Group dedicates 700-pound Celtic cross, made in Ireland, for those who died in the pandemic – NJ.com
The procession of the cross moved down the driveway, across the patio, through the bar and onto the deck at the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh.
Then it was time for Mass.
Hundreds gathered for an outdoor memorial Mass at the shillelagh in West Orange Sunday to remember those who passed away during the coronavirus pandemic and dedicate a cross in their memory.
Seán Ó hAodha, a deputy consul general at Irish Consulate in New York, was a guest of honor.
“The Irish do death well,” he said.
Monsignor Robert Harahan says Mass before the unveiling of hand-carved Celtic cross from Ireland in memory of those lost during Covid-19 pandemic, at the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh in West Orange, N.J. on June 13, 2021.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Karl Burke, co-chairman of the event, like other parts of New Jersey, said it’s been a tough 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic.
“It was a very difficult time for a lot of members here, some of us lost parents in Ireland and were unable to travel to funerals and saying their final goodbye,” Burke said.
The shillelagh, in an effort to remember their brethren, started an online fundraiser for the cross, a 700-pound piece handcrafted in Ireland and flown to New Jersey.
The headstone features crossed American and Irish flags and Irish inscriptions that translate to “Children of Ireland” and “In Our Hearts Forever.”
“We are hoping that today will give us some closure and give peace to a lot of people,” Burke said.
During the dedication, when Monsignor Robert Harahan blessed it with holy water, a light rain started, to which one person said optimistically: “It’s holy water.”
When the drops persisted, another said, “That’s enough.”
The Celtic cross from Ireland in memory of those lost during Covid-19 pandemic, at the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh in West Orange, N.J. on June 13, 2021.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Attending Sunday were members of Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh’s in Old Bridge, Belmar and Ocean County; the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Montclair; Women of Irish Heritage, Essex Chapter; the West Orange Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Committee; the New Jersey Irish Festival Committee; Irish Americans of Northwest Jersey and Ironbound Irish Americans in Newark.
Photographs of people who died during the coronavirus during the unveiling of the hand-carved Celtic cross from Ireland in memory of those lost during Covid-19 pandemic, at the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh in West Orange, N.J. on June 13, 2021.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Altar attendants make their way through the bar to the deck for Mass during the unveiling of a Celtic cross from Ireland in memory of those lost during Covid-19 pandemic, at the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh in West Orange, N.J. on June 13, 2021.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Monsignor Robert Harahan says Mass before the unveiling of hand-carved Celtic cross from Ireland in memory of those lost during Covid-19 pandemic at the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh in West Orange, N.J. on June 13, 2021.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
People embrace during Mass before the unveiling of hand-carved Celtic cross from Ireland in memory of those lost during Covid-19 pandemic at the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh in West Orange, N.J. on June, 13, 2021.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
The unveiling of a hand-carved Celtic cross from Ireland in memory of those lost during Covid-19 pandemic at the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh in West Orange, N.J. on June 13, 2021.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Photographs of people who died during the time of Covid during the unveiling of a the hand-carved Celtic cross from Ireland in memory of those lost during Covid-19 pandemic, at the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh in West Orange, N.J. on June 13, 2021.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
The Mass before the unveiling of a hand-carved Celtic cross from Ireland in memory of those lost during Covid-19 pandemic, at the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh in West Orange, N.J. on June 13, 2021.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
The unveiling ceremony of a Celtic cross from Ireland in memory of those lost during Covid-19 pandemic, at the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh in West Orange, N.J. on June 13, 2021.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Monsignor Robert Harahan uses holy water as he blesses the hand-carved Celtic cross from Ireland in memory of those lost during Covid-19 pandemic at the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh in West Orange, N.J. on June 13, 2021.Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
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Ed Murray may be reached at emurray@njadvancemedia.com.