Our Resident Director, Finn, let all of us in the program know that it was Solemn Novena, which is this 9-day event that occurs in the Catholic Church. In honor of that, the Galway Cathedral was holding mass multiple times a day, so a couple friends and I decided to go check it out because visitors were welcome.
As a non-Catholic, I found the service to be really interesting, and I was surprised how short it was. Also, they held confessional by just having the people queue up between the rows of the pews, bring out around 25 priest, and just knocking out those sins real fast. I liked the sermon and service overall because I enjoyed the priest. At one point, he told a story that went a little like this:
"So I live and work in Belfast now (Northern Ireland), but I'm from Galway meself. So when I was coming here to do the Novena service I wanted to visit me mum and dad in the cemetery. One of me friends was telling me about how they were just there the other day, and they had a strange encounter."
"She was going for a visit when she heard some wailing. Naturally, she goes to see where the wailing is coming from. She finds that the noise is coming from a woman who is wrapped around, literally hugging a grave, and just mightily crying. She's wailing, 'Why did you have to die?!?! Why did you have to die?!?!' Over and over, she's going on about someone dying and just saying the same exact thing."
"Well, me friend eventually goes over and tries to comfort the lady by asking, 'Why did who have to die?' The lady is inconsolable, though, and just keeps weeping, 'Why did you have to die?!?! Why did you have to die?!?! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DIE?!?!' The crying just keeps building until it overcomes the woman, and she breaks down even further."
"In an effort to talk to the woman and get her to calm down, me friend more forcefully says, 'Please, just tell me. Why did who have to die?'
"Finally, the woman wrapped around the grave pulls herself together, looks at me friend, and replies, 'Me husband's first wife.'"
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