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When the 45th gathering assembles at Mount St Joseph Cistercian Abbey Roscrea for the autumn conference at the end of October, 30th October – 1st November, they are in for some real treats and not just in the lecture room. While the lecturers as usual promise to be entertaining and lively the add-ons promise even more.
This year a small group of singers, Schola Hyberniae under the baton of Giovanna Feeley will delight the participants at various stages during the weekend.
On the Friday evening they will illustrate sections of Dr Ann Buckley’s talk ‘Music in Liturgical Offices for Irish Saints’. On the Saturday afternoon they will give a recital at the launch of Dom Laurence Walsh massive new book on the Stained Glass of Mt St Joseph, Lumen Christi. On the Sunday at High Mass they will participate in the liturgy at 10.30.
The launch of Dom Laurence’s new book is a major event not just in the life of the monastery but is a significant contribution to local, regional and national scholarship. With over 1000 colour illustrations it traces the story and meaning of all the windows at Mount St Joseph. A special conference price of 40 euro will obtain for the book at the launch on the Saturday afternoon in the Abbey church.
Two stalwarts at all the Roscrea conferences: Kitty Bunyon, formerly of Borisoleigh and Mary Bergin a Cooleshall native now living in Templemore.
Prof Padraig O Riain, Ireland’s leading scholar on the lives of Irish saints will give two talks on the conference theme: Irish Saints and the Liturgy. His wife Dagmar has an intriguing title on the Sunday of: ‘Ten sure ways to get to Heaven: the testimony of liturgy and architecture’.
Always entertaining and interesting Dr Colman O Clabaigh osb from Glenstal has two presentations on aspects of the theme in medieval Ireland.Dr Damian Bracken UCC makes a welcome return to Roscrea as does Sr Francisca Rumsey, a Poor Clare nun and scholar from Wales. An tAthair Ciaran gives his usual succinct talk this time on Psalm 118 and the Celtic Church on the Sunday morning.
Dom Richard Purcell abbot of MSJ along with welcoming the gathering on the Friday evening will give the opening talk on ‘Saints and the liturgy in context today’ and conference stalwart Fr Nivard will give some closing observations on the conference. As usual the conference director and organiser George Cunningham will present his visual quiz on some of Ireland’s sacred sites after the most entertaining ‘Wish I had been here session’ on the Saturday evening
As usual the conference is run by Roscrea People with sponsorship from Roscrea Heritage and the Office of Public Works. The brochure is produced with the compliments of AIB Bank Roscrea and Roscrea Credit Union host a small reception for the participants on the Saturday evening.
Both guesthouses are full at the present but accommodation is available at special rates at Damer Court and elsewhere. Part attendance at the conference is possible. Booking to the Abbey at 0505 21711 or GC at 21619 (georgencunningham@eircom.net).
FRIDAY 30TH OCTOBER
6.00pm Supper and Registration
6.45 Reception hosted by Roscrea Heritage Society 7.25
Welcome and official opening: Saints and the liturgy in context today
Dom Richard Purcell, Abbot of Mt. St. Joseph.
7.40 Remembering the Saints in Calendars and Martyrologies.
Dr. Padraig O’ Rian, professor emeritus, Dept. Of Early and Medieval Irish UCC.
8.20 Music in Liturgical Offices for Irish Saints.
Dr. Ann Buckley, Centre for Medieval and Renaissance
Studies, Trinity College, Dublin.
Illustrated with live examples from Schola Hyberniae.
9.10 Questions And Discussion.
9.30 End of Session
Hospitium.
SATURDAY 31ST OCTOBER
3.45 Optional rise for Vigils.
9.30 Remembering the Saints in Litanies.
Padraig O’ Riain.
10.10 Reading the Felire of Oengus as a Liturgical Text.
Sr. Francisca Rumsey Ph.D., Wales.
10.50 Discussion.
11.00 Coffee.
11.30 This Troublesome Priest: Thomas Becket in Medieval
Ireland, Dr Colman O’ Clabaigh, OSB, Glenstal Abbey.
12.10 The Sun from the West: Ermenrich of Ellwangen’s Life of
St. Gall. Dr Damian Bracken, Dept. Of History , UCC.
12.50 Discussion
1.20 Snack Lunch.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
3.00 In the monastic church:
The official launch of:
Lumen Christi – The Stained Glass Windows of Mount St. Joseph Abbey, Roscrea. By Laurence Walsh ocso, with a foreword by Nicola Gordan Bowe.
256pp, full colour throughout; 9” x 12”; Hard Cover with Dust Jacket and Bookmark Ribbon. Cistercian Press, Mount St. Joseph Abbey, Roscrea , 2009
Price 50Euro – Special Conference Price 40 Euro.
Lumen Christi records the storey and history of the stained glass windows of Mount St. Joseph Abbey and the saints and scenes depicted therein, in both text and illustration. Written by Dom Laurence Walsh, a monk of Mount St Joseph for over 60 years it documents the making of the windows and highlights the significant features of each. The volume contains over 1000 colour illustrations.
Recital of Medieval liturgical music by Schola Hyberniae, directed and conducted by Giovanna Feeley with commentary by Ann Buckley.
5.30 Vespers.
5.55 Sherry reception hosted by Roscrea Credit Union.
6.15 Dinner.
8.00 Wish I had been present- lectures share a wish or a special moment.
8.50 Illustrated quiz on some of Ireland’s sacred sites George Cunningham.
9.15 Hospitium.
SUNDAY 1ST NOVEMBER
The Feast of All Saints.
3.45 Optional rise for vigils
9.30 Psalm 118 (vulgate) and the Celtic Church.
An tAthair Ciaran O Sabhaois, OCSO, archivist MSJ.
9.50 Making Saints: Models of Holiness in the Medieval Irish Church. Colman O Clabaigh.
10.30 High Mass with liturgical music by Schola Hyberniae.
11.30 Coffee.
12.00 Books from the west: some new facsimiles of early Irish Manuscripts.
Damian Bracken.
12.25 Ten sure ways to get to Heaven: the testimony of liturgy and architecture.
Dr Dagmar O Riain-Raedel, Dept of History, UCC.
1.00 Discussion
1.25 Summing up.
George Cunningham.
1.45 Lunch.
A date for your Diary
Spring conference 2010-
The 46th Roscrea Conference
Theme-
The Gaelic world and Irish Chritianity
Before the Vikings
9th-11 April 2010.
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