Details of a conference being organised by the Loyola Institute entitled ‘The Role of Church in a Pluralist Society: Good Riddance or Good Influence? ‘
It will be held in Trinity College, Dublin, from 22 to 24 June.
We publish the text of the talk given by Máire Ní Dhuibhir at the ACI meeting in Galway last Thursday, 31 March. It created an enormous impression among the people who came — long and sustained applause.
It loses something in print, in that Máire sang various parts beautifully, but it is a very worthwhile read.
“I think we would be immeasurably enriched by getting together as women, re-reading the New Testament and try and find the women’s story there and learn about the great women mystics and the independent women of the church who founded orders of nuns and the stories of contemporary women. I think we can articulate like these women before us how the Divine is always with us, just as Jesus promised. I believe we can then change the Church and the communities from within.”
Robert Mickens in his letter from Rome, in globalpulsemagazine.com, writes that “exasperation is also growing over the tortoise-like speed with which Papa Franceso is moving to reform the Roman Curia (and other structures in the Church)”.
Meanwhile ‘reform of the curia is unnecessary’, says Archbishop Gänswein’ . Christa Pongratz-Lippitt reports in The Tablet.
Where are we at? Has all this talk of reform, or lack of reform, or the need, or lack of need, of reform any relevance in the day to day life of an Irish priest in 2016?
The Association of Catholics in Ireland (ACI) will host a meeting entitled:
WOMEN: POTENTIAL FOR MINISTRY IN THE CHURCH.
Date: Thursday 31st March 2016.
Time 7.30 p.m.
Venue: Clayton Hotel, Galway.
Sarah Mac Donald reports in the NCR on comments by Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry who said that unless the bishops are seen to be “willing to go way beyond our comfort zone then people will say you are just a group looking after yourselves.”
Tony Flannery responding said that he has received “great support from many people and priests,” but he has also experienced “how quickly and completely church authorities shut you out as soon as the Vatican moves against you…… All I have ever looked for in relation to myself and others who are accused of ‘dissent’ is a process that is fair, just and transparent.”
He added, “The present CDF process is a scandal, and brings shame on our church.””
On the eve of Holy Thursday Pádraig McCarthy reminds us of the cost of true discipleship in many parts of the world with reports of the death of Fr. Vincent Machozi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Coming so soon after the murder in Yemen of four religious sisters, Sisters Anselm, Marguerite, Regina, and Judith, of the Missionaries of Charity, the religious order founded by Mother Teresa, it highlights the immense dangers now faced by so many Christians who seek to practice their faith in a very disturbed world. Twelve others who worked with the sisters as volunteer aides were killed on 04 March by members of ISIS.
Sean O’Conaill argues that with the continuity of Catholic faith in Ireland now seriously in question – and with controversy growing over equal access to primary schooling for all – it is time to abandon school-centred Catholic faith formation as a catastrophic failure.
Pádraig McCarthy writes about an unusual “co-incidence” in the date of Good Friday this year. It won’t occur again until 2157.
Happy Spring Equinox and Holy Week.
Opening Comment (for Mass without Procession – otherwise as in Missal) A week from now we will be celebrating Easter. But before we reach that feast, we must recall the…
We regularly receive recommendations that Gabriel Daly’s The Church: Always in Need of Reform should receive as much publicity as possible.
We include a number of relevant links.
Opening Comment As we journey through the fifth week of Lent, we pause to keep the feast of Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. We mark the day by praising…
Thomas O Laughlin writes about the tardiness of Cardinal Sarah in changing a simple rubric despite being requested to do so by Pope Francis. Thomas has written about the Holy Thursday washing of feet in The Pastoral Review.
Opening Comment We gather to worship our compassionate God, who heals our sinfulness and challenges us to leave sinfulness behind. Penitential Rite: To prepare ourselves for this celebration, let us…
Seamus Ahearne contrasts the, sadly failed, herculean efforts of one national ex-serviceman to exercise his right to cast his vote in the recent general election with the ‘The squabbling and childishness of many of the TDs (that) dishonours the flag and our country.’
But Seamus concludes that “Yes, I should be more gentle with our politicians and the electors – we probably all suffer from the same ‘sin’ of today. The immediate and the superficial and obvious is all we can cope with.”
Next week, Hans Küng, the Catholic priest and Swiss theologian, will mark his 88th birthday. The fifth volume of his complete works, titled Infallibility, has just become available from the German publishing house Herder. In connection with the release of Infallibility, Küng has written the following “urgent appeal to Pope Francis to permit an open and impartial discussion on infallibility of pope and bishops.” The text of his urgent appeal was released simultaneously by National Catholic Reporter and The Tablet.
“Receive this comprehensive documentation and allow a free, unprejudiced and open-ended discussion in our church of the all the unresolved and suppressed questions connected with the infallibility dogma.”
The homily at the Funeral Mass of Judge Adrian Hardiman (1951-2016) 10th March, 2016 Readings: Proverbs 2:1-9; 2 Corinthians 5:1,6-10; Mark 12:28-34 We have to pinch ourselves, are we really…
Sean McDonagh kindly provides the text of an interview he did with Brian Rowe of the National Catholic Reporter during his recent 10-day speaking tour of the East Coast of the U.S. which focused on his new book on Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home.”
Sean tells us “This is potentially an extraordinary moment for the church,” … “… Now do we take it or do we go back into our burrows? I hope we take it.”
Tony Flannery writes of his experience of a funeral celebrated with love and dignity.
“God was just as surely present there today, not just in the host and the wine, but in the gathering of the people, and the way in which they surrounded the mourners with love. “
“It was sad, it was emotional, but it was also at some deep, mysterious level, beautiful.
Sometimes it is good to be part of this too often broken Church. Today was one of those days.”
We extend our sympathy to all of Tadhg Mc Donnell’s family and friends, especially his wife Kathleen, and sons John and Patrick.
May he rest in peace.
Opening Comment We have reached the midway point of the season of Lent. The joy of Easter is within our reach and the parent of the prodigal son encourages us…
Sean McDonagh, at the U.S. launch of his book ‘On Care for our Common Home, Laudato Si’ published by Orbis Books, gives a report on the grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented farce that is passing for political debate in the republican presidential primary contests.
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