Monthly Archives: June 2014

Jun 16 2014

Religion

Mná na Éireann

“Religion”

Priests

“The priests gave the young people a very hard time for dancing. They chased us out of house dances and dance halls and during the forty days of Lent there was no dancing allowed at all. We were terrified of them. Everything that was enjoyable was a sin and we never questioned it at all. If a lad saw you home he would be lucky to get a kiss. Then you would have to tell that to the priest in confession. Company keeping was a sin of course and, unless it was the intention to get married, it was strictly forbidden. We had lots of boyfriends but we were very innocent.”

Mass

“Mass went on forever. It was all in Latin on the high altar. The priest had his back to the people. Mass was on Sunday morning and, if you were going to Holy Communion, you had to be fasting from midnight the night before – without even a drink of water. After Mass there would be Benediction. By the time you got home you would be fainting with the hunger. I often remember eating blackberries on the way home from Mass, I’d be so hungry. Once a month you had your sodality or confraternity Sunday. Then you had to sit with your own guild under your own banner. The leader of the guild would sign your name as you arrived to make sure that you were present and received Holy Communion.”
“It was a fright to the world that you couldn’t go to the funeral of a Protestant, even if he was your next door neighbour. You’d have to go the bishop to confession if you did. Wasn’t that dreadful? People are very good Christians now and very compassionate. If you reach out to them they will come to you.”

Rosary

[ Here is a portion of the Litany of the Blessed Virgin. – Comms Team. ]

…
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, pray for us.
Holy Virgin of virgins, pray for us.
Mother of Christ, pray for us.
Mother of divine grace, pray for us.
Mother most pure, pray for us.
Mother most chaste, pray for us.
Mother inviolate, pray for us.
Mother undefiled, pray for us.
…

“The rosary was said in every house at night and the trimmings went on forever. My mother ‘gave out’ the rosary, father gave out the second decade, and the three eldest gave out the next three decades. Mother said the litany of the Blessed Virgin without a stop and then prayed for everyone alive and dead who had any connection with the family. Next came prayers for sick neighbours, the animals, and for fine weather. When the last ‘Amen’ was said we were free to get up off our knees. The prayers that I remember are the prayers my mother taught me. I remember well she wore a black apron, always, and I’d sit on her knee. I must have been about three or four at the time, I think.”

Jesus meek and Jesus mild,
Look on me a little child

Heart of Jesus, I adore thee.

“After the rosary we would always say”,

I shall die, I do not know where or when or how,
But if I die in mortal sin I am lost forever.
Sweet Jesus have mercy on me.

“The funny thing is, I still say the prayers I said as a child after the rosary every night.”

The Stations

[ NB. These stations should not to be confused with the Stations of the Cross. – Comms Team.]

“Now the stations are held in the church, but long ago they were held in each townland. They would be held in spring and autumn. When it was our turn for the station the whole house had to be painted, inside and out and whitewashed. The yard was whitewashed and all the doors and gates painted. New oilcloth was put on the kitchen table and a white tablecloth put on the table that was the altar for Mass down in the room. The Mass was at ten o’clock in the morning with confession for all in the parlour before Mass. After Mass the dues were collected and then there would be a big breakfast in the parlour for the priest and the head of each house in the townland (all men). The women had their breakfast in the kitchen, once the men were served. Of course, the house had to be spotless. You couldn’t have people talking.”

Jun 16 2014

When We Were Young

Mná na Éireann

“When We Were Young”

“I don’t think we were ever teenagers but, when we were young girls, life was very different than it is now. There was no drink, girls could not go into a pub. The older women would maybe get a glass of port wine at Christmas or a bottle of stout to build them up after having a baby. It was unheard of for a woman to get drunk.”

“We were afraid of everything. We were afraid of what the priests might say. We were afraid of what our parents might say. We were afraid of what our neighbours might tell our parents, and we were afraid of God and how we would be punished.”

“If we had a boyfriend we kept quiet about it. I used to love dancing. It was mostly house dances with local musicians. There was always somebody who could play a fiddle or a melodeon. In the summertime there was always the ‘Middlepiece’ (platform dancing in the open air). Tommy Matt (Whelan) called out the steps – I suppose you would call him the MC now. There was a Middlepiece at Clancy’s cross. That was the best one. All the young people from the Westown side of the parish and from Ballyscanlon and Carrickbarahan and Kilfarrissey would be at it. We danced waltzes and sets, lancers and polkas, and quicksets. There would be thirty or forty people at the Middlepiece. I never remember a wet summer. Sometimes there was no one to play so we would be jigging ourselves. Mrs. Whelan (Tommy’s mother) was great for jigging. We used to dance in her kitchen, too. She had a great big kitchen. We often had to sneak out the window to the dances.”

[ Here is a video of the wicked and sinful pastime of house-dancing (narrated by a well-known personality). Just turn on the sound and click the arrow in the centre of the picture. – Comms Team. ]

next-story

Jun 16 2014

The Confraternity

Fenor 2010 – Growing and Changing

“The Confraternity”

by Bob Rockett

[ A confraternity is normally a Roman Catholic organization of lay people created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. Confraternity activities are often associated with burial as parishioners sometimes find it difficult to pay for the funeral arrangements. This was particularly so in former times. In this article, Bob Rockett gives us his particular slant on the Confraternity. – Comms Team. ]

Bob Rockett“Sunday is Confraternity Sunday”. This was an announcement most likely to be made at the main meal on the previous Thursday or Friday when all the family was likely to be assembled. In most cases it was not entirely welcome, especially by the male members. It involved examination of conscience, trying to sort out the deliberate indiscretions, and making excuses where the prevailing situation created doubt as to the seriousness of the offence. Were the circumstances in your favour to make it a venial or the more serious mortal sin? Not conducive to a carefree weekend.

A further reminder was issued mid-Saturday. How could one forget? You cleaned up Saturday evening making your way to the village to join the other penitents, male and female, in similar frame of mind. Any distraction was welcome to counter the idea of having to bare your soul, only having entertained thoughts of what might be the delight of the aforethought exercise.

Confraternity Sunday in the long summer evenings. The village was busy, lads arriving to the local shop for their cigarettes, razor blades and perhaps hair oil. There would be lads lining up for haircuts. There was a few competent local barbers with the little clippers and there was no charge. Heads and hair were neatly kept.

The church, from the outside, looked calm and peaceful. Perhaps less so inside as penitents took their places at each side of the confessional box, males on the left and females on the right. The old box was not constructed to provide privacy, except for the priest. He was seated in his small cubicle with a small slide on each side which he drew alternately, holding his ear to the grill and listening attentively, issuing the appropriate penance and dispensing absolution.

confraternity-bannerHaving been shrived, you recited your penance and went out the door like a shot. It was notable that confraternity members made an effort to refrain from uttering the usual expletives at least until after Sunday. Sunday morning was a trial, going about the usual routine on an empty stomach, portraying your best devout poise as if you were enjoying it. The church sported the banners denoting the different guilds, i.e., Sacred Heart, St. Joseph. The females on the left side approached the altar first for Holy Communion and then the males on the right. There was always the few hard men who didn’t conform to confraternity discipline. They tended to throw cold water on what they oft called “the holy Joes”.

Their bluff was called back in 1938. The area was subjected to four nights of fierce thunder and lightning. Nothing like it has occurred since. It created fear, especially among hard men, and some were said to have pleaded to be spared until Saturday to make their peace with God. The priest at the time made the observation in his Sunday sermon that a good thunder storm was better than a mission. He had been kept busy hearing confessions the previous evening.

Village life in those times seems to have been more ordered – at least it would seem that way to those of advanced years. Communications and conversation between neighbours is no longer a feature of the 21st Century.

[ The picture on the right shows a typical confraternity banner. It is of Naoṁh Ioseṗ (Saint Joseph). The banners were carried on vertical poles and, when in church, the poles were slotted through the brass rings that can still be seen on the ends of the benches. – Comms Team. ]

Jun 16 2014

Mná na hÉireann

Fenor 2010 – Growing and Changing

Mná na hÉireann

old-person-01-smallThis is the name of an article by Mrs. Rita Byrne in the book Fenor 2010 – Growing and Changing. Eight women shared their experiences with Rita who recorded the conversations on an old-fashioned “steam tape cassette” and transcribed them for the book. Isn’t it what we all say we should do when we meet with the older generation and get them talking? But we don’t do it and the memories are lost for ever.

old-person-02

The experiences related by these women are both funny and tragic and may cause you to weep on both accounts. We have taken the liberty of including some extra material (mostly in dark blue type) which, we hope, will provide added interest. You can access the stories from the menu on the left.

[ Here, now, is Rita Byrne’s short introduction to the article: ]

“Mná na hÉireann”

by Rita Byrne

As remembered by the late Mary Long, Nora Crowley, Josie Drohan, Baby (Anna) Hynes, Mary B. and Peig Power, Kathleen Keniry and Josie Gough in taped conversations made in the 1980s. To their memory I dedicate this article. We will never see the likes of them again.

[ Rita ended the article with the following: ]

“It was my privilege during the 1980s and 90s to talk with the senior citizens of the community and to call them my friends. Sadly, they are all now gone to their reward in heaven. While the men told me their marvellous stories of football matches and farming and the spirit world, the ladies talked about their day-to-day lives and the hardships and happy and sad times of their youth.

They were ordinary people with extraordinary faith. By today’s standard their lives were hard and their work load horrendous, but what they had they shared willingly and they thought about others before they thought about themselves. In a society where families of eight, nine, and ten were the norm, there was little time for themselves, yet they were concerned for elderly neighbours, the sick, and the travelling people.

Nádúr, good nature, or being a good neighbour was always on their lips. The strength of women and their strong religious faith helped them to survive. Their belief in the after-life helped them in their understanding of the circle of life. Their relationship with God sustained them. This relationship was a very personal one. God was with them in everything they did and the name of God was never far from their lips.

Jun 14 2014

Cemetery Masses

Cemetery Masses

Remembering our loved ones.

Every year a special Mass for the departed is said in each church and, after Mass, the priest blesses the graves. For this occasion parishioners make a special effort to attend to their family plots and array them with flowers. The graveyard committees, too, ensure that the grass, paths, and borders are looking their best.

In 2010, the graveyard Mass was said in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Fenor, on Thursday August 5th, and in the Sacred Heart Church, Dunhill, on Tuesday August 10th. As the graves were looking particularly well, we took quite a few photos and have presented them in two albums for you to look at. We couldn’t show all the graves as there are too many so we simply showed a selection. You can see the photographs by going to the Parish Photo Albums.
You can also view the graveyard data base by going to Parish Parish Graveyards

Presentation to Fr. Purcell.

At the Fenor Mass Fr. Paul Murphy, the then parish administrator, presented Fr. Gerard Purcell with a token of our esteem and gratitude on the occasion of his 60th year as a priest, many of those years having been spent as our parish priest. The two photographs below were taken during the Mass (thanks to Geraldine Middleton).

Presentation Fr. Purcell

Jun 12 2014

Ardkeen Hospital Chapel

Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care Waterford Regional Hospital

The Roman Catholic Chaplaincy and the Pastoral Care Service is provided by the Franciscan Friars based in The Franciscan Friary, Lady Lane Waterford. We have been nominated bythe Bishop of Waterford and Lismore , Bishop William Lee and are employed by the South Eastern Health Board. We offer a 7 day, 24 hour service to the hospital.

Mass times at the Hospital:

Saturday Vigil Mass: 7:25pm – Hospital Oratory

Sunday Morning:

8:15am – Hospital Church
10:00am – Hospital Church

Weekdays:

10:00am – Hospital Church

Lenten Masses:

10:00am – Hospital Church
1:05pm – Hospital Oratory (Monday to Friday)

Communion for Patients: Tuesday, Thursday: Sunday after 10:00 am Mass.

Chaplains Residence Number: 051-842244

Jun 10 2014

Baptism

The Sacraments – Baptism

baptism

What is baptism?

This is the first and basic sacrament of Christian initiation. To baptise means to immerse and the early Christians were baptised using either total immersion in water or partial immersion while water was poured over them. In the Catholic Church of today, in Ireland, where we use the Latin Rite of the Church, baptism is usually conferred by pouring a little water three times on the recipient’s head, while reciting words taken from Matthew’s gospel, “I baptise you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” [ Matthew 28:19 ].

The baptism of infants is often referred to as christening which we think of as a naming ceremony. But to christen is really to Christ-en. The child’s name is usually added to the beginning of the words of baptism as in “Mary, I baptise you in the name of …” Most Christians were babies when they were baptised but adults, too, are baptised if they become Christians later in life. When baptised, the recipient is freed from all sins and enters into the life of the Church.

Anointing

What about anointing?

The Greek word cristos means “anointed” and Jesus was called the Christ, the anointed one, because he was rather special. In biblical times, people were anointed with oil to signify God’s blessing or call on that person’s life. Anointing is also part of the baptismal ceremony in which a little perfumed oil is rubbed or smeared on the forehead and chest of the recipient.
This is what Jesus had to say about His own anointing when He first began to preach:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” [ Luke 4:18-19 ].

The symbols of baptism

The many symbols of baptism include a white garment, symbolising innocence and purity; a candle, symbolising the Light of Christ; the sacred chrism (a Greek word that means an anointing), which is used to anoint the recipient; and the water, which symbolises cleansing and the washing away of sin.

Sponsors, Godparents, and Witnesses

The role of the sponsor is to assist an adult in Christian initiation or, together with the parents, to present a child for baptism and to help it to live a Christian life befitting the baptised and to fulfil faithfully the duties inherent in baptism. Only one sponsor is needed who may be a man or a woman, but there can be two who must be a man and a woman. Also, each sponsor must be a Catholic at least sixteen years old who has been confirmed and has already received the sacrament of the Eucharist and who leads a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on. The recipient’s father or mother cannot be sponsors.

The sponsors are sometimes called godparents but this is not the official title. There can be as as many godfathers and godmothers as are wanted but only the sponsors may be registered in the baptismal record. A witness is a baptised non-Catholic Christian who participates in the ceremony together with one of the sponsors. Witnesses are also named in the baptismal record. Of course, if you have non-Catholic friends or relatives, they may attend the ceremony without taking part in it in the way that an official witness does.

Baptism at Pisa

BaptisteryAt baptism, a person becomes a member of the Church. Traditionally, this was signified by holding the rite (or ceremony) of baptism outside the doors of the main part of the church. In some large churches a separate building, the baptistery, was used for baptism and for instructing the catechumens (those adults who wished to become members of the Church). The recipient entered the baptistery by one door and, after baptism, left by a second door. This led to the main door of the church which the newly baptised person was now permitted to enter. The photograph shows the magnificent baptistery in the Piazza del Duomo in Pisa, Italy. Two of the Fenor churches, one on top of the other, would fit nicely inside the baptistery. Most churches don’t have such a baptistery but the ceremony usually begins at the door of the church where everyone is welcomed by the priest.

Planning and Forethought

As well as being of religious significance for the recipient, baptism is also an important religious and social occasion for family and friends. As such, it requires some forethought and planning. Here is a checklist that may be helpful:

  • Confirm dates for baptism preparation.
  • Confirm date for baptism.
  • Think about possible scripture readings.
  • Choose sponsors and godparents.
  • Choose witnesses, if appropriate.
  • Prepare prayers of intercession.
  • Plan your family celebration.

AsleepPlanning