Holy Week Ceremonies in the Gregorian Rite in Ireland (2015)

 

Palm Sunday

29th March, 2015

Diocese of Dromore, St. Mary's Chapel, Chapel Street, Newry, Co. Down.
9 a.m. - Holy Mass

Diocese of Meath, Silverstream Priory, Stamullen, Co. Meath.
10 a.m. - Blessing of Palms, Procession, and Holy Mass
4 p.m. - Vespers and Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Archdiocese of Dublin Latin Mass Chaplaincy, St. Kevin's Church, Harrington Street, Dublin 8.
10.15 a.m. - Blessing of Palms
10.30 a.m. - Holy Mass

Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest, Sacred Heart Church, The Crescent, Limerick City.
10.30 a.m. - Holy Mass

Diocese of Cork and Ross, St. Peter and Paul's Church, Paul Street, Cork City.
12 noon - Holy Mass

Diocese of Raphoe, Ss. Joseph and Conal's Church, Bruckless, Co. Donegal.
12.30 p.m. - Holy Mass

Diocese of Meath, Church of the Nativity, Johnstown, Navan, Co. Meath.
1 p.m. - Holy Mass

Diocese of Kerry, Holy Cross Church, O.P., Tralee, Co. Kerry.
1.30 p.m. - Holy Mass

Diocese of Galway, Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest, St. Mary's Church, O.P., The Claddagh, Galway City.
2.30 p.m. - Holy Mass

Diocese of Ossory, Society of Saint Oliver Plunkett, St. Patrick's Church, Kilkenny City.
5 p.m. - Holy Mass

Spy Wednesday 

1st April, 2015

Archdiocese of Dublin Latin Mass Chaplaincy, St. Kevin's Church, Harrington Street, Dublin 8.
7 p.m. - Tenebrae

Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest, Sacred Heart Church, The Crescent, Limerick City.
7 p.m. - Holy Mass
8 p.m. - Tenebræ

Holy Thursday

2nd April, 2015

Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest, Sacred Heart Church, The Crescent, Limerick City.
3 p.m. to 5 p.m. - Confessions.
7 p.m. - Holy Mass with washing of the feet. (Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from the evening Mass to Midnight)
8 p.m. - Tenebræ.

Diocese of Meath, Silverstream Priory, Stamullen, Co. Meath.
6 p.m. - Mass in Coena Domini

Archdiocese of Dublin Latin Mass Chaplaincy, St. Kevin's Church, Harrington Street, Dublin 8.
8 p.m. - Holy Mass of the Lord's Supper

Good Friday

3rd April, 2015

Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest, Sacred Heart Church, The Crescent, Limerick City.
3 p.m. - Mass of the Presanctified.
7 p.m. - Stations of the Cross.
8 p.m. - Tenebræ

Diocese of Meath, Silverstream Priory, Stamullen, Co. Meath.
3 p.m. - Synaxis of the Passion of the Lord, with Adoration of the Holy Cross

Archdiocese of Dublin Latin Mass Chaplaincy, St. Kevin's Church, Harrington Street, Dublin 8.
5 p.m. - Liturgy of the Passion
7 p.m. - Stations of the Cross

Holy Saturday

4th April, 2015

Diocese of Meath, Silverstream Priory, Stamullen, Co. Meath.
11 a.m. - Blessing of Easter Baskets
8 p.m. - Solemn Paschal Vigil, with 1st Mass of the Resurrection

Archdiocese of Dublin Latin Mass Chaplaincy, St. Kevin's Church, Harrington Street, Dublin 8.
9 p.m. - Easter Vigil

Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest, Sacred Heart Church, The Crescent, Limerick City.
9 p.m. - Easter Vigil

Easter Sunday

5th April, 2015

Diocese of Dromore, St. Mary's Chapel, Chapel Street, Newry, Co. Down.
9 a.m. - Holy Mass

Archdiocese of Dublin Latin Mass Chaplaincy, St. Kevin's Church, Harrington Street, Dublin 8.
10.30 a.m. - Holy Mass

Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest, Sacred Heart Church, The Crescent, Limerick City.
10 a.m. - Confessions.
10.30 a.m. - Holy Mass followed by blessing of the Easter lamb.

Diocese of Meath, Silverstream Priory, Stamullen, Co. Meath.
10.45 a.m. - Tierce and Holy Mass

6 p.m. - Vespers and Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Diocese of Cork and Ross, St. Peter and Paul's Church, Paul Street, Cork City.
12 noon - Holy Mass

Diocese of Meath, Church of the Nativity, Johnstown, Navan, Co. Meath.
1 p.m. - Holy Mass

Diocese of Kerry, Holy Cross Church, O.P., Tralee, Co. Kerry.
1.30 p.m. - Holy Mass

Diocese of Galway, Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest, St. Mary's Church, O.P., The Claddagh, Galway City.
2.30 p.m. - Holy Mass

Diocese of Ossory, Society of Saint Oliver Plunkett, St. Patrick's Church, Kilkenny City.
5 p.m. - Holy Mass

Diocese of Killaloe, Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest, St. Joseph's Church, Ennis, Co. Clare.
5.30 p.m. - Holy Mass

Archdiocese of Tuam, The Old Church, Our Lady's Shrine, Knock, Co. Mayo.
5.30 p.m. - Holy Mass

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If you have additional information or corrections please e-mail to thecatholicheritageassociation@gmail.com

The Confiteor (B) History

The history of making a confession at the altar in the Roman liturgy is of a late date. The ceremonial tract Ordo Romanus I contains no reference to a confession of sins, however by Ordo Romanus VI the pontiff “bowing down prays to God for forgiveness of his sins”. It is probable that the private prayers of preparation originally said in the sacristy, the apologiae, were later transferred to the altar.

CONFITEOR

The origin of the wording of the Confiteor can be traced to rites used originally in the sacrament of penance. Early penitentials (books of penances) give formulas that resemble the modern Confiteor. The Pentiential of Egbert (d. 766) Archbishop of York has the starting point of a Confiteor “Through my fault I have exceedingly in thought, speech and deed, sinned... I confess before God, almighty Creator of heaven and earth, before the altar of the saint, and the holy relics that are in this holy place, and before you, priest, that I have sinned exceedingly………”

The first record of the wording of a Confiteor occurring in the Mass is given in the ecclesiastical tract “Micrologus de ecclesiasticis observationibus” . It runs: I confess to God Almighty, these saints and all the saints and you, brothers, that I have sinned in thought, in speech, in deed, in pollution of mind and body. I beseech you, pray for me.

Both the Pentitential of Egbert and the Micrologus indicate that the invocation of saints seems to have originated due to the confession being made before their relics. This later evolved into a general invocation of all the saints and then of naming specific ones. The Confiteor continued to develop in the enumeration of sins, the persons confessed to and the persons invoked for their prayers - in the latter two categories, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the patron saint were the most likely choices. A missal of Augsburg in the 16th century gives an elaborate form mentioning sins in thought, speech, consent, sight, mouth, deed and omission and invoking saints Peter, Paul, Ullric (Udalric) Sebastian, Vitus, Mary Magdalene, Catherine, Barbara, and the patrons in the second half of the Confiteor.

The Third Council of Ravenna ordered that a version of the Confiteor identical to that of the Missal of St. Pius V be used; however, this form did not make its way into the Papal liturgy of Rome until later.

The Missal of Paul III gives a simple abbreviated version “I confess to Almighty God, Blessed Mary ever-Virgin, Blessed Peter and all the saints and you brethren, that I have sinned through my fault. I beseech you, pray for me.”

Another manuscript of a Curial Missal of the Vatican library gives a longer and more elaborate form “I confess to God Almighty and blessed Mary ever-Virgin and the blessed apostles Peter and Paul, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, and all the saints, and you Father, I have gravely sinned through pride: against the law of my God: by thought: by speech: omission, consent, word and deed : through my fault, my fault, my most grevious fault. Therefore I beseech the most blessed and glorious Virgin Mary: and all saints (masc.) and saints (fem.): and you Father, to pray for me.”

Almost all these Confiteors were superseded by the Roman Confiteor that appeared in all missals from 1570 to 1970. Minute variations (addition of a patron) were conceded to certain religious orders and dioceses. Those places with liturgies older than 200 years at the time (1570) continued to use their own versions of the Confiteor.

MISEREATUR AND INDULGENTIAM

The Misereatur and Indulgentiam can be also traced to the Sacrament of Penance. Until 1970 when the rite was revised, they were prescribed in the Sacrament of Penance to be said by the priest before sacramental absolution was given. They could however, be omitted for a just cause.

In the Penitential of Egbert the Misereatur occurs as a benediction over the penitent, in a version extremely close to modern variants. “The almighty God have mercy on you, and forgive you all your sins, deliver you from all evil, keep you in all good, and bring you to eternal life.” Micrologus gives an almost identical form differing in saying “confirm you in all good works” and ending “and likewise bring us (through) Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, toward life eternal” Similar wordings of the Egbert’s Misereatur can also be found in various mediaeval missals. The Sarum missal had “confirm and keep you…” while the 12th century liturgy at Cluny had “all good works” as did many French and German diocesan Uses. So also the Carmelite and the Dominican versions (see earlier post).

The Carthusian Misereatur showed an example of some mediaeval missals in adding “through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints”. In one mediaeval manuscript, this is greatly expanded as “Brothers and sisters, through the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the aid of the sign of the holy cross, through the intercession of the blessed and glorious ever-Virgin Mary, and the merits of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul, Blessed Michael (the) archangel, blessed Martin, and all the saints (masc.) and saints (fem.) may the almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins and bring you (through) Jesus Christ, Son of God to eternal life.

In the liturgical books of the Roman Catholic Church, this elaborate formula only survived (with slight alterations) in the Misereatur used in the publication of indulgences. (see above) and the Urbi et Orbi blessing of the Pope.

The Indulgentiam does not show as much variation: a significant number of texts omit the word Indulgentiam (pardon) and begin instead with absolutionem (absolution). The Micrologus on the other hand has indulgentiam but omits absolutionem. Another common difference is the use of “the almighty Father, the compassionate and merciful God” instead of “the almighty and merciful God”

The most significant addition found in many mediaeval Uses is the invoking of assistance for an emended life and for the grace of the Holy Spirit. Thus the Sarum Use has “The almighty and merciful God grant you absolution and remission of your sins, space for true repentance and emendation of life, and the grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit” This was also found in the Mozarabic texts (see previous post).

Another version of the Indulgentiam runs “The Almighty and merciful God grant you absolution and remission of all your sins, through confession, contrition, penance and through satisfaction and emendation of life.

Traces of both are preserved in the text of the Indulgentiam of Pope’s Urbi et Orbi blessing which runs “May the Almighty and merciful God grant you pardon, absolution and remission of all your sins, space for a true and fruitful repentance, an ever penitent heart and emendation of life, the grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit, and final perseverance in good works

In all 3 prayers (the Confiteor, Misereatur and Indulgentiam) many variants have “all sins” instead of only “sins”. This wording was also present in the Roman Missal of 1570: however in later versions it was removed.

First published in October, 2007

The Cistercians of Kildare and Leighlin - Mellifont Foundations

Mellifont Abbey, named the fountain of honey, was the first foundation of the Cistercian Order, or any Continental religious order, in Ireland. It was the foundation of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the Doctor Mellifluous, and his friend St. Malachy Ua Morgair, Archbishop of Armagh. It was a foundation sponsored by native Gaelic Princes and Prelates and was the fountainhead of a renewed monasticism for Ireland, the mother house of Saints and Scholars.

We read in St. Bernard's account that St. Malachy made a pilgrimage to Rome about the year 1139, visiting St. Bernard en route, to petition Pope Innocent for palliums for the Sees of Armagh and Cashel. He was appointed legate for Ireland at that time. Visiting Clairvaux on his return visit he received five monks as companions to return to Ireland to make a Cistercian foundation in Ireland, under Christian, an Irishman, as superior. St Malachy died at Clairvaux on a second journey to Rome on 2nd November, 1148. He was canonized by Pope Clement (III), on 6 July, 1199, and his feast is celebrated on 3rd November, transferred on account of the Feast of All Souls.

An account of the consecration of the Abbey Church is to be found here.

Two years after the death of St. Malachy, Christian, the first Abbot of Mellifont, was appointed Bishop of Lismore, and succeeded St. Malachy as Legate of the Holy See in Ireland, by will of Pope Eugenius III, who had been his fellow-novice in Clairvaux. Christian's brother, Malchus, succeeded as Abbot. Under Abbot Malchus Mellifont flourished and by 1152, the tenth anniversary of its foundation, the same year as the death of St. Bernard, six daughter houses, Bective, Newry, Boyle, Athlone, Baltinglass (in Kildare and Leighlin), and Manister or Manisternenay, Co. Limerick, had been established. It is to Baltinglass that the next part of this series will turn.

In that same year, Bishop Christian presided at his first Synod of the Irish Church and Dervorgilla, wife of Tiernan O'Rourke, Prince of Breffney, eloped with Diarmuid McMorrough, King of Leinster, a conflict that was to lead to the betrayal of Ireland to the Norman Lords and the occupation of Ireland for a further eight centuries.



The tower that greets the visitor to Mellifont today is the porter's lodge, through which the medieval visitor would have passed into the monastic enclosure. It is a common feature of the Cistercian standard plan. The lodge at Aiguebelle most closely resembles that at Mellifont.


The total length of the transepts is 116 feet; the width 54 feet. The northern one is some four feet longer than the southern. They seem to have had aisles, an unusual arrangement in churches of the Order where simplicity was the overwhelming note. In the northern transept were six chapels, the piscinas of which are still to be seen in the piers adjoining. These fixed wash-hand basins were for the Priest to perform a 'lavabo' before starting Mass.

When Sir Thomas Deane had carried out the first excavations at Mellifont, he discovered the foundations of two semi-circular chapels in each transept, in a line with the site occupied by the High, or principal Altar. He wrote: "Within the circuit of the external walls are the foundations of an earlier church which indicate four semicircular chapels, and two square ones between. Of this church we have no distinct record, but the bases of semi-detached pillars would indicate the date given for the erection of Mellifont." These four semi-circular chapels in line with the High Altar, follow precisely the plan of the church of Clairvaux erected in 1135, only seven years before the foundation of Mellifons and which served at its model. The sanctuary is 42 feet deep by 26 feet wide. On the Epistle side, are a piscina surrounded with a dog-tooth moulding, and the remains of the sedilia or stalls, which were occupied by the celebrant, deacon, and subdeacon at High Mass. Under the sedilia a tomb was discovered during Sir Thomas' excavations.





Sir William Wilde, who visited in 1848, describes the octagonal 'Lavabo' structure like this: "This octagonal structure, of which only four sides remain, consists of a colonnade or series of circular-headed arches, of the Roman or Saxon character, enclosing a space of 29 feet in the clear, and supporting a wall which must have been, when perfect, about 30 feet high. Each external face measures 12 feet in length, and was plastered or covered with composition to the height of 10 feet, where a projecting band separates it from the less elaborate masonry above. The arches are carved in sandstone, and spring from foliage-ornamented capitals, to the short supporting pillars, the shaft of each of which measures 3 feet 5 inches. The chord of each arch above the capitals is 4 feet 3 inches. Some slight difference is observable in the shape and arrangement of the foliage of the capitals, and upon one of the remaining half arches were beautifully carved two birds ; but some Goth has lately succeeded in hammering away as much of the relieved part of each, as it was possible. The arches were evidently open, and some slight variety exists in their mouldings. Internally a stone finger-course encircled the wall, at about six inches higher than that on the outside. In the angles between the arches there are remains of fluted pilasters at the height of the string-course, from which spring groins of apparently the same curve as the external arches, and which, meeting in the centre, must have formed more or less of a pendant, which, no doubt, heightened the beauty and architectural effect. Like the pillars and stone carvings in the Chapter-house, this building was also painted red and blue, and the track of the paint is still visible in several places. The upper story, which was lighted by a window on each side of the octagon, bears no architectural embellishment which is now visible."

The Confiteor (A) Wording

Over the summer I had signed up to Wikipedia to contribute to articles on the Mass and sacraments. Now I have more headaches that I can cope with, but I remebered that I still had a yet unposted article that I meant ot post there. It's not yet complete but I might as well post it here.
The Confiteor

The Confiteor is a Catholic prayer, named after the first word in Latin, Confiteor Deo (I confess to God) in which a confession of sin is made and the intercession of others including the saints, requested. It is usually followed by formulas of absolution, the Misereatur and in many cases the Indulgentiam. These formulae are only sacramentals and intercessory prayers, not to be confused with the absolution in the Catholic Sacrament of Penance.

WORDING:

The wording of the Confiteor familiar to most Catholics was that found in the Roman Missal:

Confíteor Deo omnipoténti, beátæ Maríæ semper Vírgini, beáto Michaéli Archángelo, beáto Joanni Baptístæ, sanctis Apóstolis Petro et Paulo, ómnibus Sanctis, et vobis, fratres (tibi, Pater), quia peccávi nimis cogitatióne, verbo et ópere: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa. Ideo precor beátam Maríam semper Vírginem, beátum Michaélem Archángelum, beátum Joánnem Baptístam, sanctos Apóstolos Petrum et Paulum, omnes Sanctos, et vos, fratres (te, Pater), oráre pro me ad Dóminum Deum nostrum.

Misereatur vestri [tui] [nostri] omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis vestris [tuis] [nostris], perducat vos [te][nos] ad vitam aeternam.

Indulgentiam, absolutionem et remissionem peccatorum nostrorum [vestorum], tribuat [vobis]nobis omnipotens et misericors Dominus.

I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the saints, and to you, brethren (to you, Father), that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore, I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, all the saints, and you, brethren (you, Father), to pray for me to the Lord our God

May the Almighty God have mercy on you all [you][us], and having forgiven your [your] [our] sins, and bring you [you][us] to eternal life.

The Almighty and merciful Lord grant us [you] pardon, absolution and remission of our [your] sins.

In 1969, the Confiteor was revised in the new Ordo Missae (Order of the Mass) and subsequently appeared in 1970 in the new Roman Missal. The practice of reciting two Confiteors (see below: Usage) was removed as was one of the absolution formulae, the Indulgentiam

Confíteor Deo omnipoténti, et vobis, fratres, quia peccávi nimis cogitatióne, verbo, ópere, et omissióne: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa. Ideo precor beátam Maríam semper Vírginem, omnes angelos et sanctos et vos, fratres, oráre pro me ad Dóminum Deum nostrum.

Misereatur nostri omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis nostris, perducat nos ad vitam aeternam.

Literal translation:
I confess to almighty God, and to you, brothers, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, deed, and omission: through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, brothers, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

May the Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to eternal life.

ICEL (official English) version:
I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and what I have failed to do. Therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins and bring to everlasting life.

VARIATIONS

The wording of the Confiteor varied slightly in the liturgies of certain religious orders and dioceses of the Catholic Church. The variations differ in their extent: while some, such as the Benedictine, merely added the name of a patron to the wording of the Roman Missal, others differed in the specification of sin confessed.
The version of the Confiteor used by Benedictines added beato patri nostro Benedicto (our blessed father Benedict) and beatum patrem nostrum Benedictum after the invocation of Ss. Peter and Paul to the Roman confiteor. Likewise, the Franciscans added beato Patri nostro Francisco (our blessed father Francis) and beatum Patrem nostrum Franciscum, the Discalced Carmelites beato Eliae, beatae Teresiae (blessed Elijah, blessed Therese) and beatum Eliam, beatam Teresiam, the Servants of Mary (Servites): Septem beatis patribus nostris (our seven blessed fathers) and the Norbertines sanctis patribus Augustino et Norberto (holy fathers Augustine and Norbert. The Ambrosian liturgy added beatum Ambrosium Confessorem and beato Ambrosio Confessori (blessed Ambrose, Confessor)

Dominican:
Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, et beatae Mariae semper virgine, et beato Dominico patri nostro, et omnibus sanctis, et vobis, fratres, quia peccavi nimis, cogitatione, locutione, opere et omissione, mea culpa; precor vos orare pro me

Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus et dimittat tibi omnia peccata tua: liberet te ab omni malo, salvet et confirmet te in omni opere bono, et perducat te ad vitam aeternam.

Absolutionem et remissionem omnium peccatorum vestrorum, tribuat vobis omnipotens et misericors Dominus.

I confess to Almighty God, and to blessed Mary ever Virgin, and to blessed Dominic, our father, and to all the saints, and to you, brethren, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, speech, deed and ommission, through my fault; I beseech you to pray for me

May the Almighty God have mercy on you, and forgive you all your sins: deliver you from all evil, save and confirm you in all good work, and lead you to life eternal.
The Almighty and merciful Lord grant you absolution and remission of all your sins.

Carmelite:
Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatae Mariae semper Virgini, beato Patri nostro Eliae, omnibus Sanctis, et tibi, fratres, quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, locutione, opere, et omissione: mea culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem, beatum Patrem nostrum Eliam, omnes Sanctos, et te, fratres, orare pro me ad Dominum Jesum Christum.

Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus et dimittat tibi omnia peccata tua: liberet te ab omni malo, conservet et confirmet te in omni opere bono, et perducat te ad vitam aeternam.

Absolutionem et remissionem omnium peccatorum vestrorum, tribuat vobis omnipotens et misericors Dominus.

I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Elijah, our father, to all the saints, and to you, brethren, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, speech, deed and ommission, through my fault. Therefore, I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Elijah our father, all the saints, and you, brethren, to pray for me to the Lord Jesus Christ

May the Almighty God have mercy on you, and forgive you all your sins: deliver you from all evil, conserve and confirm you in all good work, and lead you to life eternal.

The Almighty and merciful Lord grant you absolution and remission of all your sins.
Carthusian: The Carthusian liturgy is notable for not having the second formula of the absolution, the Indulgentiam.

Confíteor Deo omnipoténti, et Beátæ Maríæ et ómnibus Sanctis, et vobis Fratres, quia peccávi nimis mea culpa per supérbiam, cogitatióne, locutióne, ópere et omissióne, precor vos oráte pro me.

Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus per intercession beatae Mariae et omnium Sanctorum et dimittat tibi omnia peccata tua et perducat te ad vitam aeternam.

I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary and all the saints, and to you, brethren, that I have sinned exceedingly through my fault in pride, thought, speech, deed and ommission. I beseech you to pray for me

May the Almighty God have mercy on you through the intercession of blessed Mary and all the saints, and forgive you all your sins: and lead you to life eternal.

Revised Carthusian:
In the Carthusian missal of 1981, the Confiteor is revised slightly though the Misereatur remains the same. There is also provided a Confiteor to be used when the priest celebrates Mass alone.

Confíteor Deo et vobis, fratres, quia peccávi nimis, mea culpa, per supérbiam, cogitatióne, locutióne,ópere et omissióne; precor beátam Maríam, omnes sanctos et vos, fratres,oráte pro me.

Confíteor Deo, quia peccávi nimis, mea culpa, per supérbiam, cogitatióne, locutióne, ópere et omissióne; precor te, o piíssima Dei Génetrix, et vos, omnes sancti, oráte pro me.

Misereátur mei omnípotens Deus per intercessiónem tuam, o piíssima Dei Génetrix, et vestram, omnes sancti, et dimíttat mihi ómnia peccáta mea et perdúcat ad vitam ætérnam.

I confess to Almighty God that I have sinned exceedingly through my fault in pride, thought, speech, deed and ommission. I beseech you, O most gracious Mother of God, and you, all the saints, to pray for me.

May the Almighty God have mercy on me through your intercession O most gracious Mother of God, and yours, all you saints, and forgive me all my sins: and lead me to life eternal.

Mozarabic:
The Mozarabic Confiteor was not native to the rite but was introduced into the liturgical books by Cardinal Ximenes who borrowed it from a local version of the Roman liturgy.

Confiteor omnipotenti Deo et beatæ Mariæ Virgini: et Sanctis Apostolis Petro et Paulo et omnibus Sanctis: et vobis fratres manifesto me graviter peccasse per superbiam: in lege Dei mei: cogitatione: locutione: opere et omissione: mea culpa: mea culpa: gravissima mea culpa. Ideo precor beatissimam Virginem Mariam: et omnes Sanctos et Sanctas: et vos fratres orare pro me.

Misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus: et dimissis omnibus peccatis vestris: perducat vos ad vitam eternam.

Indulgentiam absolutionem et remissionem omnium peccatorum vestrorum cum emendatione morum et vite: per gratiam Sancti Spiritus tribuat vobis misericors Dominus.

I confess to almighty God and blessed Mary the Virgin: and the holy Apostles Peter and Paul and all the Saints: and to you brethren openly that I have gravely sinned through pride: against the law of my God: by thought: by speech: by deed and omission: my fault: my fault: my most grave fault. Therefore I beseech the most blessed Virgin Mary: and all saints (masc.) and saints (fem.): and you brethren to pray for me.

May the Almighty God have mercy on you, and forgive you all your sins: deliver you from all evil, save and confirm you in all good work, and lead you to life eternal.
The merciful Lord, through the grace of the holy Spirit, grant you pardon, absolution and remission of all your sins, with amendment of your ways and life.

The revised Mozarabic liturgy does not have a Confiteor among the public actions of the Mass.

Publication of indulgences:
In the publication of indulgences, the Confiteor and the Indulgentiam used is the same as the Roman. Missal: however the Misereatur is as follows

Precibus et meritis Beatæ Mariæ semper Virginis, Beati Michaëlis Archangeli, Beati Joannis Baptistæ, Sanctorum Apostolorum Petri et Pauli, et omnium Sanctorum, misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis vestris, perducat vos ad vitam æternam.

(Through the) prayers and merits of Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, Blessed Michael (the) archangel, Blessed John (the) Baptist, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, may the Almighty God have mercy on you, and having forgiven your sins, bring you to eternal life.

A separate version is used in the Urbi et Orbi blessing of the Pope.

First Published in October, 2007

The Cistercians of Kildare and Leighlin - Introduction

In arranging Latin Masses in the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin one is hit by a number of obstacles, not least the physical impossibility of such celebrations that seems to be a key element of the "liturgical requirements of Vatican II" as interpreted by the local ecclesiastical architects and authorities, as well as clerical intransigence. However, we are making best efforts to make pilgrimages to sites in the Diocese that bring us closer to various elements of our Catholic heritage. One of those themes has been the former Cistercian houses in the Diocese. We were blessed to have our annual retreat directed this year by a monk of Heiligenkreutz, who also celebrated Mass in Doonane, and we have been blessed to have organised Mass in Duiske Abbey, one of the few restored Cistercian Abbey Churches in Ireland, which is towards the south of the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin. This series is going to trace those Cistercian houses in the Diocese.


Prior to the Norman Invasion of Ireland in 1169, the Cistercian Order had established 15 houses in Ireland: Mellifont, Bective, Inislounaght, Dublin, Monasteranenagh, Baltinglass (K&L), Newry, Kilbeggan, Abbeydorney, Boyle, Jerpoint, Holycross, Aghamanister. Of those, Baltinglass and is within the boundaries of the present Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin. Only St. Mary's at Dublin was not a filiation of Mellifont.

In the years following the Norman Invasion, 9 'Norman' Cistercian Houses were established: Inch, Dunbrody, Grey Abbey, Comber, Tintern, Graignamanagh (KNL), Abington, Abbeylara, Tracton. Of those, Graignamanagh (Duiske) was within the boundaries of the Diocese.

In the years following the Invastion there were also 10 'Irish' Cistercian foundations: Assaroe, Midleton, Corcumroe, Killeny (K&L), Kilcooley, Monasterevin (K&L), Abbeyleix (K&L), Abbeyknockmoy, Abbeyshrule, Macosquin. Both Abbeyleix and Monasterevin lie within the bounds of the Diocese.

To be exact, the Abbeys of Baltinglass, Killeny, Abbeyleix and Graignamanagh are in the Diocese of Leighlin and the Abbey of Monasterevin is in the Diocese of Kildare.

Baltinglass (1148) was a daughter house of Mellifont (1142) and mother house of Jerpoint (1160).

Killeny (1162), which was just to the north of Graignamanagh, was suppressed in 1228 at the time of the visitation of Stephen of Lexington.

Monasterevin (1172) was a daughter house of Baltinglass. It was a continuation of the monastic life of St. Evin at Rosglas.

Abbeyleix (1183) was established thanks to a grant by Conor O'More, Prince of Laois and, according to Sir James Ware (The Antiquities and History of Ireland), was a daughter house of Baltinglass.

Graignamanagh (1204) was a daughter house of Stanley in Wales.

Discipline in the Cistercian Houses in Ireland was a concern of the General Chapter, which, in 1216 sent the Abbot of Clairvaux to investigate the situation at Mellifont, its filiation. He was met by closed gates and rebellious monks. The same was true of the visitation of Jerpoint, where the abbot was supported in his dissent by the abbots of Baltinglass, Killeny, Kilbeggan and Bective. These houses were later to be involved in what was known as the Conspiratio Mellifontis. The Chapter General deposed the abbots of Mellifont and Jerpoint and new visitors were appointed but the issue of discipline in certain Irish houses continued until 1228, when the Abbot of Clairvaux appointed Stephen of Lexington, the Abbot of Stanley (mother house of Graignamanagh) as his deputy for the visitation. Stephen was to be elected Abbot of Clairvaux itself in 1249. He held a colloquium of abbots at Graignamanagh and a chapter of abbots at St. Mary's, Dublin.

Stephen reported to Pope Gregory IX that everything of Cistercian life had disappeared from the Irish monasteries except the wearing of the habit: "Nam in abbiciis Hiberniae censura et ordo noster excepto habito vix in aliquo seruabitur."

One of the outcomes of the visitation was that most of the Irish monasteries were given new mother houses outside Ireland. Baltinglass, (Jerpoint) and Monasterevin were to be daughter houses of Fountains Abbey in England, where Eva, the daughter of Diarmuid MacMurrough, was patroness and was buried. After his visitation, French and Latin were to be the two languages of all Cistercian houses in Ireland. While discipline markedly improved after 1228, the Chapter General of 1271 referred to the "quaestio taediosa" of Irish indiscipline and by 1274 the houses in Ireland had been returned to the supervision of their original mother houses.

St. Malachy of Armagh, pray for us!
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, pray for us!

Black Scapular of Saint Benedict

The Scapular of St. Benedict is the emblem of the confraternity of that saint, founded in the latter half of the 19th century with the object of associating the faithful with the Benedictine Order. The Confraternity was granted indulgences in 1882 and 1883, and members wear a small black cloth scapular in two segments, one of which usually has a picture of Saint Benedict, although not strictly required.

St. Benedict, pray for us!

Mount Melleray Retreat

Members of St. Conleth's Catholic Heritage Association made a retreat in Mount Melleray Abbey again this year. The theme chosen for the retreat was Lectio Divina, to take account of the fact that the Cistercian Abbey where the retreat was being held follows the Rule of St. Benedict (Chapter 48), which gives Lectio Divina an important place in its rule of life, along with Liturgical Prayer and manual labour. Mount Melleray Abbey is situated in the lea of the Knockmealdown Mountains, just to the north of Cappoquin, Co. Waterford. It has been the home of monks of the Strict Observance of the Cistercian Order, known as Trappists, since 1832. The foundation stone of the Monastery was laid on St. Bernard's Day, 20th August, 1833.

"First the tower, austere and massive, gleaming white against the sun,
With its crown of brazen crosses all aflame,
Rose above the circling pine-woods; then the gables, one by one,
To the field of my delighted vision came."

"Now the whole monastic city lay unshrouded to my view,
As a picture on a screen in spendour thrown,
Every snowy arch and angle pointing upward to the blue,
An ecstatic Benedicite in stone."

"Earth's cocoon of light and air,
Wondering Angels peering through,
Find reflections here and there,
Of their home beyond the Blue."


The Abbey Church is in Gothic style and cruciform in plan. Although extended, it follows mainly the lines of the original chapel built by the first community of Cistercian monks. The foundation stone for the new Church was laid by his Eminence John Cardinal McRory on the occasion of the centenary celebration. The Public Church and Monastic Church are the main elements of the magnificent Church-building project undertaken under Dom Celsus O'Connell, O.C.S.O., seventh Lord Abbot of Mount Melleray. The foundation stones were laid on 17th April, 1933, only twelve days after Dom Celsus was elected at Lord Abbot and a few months before the Abbey celebrated its centenary. The Monastic Church, the Church where the monks of Mount Melleray Abbey celebrate the Divine Office every day, was completed and solemnly blessed in November, 1940, but it wasn't until August of 1952, the 120th Anniversary of Mount Melleray, that the Church was solemnly consecrated. Prominent in the monastic Church, as is the custom in all Cistercian churches, was a massive crucifix suspended over the nave and containing relics of St. Bernard and many Irish saints, now, unhappily, removed. The smaller suspended crucifix in the Public Church remains.

The east window seen below is the work of the Harry Clarke studio. The central panel represents Christ the King crowning Our Lady Assumed into Heaven. Each evening at the Office of Compline the lights of the Church are extinguished and, according to Cistercian tradition, the figure of Our Lady is illuminated for the singing of the Salve Regina. To the right of the central panel are St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Carthage of Lismore, patron of the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore, where Mount Melleray is found, and to the far right are St. Robert, one of the three founders of the Cistercian Order, and St. Patrick of Ireland. To the left of the central panel are St. Brigid of Kildare and St. Columba and to the far left are St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church and the father of Cistercian monasticism, and St. Malachy of Armagh, who invited St. Bernard to send Cistercian monks to make their first foundation in Ireland.


"...that marvellous melody in whose haunting cadence all the immortal aspirations and emotions of humanity seem to struggle for expression..."

The Consecration of the Monastic Church was carried out by the Ordinary of the Diocese, Bishop Coholan of Waterford and Lismore beginning at 8 a.m. on 20th. The Public Church was consecrated contemporaneously, with Dom Benignus Hickey, O.C.S.O., Abbot of New Mellifont, consecrating the High Altar. During the consecration festival from 20th August to 29th August, 1952, well over 100,000 people visited Mount Melleray, an echo, surely, of the great occasion that was the consecration of the first Cistercian Church in Ireland, at Mellifont in Co. Louth. Mellifont Abbey was founded in 1142, with St. Christian Ó Connarchy as first Abbot. The consecration of the Church, the largest in Ireland at the time, was attended in state by the High King, Murtach Ó Loughlin, together with the flower of the nobility, including MacMurrough, as yet "guiltless of his country's blood." St. Christian, by this time Bishop of Lismore and Papal Legate, presided at the consecration, another direct link, through the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore, to the Abbey at Mount Melleray. Gelasius, Archbishop of Armagh, was principal consecrator, assisted by 17 Bishops.


At Mount Melleray in 1952, the Abbot General of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance, Dom Gabriel Sortais, was liturgically received on the morning of 20th August and His Excellency, the President of Ireland, Séan T. Ó Ceallaigh and Mrs. Ó Ceallaigh were given a liturgical reception that evening. From noon on Thursday, 21st, until Friday, 29th, the law of enclosure was suspended to permit ladies to enter the precincts of the Monastery. On 21st August, the Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland, Archbishop O'Hara, sang Pontifical Mass. On Sunday, 24th, Dom Celsus O'Connell, Lord Abbot of Mount Melleray celebrated Pontifical High Mass in the open air next to the Public Church. On the final day of the festival, Pontifical Vespers in the open air were followed by Benediction and a procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the grounds of the Monastery and was brought back to the High Altar of the Monastic Church for the Office of Compline. The conclusion of the festival was the turning of the key in the lock of the enclosure by the Lord Abbot.


During the course of the retreat conferences, Father McCarthy said that all Catholics should take the words of Pope Benedict XVI seriously when he said: "I would like in particular to recall and recommend the ancient tradition of Lectio divina: the diligent reading of Sacred Scripture accompanied by prayer brings about that intimate dialogue in which the person reading hears God who is speaking, and in praying, responds to him with trusting openness of heart. If it is effectively promoted, this practice will bring to the Church - I am convinced of it - a new spiritual springtime." He said that the starting point for any Lectio divina was the Divinity of Christ. He added that the aim was not to obtain some kind of personal magisterium on the meaning of S. Scripture but rather to converse with God.



Fr. McCarthy introduced the retreatants to the words of Guigo II, the twelfth-century prior of Grande Chartreuse, and spoke about the four elements of Lectio divina: Lectio, to read the Scriptures; Meditatio, to meditate upon them and to settle upon some element that strikes one particularly; Oratio, to pray, the intimate dialogue of which the Pope speaks; and Contemplatio, to contemplate upon all the elements.

Each day was begun with Mass in the Gregorian Rite and concluded with devotions and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in the traditional manner. The retreat began on the feast of the Annunciation, carried on through the feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady, and concluded on the Saturday of Passion Week.



The Abbey Guest House accommodated the retreatants throughout and gave direct access to the Public Church, dedicated to the Assumption of Our Lady and Saint Philomena. It was once the National Shrine to Saint Philomena, although her statue was removed when her name was removed from the Roman Calendar. The Guest House formed part of the older monastery complex.



The interior of the Public Church has five bays consisting of aisles on either side and double lancets above. The Sanctuary is decorated in mosaic, both in nave and aisles. The walls surrounding the side aisles being decorated with adoring Angels. The walls of the Sanctuary having the instruments of the Passion in quatrefoils on the lateral walls, the east wall having the Sacred Heart represented to the Gospel side of the east window and St. Joseph to the Epistle side, each having the appropriate monogram in the quatrefoil beneath.



Perhaps one of the most interesting of all sights in Mount Melleray is the Miraculous Bin which is kept in the farm-yard near the Monastery garden. A long wooden structure about 3 metres long by 1 1/2 metres wide by 1 metre deep, it is regarded the greatest wonder of Mount Melleray. On the cover of the bin is a small notice which tells the story as follows: "DURING THE FAMINE OF 1840, THE COMMUNITY AND MORE THAN SEVENTY POOR PEOPLE WERE FED DAILY WITH MEAL STORED IN THE BIN. AFTER THREE MONTHS THE SUPPLY WAS FOUND UNDIMINISHED." The story is one well known to visitors to Mount Melleray. The then Lord Abbot, Dom Vincent Ryan, left instructions that nobody was to be turned away from the monastery hungry during his absence, which was to last three months, beginning just after Easter. The stock of Indian meal in the bin was found to be undiminished upon his return, although the daily measure required for 100 monks and the more than 70 poor people was taken from it each day. Dom Vincent's written and signed statement attesting to the incident is still extant: "Who will not here admire and praise the wonderful dispensation of Divine Providence. A poor and numerous community of religious men, located on the side of a barren mountain, improvided with funds, resources, or human means necessary to support existence, labouring incessantly in the arduous and painful enterprise of reclaiming its stubborn and neglected soil, depending on the casual charity of humane friends, are thus enabled, I will presume to say miraculously, not only to maintain their own existence, but to feed and preserve the lives of nearly five thousand of their fellow creatures during a period of no ordinary calamity and distress!"


The east window of the Public Church is in two levels, above, in the central panel is Our Lady assumed into Heaven flanked by Angels, while below are, from left to right, St. Brigid, St. Malachy of Armagh (who introduced the Cistercian Order to Ireland), St. Bernard of Clairvaux, friend of St. Malachy, greeting him, and St. Patrick. This is a window of old associations. Mention of St. Malachy and St. Bernard draws the mind back to Mellifont and the first Irish foundation of the Cistercians. The seven main panels of this window were originally in the east window of the old Monastic Church.



To the East of the Monastic Church is 'God's Acre,' the monks' grave-yard, where generations of Cistercians lie. The three High Crosses in the foreground (and another two in the distance) mark the graves of the Lords Abbot of Mount Melleray.

"To my ears as thus I pondered came the sweet and soothing sounds,
Of the Abbey chime, from workshop and from cell,
From the field and from the forest, from the grange's distant bounds,
Calling all to choir, for that's the Office Bell."

If you would like to explore a monastic vocation in Mount Melleray Abbey, the Novice Master of Mount Melleray Abbey can be contacted by letter at:

Revd. Novice Master, O.C.S.O.,
Mount Melleray Abbey,
Cappoquin,
Co. Waterford,
Ireland.

Or by 'phone at:

+353 58 54404

Or by e-mail by clicking here.