An elderly woman was left sore and bloodied after being struck in the face by a holy water sprinkler during a Confirmation Mass.
A witness said the accident happened when the top of the aspergillum flew off as Bishop Dermot Farrell was blessing the congregation.
The woman, in her 80s, was attending her local church in Mullinavat, Co Kilkenny. She instantly began to bleed and went into a state of shock.
The witness told the Irish Mirror: “I was at the Mass when it happened. The Bishop was blessing everyone with holy water and the top of the stick, the metal bit, flew across the church and hit the woman directly in the face.
“It flew off at a speed and she was sitting about 15ft away so it hit her really hard. She got an awful fright, the whole place gasped. She was really shook.
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“It hit her between the forehead and nose and it is quite possible she would have needed stitches.”
“I don’t know if she had family making their Confirmation or if she was just at Mass herself but the poor woman was visibly in pain.”
It is believed she is well-known in the area and is a regular at St Beacon’s Church. Pupils from the nearby National School were making their Confirmation on Sunday morning when the incident happened.
It is understood the Bishop did not stop and continued to say Mass but the parish priest checked on the injured woman afterwards.
In a statement, a spokesman for the Catholic Bishop of Ossory said: “An unfortunate small incident occurred.
“Bishop Dermot has been speaking with Fr Liam Barron, the local parish priest, and is assured that the lady is fine and in good spirits.”
The Irish Mirror made contact with the family of the injured woman but they declined to comment.
