Fatima Novena

From September 24th to October 2nd, the St Mary's Priory in Cork hosted a Novena dedicated to our Lady of Fatima.
It was preached by Fr Fergal Mac Eoinin OP, the prior of the Dominican house in Galway. Fr Fergal really  got things rolling in high style and continued with a lot of energy for the entire week. One main thing that really struck me was that unlike most priests I've seen here in Ireland, he opted to not preach from the lectern but walked down the aisle of the church preaching. This showed a real ability to connect with the people which was also reflected in the content of his homilies.
It was basically nine days where special masses were dedicated to the Novena. Before each mass the rosary was said and the novena prayers were offered during each mass and Fr Fergal was the main celebrant.
On the Tuesday, there was a reconciliation service and the format of the mass on that day showed just how liberal Fr Fergal was (it was pretty cool tho). People came up individually and had a kind of abridged confession and were given absolution by the priests present.
The Thursday was dedicated to healing and as Fr Fergal made clear during his homily that day, it did not necessarily mean physical healing but could have also encompassed spiritual healing which so many ppl seem to need. Again, persons were given the opportunity to come up individually for the sacrament.
During the course of the Novena, the church saw mainly older women in the congregation and although there were more people present than at weekly mass, it was not as packed as years before (according to my sources). On the last day, however, the church was packed almost to capacity but, nonetheless, with old women, a few old men and just a handful of persons under 40.
I however still enjoyed it. I managed to befriend the few young ppl who came in between and even some of the older ppl. It was truly an experience.