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"Throat blessing popular as ever"
07.02.11
by Caoimhinn Barr, Inishowen Independent
CATHOLICS across Inishowen will hope to breathe
easier after attending traditional throat blessing
ceremonies to mark the Feast of St. Blaise.
Iskaheen parish priest Fr John Farren said the
ancient ritual, which places unlit candles under a
participant’s throat, is proving more popular than
ever.
“The blessing ceremony is largely a response to
people’s needs here and it is extremely well
supported every year. The feast was not a highly
significant event when I was growing up in Malin but
it is increasingly becoming a big issue in the
diocese. |
“People do put great
stock in the St Blaise blessing and they have
expressed their wish to have it every year. It is a
sacramental ceremony with a highly spiritual
dimension. We ask God to bestow his blessing on the
participants and it is of great comfort to many. The
value of spirituality is immeasurable,” he added.
Parishes around Inishowen held blessing ceremonies
on the Feast of St Blaise on Thursday. Fr Farren
joked that his throat might be sore after so much
talking!
A fourth century bishop, Blaise is thought to have
been beaten and beheaded after refusing to renounce
his faith.
The saint is traditionally believed to |
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Fr John Farren |
intercede in cases of
throat illnesses, especially for fish-bones stuck in
the throat.
The following blessing is usually given: "Through
the intercession of St. Blaise, may God preserve you
from throat troubles and every other evil",
sometimes followed by "In the name of the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit" as the priest makes the sign of
the cross over the recipient. |
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