The Catholic priest Fr Ragheed Ganni and the three deacons murdered with him in Mosul, northern Iraq, on June 3rd last, were remembered by the Catholic primate and Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Seán Brady, at a Mass in Drogheda yesterday.
Fr Ganni studied for the priesthood at the Irish College in Rome from 1996 to 2000 and spent his summers working at the Lough Derg pilgrimage centre in Co Donegal.
Remembering three martyrs with Irish connections - a saint, an archbishop and Fr Ganni - Archbishop Brady said "we remember that on this day, 326 years ago, Oliver Plunkett died . . . hanged, drawn and quartered, a martyr for his faith in Christ."
Welcoming the papal nuncio, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, he said "his presence reminds me of another nuncio, the late Archbishop Michael Courtney. Archbishop Courtney from Nenagh, Co Tipperary, was shot dead in Burundi, a couple of years ago, as he returned from celebrating Mass."
He continued: "I welcome the rector, Msgr Liam Bergin, and many past students of the Pontifical Irish College, Rome. We come together to mourn the brutal murder, four weeks ago, of another past student, Fr Ragheed Ganni along with three companions in Mosul in Iraq, as they too returned from celebrating Mass."
He said that "persecution is still the experience of many Christian men and women today. Sometimes it takes the form of violence, torture, imprisonment and even death. Sometimes it takes the more subtle form of discrimination against people because of their religious beliefs."
He concluded that "the fact that the church produces martyrs, in every age, is a sure sign that it is the body of Christ and that it is remaining faithful to Christ, its Head."
Also taking part in the Mass were the Bishop of Clogher Dr Joseph Duffy, the Bishop of Killala Dr John Fleming, and the Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh Dr Gerard Clifford.
Earlier, at 3pm yesterday, a procession of the relics of St Oliver Plunkett left Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Drogheda and arrived an hour later at St Peter's Church on West Street, Drogheda.
It was led by a colour party, drawn from the local scouting troop and representative of local Catholic organisations as well as visiting pilgrim groups.
The procession included the Knights of Columbanus who carried the relics between the two churches.
The Drogheda Brass Band and the Lourdes Brass Band also took part, as did an estimated 50 pilgrims who had walked from Dublin to Drogheda over recent days.