The Christmas Story – video with lyrics.

Brendan Hoban writing in his weekly Western People column worries about the type of church some church leaders are pushing on the faithful.
“What’s emerging is almost a church within a church where visions, novenas and relics skirt the edges of superstition, where questionable piosities are lauded and intellectual rigour is suspect, where asking a question is tantamount to betrayal, where pleasure is distrusted and sexual pleasure anathema, where Catholicism takes on an Amish-like appearance and where a series of ‘Catholic’ newspapers encourage a return to the severity, rigidity and judgementalism of the past.’

Chris McDonnell writing in the Catholic Times about the crisis in which the church is mired states “First of all, we cannot expect, nor should we presume, that the bishops can achieve change by carefully chosen phrases and pious pleasantries. There must be deep and meaningful exchange with the laity, using the latter’s experience and expertise to inform and develop a satisfactory strategy. Ownership by all achieves more than the instruction from a selected group.
Secondly, we must ensure that women are allowed and encouraged to participate fully in such developments……….The singular male voice has dominated for too long and the story that has been told has been incomplete. Maybe now, at long last, change will be forced upon us and we will recognise that appreciation of the broader picture will only come when the response is from both men and women.”

From Commonweal magazine: Fintan O’Toole on the cost of prosperity Paul Baumann, March 12, 2024, Commonweal Fintan O’Toole is a terrific writer, and his We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History…

SOMETHING OF THE WEEKEND THAT WAS MISSION: The earlier hours (Saturday morning, 19th October) were spent trying to put some outline shape on this Mission time. I meandered in my…

Brendan Hoban writing in his weekly Western People column worries about the type of church some church leaders are pushing on the faithful.
“What’s emerging is almost a church within a church where visions, novenas and relics skirt the edges of superstition, where questionable piosities are lauded and intellectual rigour is suspect, where asking a question is tantamount to betrayal, where pleasure is distrusted and sexual pleasure anathema, where Catholicism takes on an Amish-like appearance and where a series of ‘Catholic’ newspapers encourage a return to the severity, rigidity and judgementalism of the past.’

Chris McDonnell writing in the Catholic Times about the crisis in which the church is mired states “First of all, we cannot expect, nor should we presume, that the bishops can achieve change by carefully chosen phrases and pious pleasantries. There must be deep and meaningful exchange with the laity, using the latter’s experience and expertise to inform and develop a satisfactory strategy. Ownership by all achieves more than the instruction from a selected group.
Secondly, we must ensure that women are allowed and encouraged to participate fully in such developments……….The singular male voice has dominated for too long and the story that has been told has been incomplete. Maybe now, at long last, change will be forced upon us and we will recognise that appreciation of the broader picture will only come when the response is from both men and women.”

From Commonweal magazine: Fintan O’Toole on the cost of prosperity Paul Baumann, March 12, 2024, Commonweal Fintan O’Toole is a terrific writer, and his We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History…

SOMETHING OF THE WEEKEND THAT WAS MISSION: The earlier hours (Saturday morning, 19th October) were spent trying to put some outline shape on this Mission time. I meandered in my…

Seamus Ahearne casts his eyes about on recent happenings.
“May all of us catch the light and begin our song.    May the chorus of life – dawn on us daily.  Let’s sing our song.”