June 16, 2012: The Healing Stone unveiled as part of the Opening Ceremony of the
50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, Ireland, will move to
a permanent home at the ancient sanctuary of St. Patrick’s Purgatory at Lough Derg
in County Donegal. Father Kevin Doran, secretary-general of IEC2012, announced
details of the Healing Stone’s permanent location at a press conference in Dublin
Friday.
He said: “After considering various options, Lough Derg seems to be
particularly appropriate because of the penitential history of the location and because
of the pilgrimage there of the papal legate, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, which binds the
congress very closely to the Lough Derg. Lough Derg’s Station Island, the location
of the pilgrimage, is often referred to as Saint Patrick’s Purgatory. It is a special
sanctuary of peace and personal challenge. This small lake-island, renowned in Irish
Christian tradition since the time of St. Patrick, has been receiving pilgrims continuously
for well over 1,000 years.
The Healing Stone is a large piece of Wicklow granite
inscribed with the words of a prayer composed by a survivor of clerical abuse. The
prayer was originally featured in the Liturgy of Lament celebrated in Dublin’s Pro-Cathedral
in 2011. Work on the Healing Stone project began in early 2012. Following consultation
with various people, including abuse survivors, it was agreed that the stone would
be an appropriate symbol for the congress.
Cardinal Ouellet undertook a penitential
pilgrimage to Lough Derg earlier this week and while there held a two-hour meeting
with a representative group of survivors of child abuse in the Church. Cardinal
Ouellet was accompanied on his visit to Lough Derg by Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop
Charles Brown and the Bishop of Clogher, Bishop Liam McDaid; they stayed overnight
on the island during which time they fasted and participated in other penitential
exercises with the pilgrims on the island.