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Celebrate 175th Anniversary at Basilica of Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral

A  February 23rd meeting at Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City final plans were made for the parade, Mass and reception for this  May 21st, 2011 commemorating the 175th anniversary of the AOH.

This site and date in May 2011 were chosen to recognize the founding of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America at nearby St. James Church (now closed) 175 years ago on May 4, 1836 by a ‘handful of Irishmen.” A letter dated 5/4/1836 “From the Brethren in Ireland and Great Britain to the Brethren in New York.” read:

“Brothers, greeting: Be it known to you and to all it may concern that we send to our few brothers in New York full instructions with our authority to establish branches of our society in America.” The letter goes on to explain qualifications for membership, use of the motto Friendship, Unity and true Christian Charity, and what is expected of the new branches and its members.

It was at Old St. Patrick’s that the call went out to the Hibernian brotherhood by Archbishop John “Dagger” Hughes to save the church from the Know Nothings in the mid 1800’s when those bigots were burning catholic churches. The AOH surrounded and saved the Cathedral and later built the wall around it.

To note the founding of our Order, Hibernian members wearing sashes, and guests are asked to assemble on Mulberry Street near Precious Blood Church just north of Canal St. at at 9:00 am on May 21, 2011. The parade will step off at 9:30 am and go north on Mulberry St. to Prince St., right on Prince St., left on Mott St. to the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral. This route retraces a similar route, depicted in the famous lithograph, of the 69th Regiment in April 1861 on their way to the Civil War parading to St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral and past the then AOH headquarters at 41 Prince Street. The 175th parade will be led by AOH color guard, clergy, AOH National Bd, first two divisions organized in 1800’s, LAOH Nat’l Bd, pipe bands and state, county and division officers and members with their flags and banners. Representatives of the Fighting 69th will also be part of the march to the Cathedral.

An anniversary Mass to be celebrated by the AOH National Chaplain Father Thomas O’Donnell of Pittsburgh and concelebrated by the pastor Msgr. Sakano, AOH State, County and Division Chaplains bishops and priests will take place at 11:00 am in the Old Cathedral. The Mass will be sung by the Hibernian Festival Choir under the direction of Maura Allen.

This choir has sung at the White House and at many venues in Ireland, N. Ireland, Canada and the U.S. and have always added to the solemnity of the liturgy. AOH members will act as ushers and altar servers under guidance of a committee headed by Past National Director Martin Kelly of Brooklyn.

Following the Mass, a reception will be held in the Youth Center across from the Cathedral. Catered food and refreshments and entertainment will be offered starting at approximately 12:30 pm. A short program and introduction of visiting dignateries will take place during the reception.

The reception will be chaired by Sir Patrick Allen, a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and a brother Hibernian. A fee of $20.00 per person will cover cost of reception and day’s activities. All who plan to attend the May 21st celebration is urged to respond by April 30, 2011 with number attending and check made out to: AOH 175th  Anniversary and send to: AOH 175th Anniversary,  Mr. Patrick Allen 1713 Summit Avenue Union City, NJ 07087. Registration and receipt of wrist band of all pre-paid responders will take place at parade assemble area prior to start of parade and again for rest of attendees immediately following the Mass. All are urged to respond by the deadline.

To get idea of numbers attending on 5/21/11, everyone is asked to contact asap either 175th Chrmn. PNP Ed Wallace at 315-686-391 or email ewallac2@twcny.rr.com or Nat’l Pres. Seamus Boyle at 215-820-1547 or email shay39@comcast.net.

As Published in the Long Island Catholic

October 27, 2010  Vol. 49, No. 27   MARY IAPALUCCI

In local stores, Christmas displays are ready to take the place of the Halloween items as retailers anxiously hope an early start might lead to a profitable holiday season. At food pantries and parish outreach offices around Long Island thoughts are also turning to Thanksgiving and Christmas and worries that there won’t be enough food to go around.

“I’m nervous about this year,” said Joseph Samodulski, director of human services at St. Ignatius Loyola parish, Hicksville. “We are absolutely blessed with generous parishioners and a generous community,” he said, but due to the struggling economy, “everyone is rolling their pennies on Thursday night.”

There has seen a huge increase in the number of people seeking assistance in the past few years. In September 2007, the parish outreach fed 292 people. This past September 2010, they fed 552 people, Samodulski said, noting that this increase occurred despite the fact that the pantry was open five days per week in 2007 and now is open only three days.

People who receive aid at St. Ignatius fall generally into four categories, said Samodulski. Undocumented immigrants make up a large percentage of the clientele. “These are the people who are busing our tables, washing our cars and mowing our lawns,” he said, but don’t make enough to feed their families.

Some of the clients are homeless people. “The homeless population of our clients has dwindled from 45 to about 12, because a lot of the people we used to see have died,” said Samodulski.

Two other groups are growing in numbers, according to Samodulski. Each month the parish assists between 35 and 45 senior citizen households, most living on fixed incomes.

“The fastest growing group is the ostensibly middle class,” he said. “They have been laid off, downsized or outsourced. They have tuition and mortgage payments they can no longer afford because the primary or secondary wage earner or both have lost jobs.”

“While the numbers (of this group) are small in comparison (to the other groups) they have grown most quickly, almost double in the past year,” he added.

In Central Islip, Ana Sullivan, outreach coordinator at St. John of God parish, also reports an increase in the number of people seeking assistance. The parish sees about 350 families each month.

“This time of year the numbers increase,” said Sullivan, who came to St. John’s this past summer but has been looking at past figures to help prepare for this season. Last year they distributed about 200 baskets for Thanksgiving. “All people want to have more for a special holiday meal.”

“I am trying to be positive, but we have been short of food since July,” said Sullivan. “It is hard for me to tell people that we have to give them less food. We have to try to help as many as possible.”

On the positive side, Sullivan has already received a few calls from other parishes that are in a position to help provide holiday meals.

“Maybe we are going to make it,” she said. “Any help is welcome, particularly canned food and pasta, food that doesn’t go bad, that we can store for after the holidays.”

At St. Ignatius, Samodulski said the outreach is truly community based, both in its clients and its supporters. St. Stephen’s, a neighboring Evangelical Lutheran Church, has been running a yearlong food drive with its parishioners bringing different items each month to stock the pantry shelves. Holy Trinity Episcopal Church supports the St. Ignatius pantry financially. Samodulski worked with the local Methodist congregation to start a food pantry there that is open on one of the days St. Ignatius is closed.

A local Tae Kwon Do club holds a “Kick-a-thon” and, with the proceeds, fills 80 to 100 baskets. The Joseph Barry Knights of Columbus also provide a turkey or ham and all the trimmings for 60 families.

Samodulski encourages Scout groups, students who need community service hours and others who want to help to organize local food drives to keep the food pantries full.

Life Magazine 14 pictures ;

Click On the Descriptions Below to contact them.

or Click here to see their NEW WEBSITE  www.plainviewirish.com

The Mid Island Irish American Club - A special treat at a night in Plainview
Dance Lessons: Every Monday 7pm and Ceili: Every First Saturday 8pm-12am
Donations $20 Cofee,Tea and Soda Bread you can contact them at:
Plainview Ceili
115 Southern Parkway
Plainview, NY 11803
www.plainviewceili.com

Thank You to Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray!

Kate Murray is the Supervisor of America’s largest township.
We are honored to have her support our monument.

Thank You to Nassau Legislator Walker!

Nassau Legislator Rose Marie Walker is an important asset. Her Service on the Veterans & Senior Affairs as well as Health & Social Services committee promotes our efforts as well.

Suffolk County Police Officer’s Emerald Society.

Member of Grand Council United Emerald Society of NY
Thank you, your donation helps bring life to this monument
Our condolences on the passing of Msgr. Jim Kissane.

We are very grateful to supporters listed below.

Mention you heard about them from the A.O.H.!

THANK YOU TO

Need a SPECIAL IRISH GIFT for anyone? Just visit the,

Lynbrook Irish Shop
144 Hendrickson Avenue,
Lynbrook NY 11563
516-612-3487

 

Fine Irish Atmosphere :

Trinity Pub and Restaurant
190 Jericho Turnpike
Floral Park,  NY 11001

Too Busy to Prepare Dinner Call: Cheryl

Dinner My Way
547 Bedford Ave
Bellmore, NY 11710

 

We also wish to thank

The Doherty Family
The Bradli Family
The White Family
The O’Brien Family

An Gorta Mor – Exhibition

(ended September 2010)

Ireland’s Great Famine or The Great Hunger
the worst catastrophe in 19th century Europe.
For more information click here

An Gorta Mor

Ireland’s Great Famine or The Great Hunger, as it is more commonly referred to today, ranks among the worst tragedies in the sweep of human history. Between 1845 and 1850, approximately 1.5 million Irish men, women and children died of starvation or related diseases. By 1855, more than two million more fled Ireland to avoid a similar fate. This decimation of her population makes Ireland’s Great Hunger both the worst chapter in the country’s history, and arguably, the single worst catastrophe in 19th century Europe.

An Gorta Mor: The Quinnipiac University Collection in New York City
May 21 – Sept. 3, 2010 from Noon to 2PM.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

“THE WAY HOME”

This video presents the history, goals and mission of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

The National board recommends all members should view this video.  And pledging members should view this video before taking the oath.

You may need a media player installed to view.

Or help by purchasing a raffle or two.

All proceeds are for the Hunger Memorial fund.

CELTIC HIGH CROSSES

What we generally call Celtic Crosses are memorial crosses: the Latin cross with the crescents forming a circle between the cross and upright beams. They take their form from the Irish High Crosses which are found throughout Ireland and in parts of Britain and Scotland where Irish monks founded monasteries. They were usually located around monasteries although they sometimes marked boundaries or market places.

The total height of the cross, including the base and cap (shaped like a roof) varied – 7 feet up to 24 feet.  Some historians suspect that the term high cross does not refer to the height of the cross but to its status. In Irish the word Árd is usually translated as high but also means principal or main. The origins of the characteristic ring have several theories. The simplest is as a support for the cross beam. That seems just too simple an explanation since a straight piece with 45 degree angle from the upright at each side would be much easier to carve although less pleasing to the eye.

There are other explanations here are a few:

The ring is made to form a halo representing Jesus to a symbol of eternity to a leftover reference to the carried over from the art representing the Irish Sun God from ancient times. Other characteristics were the scalloping on the shaft and cross beam where the crescents join. Many crosses were also decorated with scenes from the old and new testaments. Small decorative cylinders called volutes are also found attached to either the crescent or the shaft. There were two main periods when the crosses were erected through the 9th and 10th centuries, and again in the 12th century. The 9th and 10th century crosses are known as scriptural crosses because of their biblical scenes. The East facing side had the Old Testament and the West side the New Testament. The later crosses had fewer biblical scenes but more of high relief figures of Jesus and a local Saint or Bishop. These carvings are similar to those found in Roman and other Western European churches and monasteries. It is believed that monasteries turned to erecting the crosses since they would be less prone to destruction. Many precious objects and manuscripts had been looted and destroyed during the Viking raids.

Many of the crosses have been carved from sandstone which I believe may be a relatively easy material to work with. But others have been carved from limestone and granite.

For more detail see:
www.goireland.about.com/od,
http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/highcrosses/intro.html
www.highcrosses.org

and a temporary exhibit for  Irish High Cross at the 

National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History.

Help us raise money for the Hunger Memorial Fund !

Contact any board member or Jack at (516) 724-6821
or email by clicking here AOH11@LIVE.com

The Great Hunger    “An Gorta Mor”

The Hibernians of Division 11 in Nassau County have started on a project to erect a monument in remembrance of  “The Great Hunger”.  As free citizens it is important to remember all those who had to flee their homeland looking for a better life. Many made it to the USA and many died trying either in the crossing or soon after. Those Immigrants that did survive are the ones who built this great country, they deserve a monument.

The monument, will honor all those who were affected by the great hunger.

The Monument is dedicated to all who had emigrated due to hunger, religious persecution or oppression of any kind.

Assistance from individuals or organizations will be required to make this monument a reality. 

 

We are now getting bids for the monument. The size and color of the stone to be used as well as the final design are being determined and balanced against the price.

HELP MAKE THIS A PERMANENT PART OF THE COMMUNITY,

DONATE WHAT YOU CAN FOR THE MONUMENT.

CLICK  HERE TO DONATE to the Hunger Memorial Fund !

You should be proud that you helped place this monument to emigrants where it belongs.

A symbol that God Is with all of us.

CONTACT Jack at (516) 724-6821 or email AOH11@LIVE.com