Local Notes: St Cathaldus remembered on a beautiful evening
The congregation pictured at the Mass at the Holy Well of St. Cathaldus at Canty, Cappagh, with celebrants Fr. Conor Kelly and Fr. Paddy Osborne.
The annual Mass at the Shrine of St. Cathaldus (Cathal) was celebrated in very pleasant weather on Friday night, May 10, the feast day of the saint. The Mass, which was well attended, was celebrated by Fr. Conor Kelly, Admin, and Fr. Paddy Osborne and the weather on the occasion was very favourable.
Local resident O’Brien welcomed the people present and thanked those who had helped to prepare the area of the well for the celebration. He welcomed Fr. Kelly and Fr. Osborne and thanked Margaret O’Brien for the lovely display of flowers which enhanced the altar.
“We know that there is a much bigger celebration taking place in Taranto, Italy where Cathal landed after being shipwrecked off the coast on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. We are only a small gathering here celebrating our Saint, but we are united in prayer with the people of Taranto.” “I want to echo all those words of welcome and thanks and it is heartening to see so many come to this Mass this evening. Thank you for coming.” In his homily, Fr. Kelly said that Cathal set out for the Holy Land and, on the way back, just like St. Paul, the Lord decided to turn him around. On the way back, he was shipwrecked, landed in Taranto and became their Bishop, later to be their Saint Protector. This was the Lord’s way, he has a plan for each of us.
Sometimes it involves turning us around with means that we do not expect. A lot of the time we have to say ‘Lord, how did this happen, why did this happen, what am I supposed to do now.’ The Lord always has a plan for each of us, and I have no doubt that the prayer of Cathaldus and our prayer too would be ‘Lord, may Your will be done’. Not my will, not what other people tell me, but may Your will be done.
That was a lesson which was learned by many of the Saints of the Church. It is a lesson which is still being taught to us today.
“You have to ask the Lord to bring good out of every situation; to bring peace out of all the catastrophes in the world at the moment.
“If you go in to the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, there are four rows of pillars holding up the roof of the main hall there. On the third pillar in one of the rows, there is a dedication to St. Cathaldus. So, not only is he remembered here in his home place, not only is he remembered in Taranto in Italy where he was Bishop, he is remembered at the site of the Lord’s own birth.
“I find it very inspiring that his name is inscribed on a Pillar, because that is what the Lord chose for him, to be a Pillar in the Church, to help to hold up the faith of the people of Taranto; to hold up the Church in his own little spot; to inspire people to get closer to Christ, to place their trust in him. That Christ always knew what was best and that even despite setbacks and many things apparently going wrong, that God knows what he is doing. We were told long ago in College, that sooner or later, God’s river reaches the sea, in other words that God’s Will, will always be done, God always wins out in the end.”
