In St. Mary's Cemetery, outside Waseca, Minnesota on Saturday, May 18, 2019, the unveiling of a memorial stone and a commemoration of Fr. McCabe's bravery and faith took place.

With a substantial crowd—composed of locals, including descendants of parishioners of Fr. McCabe and visitors from around the state and as far away as Missouri, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Ottawa and New York—it was a memorable day indeed.

Afterward, there was a reception at the Waseca County Historical Society and a post-reception celebration at the Waseca American Legion Hall. During the luncheon at the Historical Society, there was a video presentation of a corresponding memorial for Fr. McCabe, held in Anagahary, Lough Gowna, County Cavan a week earlier, thanks to Maeve Brady, RSM—a maternal relative of the good Father—and local residents.

Read more: Remembering the Fenians: Father Patrick McCabe, The Secret Hero

Representatives of two divisions of the Ancient Order of Hibernians—the Shamrock Division in LeSueur and the Archbishop Ireland Division in St. Paul—and the AOH Midwest Regional Director were in attendance, along with men from the County Cavan Association in New York, the great-great grandniece of Jerome Collins, founder of Clan-na-Gael, and a number of other Hibernian brothers and Fenian Memorial Committee of America advisors.  

It would be an understatement to say that it was a wonderful and glorious day.  Despite the weather forecast and dark, ominous clouds that morning, there was a burst of sudden and bright sunshine and the songs of a chorus of birds, shortly before we were to begin.  The good weather continued throughout the memorial ceremony.

Read more: History of the Fenians in Ireland and America to be discussed at New York event

This article was submitted to the IrishCentral contributors network by a member of the global Irish community. To become an IrishCentral contributor click here.