Short
Life of
Saint Charles
Continued .....
Saint
Charles returned to Ireland on the 10th January 1874, Charles was once
more among "his people" in Mount Argus. He remained there for
the last nineteen years of his life. The daily pilgrimage of sick and
distressed began almost immediately. He went out all over Dublin and into
the country blessing people. He started on his fund-raising rounds again,
but this time for the new Church at Mount Argus. John Patterson, 6 years
of age and blinded by flying stones was blessed by Fr. Charles. The first
thing he saw was Fr. Charles with his arms outstretched and on the way
home he saw a cow in the field.
During the last years of his life he had many trials. He was also in failing
health, was anxious about death. His family in Holland were dying. Old
injuries returned to plague him. Towards the end of 1892, it was obvious
that the life of Fr. Charles was coming to an end. He said his last Mass
on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception 1892. Word of his illness spread
through the city, crowds gathered to enquire about him. Just after Christmas
he couldn't eat, lost his sight and was like a living skeleton. At 5.30
in the morning of the 5th January 1893 he passed peacefully to his Maker.
His body was brought to the Church and lay in state for five days. Despite
heavy snow, thousands filed past his coffin with the police keeping order.
His funeral was said to have been bigger than Parnell's two years before.
Finally his remains were laid to rest in the cemetery beside Mount Argus
Church. His grave became a place of pilgrimage where people came daily
to pray. When in 1949 his remains were moved inside the Church the Shrine
became the place of prayer. Today people come twice each day to be blest
with the Relic of Blessed Charles.
