Confirmation Irish Style - A living faith is optional

I agree 100% with THIS PRIEST regarding the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation as it currently is administered throughout Ireland.

I pray that the renewal that is on its way in Ireland allows us to look again at the way we administer the sacraments in a very changed Ireland.

First Holy Communion Season - a.k.a. Silly Season

All over Ireland during the month of May in parish after parish it is First Holy Communion time. And what a time it is. I have to be honest and say that I dread it each year. Each year I spend hours upon hours with the children of the school I am chaplain to in an effort to instill in them a love for and an awareness of Jesus in the Eucharist and the great thing that is the Mass.

Unfortunately the Sunday Mass practice rate among these young children is less 10% and there are a number of them who have rarely (if ever) been at Sunday Mass. So I often feel like I am speaking to them in a completely foreign language, sinc ehte subject matter is so very foriegn to them. But we as a Church in Ireland dare not say: "Okay your parents obviously don't consider the faith important enough to introduce you to the most basic elements of our faith - so we'll leave off First Holy Communion until later." No - it's very much a free for all.

I know some might quote me the Lord saying: "Let the little children come to me." And that is something I dwell quite alot on - but I'm more and more convinced that the Church in Ireland is more than willing to demean her Sacraments to make it convenient as possible for people to partake without even the bare minimum of commitment. That seems to be a pattern right across the board - how can we facilitate you Sir/Madam - Rule: Let's not get caught up in Rules - your wish is my command. I often get the impression from some of my brother priests - a minority I think/hope - that it's more about backsides on seats than about drawing people to sainthood.

Every year quite a number non-Catholic Christian parents ask our parish if their child can be baptised (again!!) as Catholic (only for the day you understand) so that they can make their First Communion with their classmates. I fear in some parishes some priests might be saying yes!

In my few experiences of First Holy Communion day in the parish I have seen too much of the outward trappings of the day and very little of the real meaning of this great day in the lives of the children. It seems to be about the money, the hair, the clothes, the performance (readings, prayers, songs, poems, the photos (so much about the photos), the celebration afterwards; and so very little about that awesome encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist. It is indeed wonderful to find a child (and family) that have their priorities right - who take their child to Mass every Sunday (before and after First Holy Communion)and who make the day centre around the celebration of Mass. Those families are rare enough it seems.

And it is sad to say that it is at First Holy Communion in the Parish that I encounter the most disrespect and downright obsenity at Mass. The Church is treated like it was a bingo hall, and some people - and I mean ladies - are dressed in ways that are less than lady like. I was severly tempted to say to one lady at our recent First Communion Mass that she was in the wrong building - that the local swimming pool was at the other side of town.

At the end of this rant (I seem to be doing alot of that lately) I have to say that the children are like sponges when it comes to the things of God since for many of them their parents have utterly failed to introduce them to Jesus Christ in any meaningful way. They are so open to the Gospel and to the things of God. And none of them have made a decision against going to Mass. It just doesn't appear on the horizon of priorities in many families. As one young child in the First Communion Class said to me: I asked my parents to bring me to Mass - but they said no! It might sound harsh, but one wonders how their judgment will go - since they take their vocation as parents so lightly and are doing precisely what the Lord warned should not happen - that the little ones be kept from him.

Lord - come soon! Maranatha!

But wait!!!!

The Archbishop of Dublin makes a good point - one that he will hopefully follow through on:

"We need a more demanding catechesis, within a parish framework, for those who wish to come forward for admission to the sacraments. Admission to the sacraments is not something which is automatically acquired when one reaches a certain class in school. "

Benedict XVI - Prayer for the Church in Ireland

I wish to conclude this Letter with a special Prayer for the Church in Ireland, which I send to you with the care of a father for his children and with the affection of a fellow Christian, scandalized and hurt by what has occurred in our beloved Church. As you make use of this prayer in your families, parishes and communities, may the Blessed Virgin Mary protect and guide each of you to a closer union with her Son, crucified and risen.


God of our fathers,
renew us in the faith which is our life and salvation, the hope which promises forgiveness and interior renewal, the charity which purifies and opens our hearts to love you, and in you, each of our brothers and sisters.

Lord Jesus Christ,
may the Church in Ireland renew her age-old commitment to the education of our young people in the way of truth and goodness, holiness and generous service to society.

Holy Spirit, Comforter, Advocate and Guide,
inspire a new springtime of holiness and apostolic zeal for the Church in Ireland.

May our sorrow and our tears, our sincere effort to redress past wrongs, and our firm purpose of amendment bear an abundant harvest of grace for the deepening of the faith in our families, parishes, schools and communities, for the spiritual progress of Irish society, and the growth of charity, justice, joy and peace within the whole human family.

To you, Triune God,
confident in the loving protection of Mary, Queen of Ireland, our Mother, and of Saint Patrick, Saint Brigid and all the saints, do we entrust ourselves, our children, and the needs of the Church in Ireland.
Amen.

Pope Benedict's Letter to the Irish

Below are some significant excerpts from the Holy Father's Letter to the Church in Ireland. The Letter deserves to be read in full and can be read HERE.


Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Church in Ireland, it is with great concern that I write to you as Pastor of the Universal Church. Like yourselves, I have been deeply disturbed by the information which has come to light regarding the abuse of children and vulnerable young people by members of the Church in Ireland, particularly by priests and religious. I can only share in the dismay and the sense of betrayal that so many of you have experienced on learning of these sinful and criminal acts and the way Church authorities in Ireland dealt with them.

It is true, as many in your country have pointed out, that the problem of child abuse is peculiar neither to Ireland nor to the Church. Nevertheless, the task you now face is to address the problem of abuse that has occurred within the Irish Catholic community, and to do so with courage and determination. No one imagines that this painful situation will be resolved swiftly. Real progress has been made, yet much more remains to be done. Perseverance and prayer are needed, with great trust in the healing power of God’s grace.

At the same time, I must also express my conviction that, in order to recover from this grievous wound, the Church in Ireland must first acknowledge before the Lord and before others the serious sins committed against defenceless children. Such an acknowledgement, accompanied by sincere sorrow for the damage caused to these victims and their families, must lead to a concerted effort to ensure the protection of children from similar crimes in the future.

To the victims of abuse and their families
You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry. I know that nothing can undo the wrong you have endured. Your trust has been betrayed and your dignity has been violated. Many of you found that, when you were courageous enough to speak of what happened to you, no one would listen. Those of you who were abused in residential institutions must have felt that there was no escape from your sufferings. It is understandable that you find it hard to forgive or be reconciled with the Church. In her name, I openly express the shame and remorse that we all feel. At the same time, I ask you not to lose hope. It is in the communion of the Church that we encounter the person of Jesus Christ, who was himself a victim of injustice and sin. Like you, he still bears the wounds of his own unjust suffering. He understands the depths of your pain and its enduring effect upon your lives and your relationships, including your relationship with the Church.

I know some of you find it difficult even to enter the doors of a church after all that has occurred. Yet Christ’s own wounds, transformed by his redemptive sufferings, are the very means by which the power of evil is broken and we are reborn to life and hope. I believe deeply in the healing power of his self-sacrificing love – even in the darkest and most hopeless situations – to bring liberation and the promise of a new beginning.

Speaking to you as a pastor concerned for the good of all God’s children, I humbly ask you to consider what I have said. I pray that, by drawing nearer to Christ and by participating in the life of his Church – a Church purified by penance and renewed in pastoral charity – you will come to rediscover Christ’s infinite love for each one of you. I am confident that in this way you will be able to find reconciliation, deep inner healing and peace.

To priests and religious who have abused children
You betrayed the trust that was placed in you by innocent young people and their parents, and you must answer for it before Almighty God and before properly constituted tribunals. You have forfeited the esteem of the people of Ireland and brought shame and dishonour upon your confreres. Those of you who are priests violated the sanctity of the sacrament of Holy Orders in which Christ makes himself present in us and in our actions. Together with the immense harm done to victims, great damage has been done to the Church and to the public perception of the priesthood and religious life.

I urge you to examine your conscience, take responsibility for the sins you have committed, and humbly express your sorrow. Sincere repentance opens the door to God’s forgiveness and the grace of true amendment. By offering prayers and penances for those you have wronged, you should seek to atone personally for your actions. Christ’s redeeming sacrifice has the power to forgive even the gravest of sins, and to bring forth good from even the most terrible evil. At the same time, God’s justice summons us to give an account of our actions and to conceal nothing. Openly acknowledge your guilt, submit yourselves to the demands of justice, but do not despair of God’s mercy.

It never seems to reach rock bottom

As yet another episode in the ongoing clerical abuse scandals in Ireland hits the headlines, I would ask that all readers of this blog pray for the Church in Ireland - especially as we celebrate St. Patrick's Day on Wednesday.

I started this blog determined not to use it as a forum to present news (especially such bad news as clerical paedophilia), but this thing is so big and so many of the faithful - both clergy and laity - are so demoralised, shocked and in many repsects at their wits end, that I feel it important to make this post. We must continue to pray for those whose young lives were so terribly derailed by the abuse they suffered, and we must pray for the Church in Ireland. May the Lord bring all the skeletons in the collective closet of the Church in this land once and for all into the light of day. And maybe then we can begin to rebuild something that will truly be to the glory of God and something which truly radiates the love and power of Jesus Christ in our Land.

A priest I know once remarked that the faith in Ireland is not dead - but it is on life-support. The past few days make me tempted to think he's not far off the mark. May the long-awaited letter from Pope Benedict be a moment when Peter will rouse the Irish church from her sickbed (Cf. Acts 9:40-41). I pray that the Lord intervenes soon - for many souls are tempted to distance themselves from the Church and the Sacraments - so great is the scandal they feel and so poor has the catechesis been here for at least 2 generations. For as great as the sins the clergy may be, there is not a single thing wrong with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the sacraments are as vital now (maybe moreso) than ever before. What a victory for the evil one that the sins of these priests should not only blight the lives of so many innocent children, but that they should also distance others from Christ.

As you may detect I write from a very sore place. I've gone through so many emotions in the past few days - anger, frustration, hopelessness, and hurt too - the same hurt many good Catholics up and down this country are feeling right now. We priests aren't exempt from that. We are as shocked and as disappointed as anyone else would be. We feel as helpless in this as any of the faithful. And after going through the whole range of emotions - what is there left to us but prayer and trust in God - for only he can bring light too and from all this darkness. In the end, only the Lord Jesus can bring the healing that is required on so many levels to so many different people who are affected by this terrible depravity and its aftermath.

May he does so quickly. Oh God come to our Aid - Oh Lord make haste to help us!

Mary Queen of the Apostles - pray for our bishops.

Mary Queen of Ireland - pray to God for us.

Thank God: Ireland is Pro-Life

Mary set out and went as quickly as she could. This took place right after the Angel Gabriel announced to her that she was to give birth as a Virgin to the Saviour of the world. It would have taken Mary, at the very least I'd say, a few days to get to Elizabeth’s house and so we can guess that when she arrived there, Jesus was no more than a couple of weeks old, quietly growing in her womb, at a stage of the pregnancy when many women wouldn’t yet know they were pregnant. And – small and all as he was – his presence; the presence of the Lord clothed in flesh, is felt by the six month old baby – John the Baptist - who leaps for joy in the womb of his mother. And Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit recognises as her ‘Lord’, what many in our world would class as a mere bunch of cells.

But this pregnancy and every pregnancy is much more than a bunch of cells – it is a living human being, growing and developing along the great path of life that we all have taken from the first moment of our conception to this day. Science tells us it is human life – that every pregnancy – no matter how conceived – means a human being is present and living.

And if it is a human being, and he or she is a human being, then it stands to reason that he or she has certain human rights which cannot and should not be overlooked – the most important being the right to exist – the right to life itself. As scientific progress advances our knowledge of the mechanics of life, and as the consciences of this generation and those of the future are awakened to the great evil of abortion, how will future generations judge our generation on how we treat human life at its most vulnerable, on how we stand up for the rights of living human beings at this most delicate stage of development. How will those future generations judge our world’s treatment of so many mothers who tragically feel they have to make the decision for abortion? Is that the best solution we have to offer them in difficult situations? A solution which leaves one dead and another seriously wounded on so many different levels. In Ireland, thankfully we haven’t yet completely sold out on our fellow citizens in the womb, although their brothers and sisters stored as excess embryos in labs fare less well.

Up and down this country in every parish, a high percentage of the baptism carried out are of children whose parents are not married. That’s not great news, it’s far from ideal, but I thank God that we live in a country that by and large cherishes the unborn – because in other countries, those same children have less of a chance of making it out of the womb alive, never mind being brought to the baptismal font. We are overwhelmingly a pro-life country and indeed our Catholic faith means that we can be nothing other than pro-life, because to be pro-choice (as benign and well-meaning as that title seems to be) is to be pro-death; pro the death of innocent human beings at their most vulnerable. Long may Ireland hold firm to its convictions and be a beacon of light – a sign of contradiction - to virtually the whole world. And when the world finally comes to its senses with regards to abortion – may history record that Ireland - and very few other places – was a place where that madness, that great evil, could find no inroads.