The IM Flag Raising: A Family Affair for All to Celebrate!

“Being a part of this ceremony at the Memorial gave me an overwhelming sense of pride for my family. To see us all there and know what my parents and grandparents accomplished in order for all of us to be there was definitely overwhelming and made me proud to be a part of it all.” –– Sheila Bartlett

The weather was perfect for our quarterly Flag Raising ceremony on Sunday June 2nd at The Irish Memorial. We were delighted to welcome the public and also welcome back members of AOH Div # 4, The Michael Doyle Division from South Jersey who lowered the flags. This division was started after the founding members attended a similar ceremony in 2011. They were presented the flags and they will be entered into the annals of The Irish Memorial as honorees.

What comes down must go back up (in the case of the Irish memorial anyway) and so to raise the flags that will fly over The Irish Memorial for the next three months, we were proud to welcome an enthusiastic Irish American family from Delaware County. This large group was represented by the family elders, Joseph & Mellie Hennelly and Mellie’s sister Winnie McElroy. Joseph Hennelly raised the flag, with a little help from his grandsons and to the cheers of all assembled including family members from around the country.

The ceremony was followed by an open air mass at the Memorial, that harkened back to those said at Mass rocks (Carraig an Aifrinn) from days of yore. The Mass was celebrated by Reverend Michael J. Callaghan, C.M., Pilgrimage Director, Miraculous Medal Shrine in Germantown, augmented by the wonderful voice of Karen Boyce McCollum accompanied by David Valentino on the organ.

Our next Flag Raising will take place in September 2019. Think about attending – you will take home a memorable experience.

More information can be found here https://irishmemorial.org/donors/flag-raising/

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