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Brian Fahy’s reflection on his own life’s journey certainly proves that ministry is not confined to ‘being a parish priest, or indeed a minster of religion, or a liturgical, sacramental operative.’
‘My time in the Redemptorists was rich even as it was also difficult…….. I am (now) learning how to be a good father and grandfather in these later years of my life. I am also learning how to be a widower at peace with the story of life that came to me.’
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Seamus Ahearne reports of an interesting dialogue he had recently about the state of church and liturgy and sacraments.
“Much of Liturgy has evolved from the Monasteries. It has grown fat with the accretions of history. It has become something to endure or admire or look at. Despite all the changes of language; it can still be so passive as a Celebration. ……
The psychological reality is that there are too many words hurled at us. Any real psychology of praying is absent. There is no space for quiet; for sharing; for being still…..
Someone has to shout stop and strip off the accretions and reduce the Mass to its essentials and make space for God to speak and for us to be part of it. It is all noise and fuss and rush.”
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Colm Holmes of ‘We Are Church Ireland’ prepared this report on the transparency of our 26 dioceses in Ireland using the same criteria as VOTF in the USA at the end of 2017.
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Chris McDonnell writing in the Catholic Times, January 5th 2018, offers a reflection for the new year.
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praytellblog reports on how another retired UK bishop comes out against the New Missal.
“Like a number of my fellow bishops I have had plenty of time to repent of our original decision to vote this translation through Conference.”
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This article was submitted by John O’Laughlin Kennedy on behalf of ‘Christians United in Prayer’.
Christian Unity Week runs from January 18th to 25th, and the plan is to welcome people from other denominations to our churches or meeting places to pray for church unity, for peace, and for blessings on one another. The unity we are praying for is the unity that Jesus prayed for, the unity of caring love.
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Lecture on “Difference, Division and Acceptance of Diversity” by Gabriel Daly, organised by We Are Church Ireland.
15 January at 7.30 p.m. In Mercy Centre International, 64a Lr Baggot Street, Dublin 2
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Brendan Hoban reflects, in his weekly Western People column, on our expectations of Christmas.
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Seamus Ahearne reflects on the reality of pastoral ministry and care in a ‘disadvantaged’ parish;
“more work and different work is essential in a Deis (band 1) parish. Our Church is outside of the building. Our Liturgy has to happen on the hoof. The preparation for the special occasions needs more energy and more imagination. It has to be gentle, real and kindly. The domestic Church is the only church we now have.”
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An update, by Mattie Long, on the ongoing story of the ‘new missal’ and the failure by some bishops to have paid it proper attention before they approved it, along with the their willingness to bow to pressure from Rome that “was intent on complete oversight.”
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Sean McDonagh writes of an alarming rise in the number of those being murdered for defending their community’s lands, natural resources and wildlife. One of those murdered was Fr. Marcelito Paez. Fr. Paez’s murder took place during a two-day period which saw ten activists shot dead in Luzon and in the southern Philippines on the island of Mindanao.
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Over the next days, months, and years there will be much media coverage and comment on the The Final Report of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
The report is vast, consisting of 17 volumes and an executive summary.
It can be accessed at the commission’s website directly.
https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/preface-and-executive-summary
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The National Catholic Reporter carried an article about the call by Australian Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen for an end to clericalism in the church.
“… the priesthood ‘pedestalized’ is the priesthood dehumanized. It is bound to lead us into the illusion of a messiah complex and an inability to claim our wounded humanity and to minister in partnership. What we need to do is to humanize the priesthood so as best to equip ourselves with relational power for authentic Gospel living and service.” Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen is quoted as saying.
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Angela Hanley gives an account of the 19th Annual LGBT Christmas Carol Service that was held in Dublin on Saturday 09 December 2017.
Angela tells of the genuine welcome that was extended to all by the Unitarian Church.; “this welcome is rich, all encompassing and full of the love of God.” She finishes her report by saying “others will just have to learn how to provide the same welcome in their own churches.”
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A short note by Tim Hazelwood about the first of the healing Circles
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There is an interesting letter in this week’s The Tablet from the retired bishop of Portsmouth, Crispian Hollis.
It confirms the worst suspicions about the lack of attention that was paid by bishops when the ‘new missal’ was being foisted on us.
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In a press release (06 December 2017) the Irish bishops welcomed the letter of Pope Francis ‘The Great Principle” (03 September 2017) which gave responsibility and authority to local conferences of bishops over the translation of liturgical texts.
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Joe McVeigh suggests that we need to view the position in which our church finds itself as an opportunity rather than a crisis.
“this is not a crisis for the Church. It is a crisis for a certain model of Church leadership and ministry. The old model was based on the pyramid structure of the Roman Empire. The Second Vatican council moved away from that model – in theory anyway.” ……
“The prophetic role of the priest in Ireland today has been neglected. There has been much discussion about the need to reform the church rather than about how to make the Word of God relate to the lives of people of today.”
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Our AGM is still attracting interest with Sarah MacDonald writing in the National Catholic Reporter about the ‘advice card’ for priests that has been published by the ACP and the introduction of “Healing Circles”.
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Chris McDonnell writes in the Catholic Times about the decision of the bishops conference of England and Wales not to address ongoing problems with the language of the ‘new missal’.
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