The Chalice of Crossdrum is a lost 18th century

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liturgical vessel from

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Physical description

The chalice itself is described as,

History

The Chalice of Crossdrum was found in 1750 in Crossdrum, near

Oldcastle, County Meath Oldcastle () is a town in County Meath, Ireland. It is located in the north-west of the county near the border with Cavan, approximately 13 miles (21 km) from Kells. The R154 and R195 regional roads cross in the town's market square. As ...

, Ireland. The chalice was found in a cave, beside a priest's skeleton, along with other liturgical items, including a chasuble, an

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

-stone, a

crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...

, and candlesticks. Given its location, scene of discovery, and relative dates of the artifacts, scholars generally concur that the discovered priest was likely a

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who covertly provided the

sacraments A sacrament is a Christian rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of the real ...

to local Catholics during the

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ian period, when such activities were proscribed by the state. The man who made the discovery, Hugh Reilly, handed the discovery over to his brother, the Rev. Bartholomew Reilly, a parish priest in Co. Meath. The priest's skeleton was sacramentally buried, and the location of the other discovered items remains unknown. The chalice and

paten A paten or diskos is a small plate, used during the Mass. It is generally used during the liturgy itself, while the reserved sacrament are stored in the tabernacle in a ciborium. Western usage In many Western liturgical denominations, the p ...

were subsequently passed from Rev. Bartholomew Reilly to Fr. Owen Reilly, the former's uncle, on the event of his death in 1782. Fr. Owen Reilly died in 1784. Debate surrounds the location of the chalice after Fr. Owen Reilly's ownership. The chalice resurfaced in 1832, under the possession of Rev. George McDermot, parish priest of Oldcastle. The chalice was kept in the parish, coming under the ownership of Father George Leonard, the successor parish priest. It was at this time that the chalice took on a mythical element, supposedly granting the keeper longevity of life. Fr. Leonard died in 1877, at the age of 85. The chalice then passed to Leonard's nephew, Fr. Thomas Fagan, parish priest of Rathconnell,

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

. Fr. Fagan died in 1886, and the chalice passed to Fr. Fagan's nephew, the Very Rev. Thomas Gaffney in

Rutland, Vermont Rutland, Vermont may refer to: *Rutland (city), Vermont * Rutland (town), Vermont *Rutland County, Vermont *West Rutland, Vermont West Rutland is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,214 at the 2020 census. The t ...

. Gaffney picked up the chalice in Ireland, after a conflict of ownership that required local diocesan intervention. Since his acquisition of the chalice, Fr. Gaffney used the vessel in every celebration of the

Feast of St Patrick Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

, until his death in 1906. Ff. Gaffney, in his will, left the chalice in the hands of Fr. James A. Taaffe, S.J., of

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

in New York. Since Fr. Taaffe's ownership, the location of the chalice remains unconfirmed, some speculating it remains in the hands of the aforementioned

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

university, among Taaffe's descendants in

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, or elsewhere.

References

{{Portal bar, Catholicism, Ireland, History Chalices Archaeology of Ireland Religion in County Meath