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Thursday, April 28, 2011

New Feasts


My attention was drawn earlier today, to two new feast days in Ireland.  It seems, according to Liturgy Ireland, we finally have a feast for Our Lady of Knock - the 17th August (and not the 21st, the day of the apparition, since it is the feast of St Pius X).  Also, Blessed John Henry Newman's feast, it seems, has been extended to Ireland, which is wonderful (See National Calendar here).  So kudos to our bishops for these two wonderful additions to the calendar.  The texts for both feasts are proper, and a new collect for Blessed Columba Marmion has also been added  (memoria of Our Lady of Knock, optional memoria of Blessed John Henry Newman, collect for Blessed Columba Marmion).   From what I can gather, these feasts were approved on the 2nd April last (Prot. N. 454/10/L).  I must say, reading through the Mass of Our Lady of Knock, the texts are lovely.  I have to reproduce collect and prayer after communion: 
Collect
O God, who give hope to your people in a time of distress,
grant that we who keep the memorial
of the Blessed Virgin, Our Lady of Knock
may, through her intercession,
be steadfast in the faith during our earthly pilgrimage to heaven,
and so come to eternal glory with all the angels and the Saints.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Prayer after Communion
Having been nourished at the banquet of the heavenly Lamb,
we humbly beseech you Lord,
that we, who have honoured in veneration
the memory of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God,
may live for you always in justice and holiness,  
and serve your majesty in sincerity of heart.
Through Christ our Lord.
I presume these new feasts and texts will be included in the new translation of the Missal.  All that said, I cannot find any announcement from the Episcopal Conference about this anywhere.  I rang the Communications Office - they seem not to know about it either.  So that's not good, how are our priests and people to find out about these new feasts?  I rang them when I found out, so they said they would look into it and get back to me.  So I am going to hold my breath now.  

UPDATE:  Just received a call from the Communications Office (fair dues to them returning the call so soon).  No announcement or Press Release has been made.  So I asked them to do so, to draw people's attention in the Church in Ireland to these new celebrations.   Let's hope they do so.  Minor matter, perhaps, but there are a lot of people out there who will be delighted to hear now have an official liturgical commemoration of Our Lady of Knock.

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