The Opening of the Redeveloped Mt Sion Heritage Centre

The opening of the redeveloped historic Mt Sion site on Barrack Street Waterford is to take place in the first week of February. The new Edmund Rice Chapel is to be blessed and dedicated by Bishop Lee on Sunday 3rd of February and the Museum is to be opened by An Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern on Friday 8th February. For two weeks, commencing on Sunday 27th January, a series of previews will take place to acquaint local groups with the features of the redevelopment.
During the week of Openings, celebratory events include the performance of a One Act Play on the life of Edmund Rice by Br Dan Casey of the United States, a lecture on Edmund Rice by Irish historian Mr Daire Keogh, and a Gala Concert at the Theatre Royal.

A central feature of the development is the Edmund Rice Chapel. The mortal remains of Blessed Edmund Rice have been placed within a tomb in this Chapel. The Chapel will be open to the public and available for a range of liturgical and prayer celebrations and activities. It is expected that the tomb of Edmund will become a focus of pilgrims from around the world. The sculptures within the Chapel are the work of well known Irish artist, Mr Fergus Costello.
The new museum which has been designed and constructed by the Yorkshire based museum consultants, Janvs, is housed in some of the period buildings at Mount Sion, including the former chapel and band room which date back to the mid nineteenth century. This heritage centre will allow visitors to relive the Edmund Rice story through an atmospheric and interactive museum which will take them back in time to 18th century Waterford, to visit a 19th century schoolroom, and to see personal items associated with the businessman who went on to found two Congregations - the Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers,. These Congregations, following the spirit of the Founder, are serving the needs of the marginalised in thirty five countries around the world today.

The total development program at Mt Sion also included the renovation of the three storey monastery. The third floor has been redeveloped as a community residence for an international community of Christian and Presentation Brothers who are ministering in a number of ways to marginalised people and youth of the area. Other levels of the former monastery have been converted into facilities for an outreach to recent arrivals, migrants and refugees, computer facilities for disadvantaged people, as well as retreat facilities and conference centre facilities for a wide variety of groups.
With the completion of landscaping enhancing the beauty of the site, the Mt Sion property has been rejuvenated into a centre which is not only is a tribute to the memory and the person of Edmund Rice but it is a place very much alive with his spirit today..

Local performers joined a host of international guest soloists for a gala concert to celebrate the opening of the Edmund Rice Heritage Centre Mount Sion.

The line up for the prestigious event at the Theatre Royal on February 8 included The Barrack Street Band, The Edmund Rice Choral Society, the Scoil Chriost Ri boys Choir from Cork and a host of international guest soloists.
Among the guest soloists on the evening were Kathryn Smith, Antoinette Heery and Paul Kelly. Kathryn has been teaching singing at the Leinster School for over 14 years. She has brought many of her students to professional level and many have been involved in prominent shows and concerts in Ireland and abroad, including the very successful Riverdance Company.
Kathryn herself is one of Ireland’s most popular and versatile performers. She has toured Ireland, Europe and the world in concert and in opera and has performed at many world-class venues, among them the famous Carnegie Hall, New York.
Antoinette Heery is a former student of Kathryn Smith and has gone on to enjoy a successful career in performance. Antoinette has performed at The National Concert Hall and The Gaiety Theatre to name but a few.
Another special guest for the Gala Concert was tenor Paul Kelly who studied at the College of Music with Dr Veronica Dunne and has won many prizes for his singing including the John McCormack Cup at the Feis Ceoil.
His stage appearances include operas by Mozart, Handel, Poulenc, Smetena and James Wilson. An accomplished singer on the concert platform, Paul has given song recitals and has sung Tenor roles in Oratorios such as Messiah, Bach's St John Passion, The Creation, Elijah and the Mozart Requiem.
MC on the evening was local favourite, WLR FM’s Billy McCarthy.

All proceeds from the evening were donated to The Christian and Presentation Brothers missions in Africa.

The redeveloped heritage centre on Barrack Street, Waterford will be officially opened by An Taoiseach on the day of the Gala Concert. The Centre will be one of Ireland’s premier ecclesiastical and heritage tourism sites.

The new Edmund Rice International Heritage Centre is expected to draw Irish and overseas visitors and is the first major refurbishment of the site since the beatification of Callan-born Blessed Edmund by Pope John Paul II in 1996.

The mammoth contribution the Christian Brothers made to Irish education and society is to be celebrated and brought to life through a lecture and a play as Waterford commemorates the life and work of the order’s founder, the great Edmund Rice.

Internationally renowned author and historian, Dr Daire Keogh, visits Waterford for a public lecture on February 6. The very same night, Br Dan Casey performs his one-man play, ‘Edmund Rice’ at Mount Sion Primary School.

The lecture and play are all part of an series of events which mark the launch of the newly-renovated and redeveloped historic Mount Sion site on Barrack Street in the city.

Dr Keogh’s talk is eagerly awaited. A lecturer in Early Modern European and Irish History at St Patrick’s College, Dr Keogh was recently awarded a senior Government of Ireland Fellowship, which allowed him complete a historical monograph based on Edmund Rice, titled ‘The Christian Brothers; Irish Education and Society 1802 – 2002’.

Andy Kuppe, CEO of the Edmund Rice International Heritage Centre, said: “Dr Keogh has recently written an acclaimed biography of Edmund Rice, so I am looking forward to him sharing his insights about the life of Edmund Rice.

“He has been published widely on the history of religion in Ireland, radical politics, gender, and education, so I am sure that he will bring a unique perspective to this well-known story.”

Br Dan Casey will be travelling to Waterford from Chicago to take part in the launch events for the new Centre. Br Casey joined the Christian Brothers in 1969, professing his perpetual vows in 1977. Since this time, he has held a number of posts, mostly in education, in the Christian Brothers North America.

Mr Kuppe added: “In his one-man play, ‘Edmund Rice’, Br Casey will recount the story of Edmund Rice, obviously making good use of his studies in Speech and Drama, and Communication Arts.

“I think the combination of the play followed by the public lecture will be a powerful reminder of why the International Heritage Centre is such an important way to remember the influential and unique man Edmund Rice was, and to look to the future of his work,” Mr Kuppe concluded.

The evening at Mount Sion is one of the key events in the run-up to Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern’s official opening of the Edmund Rice International Heritage Centre on Saturday February 8.

The new centre, which is dedicated to the life and work of Edmund Rice, founder of the Christian and Presentation Brothers, has been in development for the past two years and is set to become one of Ireland’s premier ecclesiastical and heritage tourism sites.

The performance of ‘Edmund Rice’ and subsequent lecture by Dr Daire Keogh, take place at 7.30pm on Wednesday February 6, at Mount Sion Primary School.

Tickets cost €5 and are available from the Edmund Rice Heritage Centre, Barrack Street (call Josephine on 051-874390), or from the Mount Sion Primary School. All proceeds from the play and lecture will be donated to the Mount Sion Primary School.

On Sunday 3rd February, a Ritual centred around the creation story, incorporating dance and drama, and leading us through to the Christian era, was performed by students from Waterford secondary colleges.
From the marquee we processed to the new Chapel singing ‘We are on Holy Ground’. The Edmund Rice Choral Society provided excellent music for the occasion. Bishop Lee was the chief celebrant together with Bishops Emeritus Forristal and Russell and the parish Priest, Fr Willy Ryan acted as Master of Ceremonies. Amongst the rituals of dedication, Bishop Lee rubbed oil into the new altar, incensed the chapel and sprinkled the Congregation with holy water, prayed the prayer of blessing and celebrated the Eucharist.
Featured in the Chapel are the four sculptures in wood by well know Irish sculptor, Fergus Costelloe - the altar, the ambo, the tabernacle and the scriptorium. Fergus also created the tomb for the Casket which contains the remains of Blessed Edmund Rice – from stone and glass with an interior light and on the top the name of Edmund Rice spelled in the ancient Ogham script.
Four of the windows contain images of the four evangelists, created by Br Joe Connolly and the Celtic designs were produced by Michael Daniels. Many of the stained glass windows from the Blessed Sacrament Chapel are incorporated into the chapel and in the corridor leading into the chapel.
Other features of the chapel include a banner with and image of the ‘Eye of God’ by Maunie Doyle and a further wood carving from the pervious chapel of the Holy Family or, as some have interpreted, the family of Edmund, Mary and their child.
The chapel is bright and light with a large skylight and many clear windows providing a connection to the world beyond and overlooking the city of Waterford. Immediately outside the Chapel there is considerable landscaping and a meditation garden.

The arrival of An Taoiseach on Friday 8th was eagerly awaited by students from Mt Sion primary school who formed a guard of honour. On his arrival, apart from being besieged by the media horde, Bertie took the chance to the shake hands with many of the students. He was then taken for a brief tour of sections of the Museum by Michael Godfrey, Andy Kuppe and Barry O’Brien accompanied by a number of photographers. From the museum Bertie went to the Chapel where he spent moments at the tomb of Edmund Rice, before coming out doors again to meet many, have photos taken, and then into the marquee for the official opening. He was welcomed by the Mayor, Mary O’Halloran, he then spoke about Edmund Rice, the Christian Brothers, and the city of Waterford. Michael Godfrey as the Chair of the Board of Edmund Rice international Heritage Centres, spoke to the thank An Taoiseach and all who attended, as well as providing further focus on Edmund Rice and the value of the museum in telling the story which holds our community together. Guests were then invited by MC Barry O’Brien to visit the Museum, the Chapel or move to the dining rooms for the luncheon.
Both occasions, whilst necessarily limited in numbers because of indoor seating, were attended by many Christian Brothers and Presentation Brothers, by City Council personnel, by past pupils of the Brothers and of Mt Sion, together with many friends and supporters.
In between the two main events, there were visits and processes for students and teachers from Christian Brothers and Presentation Brothers schools, for teachers from around Ireland, a preview day for Brothers, a preview for clergy and religious, as well as for media and for tourism personnel. On Friday 8th, the Irish ‘Nationwide’ program at 7 pm gave almost exclusive footage of the opening for half an hour.

The Community of Edmund Rice Brothers [four Christian Brothers and one Presentation Brother, from Canada, United States, Ireland, Australia and Pakistan] who have been together now for three years are, apart from providing hospitality to visitors, engaged in outreach to young people through spirituality programs and retreats; through services to recent migrants and refugees, including the teaching of English; and through the Nagle Centre with its extensive computer courses, to those who have missed out on educational opportunities.

With the opening of Chapel and Museum there are untold possibilities for Mt Sion to attract students, teachers and visitors from around the world; to develop adult education programs in spirituality; to offer rituals in the Chapel with focus on a spirituality for our age; to avail of the Museum as a means of telling the story and the handing on of the charism.

Key aspects of the Vision for Mt Sion are that it becomes:
· A centre which provides a place of welcome and promotes a spirituality appropriate to the needs of searching young people today.
· A centre which provides a place of welcome and a range of educational/social services for young people and others who experience poverty and marginalisation.
· A vibrant heritage centre which tells the Edmund Rice Story and the story of the Brothers today in a way that challenges people to engage with the mission of Edmund Rice in our contemporary world.
· A place of pilgrimage and prayer that continues to be relevant and meaningful to the people of Waterford and beyond, and is enriched by its multi-cultural character and global outlook.
· A centre promoting peace, reconciliation and justice.


The Centre has well developed conference facilities and we strongly encourage the imaginative availing of the total facility by Brothers and Network around the world. We encourage all who believe in the charism to publicise Mt Sion extensively among schools, Old Collegians and tour groups.