The Man on the Wall

The life story of Andrew Hart (1785-1815) was told at Mass on Sunday 22nd November as a way of marking the bicentenary of his death on 20 November 1815.  Since that day was a 'Do This in Memory' Sunday, the story had to be pitched to suit the young children in the congregation. But they were all very interested to hear the story of the 'Man on the Wall', as were also -- so the person who told the story, Donal McMahon, earnestly hoped --  the adult members of the congregation.

The effigy of Fr Hart is one of the most striking features of our parish church. Appreciating it better will no doubt increase our appreciation of all its other features and make us take a greater interest in their proper maintenance. After all the fine work done on the exterior, maybe Fr Hart will be able to turn his head round one day to admire the redecorated interior!  At least, as the children were told, he will do so invisibly, the way he will admire and encourage them next May when they make their First Communion.

Bicentenary of Fr Andrew Hart, Died 20 November 1815

Fr Andrew Hart, 1785-1815

    This is the statue we know so well from seeing it every time we go to Mass in St Mary's, Saggart.  Or maybe we don't know it so well as we never really see it. The reason for this is because we know so little about the man whom the statue commemorates. All we have is the inscription underneath the effigy, an inscription written in Latin of a very elaborate kind that is 'all Greek (or Latin)' to us today. Our late P.P. Fr Laurence O'Sullivan had a small framed translation put up beside the memorial in 1999, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of St Mary's. (For the text and a more recent translation of the inscription, see here.)
    The bicentenary of St Finian's in 2013 saw the publication of a book containing a chapter about the parish priest responsible for the building of that church (i.e. Fr Andrew Hart), thanks to which we know more about the man than ever before. In 2013 the parish of Newcastle marked the bicentenary of the church he built; now, in 2015, we in Saggart/Rathcoole/Brittas, have the opportunity to mark the bicentenary of the man himself in the church where he is buried. Now is the moment when the people of Saggart can pay him their own tribute. Let us do so in as fitting a way as we can, beginning Sunday 22nd, at 11.30 Mass in St Mary's.  

   
Donal McMahon (donalmcmahon@eircom.net)
and Liam Roche,
Andrew Hart Bicentenary Committee (new members very welcome!).

New NS of St Finian in Newcastle

A New Era Begins in Newcastle

No sooner did a new school open in Saggart in September 2014 than another new one is set to open in our sister parish of Newcastle a year later. In fact the very month that saw the opening of Saggart also saw construction work begin on Newcastle, with work scheduled to be completed in 32 weeks, i.e. the end of May -- less than a year, then. (See the architect's website for Saggart and Newcastle -- the same architect.)
A sign, indeed, of the parallel rapid expansion of both our parishes.

All the great celebrations now at an end, the bicentenary sign outside St Finian's church has been taken down.  We knew that Clonaslee (Co. Laois) and Booterstown celebrated bicentenaries with us in 2013, but St Mary's in Westport did also, something that we did not know at the time.  So here's belated bicentennial greetings to the parishioners of that beautiful town.

Dates for Cemetery Masses  Please see this week's Newsletter (3rd May) here.

St Mary's, Westport

                       Newsletter 16 March 2014

As usual, I would urge you to read the newsletter and pick out what you consider relevant. Just a little plug for a book that will be on sale next Sunday in St Mary's (E10 softback, E20 hardback), i.e. the bicentenary book on St Finian's, Newcastle. It's a  truly splendid production and is very good value. An earlier volume published in 1986 and now fast becoming a collector's item will also be on sale: Newcastle Lyons: A Parish of the Pale.

There is an article in the bicentenary book on Fr Andrew Hart P.P. (1785-1815) of the 'United Parishes of Saggart, Rathcoole and Newcastle', as they were known at the time. We all know him from seeing him on the right-hand wall of St Mary's but, in fact, we know next to nothing about his life -- the Latin of the inscription not exactly helping matters, of course. What's more, we are not really aware that he himself actually lies buried beneath the life-sized effigy. Now for the first time, he comes to life in an original, well researched article. Every church is special and has its own unique features. Fr Hart's imposing effigy is without doubt among the most striking features of St Mary's.

A book token for 20E will be offered to the first person writing a review of the bicentenary book, to be published here.  It must be signed, c.250  words in length, and should be emailed to donalmcmahon@eircom.net before the end of March. Book-committee members or contributors, as well as members of the clergy (sorry!) are excluded from entering. Is there an ordinary, 'general' reader out there, I wonder? 

               Newsletter  12.1.2014

Bishop Eamonn Walsh presided at Sunday Mass in St Finian's on the 12th, a Mass marking the end of the bicentenary year.  Though the great year is over, the fine book published in December (terrific value at 10 Euro) will serve as a lasting record of that year. None of us older parishioners will experience such an occasion again in our lifetimes, but our younger parishioners will certainly (D.V. of course) be there in 2049 for the bicentenary of St Mary's. And we have a lasting reminder already in St Mary's of St Finian's bicentenary, since that man on the wall, in white marble, on the right as you face the altar, is the priest who was responsible for the building of St Finian's, Fr Andrew Hart (1785-1815). The bicentenary book  has an interesting chapter on him.

                   In Your Local Shops Now!

Here is the cover of the book published to mark the bicentenary of St Finian's, Newcastle. A year in the making and compiled by a very active committee headed by Bridget Breen, it was launched in St Finian's Community Hall on Thursday 5th. It contains 254 pages about the church and the locality, covering a wide range of topics -- religious, historical, educational and cultural. Coffee-table-book in size and in richness of pictorial illustration it may be, but it will surely be pored over on all sorts of tables (hopefully not also 'poured' over by the over-engrossed reader!). Fr Pat Egan SDB deserves great credit for the high quality of the layout and printing. It costs 10 Euro, a very reasonable price for such a fine production.

 

Saggart residents will be interested in the article on the person who was responsible for the building of St Finian's, Fr Andrew Hart, P.P. of the 'United Parishes' from 1812 until his death in 1815. He is buried in St Mary's, below that fine effigy we all know so well. This book offers Saggart parishioners the opportunity to get to know the man they see, spiritually, every Sunday.

Another memorable occasion in the annals of our two parishes took place on Sunday, 1st December, when Rathcoole parishioners celebrated the 25th anniversary of the church of the Holy Family.

Celebrations all round, then, in the parishes at the end of the (liturgical) year.

See also the Newsletter 8.12.13

               Newsletter, 1 December 2013

The Newsletter for the first Sunday of the new liturgical year (the first Sunday of Advent) can be read at 1.12.2013

On that day Rathcoole church celebrated the silver jubilee of its foundation. Bishop Eamonn Walsh said Mass at 12, and afterwards blessed the new church bell, set between two newly built pillars at the left of the entrance. But this, in fact, is not a 'new' bell at all, since originally it hung in the church in the Johnstown Kennedy estate, near Rathcoole. When the church was no longer in use, the bell was given into the care of Pat Corcoran, who thought it might be installed as a bell for the church of the Holy Family. This is what has now come to pass, thanks to members of the Parish Pastoral Council. And the name above the door looks lovely too!

This Thursday (see Newsletter) will see the final and culminating events marking the bicentenary of St Finian's, Newcastle: the unveiling in the church of a plaque donated by the Church of Ireland parishioners, the launch of a CD by St Finian's NS, and the launch of a book on the history of the church and its locality.

Launch of Bicentenary Book,  5th December

Read the Newsletter for 24 November for information about the big evening to be held in St Finian's Hall, Newcastle, to launch the publication of a book on the history of St Finian's church. This occasion brings the sequence of events organised to celebrate what has been a truly memorable year to a fitting conclusion.  (Re Newsletter, please wait a few seconds for it to download. Use button at top-left on screen to return to this site.)

The Church of the Holy Family, Rathcoole, celebrated the 25th year of its history this year and a Mass to mark the occasion will take place on Sunday, 1st December (see the same Newsletter).

As for Saggart church, great things are in store for it too. We will deal with these in an upcoming post. 

                    Visiting Historic Sites in Newcastle
                              Sunday October 20th

The following sites will be open from 2 to 4 pm as part of the celebrations to mark the bicentenary of St Finian's. Starting from St Finian's, it is possible to visit some or all of the sites out as far as the furthest, Colmanstown Cemetery, to which a lift can be provided. A person from the Bicentenary Book Committee will provide a commentary at each site.

St Finian’s Catholic Church
1825 National School
St Finian’s Church of Ireland
St Finian’s Well
Site of Penal Mass House in Athgoe
Athgoe Castle
Colmanstown Cemetery

Parking is available at Woodlands Health Centre (Newcastle House) for St Finian’s Well. Parking along the avenue to Athgoe Castle, and parking in Nolan’s farmyard for Colmanstown Cemetery. There is limited parking in the Highdowhill  cul-de-sac for the site of the Mass house.

           Other Church Bicentenaries in 2013

Besides our own St Finian's, there are a number of other churches in Ireland celebrating their bicentenary this year. The Church of the Assumption, Booterstown, and St Manman's Church, Clonaslee, Co. Laois, are two examples. The first held its bicentenary Mass a week after we did, on the 23rd June, Archbishop Martin officiating on both occasions, while the second held its Mass, broadcast live on RTE television, on the 21st July. You will notice that St Manman's website carries bicentennial birthday greetings from us.  Other churches recorded as being built/ founded/dedicated in 2013 are : the former church of St Michael and St John, Essex Quay, Dublin (some of whose seats, in a nice coincidence, have ended up in our parish church of St Mary's, Saggart), St  Joseph's, Moneygall (of Obama fame), and St Mary's, Westport. Nearer home, Christ Church in Celbridge was built around 1813 also.

Tomorrow, Sunday 25th August, we welcome back our former parish priest, now Rector of the Irish College, Rome, Fr Ciaran O'Carroll, who is celebrating Mass in St Finian's. A church historian himself, he will, I'm sure, appreciate being with us tomorrow to celebrate our bicentenary.

As well as the video below taken (as is only too obvious) with hand-held camera after the bicentenary Mass in St Finian's, you can see some nice photos of the occasion in The Irish Catholic on the 20th June.

St Finian's Bicentenary Mass

Sunday 16 June 2013 

 

    

    The text of Archbishop Martin's sermon for the Mass can be 

    read here.

St Finian's, Newcastle: Bicentenary Mass 

                         Sunday, 16 June 2013, 3 p.m.  

        Chief Celebrant: Archbishop Diarmuid Martin

On Monday, 5th July 1813, the foundation stone of the church of St Finian, Newcastle Lyons, was blessed and laid, an event that was reported in the Freeman's Journal on the 14th. A 'considerable concourse of the people', it said, was present to witness the blessing of the stone for the 'new chapel', carried out by the Rev. Andrew Hart, parish priest of the 'united parishes of Saggart, Rathcoole and Newcastle'. This was followed by the laying of the stone 'with the usual solemnity’ by Valentine Lawless, second Lord Cloncurry. 

A photo of this page will be brought up as part of the Offertory procession at tomorrow's Mass. After Mass, the blessing of a commemorative stone will take place. You are very welcome to attend and so be part of the concourse of the parishioners of today, all of two hundred years later.

You can see the date in Roman numerals at the bottom of the plaque high up above the front door of the church, under the vent, as seen in the photo below. 

The lettering is:   DEO    OPT    MAX /  sub invocatione /
SANCTI  FINIAN  / A. D.  MDCCCXIII. (To God, the Best and the Greatest, in the name of St Finian,  AD 1813)

                       

                 MDCCCXIII  -  MMXIII

                             1813  -  2013                        

       Bicentenary of St Finian's, Newcastle

      and  25th of Holy Family, Rathcoole

 

Fr Andrew Hart

This is a big year for two of the churches in our United Parishes.

The figure on the left is well known to all who attend St Mary's, and we will come to a renewed appreciation of him this year. Fr Andrew Hart was appointed in 1812 Parish Priest in what was then called The United Parishes of Saggart, Rathcoole and Newcastle (a nice title, is it not?). He it was who laid the foundation stone for St Finian's in July 1813. Unfortunately, he probably didn't live to see the church completed, since he died at the very early age of 30 in 1815. So all eyes will be on St Finian's this year, and we in St Mary's will feel part of it too, thanks to this lovely monument to Fr Hart.

Meanwhile, the good people of Rathcoole will be celebrating the silver anniversary of their lovely modern church. Two big local events, then, well timed for this Year of Faith.

The second photo is of the front of St Finian's, showing the date in Roman numerals and the dedication (in Latin) to St Finian. Click on the photo to see the MDCCCXIII more clearly.

Above the Entrance to St Finian's