Special Waterford location chosen for St John's Eve celebration mass
The mass will take place at 7pm on June 23 at Church of St John the Baptist in Crooke. Stock Image
The St John’s Eve/Oiche Fhéile Eoin celebration occurs traditionally on the eve of the Feast of St John the Baptist on June 23 and this year it's on a Monday.
It used to be widely celebrated around Ireland and indeed still is.
This year, a Mass and a procession to the Cemetery in Crooke will be celebrated at the Church of St John the Baptist in Crooke, Passage East, with the kind permission of Fr .PJ. Breen P.P.
The location for the celebration was chosen not only because the Parish Church is dedicated to the saint but also because the ancient ruined Church at the Cemetery once belonged to the Knights of Malta, who received it after the suppression of the Knights Templar, the original owners.
St John the Baptist is the principal patron of the Order of Malta, and his feast is always celebrated with great solemnity within the Order.
The Mass will begin at 7pm, followed immediately by the procession. The celebrant will be Fr Tom Rogers, Chief Chaplain of the Order of Malta in Ireland, and all are very welcome.
