reorganisation and destruction of irish catholic churches
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From to-day’s Cobh Parish Newsletter:
“After a number of meetings and research we would like to announce that restoration work on the entrance and doors of St. Colman’s Cathedral will be taking place in the near future. Tenders are at this time being sought for the work which will be funded by the Cathedral Restoration Fund. We will be informing you again in more detail prior to works being carried out. We thank the people of Cobh and of the Diocese for their support in the restoration of the Cathedral for generations to come. Fr. Michael Leamy Adm.”
Now, I juit wonder if this was not brought on by the publication of The Restoration Fund Accounts on Archiseek? It is a bit much to say that in 2006 only Euro 4,000 was spent on anything directly to do with the Cathedral while Euro 150,000 was made available as a honeypot for various “professional” fees. JUst think of all those little pooh-bears dipping their little mitts into that luscious pot. Of course, the problem is that that money was subscribed for RESTORATION purposes and not for hungry little bears. We hope that Mr Paul Appelby of the Corporate Enforcement Office is watching and reading and moved to secure that the restoration funds in Cobh will be used for restoration purposes.
In relation tot he Hiram’s Hospital situation of the Cobh Cathedral Restoration Fund, it would perhaps be useful to post a few little sections from a study position prepared by Dublin Solicitors Arthur Cox for the government in preparation for a new Chrrities Act which is currently in the pipe line:
“Non-profit distributing
A charity does not compromise its standing by making a profit. Entering fully into the commercial marketplace by engaging in trading, competitive practices, mergers and management take-overs etc, has become a modern necessity for many charities. However, it is of crucial importance that any profit gained does not accrue to the benefit of individuals but is directed towards the fulfilment of the charity’s objects. This rule is probably already treated with sufficient understanding and compliance not to require prescriptive legislative provisions. Any future regulatory legislation might, however, usefully direct annual disclosures of administrative costs and any profit distribution as a proportion of a charity’s total income and expenditure. See, further, ‘Tax'”.And here is another littel bit form the Charities Act 1961:
Under s. 45 of the Charities Act 1961:
(1) In determining whether or not a gift for the purpose of the advancement of religion is a valid charitable gift it shall be conclusively presumed that the purpose includes and will occasion public benefit.
(2) For the avoidance of the difficulties which arise in giving effect to the intentions of donors of certain gifts for the purpose of the advancement of religion and in order not to frustrate those intentions and notwithstanding that certain gifts for the purpose aforesaid, including gifts for the celebration of Masses, whether in public or in private, are valid charitable gifts, it is hereby enacted that a valid charitable gift for the purpose of the advancement of religion shall have effect and, as respects its having effect, shall be construed in accordance with the laws, canons, ordinances and tenets of the religion concerned.And here is the bit from the Charitable Bill Report cited above that will be of more immediate interest tot he people on the Restoration Fund in CObh. They have collected money for the Restoration of the Cathedral. In 2006 they directly spent a total of Euro 4,000 on that purpose. The rest, Euro 150,000 just disappeared. Now, how can that be justified in law?
“Application of Funds to Charitable Purposes
All of the exemptions from income tax (and where relevant corporation tax) require that the funds be applicable and are applied for charitable purposes only. The application of funds will be regarded as being for charitable purposes only where :
(a) they are used to meet the normal running expenses of the charity, including remuneration of employees;
(b) they are used for the benefit of any primary objects of the charity;
(c) they are transferred to another charitable body for application by that body, provided the constitution of a charity permits such transfer; or
(d) the funds are reinvested and held as part of the funds of the charity for subsequent application to charitable purposes only”.
And here is the bit about Hiram’s Hospital:
@Praxiteles wrote:
And here is the bit from the Charitable Bill Report cited above that will be of more immediate interest tot he people on the Restoration Fund in CObh. They have collected money for the Restoration of the Cathedral. In 2006 they directly spent a total of Euro 4,000 on that purpose. The rest, Euro 150,000 just disappeared. Now, how can that be justified in law?
“Application of Funds to Charitable Purposes
All of the exemptions from income tax (and where relevant corporation tax) require that the funds be applicable and are applied for charitable purposes only. The application of funds will be regarded as being for charitable purposes only where :
(a) they are used to meet the normal running expenses of the charity, including remuneration of employees;
(b) they are used for the benefit of any primary objects of the charity;
(c) they are transferred to another charitable body for application by that body, provided the constitution of a charity permits such transfer; or
(d) the funds are reinvested and held as part of the funds of the charity for subsequent application to charitable purposes only”.
The important things to note here are that charitable funds are to be used for:
NORMAL running expenses
and
for the benefit of any PRIMARY objects of the charity
So, where does that leave us -and the public interest and the Revenur Commissioners interest- when it comes to spending almost 40,000 time more on “professional fees” than on the charity’s PRIMARY object? ALl the revenue commissioners have to do is take a look at the external doors of Cobh Cathedral and they will seen for themselves that not even a pot of paint has been applied to them let alone the benefit of the funds held by the Restoration Fund.
@Praxiteles wrote:
From to-day’s Cobh Parish Newsletter:
“After a number of meetings and research we would like to announce that restoration work on the entrance and doors of St. Colman’s Cathedral will be taking place in the near future. Tenders are at this time being sought for the work which will be funded by the Cathedral Restoration Fund. We will be informing you again in more detail prior to works being carried out. We thank the people of Cobh and of the Diocese for their support in the restoration of the Cathedral for generations to come. Fr. Michael Leamy Adm.”
Now, I juit wonder if this was not brought on by the publication of The Restoration Fund Accounts on Archiseek? It is a bit much to say that in 2006 only Euro 4,000 was spent on anything directly to do with the Cathedral while Euro 150,000 was made available as a honeypot for various “professional” fees. JUst think of all those little pooh-bears dipping their little mitts into that luscious pot. Of course, the problem is that that money was subscribed for RESTORATION purposes and not for hungry little bears. We hope that Mr Paul Appelby of the Corporate Enforcement Office is watching and reading and moved to secure that the restoration funds in Cobh will be used for restoration purposes.
Prax, you have struck gold! The new decoration scheme for St Colman’s Cathedral, Cobh, can include a series of mosaics and statuary. The A.A. Milne figures of Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore et al. will be done in mosaic in the spandrels, whereas the Anthony Trollope figures (The Warden, Barchester Towers), sculpted in Carrara marble, will adorn the side chapels. Rhabanus pledges an endowment of the Archdeacon Theophilus Grantley statue for the Plumstead Episcopi Chapel. Any offers for a statue of Dean Arabin in the St Ewold’s Chapel? Who will pledge statues of Squire Wilfrid Thorne and his sister Monica Thorne for the Ullathorne Chapel.
Rhabanus warmly urges all readers of this illustrious thread to step into the Diocese of Barchester by reading all the Barchester novels: The Warden, Barchester Towers[THE masterpiece], Mr Thorne of Ullathorne, Framley Parsonage, The Small House at Allington, and The Last Chronicle of Barset. Monsignor Ronald Knox argued that Barchester Towers was the best apologia for a celibate clergy that he had ever read. Once the gentle reader meets Mrs Proudie, the wife of Bishop Proudie, one will understand what Monsignor Knox meant.
The finances of St Colman’s Restoration Fund seem to have reached ursine proportions!
Star of the Sea, Duncannon, the neighbouring parish to Ramsgrange
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Very nice. What a splendid ceiling. BTW are the doors original or have they been replaced and the tympans filled with glass? Who is the architect?
@Praxiteles wrote:
Very nice. What a splendid ceiling. BTW are the doors original or have they been replaced and the tympans filled with glass? Who is the architect?
J WIlliams dates it to 1896 and suggests the obvious – Pugin inspired.
BTW – anyidea as to the provenance of the Stations of the Cross? I hope thay havebeen re-painted to the detriment of the original tinctures.
Trying to find an architect for Duncannon, Praxiteles looked at the Record of Protected Structures maintained by Wexford County Council and was flabbergasted to discover that Ramsgrange, Bree, and Tagoath -some of A W N Pugin’s most important works in Ireland Had NOT been listed. Is that believable? What numbskull was employed by the County Council to compile the record if they managed to miss these items? Following is the list of churches that had not been listed but were down for listing: Just look at no. 22 to see how Ramsgrange is described!!
Catholic Churches for Protection
1. Adamstown
Early 19th Century barn church with tower.
2. Ballindaggan
Large, circa 1840 barn church; walls of checkered stone.
3. Ballygarrett
Church with massive, lighthouse of a tower.
4. Ballymore
Barn church of 1830.
5. Ballymurn
Church of 1832 with important interior, plasterwork, and gallery.
Maher chapel.
6. Barntown
Church by Pugin 1844.
7. Bellevue
Gothic revival church by J. J. McCarthy.
8. Bree
Simple barn church by Pugin.
9. Clongeen
Barn church with venetian window.
10. Clonroche
Barn church with gothic revival façade.
11. Courtnacuddy
Single–cell, gothic – revival, church.
12. Davidstown
Entrance arch below the church.
13. Glenbrien
Small barn church in perfect condition.
14. Glynn
Late- 18th Century barn church.
15. Hilltown
Barn church with classical interior.
163
16. Killinierin
Well-detailed gothic- revival church.
17. Kilmyshall
Barn Church with screen façade of circa 1830.
18. Lady’s Island
Late 19th Century gothic – revival church.
19. Old Ross
Late 19th century gothic – revival church.
20. Oulart
Early-19th century gothic – revival church.
21. Piercetown
22. Ramsgrange
Church with huge tower dated 1865.
23. Rathangan
Large, impressive church with tower and spire circa 1850.
24. Rathnure
Simple 19th century church.
Entrance arch – very elaborate.
25. Tagoat
Important Pugin church of 1846.
26. Taylorstown Bridge
Possibly late 18th century church – now a hall.The latest form the ecclesiological society:
@Praxiteles wrote:
Trying to find an architect for Duncannon, Praxiteles looked at the Record of Protected Structures maintained by Wexford County Council and was flabbergasted to discover that Ramsgrange, Bree, and Tagoath -some of A W N Pugin’s most important works in Ireland Had NOT been listed. Is that believable? What numbskull was employed by the County Council to compile the record if they managed to miss these items? Following is the list of churches that had not been listed but were down for listing: Just look at no. 22 to see how Ramsgrange is described!!
Catholic Churches for Protection
1. Adamstown
Early 19th Century barn church with tower.
2. Ballindaggan
Large, circa 1840 barn church; walls of checkered stone.
3. Ballygarrett
Church with massive, lighthouse of a tower.
4. Ballymore
Barn church of 1830.
5. Ballymurn
Church of 1832 with important interior, plasterwork, and gallery.
Maher chapel.
6. Barntown
Church by Pugin 1844.
7. Bellevue
Gothic revival church by J. J. McCarthy.
8. Bree
Simple barn church by Pugin.
9. Clongeen
Barn church with venetian window.
10. Clonroche
Barn church with gothic revival façade.
11. Courtnacuddy
Single–cell, gothic – revival, church.
12. Davidstown
Entrance arch below the church.
13. Glenbrien
Small barn church in perfect condition.
14. Glynn
Late- 18th Century barn church.
15. Hilltown
Barn church with classical interior.
163
16. Killinierin
Well-detailed gothic- revival church.
17. Kilmyshall
Barn Church with screen façade of circa 1830.
18. Lady’s Island
Late 19th Century gothic – revival church.
19. Old Ross
Late 19th century gothic – revival church.
20. Oulart
Early-19th century gothic – revival church.
21. Piercetown
22. Ramsgrange
Church with huge tower dated 1865.
23. Rathangan
Large, impressive church with tower and spire circa 1850.
24. Rathnure
Simple 19th century church.
Entrance arch – very elaborate.
25. Tagoat
Important Pugin church of 1846.
26. Taylorstown Bridge
Possibly late 18th century church – now a hall.The church at Old Ross is a beauty; these shots aren’t great but you can see in the altar is a simple wooden cross and cloth, much preferable to the modernist junk that usually replaces high altars; also notice the paint scheme
[ATTACH]6416[/ATTACH][ATTACH]6417[/ATTACH]At Clongeen, the church has an awful new paint scheme with no stenciling, but remains pretty intact, with beautiful decoration in the sanctuary;
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[ATTACH]6419[/ATTACH]In a nearby townland to these is the late Victorian protestant church of Horetown, which replaced an earlier Georgian building. It’s well worth a look;
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[ATTACH]6422[/ATTACH][ATTACH]6423[/ATTACH]Wexford County Council is not the only local authority with “gaps” in its Register of Protected Structures.
Cork City Ciuncil listed only 500 buildings in its Development Plan while the National Architectural Inventory identified over 2,000 structures wihin its functional area that could be listed. Although the Cork City Development Plan had a policy of incorporating structures from the National Architectural Inventory, only 17 were incorporated in 2005, 0 in 2006, and in 2007 [just before the connsultation for the next Development Plan started] a flurry of listing activity began. But, it emerged that these amendments to the Cork City Development Plan came about as a result of ministerila recommendations.
Meanwhile, in Cork County, the register of protected structures runs to less than 1,300 structures. SOme baronies are hardly represented -especially along the Lee Valley and in mid Cork. As an example, some 200 Catholic churches could be listed as protected structures. Yet. only 86 have made it on to the Register -and in some cases, being on the register of protected structures did not give much protection to some churches, e.g. the Immaculate Conception, Kanturk.
On a small point: if any of you saw the Mass from St. Peter’s last Sunday for the new giving of the rings to the new Cardinals you might have missed a small but highly significant detail – the High Altar and the manner in which it was arranged.
After almost 40 years, the set of candlesticks and the the crucifix made for Bernini’s High Altar suddenly energed from a brrom closet in the attic. They had been dumped off the latar by the iconoclasts in easy stages. First, the crucifix was moved to the side to allow the Pope to be seen while he said Mass, then the candlesticks were replaced by saucers -placed there by John Magee- which acted as drip pans for the candles, then the solitary crucifix disappeared and joined the candlesticks in the attic.
However, the present Pontiff who likes to reassert the theological connection bewteen the crucifixion of Our Lord and what gos on at the Altar, has written volumes on the theological idiocy of sidelining the Crucifix and insisted on its being placed at the centre of the Altar where it always was and should be -making the clear statement taht what is enacted at the Altar is nothing other than the sacramental re-enactment or prolongation in time of Christ’s sacrifice on Calvery.
Now, of course the progressive liturgists -such as we see in Cloyne in the prosopon of Danny Murphy – lack all theological substratification and cannot see the link between Crucifix and Altar -largely because of their demotic sociological and pseudo enthnological concept of the liturgy which they regard as nothing more than a back-scratching huggy-wuggy support group meeting. This is the outlook motivating the attempted wrexking of Cobh Cathedral and the effective gutting of many other churches up and down Ireland.
It was a good thing that most of the Irish bishops were in Rome to attend this Mass last Sunday. If any of them needed to “experience” the way the liturgical wind was blowing, this was the moment for it. If Bishop Magee were also present at that Mass it would have been a good thing for he would have been able to see first hand just how far the restoration of the Catholic Liturgy has progressed in the last three years and just how rapidly it is goning to move in the next few years. So, anyone who has eyes to see let him see….
And while on the subject of liturgy, we can appreciate the extent to which it has utterly collapsed in Cobh Cathedral when we ask the question when solemn vespers were last sung there on any of the major feasts of the Church? For instance, last Sunday? Well, while the liturgical néant happened in Cobh, the fine liturgical tradition of Westminster CAthedral in London was in full swing for their Solemn Vespers.
Here they are:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/networks/radio3/aod.shtml?radio3/choralevensong#
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg8wUYo7rsI&feature=related
Word has it in Cobh that to-morrow will see the official announcement of the resignation of Denny Reidy as Secretary of the Cathedral Restoration Steering Committee -the real eminence grise behind the Cobh Cathedral debacle. IT is astounding that it has taken him so long to come to the conclusion that he had NO alternative but to resign. So long Denny and we hope you are proud of the disaster left behind in Cobh.
The news is a bit old-hat as it was alreeady notified to the Companies Registration Office on 17 October last.
@Praxiteles wrote:
Word has it in Cobh that to-morrow will see the official announcement of the resignation of Denny Reidy as Secretary of the Cathedral Restoration Steering Committee -the real eminence grise behind the Cobh Cathedral debacle. IT is astounding that it has taken him so long to come to the conclusion that he had NO alternative but to resign. So long Denny and we hope you are proud of the disaster left behind in Cobh.
The news is a bit old-hat as it was alreeady notified to the Companies Registration Office on 17 October last.
Better late than never I guess, am sure those left holding the baby are thinking, to quote Laurel & Hardy “And that’s another fine mess you’ve got me in to”
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