get to venerate relics of two saints associated with promoting devotion to the sacred heart worldwide.

The 300year-old relics of Saints Margaret Mary Alacoque and Saint Claude la Colombiere will be presented at St. John’s Cathedral on Friday evening for 7pm Mass and remain available for veneration at allotted times right through to Wednesday of next week.

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French nun of the Visitantine order, was recorded as having had several apparitions of the Sacred Heart in the years from 1673 to 1675 in her convent chapel in Paray-le-Monial.

Such is the significance of these that her Sacred Heart visions appear in stained glass, statues and paintings in many churches throughout Ireland.

Fr Claude was a Jesuit priest who served in London during Penal times when celebration of Catholicism was prohibited. He was also the spiritual director of St Margaret Mary Alacoque.

Looking ahead to the arrival of the relics, Bishop Leahy said, “This is another great moment for the Diocese of Limerick in what is becoming very much a year of renewal. We’ve had our diocesan pilgrimage to Rome as part of the late Pope Francis’ Jubilee Year of Hope, the privilege as a group from Limerick of being present when he made his first appearance to the public since he fell ill. We, of course, deeply mourned Pope Francis’ loss on his passing and, conversely, celebrated Pope Leo XIV’s election. All this aside from our great faith celebrations of Lent, Easter and so much more.

“So, it has been a year of deep spiritual engagement and locally now we have the privilege and the opportunity to venerate the relics of these two saints who are so associated with devotion to the Sacred Heart. This will be another moment great spiritual engagement for us. A moment to pause, venerate, petition and, ultimately, to be grateful for our faith and how it sustains us,” said Bishop Leahy.

Veneration of the relics begins with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Brendan Leahy on this Friday evening (May 23^rd) in St. John’s Cathedral at 7 pm followed by veneration. After that veneration of the relics will be on Saturday 24th 5.15pm - 6.00pm Veneration of Relics (Mass at 6.00pm); Sunday 25th 11.15 am - 12.00 Noon Veneration of Relics (Mass at Noon); Monday 26th Veneration of Relics 4.45pm - 5.45pm (Mass at 5.45pm); Tuesday 27th Veneration of Relics 4.45pm - 5.45pm (Mass at 5.45pm); Wednesday 28th Veneration of Relics 4.45pm - 5.45pm (Mass at 5.45pm).

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