A pioneering County Galway woman who founded a society to support young priests more than 100 years ago was remembered at Knock Shrine at the weekend.
Some 5,000 pilgrims at the County Mayo pilgrimage centre heard warm tributes paid to Ballyglunin woman Olivia Mary Taaffe who died in 1918. She had a lifelong devotion to St Joseph.
Fr Eamonn Bourke, the head of vocations for the Dublin diocese, said he was very grateful to the society the late Ms Taaffe established in 1895. St Joseph’s Young Priests Society helped him and countless others to pursue their vocations.
Thousands of pulpits would be “silent all over the world” were it not for the foresight and determination displayed by her, he said. “What would it be like if she hadn’t set up the society?” Fr Bourke asked members who travelled from all over Ireland to the society’s annual pilgrimage.
“This pulpit probably would be silent today. Indeed, hundreds and thousands of pulpits would be silent all over the word.”
Fr Bourke, who delivered the homily, told of how he answered his own vocation following much soul-searching. He was brought up in a family of eight in a 15-floor tower in Ballymun. The financial support and prayer of the society was of enormous benefit to him.
“They opened the door for my vocation. They allowed me to say yes,” he said.
Marie Hogan, the president of the Young Priests’ Society, said the organisation had gone from strength to strength.
“We are very proud that the work of the society continues to the present day. We have over 100,000 members and almost 500 branches all over Ireland.”
