The Sacred Congregation of Rites was a congregation of the Roman Curia, erected on 22 January 1588 by Pope Sixtus V by Immensa Aeterni Dei; it had its functions reassigned by Pope Paul VI on 8 May 1969.
The Congregation was charged with the supervision of the liturgy, the dispensation of the decrees of Canonical coronations, other various sacraments, and the process of canonization of saints.
Ó Laoghaire, Peadar, 1839-1920, Catholic priest
Peadar Ó Laoghaire (Peter O’Leary) was born in Lios Carragáin near Macroom in County Cork on 30 April 1839. Born into a bilingual family, he was educated at St. Colman’s College in Fermoy before entering the seminary at St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth, County Kildare. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1867. He went on to serve in several parishes in the diocese of Cloyne, spending his final thirty years (from 1891) as parish priest of Castlelyons (Caisleán Ó Liatháin) in County Cork. From 1906 he was officially titled Canon Peter O’Leary, but he was more commonly addressed as ‘an tAthair Peadar’ (or ‘Father Peter’). Although he did not begin writing in earnest until he was in his fifties, the foundation of Conradh na Gaeilge (1893) spurred him on to take up a career as a writer. He was particularly eager to compile accessible Irish language reading material, especially for a younger generation. O’Leary completed nearly five hundred pieces of work including essays, stories, and translations of The Bible and ‘Don Quixote’, in addition to modernisations of early and medieval Irish texts. His best-known works are ‘Séadna’ (1904) and ‘Mo scéal féin’ (1915). ‘Séadna’, a folk tale, is considered a seminal work in the Gaelic revival, epitomizing O’Leary’s championing of ‘caint na ndaoine’ or the language of the people. His pioneering autobiographical work, ‘Mo Sgéal Féin’, was published by the Irish Book Company, founded by Norma Borthwick and Mairéad Ní Raghallaigh, with whom he was closely associated. O’Leary’s contribution to Irish language literature saw him honoured as a freeman of both Dublin and Cork, with Cork Corporation referring to him as ‘the greatest Irish writer of his age’ when granting him the freedom of the city in 1912. O’Leary died in Castlelyons, County Cork, on 21 March 1920 and was buried in the local cemetery.
Josef Martin Kälin was born in Einsiedeln, Switzerland, on 22 March 1887. His parents were Josef Martin & Anna Verena (née Schön) Kälin. His father was a timber merchant and the family sought to educate all their children. From 1899 to 1907 he attended the high school located at Einsiedeln Abbey. He then entered the monastic life at Muri-Gries Abbey in northern Italy in 1908 and made his religious profession on 5 October 1909 being given the name "Bernard." He continued his education in the fields of Philosophy and Theology at the University of Freiburg and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest on 18 October 1912. He continued his studies at the same university receiving a doctorate in philosophy in 1918 with a dissertation on the Epistemology of Saint Augustine entitled "Die Erkenntnislehre des hl. Augustinus." Between the years 1913-1945 Kälin taught at Kantonsschule Obwalden overseen by the Benedictines, serving as teacher and rector of the school. During this time, he wrote a number of philosophy textbooks that became popular.
On 10 August 1945 Kälin was elected as the Abbot of Muri-Gries Abbey and received his blessing on 13 August 1945. He served in the role for only two years until he was elected as the third Abbot Primate of the Benedictine Confederation and Order of St. Benedict on 16 September 1947. As Abbot Primate he resided in Rome, Italy, while also overseeing Sant'Anselmo all'Aventino. He traveled quite extensively in his role as Abbot Primate, but was also instrumental in his work at the Pontificio Ateneo Sant'Anselmo where he founded a monastic institute, taught philosophy, and redesigned the Church of Sant'Anselmo. He served in this role until 1959 when he was not reelected as Abbot Primate, at which point he returned to Muri-Gries Abbey where he died on 20 October 1962.
Thomas Keogh was a Roman Catholic priest who became Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin. He was born in Gurteen, Skeoghvosteen, Graiguenamanagh, County Kilkenny in 1884. In 1898, he enrolled in St. Josephs's Academy in Bagenalstown, operated by the De La Salle Brothers. He studied for the priesthood in St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, and was ordained in 1909.
Bishop Keogh served on the staff of St. Patrick's, Carlow College (1911-1932) and as Vice-President (1921-1932), before being appointed parish priest of Portarlington, County Laois.
He was appointed Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin succeeding Dr. Matthew Cullen on 8 August, and consecrated 18 October 1936. He retired 25 September 1967, and died on 22 May 1969.
The Passionist Congregation, St. Patrick's Province
Little Sisters of the Poor Auth Rec
Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery Auth Rec
The Sisters of St. Joseph Chambery arrived in Wales from India in 1939. In 1958 they founded a house in Dublin at the invitation of Archbishop John Charles McQuaid.
This is the current site of St. Josephs hospital, Raheny. They sold this hospital in 1997, but still maintain a convent on the same site.
In 1977 they also bought a house for the purposes of supporting a novitiate, but sold this in 2005.