Kilcullen Diary: "Brigid's time has come. Again."

Sr Phil O'Shea and Sr Rita Minehan of Solas Bhride Kildare, pictured with Brian McCabe, chairman of the Kildare Federation of Local History Groups.

Visitors and pilgrims coming to Kildare today to find out more about St Brigid attest to the importance given to the saint all around the world, those at a well-attended talk last evening in Kilcullen Town Hall heard, writes Brian Byrne.

The event was the second in a series of monthly talks about St Brigid, organised by the County Kildare Federation of Local History Groups as part of the Brigid 1500 celebration year. The Relevance of St Brigid in Today's World was presented by Sr Rita Minehan, who said those coming to Kildare today do so for various reasons.

"There are justice and peace groups, students from American colleges and universities doing Celtic Studies, many inter-faith groups — Brigid is not just a Catholic saint, she was pre-Reformation. We have contact with a most interesting group of mainly Lutheran women in Scandinavia who model their lives on Brigid of Kildare. And many also come seeking spiritual nourishment for life's journey."

Noting that many sources provide a picture of a real woman who 'blazed a trail' in fifth century Ireland, and was a strong female voice coming through in a male dominated and hierarchal society, Sr Rita outlined the international impact of Brigid during her own and following eras. These included authoritative texts, relics, and churches and wells dedicated to her across Europe and further. "Migrants carried Brigid's story to the wider world, and there has been excellent research by Dr Noel Kissane, who suggests that an association with a pre-Christian Brigit gave her a competitive edge against other Irish saints."

Sr Rita noted that many customs around St Brigid help to keep her popularity alive today, as was demonstrated in a 1942 survey about the saint carried out by the Irish Folklore Commission. "Aspects of her life are appealing to today and keep her relevant. She is remembered through the ages as a spiritual leader, a peacemaker, with close connections to the land, someone with respect for the environment — she knew intuitively what scientists are telling us in recent times."

The stories told about the saint are being retold today as parables for our times, Sr Rita added, saying that "myth and legend do not have to be true to tell us about our world". She retold the legend of Brigid giving to a poor family a basket of apples given to her by a rich woman who then complained about her action. "Brigid answered, 'what's mine is theirs', and that legend challenges the concept of ownership of the fruits of the earth in the 80:20 divide of today's world. A sense of compassion enjoined Brigid to share."

Sr Rita's presentation came 'through the lens of 30 years of ministry' in Kildare. Earlier she had outlined a brief history of the revival in 1807 of the Brigidine Sisters, in Tullow, Co Carlow, by Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin Daniel Delaney. The original congregation dating from the fifth century had been disbanded prior to the Reformation. "In 1992 a decision was made to send two sisters to Kildare, given free rein to set up a small spiritual centre in a house to meet emerging needs, as Brigid's name was coming up as a feminist following the second wave of feminism which had started in the 1970s."

A catalyst for what was to follow came in 1993 when the Action from Ireland (Afri) social justice NGO decided to host an international conference in Kildare to mark the 10th anniversary of their St Brigid’s Peace Cross Campaign. At the conference Brigid: Prophetess, Earthwoman, Peacemaker, the legendary St Brigid's Fire — which had remained lit in Kildare from Brigid's era until some time prior to the Reformation in the 1500s — was rekindled in the Market Square, Kildare by Mary Teresa Cullen, then leader of the Brigidine Sisters.

"It was decided that the two Brigidine sisters would take a spark from the fire and keep the flame in their home," Sr Rita recalled. "The Afri conference had been a great success, and people kept coming to Kildare to find out more about Brigid. They would sit with the flame, which touched something very deep in the psyche. That fire is still burning today in Solas Bhride."

Saying that Brigid is now 'centre stage' in Ireland, 'standing shoulder to shoulder with St Patrick', Sr Rita noted that the new national holiday has generated great interest and excitement around the world. Characteristics ascribed to the saint are now generating real initiatives today, such as the global Pause for Peace launched last January by Into Kildare.

"Brigid and the women of her abbey in Kildare were renowned as peacemakers, and Brigid was often called to mediate in disputes. They were known as 'women who could turn back the streams of war'. The idea of Pause for Peace is that around the world, at 12 noon on St Brigid's Day, people would stop and reflect on peace." Even though only weeks had elapsed since it was launched, on St Brigid's Day this year the initiative was observed in many places around the world. "It is a unique event that breaks new ground in global solidarity for peace," Sr Rita said. "It has great potential if the people of Kildare own it and promote it going forward."

She concluded by quoting Victor Hugo, who once said that 'nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come'. "St Brigid's time has come," she said. "Again."