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.”
Sarah Mac Donald, a freelance writer based in Dublin, reports for NCR on the recent meeting of Catholic reform groups in Limerick.
Brendan Hoban in his most recent Western People column wonders when the limits to loyalty will reach breaking point for Irish Catholics. “The Catholic Church, as bishops and sometimes parish priests remind us, is not a democracy but if people are used to their opinions being taken seriously in every other walk of life, they tend to raise a collective eyebrow when the Catholic Church decides that decision-making is confined to a tiny elite.”
The Fourth Sunday of Easter is often called Good Shepherd Sunday, because the readings are about the care we receive from Christ, our true shepherd — a care Christians are invited to copy. Today is also the Day of Prayer for Vocations.
Deborah Rose-Milavec reports on www.futurechurch.org about the 2nd international meeting of priest associations and lay reform groups that recently took place in Limerick.
Throughout the Easter season, the Church continues to announce and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Press statement following international conference in Limerick, hosted by ACP, that brought together over 30 Catholic priests and church citizens from Ireland, Austria, Australia, Germany, India, Italy, Slovakia, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S.
P. John Mannion responds to an assertion that the ACP consistently proposes altering Catholic moral teaching.
A shortened version of an article in the April issue of The Furrow.
Pádraig McCarthy
Brendan Hoban in his weekly Western People column wonders what we are losing by the ‘ gradual, insistent airbrushing of religion out of Irish life.’
He says that as a result ‘to refer to the challenge and comfort of a lived faith in a God of love and compassion is almost to speak a language that so many now either refuse to speak or don’t really understand.’
Attached are two submissions to the Synod.
One from ACI and the second from AUSCP.
The Association of Catholics in Ireland have provided a lengthy document and the AUSCP have provide a summary of what they say “U.S. priests with decades of family ministry have presented to the Vatican office for the Synod of Bishops on the family. The survey results, with responses from almost 600 U.S. priests, were presented today (April 10) to Msgr. John Abbruzzese of the Synod office”.
Maria Teresa Pontara Pedervia reports in the vaticaninsider.lastampa.it website that Austrian bishops reminded us all that despite the crucial role women play in the life of the church it can often be overlooked!
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn commented that ‘the Gospel stories are full of female figures that have played important roles, but “none of these women has ever been canonized,” he regretted.’
Brian Eyre wonders if the celebration of the Eucharist could become so rare it could be seen as a museum piece?
He hopes not but suggests the only way “This can be avoided is if the priesthood is opened up to others and not limit it to male celibate candidates only.”
An International Network of Church Reform Movements conference will take place next week, from Monday 13th April to Thursday 16th April, in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Limerick.
This four day event is not open to the public but there will be an open session at 8.00pm on Thursday, 16th April in the Radisson Blu in Limerick. Some of the international participants will speak of their experience of Church Reform in their parts of the world, and how we can move forward. Members of the public are welcome to this event.
Select a category in the sidebar for more posts
Select a category in the sidebar for more posts
