Dear Editor, I fully agree with the points that John Rogers makes (Letters IC 24/08/2017) about the priestly ordination of men. But where are they? The men I mean.
Women outnumber men in any Church ceremony or occasion by at least seven to one. Girls so outnumber boys in any youth gathering that one would almost believe that the word ‘youth’ in Church speak means girls.
Anyone looking at The Irish Catholic ‘Out and About’ pages would be hard pressed to find any male human being over 14 and under 40. They are as rare as hen’s teeth.
Then there is the problem of ‘inclusive’ language which seems to exclude the word ‘man’.
In our local church pre-Vatican II, we had a man’s side and a woman’s which were both equally full. There were Men’s Missions, Men’s Sodality, special jobs for men and of course altar boys.
Something of that could easily be brought back in my view. There could be a sort of informal quota system in operation whereby girls might persuade more boys to come to youth gatherings and altar servers could be evenly divided. Priests would surely enjoy get-togethers with like minded men.
John Rogers is also very right in what he says about the standard of religious education.
Yours etc.,
Bríd Ní Rinn,
Prosperous,
Co. Kildare.
We need to act out our Baptism as missionary disciples
Dear Editor, You published a letter by Fr Patrick Seaver (IC 03/07/2017) which points out the current reality; that despite compulsory attendance in religious education classes in preparation for Holy Communion and Confirmation, we never see the children in the church ever again and they become part of the two lost generations of practising Catholics.
The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin has said that our young people are among the most catechised in Europe, but among the least evangelised. One of the initiatives of the Dublin archdiocese was the distribution of 250,000 copies of the Gospel of St Luke throughout the archdiocese.
I wrote to the archbishop and suggested that the Life in Spirit Seminars should become part of the preparation for Confirmation and not an add on. My other suggestion was to visit all the houses that the Gospel of St Luke was delivered to, just like the founder of the Legion of Mary, Frank Duff did. Although my letter was acknowledged, no implementation of my suggestions was ever carried out.
I have read Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) from cover to cover and in my opinion it is the most practical and revolutionary book on evangelisation I have ever read. There is such wisdom and encouragement in it, that if implemented by parishes it would transform our churches into life-giving, vibrant communities.
In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the people of God have become missionary disciples. When are we, ‘The Church’, going to begin, like Frank Duff, knocking on doors and sharing the Gospel with those open to receive it?
Yours etc.,
Bill Black,
Bray,
Co. Wicklow.
Bring the church outside
Dear Editor, Congratulations to the Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin for organising what looked like a very successful family picnic in Punchestown last week. I think it just goes to show that a simple idea can be the most fruitful. It doesn’t take a huge imagination to host a free, children-friendly event to attract families.
Our parish of St Marys in Tallaght also hosted their annual family day the same weekend in the grounds of the Dominican priory and attracted a large number of people that I have never seen at Mass. As you wrote in the Notebook last week, if they won’t come inside the church, we need to bring the church outside!
Yours etc.,
Mary Reilly,
Tallaght, Dublin 24.
SDLP abandoned the pro-life cause
Dear Editor, Recently Mary Kenny referred to the death of the SDLP in Northern Ireland (IC 17/08/2017). I am sure that one of the reasons for the downfall of that party was its abandonment of the pro-life cause. It seems that many pro-lifers had no option but to vote for the DUP which is unequivocal in its opposition to abortion.
How could anyone who is pro-life vote for that party which recently suspended four of its members because they did not support a motion condemning those outside the Marie Stopes abortion clinic standing up for unborn babies?
Thankfully most did not and consequently they lost out in the recent election. How sad to see a once admired and respected party succumb to the media acceptance of killing the most vulnerable and weakest members of society, babies in the womb.
I wonder if there is any chance of it now realising its mistake and making amends, if only to recover the support and respect they once enjoyed. Wishful thinking?
Yours etc.,
Mary Stewart,
Ardeskin,
Donegal Town.
Rosary decade prayer part of Fatima message
Dear Editor, In his letter (IC 24/08/2017) Fr Joe McVeigh called for people to stop saying the Rosary decade prayer
“O Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell …” because the words belong to a different time and era. Does he also think that Holy Scripture should be rewritten to exclude the many references to the fires of Hell?
The Fatima seer, Servant of God Lucia, made it clear that while she was certain that these were the words of the decade prayer requested by Our Lady on July 13, 1917, she does not think that souls burn in a material fire but that the “fires of Hell” as she and her two cousins saw them, are a symbolic representation of the punishment awaiting those who deliberately refuse God’s mercy.
I had the privilege of being present in Fatima for the visit of Pope Francis this year, and Pope Benedict XVI seven years ago. Both Popes participated fully in the public Rosary, at which the prayer was recited after each decade.
Fr McVeigh goes on to say that it is claimed that the prayer originated in Fatima. It is of course more than a claim: it is part of the Message of Fatima as approved by the Canonical Enquiry in 1930, and supported by every Pope since then.
Yours etc.,
Lauri Duffy,
Howth, Dublin 13.