Father Laurence Walsh Ordination Wrap

"Father Lawrence was ordained in 1953. He was a monk in the Cistercian monastery in Monastery Mount saint Joseph in Monasterevin. The cloth was used in the ceremony on the 1st May 1953 and was placed over his hand once they had been blessed with oil then he held a chalice. The colorful religious images were stitched on after the ceremony by a friend of his mother’s. Father Lawrence was an only child, so this ceremony was very important for his family. The book which was created for the centenary of the abbey Father Lawrence was part of was created with impeccable detail. Comprising of handmade paper and hand-written verse and images and an oak cover. The book is kept in a leather satchel harking back to the tradition of keeping religious books covered and away from the floor where they could be destroyed by rats and other pests or weather conditions. "