I have been to Inisfada, the former home of Duchess Brady. It was an amazing place. The rooms were a delight to the eye and the chapel was simply beautiful. The grounds seemed endless. It was a warm and peaceful place. The duchess and her husband had no children and Brady gave the place to the Jesuits. She later married the Irish minister accredited to the Holy See. She died in Rome in the late 1930s. Her body is entombed, along with her first husband, at the Jesuit provincial house and chapel in Ohio. I have read much about her - a recipient of the Latarae Medal from Notre Dame -- and she was a Dame of the Holy Sepulcher and a Dame of Malta as well as being a member of the papal nobility. Exceedingly generous to church causes both here (USA) and abroad. Remarkable people. But, I am saddened that Inisfada will be sold or is sold and that it will be levelled.
I havew learned that a demolition permit was authorized with effect from Dec2, 2013 and that perhaps by now, December 7, the house may well be on its way to being completely destroyed. I post the following from Long Island news:
Village of North Hills Building Inspector Don Alberto said Thursday that a demolition permit has been issued for the St. Ignatius Retreat House, which has been closed since June 2.
“There was a complete application, we reviewed it and it met all the legal requirements,” Alberto said.
The Tudor style mansion, Inisfada, was demolished on December 5, 2013 to make way for housing development. Duchess Genevieve Brady hosted Cardinal Pacelli at the estate just a few years before he became Pius XII.
"In early 2013, the Jesuits announced Inisfada was too expensive to maintain, closed it, and put the estate on the market. The mansion and the surrounding thirty-three acres were bought by a developer for $36.5 million who plans to build upscale single-family homes. A petition to declare Inisfada a historic home was denied. The Jesuits did not even bother relocating artifacts of historic importance to Catholic institutions, century-old antiques in Inisfada, including the Cathedral Chair used by Cardinal Pacelli. Instead they were auctioned. The $50,000 proceeds went to Fordham University."
A truly sad loss of history. I wasn't familiar with this piece of history till now; it sounds fascinating. I understand Mrs. Brady having been a Dame of Malta, but how does one manage to be made a papal duchess? I wonder if that's even still possible today?
I have been to Inisfada, the former home of Duchess Brady. It was an amazing place. The rooms were a delight to the eye and the chapel was simply beautiful. The grounds seemed endless. It was a warm and peaceful place.
ReplyDeleteThe duchess and her husband had no children and Brady gave the place to the Jesuits. She later married the Irish minister accredited to the Holy See. She died in Rome in the late 1930s. Her body is entombed, along with her first husband, at the Jesuit provincial house and chapel in Ohio.
I have read much about her - a recipient of the Latarae Medal from Notre Dame -- and she was a Dame of the Holy Sepulcher and a Dame of Malta as well as being a member of the papal nobility. Exceedingly generous to church causes both here (USA) and abroad. Remarkable people. But, I am saddened that Inisfada will be sold or is sold and that it will be levelled.
I havew learned that a demolition permit was authorized with effect from Dec2, 2013 and that perhaps by now, December 7, the house may well be on its way to being completely destroyed.
ReplyDeleteI post the following from Long Island news:
Village of North Hills Building Inspector Don Alberto said Thursday that a demolition permit has been issued for the St. Ignatius Retreat House, which has been closed since June 2.
“There was a complete application, we reviewed it and it met all the legal requirements,” Alberto said.
The permit, he said, was issued on Dec. 2.
Anything for money.
ReplyDeleteThen you have to wonder what they will do with this money.
A mortal sin.
ReplyDeleteJesuit demolition of all things Catholic.....
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/great-gatsby-era-retreat-house-dismantling-begins-1.6550511
Bonkers.
ReplyDeleteHow terribly sad - could have been a wonderful retreat house... lots of catechesis...
ReplyDeleteThe Tudor style mansion, Inisfada, was demolished on December 5, 2013 to make way for housing development. Duchess Genevieve Brady hosted Cardinal Pacelli at the estate just a few years before he became Pius XII.
ReplyDelete"In early 2013, the Jesuits announced Inisfada was too expensive to maintain, closed it, and put the estate on the market. The mansion and the surrounding thirty-three acres were bought by a developer for $36.5 million who plans to build upscale single-family homes. A petition to declare Inisfada a historic home was denied. The Jesuits did not even bother relocating artifacts of historic importance to Catholic institutions, century-old antiques in Inisfada, including the Cathedral Chair used by Cardinal Pacelli. Instead they were auctioned. The $50,000 proceeds went to Fordham University."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2013/farewell-inisfada.html#.Uqhlz7hiy1M.facebook
A truly sad loss of history. I wasn't familiar with this piece of history till now; it sounds fascinating. I understand Mrs. Brady having been a Dame of Malta, but how does one manage to be made a papal duchess? I wonder if that's even still possible today?
ReplyDelete