Photographs by Conor Gleeson and Derek Dooley
An historic milestone was celebrated by local clergy and parishioners on Saturday 22nd August, as The Church of the Holy Cross in Cuffesgrange marked 200 years in existence. Chief celebrant for the Mass of thanksgiving was Bishop Ger Nash along with Fr. Willie Hennessy P.P. The concelebrants were Monsignor Dan Carroll, Fr. Martin Delaney, Fr. Mark Condon and Fr. Tony O’Connor, a native of Cuffesgrange. A large congregation of parishioners filled the church for liturgy which was greatly enhanced by beautiful singing and music from the parish choir. In his homily, Bishop Nash recognized the richness of the past, the role of clergy and the laity, and hope for the future.
A Different World
“This Church was opened, consecrated and blessed in 1826 and no doubt the story of this place changed rapidly over the years that followed. 200 years later, much is changed and we live in a world which would be unrecognizable to the people of 1826, the first people that gathered in here and that first on that first day,” said the Bishop.
Generosity of Parishioners
Bishop Nash went on to say: “Like many Irish rural parishes, lay involvement in the life of this church and of the parish is generous, with great people volunteering their time on boards of management, in child safeguarding, financial care of the parish and so on. But the church building is a credit to the dedication and love of priests present and past, sacristans present and past, alter societies, cleaners, maintenance people over many generations and the service of choirs and the enthusiastic service of servers many of whom from the present but many of you who served mass here over the years.”
The core of our belief
“Today as we mark 200 years of service in this church, we can be reassured that the church has a future in this country and worldwide. However, that future must go beyond the outward form of the church and rediscover its core, and the core of our belief of an endo church is the presence of Jesus Christ”,continued Bishop Ger .
A New Centenary Begins
“If we in our time make ourselves pilgrims of hope, nurturing the community, showing commitment to people of the parish and especially to the young, then we can be assured that this church will stand the test of time and will still be here to mark its 3rd centenary 100 years from now.” After the celebration of mass parishioners and guests adjourned to the adjacent Churchill N.S. for refreshments where a special bicentenary cake was blessed by Bishop Nash.
Relic of the True Cross
On Saturday 12th of September at the 7.30 pm Mass in Cuffesgrange the congregation celebrated the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The celebration of this feast is another part of our Bi-Centenary Celebrations of Cuffesgrange Church which is named after the Holy Cross.
The church was fortunate on that night to have, on loan, a relic of the True Cross for Veneration and Blessing. This is a splinter from the Cross that Jesus was crucified on which is encased in a wooden cross.
History Booklet of Church of the Holy Cross
A brief history of the Church of the Holy Cross has been written by Derek Dooley to mark the bicentenary of the church. This beautiful, full colour, 64-page booklet traces the history of the church and its transformation from the earliest times up to the present day.
There is a beautiful section on the stained-glass windows explaining their symbolism and meaning along with details on the Bell Tower, Church Plate, the Church gates and a list of Parish Priests and Curates who served in the parish from the 1600’s up to the present day. The ooklet is available at Price €15. Payment by cash or Revolut and as there is a limited amount printed, copies can be pre-ordered by contacting Derek Dooley directly on 087-9384242 or derekdooley1@gmail.com
