Statement on the Synod, Association of Catholic Priests
Statement issued by the Association of Catholic Priests on the forthcoming Synod on the Family.
Blog
Synod On The Family; Expectations Of A Diocesan Bishop
Johan Bonny, Bishop of Antwerp, Belgium, has written of his expectations of the forthcoming synod.
It is a longish document but well worth reading in its entirety. The following excerpts are meant to only give a flavour of what he has written.
The makeup of Synod of Bishops on the Family is disappointing
Thomas Reese in his latest NCR column expresses concerns that change is not really happening with the Curia if we are to judge by the make up of the upcoming Synod on the family. He says that ” Having curial officials as members of a synod fails to recognize that they should be staff not policymakers.”
He also states his concerns whether the lay auditors “will represent to the bishops the views of lay Catholics, but it is hard to argue that they are representative of Catholics at large.” He concludes that ” If Francis and the Council of Cardinals is not willing to change the makeup of the synod of bishops, it is hard to believe they will really fix the Roman Curia.”
Married priests: A financial burden? Divided hearts?
Brian Eyre draws on his own experience to add his contribution to the General Assembly of the ACP on October the 1st on the discussion of the possible return of married priests to public ministry. Brian says that his own experiences show that married priests need not necessarily be a financial burden on a parish and secondly that their dedication and time will not be divided.
The Last Priests in Ireland
As a preparation for our discussions ‘The Vocations Crisis, will clustering work?’ at our AGM on 01 October, we commend to our members two articles from the September Furrow, On the Edge by Donagh O’Meara and The Last Priests in Ireland by Donald Cozzens, which map out the context for our discussion.
We encourage as many of our members as possible to attend the AGM in the Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone, 01 October 2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m.
On the Edge
As a preparation for our discussions ‘The Vocations Crisis, will clustering work?’ at our AGM on 01 October, we commend to our members two articles from the September Furrow, On the Edge by Donagh O’Meara and The Last Priests in Ireland by Donald Cozzens, which map out the context for our discussion.
We encourage as many of our members as possible to attend the AGM in the Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone, 01 October 2.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m.
“Starting a National Conversation” The Association of Catholics in Ireland
ACI invite you to ‘The Church. the Family and Society in the 21st Century”
Featuring
Mark Patrick Hederman OSB
Abbot of Glenstal Abbey
Dr. Siobhan Garrigan
Loyola Chair of Catholic Theology
(Trinity college)
Getting real about Vocations
Brendan Hoban in his Western People column invites and challenges us to come up with realistic solutions to the ever growing shortage of priests in Ireland.
The Permanent Deacon
Enda Lyons in Tuam’s diocesan magazine, New Dawn, writes that when considering the permanent diaconate we should start with the ministry of Christ and not of priests. “Christ’s ministry was, as we know, very broad and not at all narrowly ‘churchy’. The Christ in the gospels was to be found much more often in the villages, on the roads, by the lakeside and in the hills, than in the Temples or synagogues. His Temple was wherever people were and his ministry started and ended with tending to their needs.”
Move clergy out of Rome to refresh the curial mindset – and to be kinder to priests
Mark Langham contends in the Tablet blogs that the notion that more senior figures might spend only part of their career in Rome would surely broaden the outlook of the Curia.
Recent developments for understanding child abuse
News on recent remarks by the Ombudsman for Children, and on a report from Australia. Pádraig McCarthy
Presider’s Page for 23rd Sunday (7 September)
Opening Comment We gather as God’s family, concerned for each other, supporting one another in sadness and joy. The challenge of living as part of the Christian family is laid…
Peter McVerry sj: Social Activist and Campaigner
Kirsty Jane McCluskey interviews Peter McVerry SJ, for her project about Jesuit vocation and identity: http://jesuitstories.wordpress.com/2014/08/31/peter-mcverry-sj-social-activist-and-campaigner/
In memory of Fr. Billy O’Gorman
We had the funeral mass for Fr. Billy 0’Gorman on Tuesday, August 26th at Toornafola Church. Billy died after a very brief illness at the age of 73. The funeral…
Ordinary Time, 22nd Sunday (31 August)
We gather to praise God and to ask for help and grace. We know the difficulties that can come when we try to live the right way. Often the road of life is like the way of the cross.
A new way of looking at the parish
Brian Eyre suggests a radical way of looking at parish, getting back to the roots of Christian community.
Catholic church must welcome ‘unconventional couples,’ top Italian bishop says.
Josephine McKenna, Religion News Service, reports in the NCR that Bishop Nunzio Galantino, leader of the Italian Bishops Conference, said that “that everyone should ‘feel at home’ in the church, and especially at Mass — including migrants, the disabled, the poor and those in unconventional relationships.”
Head of Vatican liturgy office moved back to Spain
Anthony Ruff OSB reports in praytellblog.com on what could be interesting times for the Congregation for Divine Worship.
Australian bishops gravely concerned about crisis in Iraq
Gerry Hefferan, St Joseph and St Anthony Parish, Bracken Ridge, in Queensland, Australia draws our attention to a statement of the Australian catholic bishops who have expressed grave concern at the humanitarian crisis that is continuing to worsen in northern Iraq. They state that ‘The best outcome for the Christians and Yazidis of Iraq is peace and security, so they can return to their homes. But if this is not possible, the Australian Government should agree to offer safe haven to many of these displaced people so they can try to rebuild their shattered lives.’
Is the reaction of the church and state in Ireland appropriate in response to this and other growing crises?
Pastoral Care with homosexual and trans people
Invitation received to conference in Rome
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