Two Headline News Stories

The above two photos are taken from this week's Irish Catholic newspaper published last Thursday 20th. The events they illustrate are certainly worth recording here. The top photo shows Fr Michael Shortall (left) presiding for the first time as President of Maynooth College at the annual conferring ceremony. On the right is Archbishop Eamon Martin who, as Chancellor of the University whose degress were being awarded (i.e. SPPU, St Patrick's Pontifical University), presented these to the happy students one by one. (The caption, I'm afraid, gets the roles mixed up -- it is Archbishop Eamon who is Chancellor, not Rev. Dr Michael.)

The other photo shows Archbishop Dermot Farrell announcing a truly historic event, i.e. the recognition by Rome of Dublin's Pro-Cathedral as a cathedral in the full sense of the word, no longer hyphenated somewhat awkwardly and puzzlingly as before but a cathedral now with all the high status that comes with that title. 

And so we have the students in SPPU overjoyed on receiving their award from Rome in the form of a degree and Archbishop Dermot (former President of Maynooth) jubilantly sharing another document from Rome granting the Archdiocese of Dublin a cathedral at last. Everyone happy -- a degree for the students and a papal decree for the Catholic faithful of Dublin!

Fr Andrew Hart's 210th Anniversary, died 20.11.1815

Ten years ago we celebrated the bicentenary of the death of Fr Andrew Hart, P.P. of the United Parishes of Saggart, Rathcoole and Newcastle. He died at the age of 30 after only three years in office. His striking and life-like effigy is to be seen in St Mary's on the right-hand side of the nave, head turned towards the altar. The pull-up nearby (designed by the writer) gives us a summary of his short but fruitful life. (For more reading, about Andrew Hart's bicentenary as well as about the bicentenary two years earlier of the church which he erected, i.e. St Finian's, Newcastle, use the Search box on this page.)

Now we have something small but very original to mark this 210th. It is the brief but eloquent announcement of his death in Saunders's News Letter, Tuesday, 21st November 1815, here being re-read in the original (now digitized) for the first time since its publication. The holdings for this paper in our National Library are from 1828 (see here), whereas the British Library ones are complete.

From www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

As well, then, as our parishioners being remembered this month at special Masses (tomorrow in Rathcoole, near 'Greenoak' (i.e. Greenogue)), we can spare a thought and prayer for the deceased of times gone by, even very long gone by, as is the case with Andrew Hart.