Painting by Deirdre Walsh
O King of the Friday
whose limbs were stretched on the cross,
O Lord who did suffer the bruises,
the wounds, the loss,
we stretch ourselves
beneath the shield of thy might,
some fruit from the tree of thy passion
fall on us this day, this night!
This weekend there are vigils around Ireland in response to the recent tragic murders in Sligo and ongoing violent attacks on LGBTQ+ people. The prayer below was composed after the homophobic mass killing at Orlando, Florida, 2016. It seems very appropriate for here, now, as we live through the Paschal Mysteries.
Orlando Prayer
God says this:
I am now going to open your closets,
shed light into your darkness, bear your pain with you;
I mean to invite you to your truest selves,
my beloved LGBTQIA people,
and to accompany you to liberation.
And you will know that I am God,
when we die to false selves, speak against silencing,
destroy closets, reject violence,
and walk into life’s fullness together.
When you and I love one another so you can live
as I have made you, my LGBTQIA people.
And I shall put my spirit within you, and you will live,
you will live authentically, and openly and wondrously;
and you will know that I, God, have said and done this.
I am forever with you,
even when death surrounds and darkness pierces you.
From the four winds come, O Breath,
and breathe into those slain and those hurting
that they may live!
The full list of vigils can be seen below:
Belfast – 15 April at 6pm at City Hall
Cork – 18 April at 6pm at Bishop Lacey Park
Carlow – 15 April at 6pm at Liberty Tree Fountain
Dublin – 15 April at 6pm at Dáil Éireann
Galway -16 April at 7pm at Eyre Square
Galway – Loughrea 15 April at 5pm at The Long Point
Kerry – Tralee 18 April at 7pm at The Square
Kildare – Newbridge 15 April at 6pm at Liffey Linear Park
Kilkenny – 15 April 6.30pm at Town Hall
Laois – Portlaoise 15 April at 6pm at Laois County Council Plaza
Limerick – 18 April at 6pm at Arthur’s Quay
Louth – Drogheda 15 April at 6pm at Tholsel
Louth – Dundalk 15 April at 6pm at Town Square
Mayo – Ballina 20 April at 9pm at Tom Ruane Park
Sligo – 15 April at 6pm at Town Hall
Tipperary – Clonmel, 15 April, 7.30pm at Main Guard, O’Connell Street
Tyrone – Omagh 15 April at 7pm at Omagh Courthouse
Waterford – Friday, April 15, at 6pm at John Roberts Square
Westmeath – Mullingar, 15 April, at 6pm at Mullingar Park
Wexford – 15 April at 7pm at Wexford Quay
Wicklow – Arklow 18 April at 6pm at Arklow Bandstand
Wicklow – Blessington, 16 April, 6pm at The Square
Wicklow – Bray, 15 April, at 5pm at Bray Bandstand
