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Irish priests revive “Mass Rocks” from days of anti-Catholic persecutionThese altars made of boulders were once the secret worship places of Catholics, when the practice of their faith was prohibited.As part of a campaign organized by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Catholic priests are celebrating Mass at a “Mass Rock,” where the Irish faithful once secretly practiced their faith when it was illegal to do so.Mass Rocks, the clandestine churches of an age of persecutionIn the 16th-18th centuries, during the period of the “Penal Laws” enforced by England, any public expression of the Catholic faith in Ireland was...

[Catholic Caucus] Ireland: Priests Hide Behind RocksIrish Father Gerard Quirke celebrated Easter Sunday Mass at a Mass rock on the scenic Achill Island, CatholicArena.com reports.For the second year running, the pagan government in Ireland forbad all worship during Holy Week and Easter.Mass rocks are locations where Catholics gathered to attend forbidden Masses during the Penal Times which were enforced by the British regime from 1695 to at least 1829 in order to exterminate the Catholics and Catholic Church.