The week of the celebration, I had a photo shoot with the incredible tapestry hanging in the day chapel of Clonard Church.
This massive work of art took 10 women 2.5 years to create, sewn with hundreds of kinds of fabric and other materials.
Brigid's cloak grew miraculously when a chieftain told her he would give her all the land it could cover so that she could build a monastery.
Four panels surrounding the central image of Brigid depict the four elements of creation: Water
The spiral is an ancient Celtic symbol; real shells add authenticity to this panel
Earth: sustenance and plenty symbolized by milk and honey
The hawthorn tree is almost sacred in Ireland
Brigid is patroness of dairy workers and milkmaids
A representation of the monastery she founded in Kildare
Air:
Represented by birds and butterflies in the daytime
...and an owl at night: symbol of wisdom, it is said to have been Brigid's constant companion
The oak tree: another symbol of Brigid, who founded the monastery at Kill Dara (Kildare), "Church of the Big Oak"
Fire: represented by the phasing sun and by the dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit
The afternoon of the celebration: creating the sacred space in the Main Church
The icon from our home graced the altar as the focal point
Primroses and hyacinths added color and fragrance
Awesomely amusing woodland creatures that are CLEARLY not to scale, unless GIANT rabbits and squirrels roamed Ireland in Brigid's day...
Pretty carnations in front of the ambo -- honoring Brigid, Herald of the Spring
A parishioner's shots from before the ceremony: these gifts will be brought forward in procession later
We begin in darkness
Fr. Denis blesses the fire, the first element to be celebrated in prayer, song, story, and ritual
The congregation members share the light with one another
Martha was able to capture some beautiful moments throughout the celebration
A sprinkling rite to celebrate water, the second element
Incense to perfume the air
Readers proclaimed passages from Scripture pertaining to each element; Martha reads about the wind and the air
Sr. Josephine shares the story of Brigid's cloak covering the earth
Gifts placed in tribute: a bowl of incense, a jug of milk, a cake of bread, a jar of honey
Sr. Mary O'Dwyer, Brigid devotee and emcee for the evening
Our excellent (and local!) trad musicians
The celebration concludes with the blessing of Brigid cloths and the Brat Bríd, a cloth tied to a branch on St. Brigid's Eve so that she will bless it as she passes through Ireland during the night.
One of five Brigid Crosses beautifully made by a parishioner out of willow
A new holy water font created by a local artist, commissioned by Clonard Church
Cloths tied in the tree branches
