After the opening prayers and the election of a minute keeper, the Convenor's Report outlined the practical state of the Association under several headings: Advancement of the cause of the Latin Mass in Kildare and Leighlin; Mobilizing souls in the cause of the Latin Mass; the Holy Year of St. Paul and the Holy Year for Priests; Growth in Membership; Blogs and Publications.
Then Mario Corrigan of Kildare County Council gave an excellent talk on the four historic abbeys of Kildare Town: St. Brigid's double monastery/Cathedral; the Black Abbey; the White Abbey; and the Grey Abbey. He began by showing the geographical importance of Kildare and then by looking at the development, first, of the Brigidine Ecclesiastical City and then the Medieval Norman City centred on the Cathedral and surrounded to the West, South West and South East by the three great Abbeys (and to the East by the Castle). He brought us through the history of each, only the Carmelites of the White Abbey being still active, concluding with the present-day buildings that we will see. It is clear that the Ecclesiastical City of Kildare is a major element of our Gaelic Christian Heritage.
Following the Litany of Loreto, we received a report of the finances of the Association and appointed two delegates to represent the Association at the General Assembly of the International Una Voce Federation in Rome in November. Nearly a dozen members intend to make a pilgrimage to Rome to coincide with the General Assembly.
After a few other points of business, the meeting concluded with prayers to Our Lady, St. Joseph and our Guardian Angels and refreshments.
