Manchester, Monday, 22 May 2017, 10.30 p.m.
Late evening
No words
only
tears
No laughter
only
fears
Darkness as
the music died
Late evening
No words
only
tears
No laughter
only
fears
Darkness as
the music died
Seán McDonagh, drawing on the wisdom of ‘Laudato Si’ brings to our attention the impact the consumption of meat is having on Humans and the Global Environment.
“We might think that this generation is merely following the tradition of our ancestors when it comes to eating meat. In reality the global meat industry has grown dramatically in recent decades. Between 1963 and 2014 meat production globally has grown from 78 million tons to 300 million tons.”
“to reach a healthy level of meat consumption, citizens of the United States would have to cut their meat consumption by two-thirds, while in Britain and Ireland we should be eating half as much meat as we do.”
The Irish Independent interviewed Tim Hazelwood, member of ACP leadership team, concerning the false allegation that was made against him and the toll it took on him. Tim also deals with the pressures that priests experience due to the continuing and increasing shortage of priests.
Bernard Cotter argues that Communion from the chalice should be universally available in Ireland, given the high number of coeliacs in its population
Seamus Ahearne, in his usual style, anchors us in the reality that is church in Ireland in 2015; a church where the hot button issue/culture/liturgical wars so beloved by some are just irrelevant to many people.
“Evangelisation happens on the streets, in the shops, in the schools, at the door, in the community and especially in the homes. We are interpreting experiences. We are the learners. We are the outsiders. Evangelisation is about humility. When we realise how little we know and how fragile we are now in a culture that doesn’t know our God or our Church; we can relax and learn. The God we used to preach/celebrate really wasn’t always a loving, real and immediate God either. We were in control. Now we are at a loss. But that too is alright. We are old but aren’t dead yet; we can learn if we are prepared to.”
The Council of Priests of Dublin Diocese commissioned a report by Towers Watson to estimate the number of active Priests in the Archdiocese of Dublin in 2030 and estimate the Mass attendance numbers and number of people presenting for sacraments in 2030.
The report having made this estimate then puts forward some suggested ways of coping with the projected situation. These suggestions are to be discussed by the Council of priests.
How similar is it to projections made by others dioceses?
Are there any new imaginative suggestions as to how the Church in Ireland should respond to the impending virtual disappearance of priests from most communities?
How did the Church in Ireland discern their direction in difficult times in the past? They held many Synods, when such consultation was far more difficult to arrange than today. Although these were clerical events, today it’s clear consultation must be opened up.
This is an article in the Furrow of January 2012.