Last Chance Saloon

Readers of this blog will know by now that I have a soft spot for St. Andrew's church in Westland Row, in the centre of Dublin city. After all, this is where, at a very tender age, I first joined the Mystical Body.

Readers will also know that there is wide international interest in this church and that I have responded to this interest by uploading some pictures of St. Andrew himself on his lofty perch.

Well, I passed the church again today and saw the sign in the above photo.

"Aha", I thought, "the universal church has seen the error of its ways in allowing that scurrilous rag ALIVE to engineer the rejection of the Lisbon treaty and it is now praying to the Lord to give the people of Ireland a second bite at the cherry. Not only that, it is invoking the biggest gun in the church's armoury, the mass, to this end."

So I decided to call into the parish office to test my divine theory. Imagine my surprise, and disappointment, to be told that these masses were a regular fortnightly occurrence and were simply a chance for those who had left the church to return to the fold.

So be warned - this is your last chance to square up your account before you are run over by the proverbial bus.

"Rubbish", I hear you think, "In this gridlocked city? No chance!"

But beware the QBC. Bus Átha Cliath are way ahead of you on this one.

More of St. Andrew

Another view for afficionados of St. Andrew atop Westland Row Church.

And a reminder that my original question has not yet been answered.

POSTSCRIPT: My question on the DOM inscription above the church has now been answered. The terms "beatus" (blessed) and "sanctus" (holy) are used interchangeably in this context and not in the sense of "blessed" as a stage in the progress to sainthood as used elsewhere. Thanks to JO'B for this clarification.

Saint Andrew, bless him.

I'm not sure why, but there seems to be an enormous international interest in Saint Andrew's church in Westland Row, Dublin. Much of the interest seems to focus on the inscription above the entrance, to which I have drawn attention and posed a question in a previous post. Mind you, despite all this interest, nobody has attempted to answer the question I posed in that post.

In any event, in view of all this interest, I thought I'd post a shot of Saint Andrew himself as he appears atop the church. Click on the picture for a larger image.

St. Andrews

I just got a decent digital camera and one of the shots I took is of St. Andrews church at Westland Row, Dublin, Ireland, where I was baptised.

I know it breaks the first rule of buildings photography with the perspective tilt but it is just a passing by shot and, innste na fírinne, I am really trying out the new blogger facility for hosting images.

However, on reflection, since posting the above, I have been trying to make sense of the inscription on the church, as seen below. It would appear to refer to Blessed rather than Saint Andrew. This does not seem to make sense as surely Andrew was already a saint when this church was built.


DEO OPTIMO MAXIMO SUB INVOC B ANDREAE APOSTOLI
Ideas welcome?