Holy Year Cross - Bere Island

The Bere Island Holy Year Cross Committee arranged a Rosary at the Cross on Sunday, August 4, 2002.  The Committee made an appeal last year for funds to make it possible to light the cross permanently.  The generosity and the support was overwhelming. Without these donations and also the voluntary time and effort invested by many people, it would not have been possible to complete this project.

From midday onwards on Sunday the people of Bere Island headed up towards the Cross.  We were blessed with a beautiful day.  John Joe Sullivan, home on holidays from San Francisco with his wife Mary and son Daniel, opened the proceedings.  He gave the history of the erection of the Cross and the amount of work that Bere Island people had invested in the construction in 1951.  John Joe offered to walk to St. Michael’s Well after the Rosary and many people followed the traditional "pattern" to the Holy Well.   We had the pleasure of having Sr. Mary Margaret Sullivan from the Presentation Order, a native of Bere Island, who recited the Rosary.  She was accompanied by three altar children, Brian, Emma and Fiona.  Readings were done by Ann Moriarty, Mary Mullins, Margaret Harrington, Patrick Sullivan and John Joe Sullivan.  They represented different parts of the island in contributing to the Prayer Service.  They remembered the Bere Island people who were present, those who could not be with us on this day, the sick, the old, those in need of help and those who had gone to their eternal rest. A special reading asked that the faith which was passed onto us by our ancestors in difficult times be continued by the next generation.  The Cross represents a symbol of peace, not only in Bere Island but all of Ireland, in troubled countries and throughout the whole world.  The Bere Island Choir was present and they rounded up the prayer meeting with two hymns, Hail Queen of Heaven and Faith of our Fathers.

We thank all the Bere Island people and the holiday makers who came to the cross on that beautiful Sunday afternoon and made it a memorable occasion.  It is hoped that this would be an annual event due to its success.  All age groups attended and we were particularly honoured to see Mr. Ted Harrington, aged 92, a senior citizen, looking hale and hearty.

These are some photos taken at the event - sent in by Maeve Priebs-Harrington - as was the write-up above
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