P.J. Madden, of the diocese of Kildare & Leighlin has agreed to become the fourth member of the Leadership Team. We are very happy to have P.J. on board.
P.J. comes from a different background to the rest of us, having been married and reared a family before he decided to study for the priesthood when his wife died.
He brings a wide range of experience and knowledge to the team, and we look forward to working with him.
With a seeming hiccup holding up the production line of new bishops, {five appointments in the waiting line}, Brendan Hoban asks in his weekly column “who would want to be a bishop? “
A little tongue in cheek he suggests ” a few of us might even at this late hour be prepared, for the good of the Church and reluctantly, of course, to accept high office though in advanced years, …. So if the nuncio is really, really stuck, I have a few in mind who would loosen things up a bit.”
SONGS AT MASS: Christ Be Beside Me; Spirit of the living God; Ag Críost an Síol ; Bring Flowers of the Rarest… Opening CommentThe Ascension of Jesus will be celebrated…
The Website IP5, or onepeterfive, carries an interesting article about an open letter written to Pope Francis by a “former member of the curia”.
The letter originally appeared in the German-language magazine, FOCUS.
While clearly meant to be read as a criticism of Pope Francis it perhaps unintentionally gives a disturbing insight into much of the culture and mindset of the curia and how they see their position, power and status in the church.
Do all bureaucracies, in the spirit of “Yes Minister’s” Sir Humphrey, eventually come to think that they are there to be served rather than serve, that all wisdom resides in them and none in the temporary ministers, or popes, who come and go and that all decisions should be left firmly in their control?
Pope Benedict’s reasons for retiring become clearer every day.
[for international readers; “Yes Minister” was a BBC tv comedy. The chief civil servant, bureaucrat, Sir Humphrey was apt to reply ‘Yes Minister’ to every request of the Government Minister and then worked wholeheartedly at subverting every single plan and policy of the minister if it in any way infringed on the power and control of the civil service.}
This is the report of a very interesting meeting that was attended by members of our Association from the dioceses of Cork and Ross and Cloyne on Tuesday last, 9 August.
A meeting organised by the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) was held for the Diocese of Killaloe in the Lakeside Hotel Ballina-Killaloe on Wednesday 23 February 2011. There were 31…
Pádraig McCarthy collates comments on the Irish Times series on ‘Catholicism Now’ in the week beginning 2 June.
He writes: ‘So far, I’ve found nothing surprising, except where they’ve got it wrong. Here are a few comments, maybe useful if it comes up in discussion. The Irish Times is not good at accepting and publishing corrections. Your relevant comments welcome. — Pádraig McCarthy.
