We continue to make steady if slow progress.
We will not call a meeting of priests out of ministry until we have an Advisory Board in place.
We have sent out 8 invitations to that Board. It will take time to get replies and meet with each individual invitee.
The main thing is that we are on course and we are getting very encouraging responses.
Sean McDonagh highlights Patrick’s experience of forced migration and slavery, which would give the saint an understanding the plight of Ireland’s migrants today.
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.
Bill O’Herlihy, who describes himself as a committed Catholic, commends Tony Flannery’s book “A Question of Conscience” and finds in it an exposition of how the Vatican and its constituent bodies deal with people who challenge any of their views. (Given as a talk at the launch of the book at Royal Hibernian Academy on 12 Setpember 2013.)
The ACP Leadership Team announces that the opening prayers from the 1998 Missal are to be made available on the Presider’s Page published for each Sunday Mass.
Coverage in the media, RTE and The Irish Times of the AGM in Athlone
Sean O’Conaill suggests that if no priest is allowed to express an opinion contrary to the Vatican position, we cannot be sure what any priest really believes
A relevant interview is at http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Item/1029/the_truth_about_falsely_accused_priests.aspx.
Just to add my support to the endeavours of the ACP. As a ‘priest out of ministry’, I yearn for the day when the ‘sensus fidelium’ is the true voice of the Church, instead of the patronising, power centred institution that is the Vatican!
Oh rapture! Oh bliss! Stay strong for those of us out of ministry but longing to be in full participation. Good ol’ St Patrick – his grandfather was a married priest. What a history for us…