ONE of the many legends which surround this ancient and sacred island of pilgrimage relates to the meaning of its name - Lough Derg.
It is said that the name comes from the Irish Loch Dearg, meaning the 'Red Lake', because St Patrick, when he came to the lake, struggled against a fearsome monster that lived in its waters.
St Patrick, having already dealt successfully with the entire national snake population, wasn't to be bested by a water monster and it was duly slain. The waters of the lake were stained with its blood, hence 'Red Lake'.
Nowadays the waters may appear more grey than red, but the image of struggle which the story presents is no less real.
For centuries hundreds of thousands of people have come to this place to struggle with the challenges of hunger, sleeplessness and physical penance.
It is an unbroken tradition that is, in modern terms, counter-intuitive and counter-cultural.
In societies of relative affluence such as our own, physical deprivation and discomfort are things to be avoided, not embraced.
The notion of embracing the challenges of Lough Derg would appear to be nonsense. But it is glorious nonsense - it is the most wonderful witness to the most profound spiritual values.
What this place bears witness to is the need for healing and hope in a wounded and broken world. From the mass horrors of war to the intimate hurts of our own hearts, the need for gifts of mercy, forgiveness, human empathy and generous love is unending.
Pope Francis has famously described our Church as being like a field hospital, offering healing for the heart and balm for the spirit.
If so, then Lough Derg provides some intensive care for the soul, and there are many, both believers and unbelievers who have found here a real sense of restoration and peace.
I don't know what each of you carry with you in your hearts; I don't know what joy you may be thankful for, or painful burden you may bear.
But Lough Derg is the place to bring it, where the needs of the body are disregarded and the yearnings of the spirit are addressed.
It an ancient place where, as so many know already, joy and thankfulness can increase and relief can be found from pain of heart and anguish of spirit. May the grace of the Purgatory of St Patrick give all of us ease with the greater and lesser purgatories that we must sometimes live through.
In the sanctuary in St Patrick's Basilica on the island there is a very large representation of the traditional Penal crucifix, sculpted by Imogen Stuart.
One noticeable feature of it is that the halo surrounding Christ's head is carved right through the wood, leaving an empty space. The sculptor has said that this space allows light to shine through, reminding us that there is no darkness, not even in the death of God's Son, that the power of God cannot overcome.
It is a great symbol of hope, at the heart of this island of hope.
- Monsignor Joseph McGuinness was speaking at the opening of the three-day pilgrimage season at Lough Derg for 2017.
He is the Diocesan Administrator of the Diocese of Clogher, pending the appointment of a new bishop. He is also the Administrator of the Parish of Tyholland.
Mass was celebrated in Saint Patrick's Basilica at Saint Patrick's Purgatory - also known as Station Island - on Lough Derg in Co Donegal. A new organ was also blessed and dedicated.
Information about the pilgrimage season can be found atwww.loughderg.org.
