So Many Brigid Crosses!!!!!!!!!!!!!And Exclamation Points!!!!!!!!!

Last night, the parish of Clonard held its annual celebration in honor of St. Brigid. The celebration marked the culmination of our past two weeks of work as we have been heavily involved in the preparations for the celebration. Our responsibilities ranged from the practical (the preparation of a script for the prayer service incorporating the four elements of earth, water, air, and fire that were so important to St. Brigid), to the crafty (the making of 200+ Brigid crosses that were blessed and given to the participants in the service), to the just plain fun (the preparation of Irish music that was played and sung at the service). We were lucky enough to be joined by musicians from the Irish Trad group the Wild Turkeys, as well as violin virtuoso Joe Edmonds (of youtube fame,) and Steve and Michele Warner. With all of those musical powers combined, the end result was something truly spectacular.

Wild Turkeys (and some tame ones too)

All in all, the celebration truly was an amazing event. Part of what made the evening so special was the dedication of the many volunteers at Clonard who make so much of what we do at the parish possible. Yesterday, a group of volunteers spent the afternoon putting together a breathtaking “sacred space” in the sanctuary that made the celebration just as remarkable visually as it was spiritually. Just take a look at the picture below and you’ll get an idea of what I mean.

The Amazing Sacred Space

Over the next few days, children from the primary schools will be coming up to the parish to see the display in honor of Brigid and to participate in a children’s version of last nights celebration. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to continue to spread the story of our community’s patroness.