Many culturies celebrate All Souls Day on November 2nd. In the Celtic tradition there is a great sense that the dead are very close to us at this time of year. It was believed that the boundary between the world of the living and that of the dead was at its thinnest at this time.
Samhain is marked with a special ritual of remembrance in Solas Bhride each year. Participants, visitors and pilgrims are invited to i9nscribe the names of their deceased loved ones in our Remembrance Book. A ribbon representing each on is then placed on a remebrance tree. This year, with restrictions due to Covid, it is a little different.
This is the Remembrance Book which includes names of the deceased of recent years. We invite you now to take a few moments of quiet and remember your loved onew who have died, a father, mother, wife, husband, brother, sister, children, relatives, friends, neighbours. Visualise yourself writing their names into this Remembrance Book.
The book is now placed in the sacred space in the Brigid Room. The book includes the visualised names of those remembered in November 2020.
You, your family and all the names inscribed in the book will be remembered in prayer in a special way each day through the month of November.
Let us now prayer a traditional praye for all the deceased:
Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord.
Let your perpetual light shine upon them>
May they rest in peace. Amen
May those have gone before us enjoy the peace of heaven. May we all be blessed and protected at this difficult time.
We thank you for being with us during this time of remembrance.
We leave you with an Irish saying about the dead, that speaks to many hearts.
Ni imithe uainn ata siad, ach imithe romhainn.
(They are not gone from us, but gone before us.)
Slan agus beannacht.