Monday 15 August 2016

September 2016 Monthly Latin Mass in Knock


The titular patrons of Churches in the Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora


Galway Cathedral was consecrated on 15th August, 1965.  Under the rubrics of the Gregorian Rite it is a I class feast throughout the Diocese.  The Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora consists of thirty-nine parishes, grouped into five deaneries, covering parts of counties Galway, Clare and Mayo.

It is not surprising that the devotion of the Irish people to Our Lady is giving a very concrete expression in the patronage of Churches in the Diocese.

Our Lord
Eight Churches have titles dedicated to Our Lord: Church of the Resurrection, Ballinfoyle; Good Shepherd Church, Doughiska Road; Sacred Heart Church, Seamus Quirke Road, Christ the King, Salthill; Corpus Christi, Lisdoonvarna; the Holy Family, Mervue; Séipéal an Ioncolaithe, Rosmuc; The Nativity, Kilchreest.

Our Lady
Twenty Churches are dedicated to Our Lady under various titles, including the Assumption three times, the Immaculate Conception six times and Our Lady of Lourdes twice: Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven & St Nicholas; The Assumption and Saint James, Claregalway; An Deastógáil, Camus; Immaculate Conception, Moycullen; Immaculate Conception, Oranmore; Immaculate Conception, Oughterard; Immaculate Conception, Glencorrib; Immaculate Conception, Collinamuck; Church of the Immaculate Conception, Lahinch; Our Lady of Lourdes, Toovahera; Ban Tiarna Lourdes agus Naomh Colmcille, Leitirmóir; Saint Mary on the Hill, Claddagh; Our Lady of the Valley, Glann; Mary Immaculate Queen, Barna; Immaculate Heart of Mary, Killanin; the Annunciation, Clarinbridge; Holy Rosary, Doolin; Cill Mhuire, Na Minna; Holy Family, Mervue; Church of Our Lady & St Michael, Ennistymon

The Saints
Of the Saints having Churches in the Diocese dedicated to them, St. Columba and St. Colman are joint favourites with five each: Saint Columba, Castlegar; Saint Columba, Kilbeacanty; Saint Columba, Carron; Church of St Columba, Clouna; Ban Tiarna Lourdes agus Naomh Colmcille, Leitirmóir; Saint Colman, Ballinderreen; Saint Colman, Craughwell; Saint Colman, Gort Saint Colman, Tierneevan; Saint Colman, Kinvara.

Saint Joseph is next with five dedications (including the Holy Family): Saint Joseph, Maree; Saint Joseph, Presentation Road; Saint Joseph, Shrule; Saint Joseph, Kinvara; Holy Family, Mervue.

Our National Apostle, with three dedications, is equal in number with the Spanish St. Teresa of Avila, perhaps reflecting a Spanish connection with Galway: Saint Patrick, Forster Street; Saint Patrick, Murrough; Saint Patrick, New Quay; Saint Teresa of Avila, Ardrahan; Cill Treasa, Ros a' Mhíl; Saint Teresa, Castledaly.

Saint Brigid, with two dedications, shares that with Saint Attracta and, perhaps surprisingly, Saint Augustine: Saint Brigid, Ballybane; Saint Brigid, Liscannor; Saint Attracta, Kiltartan; Saint Attracta, Kiltoraght; Saint Augustine, Middle Street; Saint Augustine, Kilshanny.

The remaining Saints have only one dedication each: Church of Our Lady & St Michael, Ennistymon; Saint John the Baptist, Ballyvaughan; Saint Ann, Beagh; Saint Thomas Apostle, Peterswell; The Assumption and Saint James, Claregalway; Saint John the Apostle, Knocknacarra; Saint Flannan, Moymore; Saint Kieran, Durus; Saint Moucha, Noughaval; Cill Éinde, An Spidéal; Saint Fachanan, Kilfenora; Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven & St Nicholas; Saint Oliver Plunkett, Renmore; Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis Street, Galway.

It would appear that the Church in Gort Mór has no specific dedication.

Wednesday 1 June 2016

Our Lady of Galway

Our Lady of Galway

In the Dominican Church of St. Mary on the Hill, Claddagh, Galway City, you will find an Altar to Our Lady that incorporates the original statue of Our Lady of Galway, a seventeenth century image, although said to have been a much older statue recovered and restored.  It was crowned in 1683 with a silver crown the gift of John Kirwan, the first Catholic Mayor of Galway in more than a century.  She holds a mother of pearl Rosary the gift of the fishermen of Claddagh. 

Dominican Church, Claddagh

The new Dominican Church was built in 1891.  The Altar shows a Claddagh fishing boat, known as a hooker, St. Enda, the patron of Claddagh, and St. Attracta. 

The Annual Triduum to Our Lady of Galway takes place each year around the end of May or the beginning of June.

Mass is celebrated here in the Gregorian Rite by the Priests of the Institute of Christ the King from Galway, every Sunday at 2.30 p.m. with Confessions from 2 p.m.

Sunday 1 May 2016

An Irish Litany of Our Lady


This from pps. 63-65 of: The Ancient Irish Church, Was it Catholic Or Protestant? by James Gaffney, published in Dublin in 1863 by James Duffy & Co.

"In addition to the very interesting litany of Aengus which is described at length by O'Curry we have one still more dear to us, and equally ancient; it is the Litany of the Blessed Virgin which is preserved in the "Leabhar Mor" and deposited in the Royal Irish Academy. In reference to it O'Curry* says:- 'The third piece of this fifth class is a beautiful and ancient litany of the BVM differing in many ways from her litany in other languages and clearly showing that although it may be an imitation, it is not a translation. I believe it to be as old at least as the middle of the eighth century. It consists of fifty nine invocations beginning: O great Mary! O Mary greatest of all Marys! O greatest of women! O Queen of the Angels! etc., and it concludes with a beautiful and eloquent entreaty that she will lay the unworthy prayers, sighs and groans of the sinners before her own merciful Son, backed by her own all powerful advocacy for the forgiveness of their sins.'

"The Most Rev. Dr Cullen in his pastoral on the Immaculate Conception** supplies us with a more lengthened extract from this beautiful old Irish litany:- 'O great Mary! the greatest of womankind! O Queen of Angels! O Woman full and overflowing with the grace of the holy Spirit! O blessed and ever blessed Mother of Eternal Glory! Mother of the Church heavenly and earthly! Mother of love and forgiveness! Mother of golden effulgence! O honour of the sky! Sign of tranquillity! O door of heaven! O golden ark! O beauty of the virgins! Lady of the tribes! Fountain of the gardens! Cleansing of sins! O Mother of orphans! Breast of the infant! Consolation of the poor! Star of the Ocean! Mother of Christ! Comeliness as of the moon! Excellence as of the sun! O canceller of the reproach of Eve! O Renewer of life! Beauty of womankind! Head of the virgins! Enclosed garden! True fountain of greenness! Mother of God! O eternal virgin! O royal throne of the Deity! Sanctuary of the holy Spirit! Virgin of the stem of Jesse! Cedar of Lebanon! Cypress of Sion! Crimson rose of the land of Jacob! O effulgence of Nazareth! O glory of Jerusalem! O beauty of the world! O noblest in descent of the Christian flock! O Queen of life! O ladder of heaven! hear the prayer of the poor; spurn not the ulcers and moans of the wretched! Let our devotions and our aspirations be presented to the Creator by thee; for we ourselves are not worthy of being heard through our demerits" O powerful Lady of heaven and earth! cancel our crimes obliterate the stains of our wickedness. For mercy sake suffer us not to be carried away from thee as a prey by our enemies; suffer not our souls to be condemned and take us to thyself for ever under thy protection!'

"Upon these sentences his Grace remarks:- 'Such were the glowing strains in which the Church of Ireland in early times delighted to depict the glories of the Queen of Heaven How different is the language in which she is greeted by those who call themselves followers of the Reformation and who appear to take a pride in insulting the name of the Mother of God What a proof that they have nothing in common with the doctrine of the ancient Church of Ireland.'"

*MS of Irish Hist., p. 380
**Date of Pastoral 8th December, 1862