The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-01-11
MAYNOO7H SEMINARY

MAYNOOTH SEMINARY
"Irish Colleges" on the Continent
The Setting of Maynooth-Many I'M
posing BuiIdings-chapeI Begun in
1875-Distinguished Alumni.
During the Penal Times, when a
price was put upon the head of
priest or teacher, and they were re-
mOrselessly hanged or eXiled, Ireland
was supplied with priests and teach
ers educated on the Continent in
Irish Colleges" there established.
When their time came they embarked
in disguise to Ireland, and hiding
there in the fens and boys, and noun
tains, dispensed the sacraments of the
Church, and kept alive the torch of
learning among the frightened people,
in daily jeopardy of their lives. This
devoted zeal of these apostolic men,
writes the Reverend ]. B. ballard in
Register-Extension, shines over the
dark expanse of the Penal Days like
brilliant sunshine striking upon a
heaving and storm-lashed sea. There
were Irish Colleges" of this kind in
Lisbon, Salamanca, Seville, Madrid,
Louvain, Paris, and Rome, and it was
to their wonderful work was due the
preservation of the Faith in Ireland
throughout long period of the bit
terest trial and persecution that ever
harrassed a nation or a race. When
this persecution began to die down
this great College of Maynooth was
founded on lands given for the pur-
pose by the noble Geraldines, or Fitz-
geralds, the Earls of Kildare.
The country around Maynooth is
mostly a fiat plain. A very pleasing
country it is, with pleasant woods
and waters, broad sweeps of meadow
land, streams Astounding in fish, hand
some country seats, and in the dis
lance, far-reaching woods stretching
away from the beautiful demesne of
Carton (the palace of the Duke of
Leinster), to the romantic banks of
the Liffey, which are bordered by the
still more beautiful demesne of
Castletown. Far away to the east the
distant outlines of the Wicklow hills
can be discerned.
Maynooth College.
The town of Maynooth, situated on
the great road from Dublin to Null
Iingar and the west, has a popula-
ton of about 1000, and is fifteen
miles from Dublin. The College is an
immense stretch of buildings in two
quadrangles, enclosing many acres of
space. The entrance is most fmpos-
ing. On the right of the main gate
is the grand old historical Castle of
the Geraldines, war-scarred and ivy
covered, telling forever it's stories of
the glories and disasters of the past;
and on the left stands the square
massive tower that is now the only
portion that survives of the ancient
Catholic Chapel of st. Mary-of-May-
nooth. Inside the gate one comes
upon the magnificent group of build
ings that constitute the college.
They are many and imposing, and as
is fitting the most splendid of all is
the College Chapel, which is of hand
some architecture and of very great
size. This great chapel was COM
menced in 1875. Its style is early
Fourteenth Century Gothic, of the
geometrical type. There is a glori-
GUS rose-window over the western
portals, an exquisite specimen of the
most refined tracery. The masonry
used is broken ashlar, having finely
fooled dressings of gray limestone
that form pleasant contrast to the
blue-tinted limestone facings of the
walls A beautiful mosaic pavement,
of variegated pattern, extends the
whole inside length of the church;
carved oak stalls for the students,
extend in frightening tiers on either
side, splashed at intervals with
gouts of rich vivid color from the
tinted-rays of the stained clerestory
windows. The noble chancel-arch
with it's polished chancel-pillars and
numerous mouldings, rises seventy
feet high from the pavement, and be-
yond it the marble altar, white as
snow, with it's ruby lamps cleaning,
proclaims the presence Of the King of
Kings in the Sacrament of His love.
On shields, in alternate panels of the
wall-framing, Sabove the stalls on
either side, are carved the arms of
the different Bishops and Dioceses of
Ireland The organ, the keyboard of
which is operated by electricity, and
the bellows by hydraulic power, is
one of the finest and best-toned in
Ireland.
Other great divisions of the Col
1ege are the large hall, or "Aula Max
ima,' the New House" The Ply
sicists House, the Dunboyne House,
the Humanists' House, St. Mary's
House, st. Brigid's House. the Infirm-
airy, st. Columbia's House, Riverstown
Lodge, the Senior Oratory, the Sen
ior Refectory, the Junior and Senior
Chapels, ETC., constituting magnifi-
cent group of buildings enclosing two
immense quadrangles.
In size or equipment of any Catholic
seminary in America is not worthy
for a moment to be compared with
IL 4 nf Nov