Post by Alaisdir Ua Séaghdha on May 26, 2008 12:04:19 GMT
Raphoe is a diocese with nearly 80,000 Catholics in 33 parishes served by 93 priests. It takes up most of Co Donegal. Its official website is www.raphoediocese.com/.
Since 1984, it has been served by two bishops. Bishop Seamus Hegarty was Bishop of Raphoe between 1982 and 1994, when he became Bishop of Derry. Bishop Philip Boyce OCD has been bishop since 1995.
There has been no organised SSPX presence in the Raphoe diocese. However, one native of this diocese has been ordained to the priesthood in the SSPX and says Mass when he returns home. All the Irish SSPX priests are Ulstermen and none have ever served in Ireland.
From the time of the 1984 indult, there has been some presence of the extraordinary form in the Raphoe Diocese. The late parish priest of the village of Raphoe who was also Dean of the diocese, Mgr Deigan, said the traditional Mass every Saturday in the parish church in Raphoe until his death over a decade later. Meanwhile, Rev Padraig O Fithchill (Patrick Fell), a priest of the Birmingham archdiocese resident in Ireland, said a regular Sunday Mass in the diocese until he moved to Wicklow over a decade ago. In c. 1997, Mass was instituted two Sundays a month (forthnightly) in Killymard, near Donegal Town said by Father O Fithchill and Father Columba Nee, who is no longer in the active ministry in the Raphoe Diocese, while the parish priest of Bruckless, Father Dermot McShane initiated a monthly Thursday evening Mass in Bruckless.
Since 1999, Father McShane has been saying Mass every Sunday in Bruckless, interrupted only by his recent illness. Mindful of SSPX supporters' allegations that only heresy was preached at indult Masses, he determined never to preach a sermon, so that accusation falls flat in Donegal.
In addition to this, the first extraordinary form Mass in an Irish Cathedral since the liturgical changes took place in the Cathedral of Ss Eunan and Colmcille, Letterkenny on 15 August 2001 and there has been an old rite Mass there on every feast of the Assumption since, the celebrants being Father Joseph Briody and Father Kevin Driver. Father Driver says Mass on the first Friday in his church in Golan and Father Briody occasionally says the traditional Mass in Creeslough. When Father von Menshengen Thernburg ICRSS visited Ireland in March 2006, he also said Mass in Letterkenny Cathedral. The LMSI have been responsible for all this, and also for days of recollection this year and last year in the Franciscan Friary in Rosnowlagh (near Ballyshannon). The director was Father Thomas Russell OFM.
The Raphoe diocese has been one of the better served Irish dioceses from the point of view of the traditional liturgy since 1984 and it is unsurprising it also hosts the first training course for Irish priests wishing to learn the traditional Mass in the Capuchin Friary in Ards from 11 to 13 August this year.
Since 1984, it has been served by two bishops. Bishop Seamus Hegarty was Bishop of Raphoe between 1982 and 1994, when he became Bishop of Derry. Bishop Philip Boyce OCD has been bishop since 1995.
There has been no organised SSPX presence in the Raphoe diocese. However, one native of this diocese has been ordained to the priesthood in the SSPX and says Mass when he returns home. All the Irish SSPX priests are Ulstermen and none have ever served in Ireland.
From the time of the 1984 indult, there has been some presence of the extraordinary form in the Raphoe Diocese. The late parish priest of the village of Raphoe who was also Dean of the diocese, Mgr Deigan, said the traditional Mass every Saturday in the parish church in Raphoe until his death over a decade later. Meanwhile, Rev Padraig O Fithchill (Patrick Fell), a priest of the Birmingham archdiocese resident in Ireland, said a regular Sunday Mass in the diocese until he moved to Wicklow over a decade ago. In c. 1997, Mass was instituted two Sundays a month (forthnightly) in Killymard, near Donegal Town said by Father O Fithchill and Father Columba Nee, who is no longer in the active ministry in the Raphoe Diocese, while the parish priest of Bruckless, Father Dermot McShane initiated a monthly Thursday evening Mass in Bruckless.
Since 1999, Father McShane has been saying Mass every Sunday in Bruckless, interrupted only by his recent illness. Mindful of SSPX supporters' allegations that only heresy was preached at indult Masses, he determined never to preach a sermon, so that accusation falls flat in Donegal.
In addition to this, the first extraordinary form Mass in an Irish Cathedral since the liturgical changes took place in the Cathedral of Ss Eunan and Colmcille, Letterkenny on 15 August 2001 and there has been an old rite Mass there on every feast of the Assumption since, the celebrants being Father Joseph Briody and Father Kevin Driver. Father Driver says Mass on the first Friday in his church in Golan and Father Briody occasionally says the traditional Mass in Creeslough. When Father von Menshengen Thernburg ICRSS visited Ireland in March 2006, he also said Mass in Letterkenny Cathedral. The LMSI have been responsible for all this, and also for days of recollection this year and last year in the Franciscan Friary in Rosnowlagh (near Ballyshannon). The director was Father Thomas Russell OFM.
The Raphoe diocese has been one of the better served Irish dioceses from the point of view of the traditional liturgy since 1984 and it is unsurprising it also hosts the first training course for Irish priests wishing to learn the traditional Mass in the Capuchin Friary in Ards from 11 to 13 August this year.