Saturday 23 January 2010

Mass @ St. Paul's

St. Conleth's Catholic Heritage Association organised a Mass this morning for Christian Unity Octave, or Week for Christian Unity, in St. Paul's Church, Arran Quay, the home of the Irish San Egidio Community. This was the second time that we had been to St. Paul's, the last being last January, during the Holy Year of Saint Paul.

This year the celebrant was Fr. James Larkin, P.P., who gave a magnificent sermon on Christian Unity that, he said, was not the work of human dispute resolution like the Labour Court or the result of a compromise on the essentials of the Faith, but was the work of the Holy Spirit, which was why we need to pray, especially during this Christian Unity Octave, for the unity of all who believe in Christ.

The soloist during the Mass was the magnificent Miss Máire Mullarkey, who was able to lead the congregation in singing the common of the Mass and traditional hymns, as well as singing the Mozart Ave Verum (k. 618) and Panis Angelicus from César Franck's famous Messe à trois voix. Miss Mullarkey is a well-known wedding singer among other professional singing engagements. We were all deeply moved by her singing.


10 comments:

Anonymous said...

This church has very special memories for anyone who attended the Latin Mass in Dublin in the 1990s. It is also the place where Blessed Columba Marmion was baptised.

Doc Hannon said...

Not only is this the place of Bl. Marmion's baptism (and the Parish of his birth) but it is also the location for the original foundation of the Benedictine Convent that was to become the Irish Dames of Ypres and later Kylemore Abbey. The site on North Brunswick Street, just to the north of the Church, now houses the Richmond Courthouse (formerly the Richmond Hospital).

The original and sole city Parish north of the Liffey (St. Michan's) was first divided between it and St. Mary's (now the Pro-Cathedral) and later (1707) to include St. Paul's, which was given the territory to the west of Church St. that included the old St. Michan's and Phibsboro.

For this latter reason, Desmond, Cardinal Connell, was also baptised in this Church, since the Vincentians of Phibsboro did not have faculties to administer Baptism at the time.

I also believe that the Dominican nuns of Cabra began their existence in the abandoned convent of the Benedictines and remained there through most of the Eighteenth Century.

Canon Yore, who was Parish Priest at the time of the building of the present Church was a student of Carlow College.

In 1842, he provided the Church with the first peal of bells in a Catholic Church in the City since Catholic Emancipation. The bells were struck by the Sheridan Foundary of Church St.

An Auld Dubliner said...

Good to be back here. The singer was unbelievably good. She had such a beautiful quality to her voice. Solos were perfect and she was able to bring in the congregation for the rest. Hope to hear her again. Shame we couldn't have the text of Father's sermon. One of the best I've heard on Christian unity.

Anonymous said...

I regret I was unable to attend. There should be more opportunities to attend the Usus Antiquior on the Rive Gauche of Dublin.

JSB

Anonymous said...

Is this going to be a regular Mass?

Anonymous said...

I would very much liked to have been able to attend. I hope that there was a Latin Mass nearer to me.

MP
Howth

Recorder said...

I can confirm everything you've said, especially about the excellent music. Convenor, it was your best performance yet! Miss Mullarkey's singing was fantastic. It was so professional with a very gentle and sweet quality. Her choice of music was great and it didn't overwhelm the congregation. I hope she's coming to Mass in the Cathedral too.

Recorder said...

Doc, where do you get it all from?

Anonymous said...

Sounds great. Will the Carlow Mass be as good?

Fitzy said...

Sounds very impressive. Id like to go next year.