St. Brendan Division #1 - AOH, Berks County, PA

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1 St. Brendan Division #1 - AOH, Berks County, PA Serving the Irish- American Community for 97 yrs. INCORPORATED NOVEMBER 7, RE-ORGANIZED FEBRUARY 16, 1979 Visit our Website Volume XXVI/Tóirt a Fiche a Sé - Issue #2/Eagrán a Dó Deireadh Fomhair/Samhain/Mí nanollaig/oct./nov./dec OFFICERS CHAPLAIN Rev. Eugene Ritz PRESIDENT Leonard J. Weckel VICE PRESIDENT Kerry Williard RECORDING SECRETARY Edward Collins FINANCIAL SECRETARY Joseph G. McCarthy TREASURER John J. Dore, JR STANDING COMMITTEE Robert J. McHale MARSHALL Robert J. Devlin SENTINEL Timothy Brennan ORGANIZER John C. Mackey TRUSTEES James D. Caherly John J. McHale Joseph P. George PAST PRESIDENT Joseph P. George NEWSLETTER EDITOR Joseph G. McCarthy PRESIDENT S MESSAGE My Fellow Hibernians, As we enter the final quarter of 2015, we ve had a number of events which have been successful including the Lady of Knock mass, the state Convention in Montgomery County, and the Home Association s successful Oyster fest. We had a number of our members and Lady Hibernians at the annual Irish weekend in North Wildwood sharing much camaraderie and festival activities. In October we will be nominating officers for Jim Caherly has agreed to be election chairman and will be contacting you about offices. If you would like to get involved in the day to day operation of our division, now is your opportunity. We always need new faces and ideas as we plan for the future. In November we will be selling lottery calendars with the proceeds going to the Hunger Project. It is my hope that you will support this project which enables us to donate food cards to needy parishes for Easter next year. At the same time we will also be selling our annual calendar from the PA State Board. Once again the monies raised go to offset operating costs and charitable endeavors for the coming year. December 6 will be our Christmas gathering together with the ladies from the LAOH. The party will start at 4pm. See details in the flyer in this newsletter. We will again be presenting the Hibernian of the Year. I hope to see you at these upcoming events. In closing we have many holidays coming up before our next newsletter in January Halloween, Thanksgiving, Veterans Day, Christmas and of course New Year s Day. Please accept our good wishes and holiday cheer from Bryn and Myself. Yours in Friendship, Unity, and Christian Charity Len Weckel, President

2 CONGRATULATIONS Former Chaplain and fellow Hibernians Fr. Francis Schoenauer has been appointed as rector of the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Siena, in Allentown. The appointment took effect August 11 th. Father Had been pastor of St. Margaret s Parish in Reading. NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS In October we will be accepting nominations for all division offices, and President Len Weckel has established a Nominating Committee, chaired by Jim Caherly, who will compile a list of nominees for Division officers for Anyone interested in being an officer, please call Jim at Nominations for ALL OFFICERS will be accepted during the regular scheduled meeting on Friday October 09, To be considered for office, members must be in good standing for at least one year, and for the office of President and Vice-President, all candidates must have completed their major degree prior to nomination. The following offices are up for nomination and election for the coming year: President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Financial Secretary, Treasurer, Standing Committee Chairman, Marshal, Sentinel, and one Trustee. The term of office for officers, other than Trustee, will be one year; Trustees are elected for three-year terms of office. All nominations will be made from the floor, and all candidates who are nominated must be in attendance to accept the nomination. If a candidate meets the minimum qualifications for office and cannot be in attendance to accept nomination, He must submit a letter to the President stating he would accept nomination and his reason for absence. Letters not received prior to nomination as specified, will negate a members name from being placed in nomination. There will be no exceptions to this rule. Elections will be held during the November 13, 2015 general membership meeting. Questions regarding the nomination process can be directed to President Len Weckel at , or Joe McCarthy at All members who are interested in holding office within the order are encouraged to participate in the election process REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS Prayers are requested for following person who have requested to be listed in our prayer list. Included in the list are members, family of members and members of the LAOH. They are: Deacon John Murphy, William Beam, Henry and Eleanor Trexler, Lee and Patricia Garrigan, Patricia Dore, John and Mary Walsh, Leontine Groff, Hope McHale, Mary Collins, Joseph Riley, Patricia (Dillon) Snyder, Julie Miller, Marilyn Mackey, & Richard Jordan. Special prayers are asked for the following deceased members and their families: Tess O Connell, Elizabeth Mullen Creed, Mildred Nee, Martin McHale, Barbara Dore, Jean Morrison, Emma Mullen, Kathryn Donahue, Marie Evans, Jean Morrison, and all the deceased members of the AOH-LAOH of Berks County. MEMBERSHIP All members are reminded that membership fees for 2015/16 are now being accepted. Dues remain at $25.00 per year. You can forward dues to: St. Brendan's Division #1 P.O. Box Reading, Pa Please make all checks payable to Berks Div. 1, AOH. For information on dues payments call Joe McCarthy at All inquiries will be held in strictest confidence. We ask all members to keep us informed of any changes in mailing addresses or phone numbers. We continue to get returns from the post office as undeliverable as addressed, and it cost extra money to r . We also ask out members to recruit new members, which is the life-blood of our division. If you need assistance contact our organizer John Mackey or any officer. Applications are available on our website COMING EVENTS 10/09/15 General Membership Meeting 7:30pm Reading 11/13/15 General Membership Meeting 7:30pm Reading 11/11/15 Veteran s Day 11/26/15 Thanksgiving Day 12/06/15 Annual Christmas Party Ganly s Irish Pub 12/11/15 General Membership Meeting 7:30pm Reading 01/08/16 General Membership Meeting 7:30pm Reading Installation of Officers /01/16 St. Brigid s Feast Day 02/10/16 Ash Wednesday Lent Begins 02/12/16 General Membership Meeting 7:30pm Reading 02/16/16 37 th Anniversary Celebration St. Brendan s Div. #1-03/11/16 General Membership Meeting 7:30pm Reading 03/17/16 HAPPY ST. PATRICK S DAY! SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS St. Brendan's Division #1, Berks County advises ALL members that applications are now being accepted for our annual Daniel J. Flannery Scholarship Award for Applications can be requested in writing from our division President. Please mail all requests to: Ancient Order of Hibernians P. O. Box Reading, Pa The Scholarship Award is open to all children and/or grandchildren of members in good standing who will begin their freshman year in September To be eligible, candidates must be enrolled, or are planning to enroll, in a college or university whose curriculum is not in conflict with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and the A.O.H. in America. All applications must be received at the above address by Saturday March 17, 2016, and must include a brief essay on "What it means to be an Irish Catholic in today's society." The Daniel J. Flannery Scholarship Award has been increased to $ per award.

3 ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY Final arrangements have been made for our Annual Christmas Party to be held at Ganly s Pub 500 Brownsville Rd. & State Hill Rd. in State Hill. Our party will be held on Sunday afternoon December 6, 2015, from 4-7pm. This will be a departure from our usual day and time of Saturday evenings. Dinner will be a Buffet and Menu is as follows: appetizers - Assorted Cheeses and Veggies with dipping sauces. - Spring Mixed Salad.- 2 carving stations w/roast Beef and Ham, Vegetables du jour- Drinks Soda, tea, coffee. Dessert. Members welcome to bring a soda bread.- Cash Bar- available Guinness, Smithwicks, Stella on Tap, Murphys and Harp also available. Cost $25.00 PP. Reservations are required, and all members are urged to be in attendance, along with their families. Attached please find a flyer outlining details. Deadline for reservations will be Saturday November 30 th. For more information please call Joe McCarthy at Payment must be made at time of reservation. Please make checks payable to AOH Div.1- Berks and mail to Joe McCarthy at 437 Elmer Circle, Reading, PA As all are aware, this is the time of the year when we, as a body, pay tribute to one of our own for their outstanding and continuing effort to promote the workings of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, but the promotion of our Irish Heritage and culture. The person, or persons chosen by the committee selected by President Len Weckel will officially present their selection to the membership during the Christmas Party with the presentation of a plaque recognizing their award and giving a brief outline highlighting their work on behalf of the AOH, and the Irish- American community in general. Their name will also be added to the past winners posted in our meeting room. This is the highest honor we as Hibernians can bestow on one of our members. IRISH HISTORY An Echo from Irish History for November by Mike McCormack, AOH National Historian JEREMIAH O DONOVAN ROSSA 100 years ago, on June 29, an Irish hero died who has the unique position in history to be remembered by more people for what was said at his grave than for what he did in life. It should be otherwise for he was a key part of Irish independence. Further, what was said at his grave was inspired by his life and can be considered his final act of rebellion because as a result, enrollment in the Irish Volunteers soared. But, who was this man that he could inspire such action even from the grave? His name was Jeremiah O Donovan and he was born on September 10, 1831 in Co. Cork, to a tenant farmer, Denis O Donovan and the former Nellie O Driscoll. Interest in his heritage led him to add Rossa to his name after he learned from a professor of Celtic studies at Queen s University that his ancestors were of the clan O Donovan who d held the townland of Rossa Mor (Rosmore today) in the 17th century and thus, in Celtic tradition, he was entitled to the agnomen Rossa which indicated chiefly descent (just as Brian of the tributes had become Brian Boru). He d been born 30 years after the Act of Union abolished the independent Irish parliament and replaced it with England s landlord-dominated parliament at Westminster. He learned of that Irish parliament from his elders who lamented the growing demands of Westminster for rent, tithes and taxes; demands that forced the tenant farmers to the 3 lumper a variety of potato which provided a greater yield per acre than any other crop, but was also more susceptible to blight. In 1845, his father s crop failed as Cork was devastated by An Gorta Mor. It failed again in 1846 and 1847, spelling tragedy for those whose survival depended on the lumper. His neighbors, unable to meet the demands, were cast out on the roads. The British parliament did little to help as the evicted, crowded the workhouses and thousands more wandered the roads in search of food. Millions chose emigration, while millions more, unable to flee, remained to die of starvation or hunger-related disease. Young Rossa knew that the Irish parliament had protected farmers during past crop failures by limiting exports and encouraging imports. But now, he watched as landlord s crops were transported to Cork harbor for export, protected from his starving neighbors by the Queen s militia. To feed his family, Rossa s father took a job building roads and in a malnourished state, caught typhus and died in March To the end of his life Rossa refused to acknowledge that the great hunger was an act of God, considering it blasphemy to blame the almighty for the acts of greedy landlords. His undying hostility to them and their parliament and his uncompromising focus on freedom from their clutches set the course he followed for the rest of his life. An Gorta Mor reduced Ireland s population by 3 5 million to starvation, disease and emigration, but it also created an unforgiving generation that would survive to change Ireland s future. Jeremiah O Donovan Rossa was part of that generation. After his father died, 16-year old Jeremiah went to Skibbereen to work in his cousin s hardware store. A year later, he lost his family as his mother and siblings immigrated to America with the help of an uncle who had gone out earlier. Young Jeremiah was left behind to care for himself. In that same year, he was saddened by a failed Young Ireland rising at Ballingarry. He buried himself in nationalist-oriented material in the Nation, a paper published by Thomas Davis and the Irish Confederation and in John Mitchel s paper, the United Irishman, and endorsed Mitchel s belief that the hunger was genocide. He further believed that all the problems in the land he loved were due to the control exercised by absentee landlords and he saw a need to educate his people to their rights as Irishmen in their own country. In 1856, he formalized his campaign by creating the Phoenix National and Literary Society to educate his people to their heritage and direct them toward the liberation of Ireland by force of arms. He attracted members of the former Young Ireland movement and Irish Confederation and the Phoenix Society became so popular that it became the forerunner of the Irish Literary Society, the Gaelic League and other educational and nationalist groups that inspired the Gaelic Revival. And it was that Gaelic Revival that awakened the Irish to a new sense of pride through the study of their history that fed the coming War of Independence. In May 1858, James Stephens, co-founder of the new 2-month old Irish Republican Brotherhood, visited Cork and was so impressed by Rossa s work that he swore him in as a charter member and the Phoenix Society merged with the IRB and Fenian Brotherhood. In July 1863, he moved to Dublin to manage the newspaper the Irish People and traveled Ireland recruiting for the IRB. In September 1865, the newspaper was suppressed and he was arrested. At his trial he conducted his own defense and he turned the trial into political theater by cross-examining the witnesses, questioning Britain s right to govern Ireland and reading all the denunciations

4 of the presiding judge that had been previously published in his newspaper the whole of which took eight hours! He was sentenced to penal servitude for life. In prison he was stubbornly defiant. He was placed in solitary on bread and water so often that he resembled a living skeleton. Once he was manacled with his hands behind his back for 34 straight days it seems he threw a chamber pot at the prison warden. The mistreatment of Fenian prisoners was denounced by liberal members of parliament and fed a growing amnesty movement. In 1870 he testified before a commission on mistreatment and on January 5, 1871, he and thirty prisoners were released, but exiled for the remainder of their respective sentences. With John Devoy and four others, he sailed for New York where they were greeted as heroes by their Irish brethren as well as local and federal politicians who praised their devotion to Ireland. Both Rossa and Devoy went on to become the most outstanding members of Clan nagael the successor of the Fenian Brotherhood. Rossa s public speeches and writings as well as his continued support for the physical force tradition of Irish nationalism kept him in the public eye on both sides of the Atlantic until he finally served out his exile in He visited Ireland in 1894 and was given a patriot s welcome. On a visit in 1904 received the freedom of the city of Cork and in September 1905, was appointed to the Cork City Council and provided with a cottage in Blackrock. However, after a year owing to his wife s ill health and wishing to be near his family, he resigned and returned to Staten Island, NY. By 1910 at 79 years of age his health was getting progressively worse. He experienced periods of senility during which he painfully relived the tortures of his prison existence. He spent the last few years of his life in St Vincent s hospital on Staten Island until the 29 th of June just 100 years ago. At the request of his old friend, Tom Clarke, his body was returned to Ireland where the leaders of the Republican movement provided the honorable interment his life of dedication to Irish independence deserved. After lying in state in the Pro-Cathedral and in Dublin City Hall, the funeral procession took place on 1 August Thousands of volunteers followed the Hibernian Rifles honor guard and hearse to Glasnevin cemetery while hundreds of thousands lined the procession route. Pádraic Pearse, in the uniform of an Irish Volunteer officer, stood at the end of the grave and gave what was to become one of the most famous funeral orations in history. Nine months later as the leader of the 1916 Easter Rising, Pearse and his compatriots would strike the blow that Jeremiah O Donovan Rossa had prepared his followers to strike. And following that, the people he had spent a lifetime educating to their rights would follow suit and bring Ireland through the War of Independence, into the Irish Free State and ultimately to the Republic of Ireland. May we always remember him, not merely as the subject of a grave-side oration, but as one of the key architects of Irish independence! ANNIVERSARY OF 1916 RISING As you may know, the National Ancient Order of Hibernians in America will celebrate the Centenary of the Easter Rising in New York City on April 23, 2016, with a Mass at St. Patrick s Cathedral. A piped procession will follow from the cathedral to the plaza on Park Avenue where the office of the Consul General is located. There will be a reading of the Proclamation and speeches to commemorate the 100 year Anniversary. I am including 4 the minutes from our last Uprising Committee to give you an idea of the plans in the works. Please don t forget to inform your Divisions that those not in New York should plan to do some type of remembrance on Saturday April 23rd in their particular cities and states with a reading of hat Proclamation preferably after a Mass or some type of appropriate celebration. Also we will be sending you a copy of the schedule of events that the Dublin Government has disseminated for their Centenary activities in Dublin for the months of March and April. In keeping with National Directions, St. Brendan s Division #1 is in the process of preparing and plan to commemorate the Easter Rebellion here in Reading. Recording Secretary Ed Collins has accepted the chairmanship of the committee, consisting of Jim Caherly, Hank Mullen, Joseph McCarthy, and Kerry Williard. The committee is exploring ideas for a fitting celebration. Details will be forthcoming as they are finalized. MEETINGS In an effort to make our monthly general membership meetings more meaningful, we have made some very significant changes to our meeting format. All meetings will begin promptly at 7:30pm and end no later than 9:00pm. Our meetings will be designed to allow more time for meaningful discourse on issues of importance rather than sidebar conversations unrelated to topics on the agenda. This will allow us more time, following meetings, to devote to camaraderie and fellowship we enjoyed in years past. Attendance at meetings has dropped off considerably in recent months and many of you expressed feelings that our meetings are too long and drawn out, leaving little time afterwards to socialize and get to enjoy the company of your fellow Hibernians. We realize that over the past five years we have been extra busy planning and hosting a State Convention in 2005, and organizing and running an annual Celtic Oyster Festival for the past five years, in addition to the many other charitable and civic activities we have been involved with. So with that in mind, we are taking steps to preplan our meetings by having the executive board, the elected and appointed officers, meet prior to the general membership meeting thereby eliminating some of the time consuming details that tend to drag meeting beyond an acceptable time frame. It is hoped that this will encourage you, the members, to some back and participate in the operation of your division. Realizing that many have commitments, such as sporting events or family commitments, which may prevent you from attending the meetings at 7:30, we are encouraging members to stop by after 9pm and join in the socializing and brotherhood that will take place after our normal business is transacted. What better way to get to know your fellow Hibernian s. We look forward to seeing many of you in the future! ST. BRENDAN S DIVISION #1 37 TH ANNIVERSARY On February 16, 2016, St. Brendan s Division #1 will observe the 30 th anniversary of our re-organization. A celebration fitting the occasion is being planned and a committee has been appointed to aid in that planning.

5 INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS The Berks County Board AOH will meet on Friday January 08, 2016 at The Reading Elks, 2210 Hampden Blvd. Reading. The meeting will convene at 7:30pm and will include an installation of Officers from both Division #1 at the conclusion of the meeting. All officers and members are asked to attend. If you are an elected Division Officer and cannot attend, we ask that you contact Financial Secretary Joe McCarthy at BIRTHDAY GREETINGS The names of members who are celebrating birthdays during the next two months are listed below. We have acquired the information from our membership applications, so if there are any corrections or errors please advise. OCTOBER NOVEMBER 6 th Joseph P. George 5 th Patrick T. Barrett 18 th James C. Burns 10 th Kerry A. Nee 25 th Fr. William Campion 11 th Henry Trexler 30 th Leonard J. Weckel 12 th Fr. Francis Schoenauer 27 th Fr. David Karns 27 th Robert J. Houlihan DECEMBER 3 RD Timothy Antosy 4 th Lee Garrigan 6 th Henry J. Mullen 7 th Joseph M.P. Marnell 8 th Michael T. McFadden 13 th Patrick H. Donahue 19 th James E. Miller, JR 20 th Kerry Willard 26 th Deacon Thomas Flannery 28 th John J. Connors STATE BOARD CALENDARS As we have over the past several years, St. Brendan s will once again sell State Board Calendars. These calendars are based on the Pennsylvania Daily number and sell for $40. Please contact Division Financial Secretary Joe McCarthy for your calendar. Call , or by at jgmccjr@hotmail.com. The Calendars make wonderful Christmas gifts that can be appreciated all year round since the recipients have the same number for all 365 days. We have approximately 100 calendars from which to choose. Please forward all requests and/or checks to: AOH Div#1, Berks, and mail to P.O. Box 14961, Reading, PA , or call Joe at While we had hoped to have a list of the numbers available at press time, there was a mix-up with the mail and we had not received them but have been assured they are on their way. VETERAN S DAY 2015 Please remember that Veteran's Day is just around the corner. If it wasn't for their sacrifices, we couldn't enjoy the freedoms we so freely take for granted. Please pray for those who never returned and lie in foreign lands. What is a veteran? Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery of adversity. Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badges or emblem. You can't tell a vet just by looking. Who is a vet? He/she is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia, sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel. He could be the barroom loudmouth, dumber that five wooden planks, but whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel. She or He, is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang. He or she is the POW who went away one person and came back another - or didn't come back at all. He or she is the reservist or National Guard member who was called upon to serve in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo or some other God forsaken place where his service to mankind is neither appreciated or welcome. Where it is hard to tell friend from foe; where every turn in the road could spell disaster. He or She is the Quantico drill instructor that has never seen combat - but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, noaccount rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other's backs. He is the parade riding legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand. He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by. He is any of the Arlington heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep. He is the old man bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied now and aggravatingly slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come. He is the ordinary and yet extraordinary human being - a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs. He is a savior and sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known. So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say, "Thank You." That's all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded. Two little words that mean so much, "Thank You". NEWSLETTER We are well into our 19 th year of publishing our newsletter, and once again we remind our members and friends that the sole intent of our newsletter is to keep you informed on the comings and goings of our division. When possible, we also try to keep you abreast of what is happening in our immediate area and in Ireland. The articles published within are meant to be informative and as accurate as possible. 5

6 We direct you to the list of supporters on the last page of our newsletter. Thanks to their support our newsletter is made possible. If you would like to join our list of supporters for the first time, our rates remain the same $12 for patron ads, and $50 for business card ads. We encourage all members to support the businesses that advertise in our newsletter, for without their support we would not be able to continue this newsletter in its current format. If you know of a business or enterprise that would like to join our list of supporters, please have them send their information and their check payable to AOH Div #1, Berks to: AOH P.O. Box 14961, Reading, Pa Attn: Newsletter Editor. If you are already an advertiser and wish to change your business card ad, please forward the changes to the above address. You can also send the changes to me at the above listed address, or call me at Have you relocated recently? If the answer is yes, please forward your new address and phone number to us a.s.a.p. With the cost of postage increasing it is very important that we keep our mailing list up to date to ensure that we can contact all our members to keep them aware of events that are coming up, or being planned. The quickest way to contact our members is through . So, if you have an address and haven't forwarded it to us as yet, please consider doing so, but most important of all keep us informed if you ve changed addresses. You can send your address to jgmccjr@hotmail.com and rest assured that you will not be bombarded with unwanted s unless you tell us otherwise. AOH CHRISTMAS APPEAL & 10 CLUB Each year we participate in the Annual 10 Club sponsored by the Freedom for All Ireland Committee of the AOH in America. Our Freedom for All Ireland chairperson, Jim Caherly asks each member to donate $10, which is used support the families of political prisoners in the North of Ireland. Naturally the monies are used to make Christmas a little brighter for needy families, as well as charitable giving to various organizations in Northern Ireland who are working to maintain peace and stability in that part of Ireland. Please consider sharing with us this year when asked! Remember the third principle of our preamble in the Constitution & By-Laws state the purpose of our organization is to aid and advance by all legitimate means the aspirations and endeavors of the Irish People for complete and absolute independence, promoting peace with justice and unity for all Ireland. All donations are greatly appreciated and should be mailed to Jim Caherly at 1530 Cleveland Ave. Wyomissing, PA 19610; please make all checks payable to AOH Div. #1 Berks. IRELAND 2016? Some members have expressed an interest in organizing a return trip to Ireland in the fall of After much discussion, we have decided to ask you the members is there is enough interest in trying to organize such a trip. It has been fourteen years since our last excursion to the Old Sod. We had three trips over the last 25 years, 1991, 1994 and 2001, and many of the members who participated are no longer with us. Recently we had chance to view the old movies taken of the trips and it brought back many fond memories. Many of us included family and friends which helped in negotiating the best possible prices when discussing plans with travel agents. The big question is Is there enough interest to pursue such plans again. Until we have an idea of who may be interested and how 6 many in your party, it is impossible to come up with a cost of such and endeavor until it is determined if it is feasible to even consider or setting up a committee. So please if you are interested contact me a.s.a.p. THE ORIGIN OF THE ROSARY As a youngster, I learned that St. Dominic was given the Rosary by the Blessed Virgin, and accepted that story of invention by divine intervention. Many years later, I learned that anecdote was only an austere version of the true story, simplified for young minds. The true origin of the Rosary is quite different, more interesting, and predates St. Dominic! Theologians have traced the origin of the Rosary back to the Ninth century, and a form of prayer that evolved in the monasteries of the early Irish church. Prayer and labor filled the days of the Irish monks, and one of the most important forms of monastic prayer was the daily chanting of the 150 psalms of David. Lay people around the monastery would hear the psalms every day as they were sung or recited, and the beauty of this form of prayer intrigued them. They yearned to join in, but the psalms were too long to memorize, copies could not be found since printing was rare, and few knew how to read Latin anyway. The lay people were however, determined to adapt this prayer form for their own use. Sometime around 800 AD, the people's desire to participate led to their reciting The Lord's Prayer in response to every psalm recited by the monks. As this form of devotion became popular, people began to carry leather pouches of 150 pebbles, in order that they might keep count of their daily prayers when they were not in hearing distance of the monastery. A thin rope with 150 knots became less of a burden and soon replaced the bag of stones. The Celtic infatuation with the number three, soon saw the prayer rope evolve into a rope of 50 knots to be said three times, and this became an accepted standard. When the Irish missionary monks began to travel and evangelize Europe, this form of devotion was brought with them. In some areas, clergy and lay people began to recite the Angelic Salutation, which makes up the first part of the Hail Mary in response to the psalms. St. Peter Damien, who died in 1072, was the first to mention this form of prayer, the popularity of which led to the daily recitation of 50 Angelic Salutations on a knotted or beaded prayer string. During the 13th century, the recitation evolved into yet another form. Medieval theologians began to interpret the 150 psalms as veiled prophesies about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and they composed a series of psalters, or praises, based on each interpretation. Soon 150 psalters in honor of Mary were also composed. In order to fit the existing prayer string, the psalters were divided into three "rosariums" or bouquets of 50 each. This was the form that St. Dominic knew, and promoted. With the Church's emphasis on unity, it was inevitable that a planned combination of all the prayer forms was prescribed as a standard. The first step toward that standard took place about 1365 when Henry of Kalkar, Visitator of the Carthusian Order, divided the 150 salutations into decades of 10, with an Our Father preceding each. Around 1409, another Carthusian named Dominic the Prussian, wrote a book which attached a psalter of 50 thoughts, about the lives of Jesus and Mary, to a Rosarium of 50

7 Hail Mary s. The division of the 50 Hail Mary s into five groups of ten, or decades, with an Our Father before each, gave the modern Rosary its form, yet the evolution was not over. In 1470, the Dominican, Alan of Rupe, founded the first Rosary Confraternity, thereby establishing the Dominican Order as the foremost missionaries of the Rosary. Then, during the Renaissance, the medieval form of a thought for each bead was abandoned in favor of a shorter version with a thought for each of the fifteen decades. These thoughts took the form of narratives, one of the most popular sets of which was written by St, Louis de Montfort around The fifteen narratives were divided into five Joyful, five Sorrowful, and five Glorious mysteries in the lives of Jesus and Mary, and the Rosary itself became a string of 50 beads to be prayed three times, with each time representing one of the three sets of mysteries. In spite of centuries of evolution and change, the Rosary's Irish origins are still evident. The number of Hail Mary s in the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries still total the exact number of psalms chanted by the early Irish monks in their monasteries, and answered by the faithful Irish outside in a responsorial pattern that became today's most popular form of devotion. It is significant that when Mary visited Knock in 1879, she was holding a Rosary. Today there are four sets of mysteries, the latest being the Luminous Mysteries said on Thursday s throughout the year; The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan; The Wedding at Cana, Christ Manifested; The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God; The Transfiguration of Jesus; and The Last Supper, the Holy Eucharist. On June 13, 1917 when Our Lady appeared at Fatima, she asked that an additional prayer be added after each decade of the Rosary: O My Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell, take all souls to Heaven, and especially those most in need of your mercy. The Five First Saturdays - Mary's Great Promise at Fatima. The Five First Saturdays are intended to honor and to make reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for all the blasphemes and ingratitude of men. This devotion, and the wonderful promises connected with it, were revealed by the Blessed Virgin at Fatima, a small village in Portugal. Our lady appeared to three children there in 1917, and one of the little girls, Lucy, tells us that Our Lady said: I promise to help at the hour of death, with the graces needed for salvation, whoever on the First Saturday of five consecutive months shall: 1. Confess and Receive Communion. 2. Recite five decades of the Rosary (Joyful Luminous, Sorrowful, or Glorious Mysteries) 3. Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the Mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me. Prayers of the Rosary Prayer Before The Rosary Queen of the Holy Rosary, you have designed to come to Fatima and Medjugorje, to reveal to the three shepherd children and six visionaries, the treasures of grace hidden in the Rosary. Inspire my heart with a sincere love of this 7 devotion, in order that by meditating on the Mysteries of our Redemption, which are recalled in it, I may obtain peace for the world, the conversion of sinners, and the favor which I ask of you in this Rosary (Mention your request). I ask it for the greater glory of God, for your own honor, and for the good of souls, especially for my own. Amen. The Our Father: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. The Hail Mary: Hail Mary, full of grace! the Lord is with thee; blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Glory be to the Father: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Prayer to Jesus Requested By Our Lady; O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, take all souls to Heaven, and help especially those most in need of Your mercy. The Apostles' Creed: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son, Our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. Hail Holy Queen: Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this Valley of Tears. Turn then, O most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy towards us; and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement! O loving! O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Prayer After The Rosary: O God, whose only-begotten Son, by His life, death and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life; grant, we beseech Thee, that, meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. HIBERNIAN OF THE YEAR 2015 With the end of the year quickly approaching, it is once again time to consider nominations for St. Brendan s Hibernian of the Year for We encourage all members to make suggestion of worthy candidates for this honor during the months of October and November. The award is given annually to a member who exemplifies the true spirit of Hibernianism of outstanding service to fellow members and community service in keeping with our motto, Friendship, Unity and True Christian Charity.

8 St. Brendan s Division #1 AOH-LAOH of Berks County, PA 37 th Annual Christmas Party & Hibernian of the Year Dinner GANLY S IRISH PUB & RESTAURANT, STATE HILL, Reading, PA Saturday December 06, 2015 cocktails 4:00-7:00 pm Includes hot buffet dinner served at 5:30pm COST: $25 PER PERSON Cash Bar available (All attendees are requested to bring a small gift for the gift exchange) Reservations are required see below I, (we) wish to make reservation for the Annual Christmas Party on Saturday December 06, Please find my check made payable to AOH Division 1, Berks in the amount of $ NAME address CITY State ZIP PHONE NUMBER (PLEASE LIST ALL NAMES OF PEOPLE ATTENDING) Mail reservation to AOH Div. #1 P.O. Box 14961, Reading, Pa Or call Joe at

9 SUPPORTERS OF ST. BRENDAN'S NEWSLETTER Thanks to the support of the following patrons and advertisers, our newsletter is possible. Your continued support of our advertisers will be greatly appreciated C o m p l i m e n t s O f SHAMROCK FARMS STORAGE AND HAPPY HAPPY HALLOWEEN MICHAEL H. MOORE mikehmoore@comcast.net 120 OLD STATE ROAD C o m p l i m e n t s Of Attorney Robert D. Katzenmoyer Serving all of your legal needs READING, PA Your business card Ad Could be placed here for just $50 per year For information call Or send info to jgmccjr@comcast.net PATRONS Fr. William Campion 04/16 (St. Brendan's 1st Chaplain) Timothy J. Brennan 2/16 James Caherly 02/15 Shay Caherly 02/15 Rory Caherly 02/15 Robert Devlin 02/16 Clare P. Flannery 04/17 Richard Flannery 10/15 J. Phillip Gallagher, 06/16 James Gilmartin 12/16 Alice Henry-L.A.O.H. PA. Past President 12/16 Joseph & Bernice McCarthy 08/16 John Mackey 12/14 John J. McHale 12/16 Henry Mullen Sr. 8/16 Rita Mullen 2/16 Mary Jo Mullen 2/16 Len & Bryn Weckel 03/17 Rita Mullen Wise 08/16 THANKSGIVING FROM THE OFFICERS OF ST. BRENDAN S DIV. #1 On behalf of the officers and members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians of Berks County, we extend our heartfelt wish for a Blessed and Joyous Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. FROM ALL OF US, TO ALL OF YOU! Beannachtaí na Nollaig agus Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh go léir! Bí áthasach agus grámhar i do cheiliúradh! (The Blessings of Christmas and A Happy New Year to all of you! Celebrate with love and joy!) 9