Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Damaging one's health

A dilemma today.

There is a comment made on the blog today re the referendum on Thursday. This blog is of a different opinion than the author of the comment and is indeed strongly opposed to the argument and style of the comment. But not to have published it would have been censorship, which meant there was no alternative but to publish.

The comment appears under the Lisbon Treaty of May 6.

Again, why the anonymity?

Two reasons that point to how irrelevant the Irish Dominicans are becoming.

Walking in a town in Ireland yesterday I met a man I know for many years. He 'grew up' with the Dominicans and has been a long-time worshipper in one of our churches.
Yesterday he said, "I can't go there (the Dominican church) any longer. They are doing my head in".

The demonstrations re the stopping of funding for the redevelopment of Dominick Street has meant that people are upset and are also demonstrating. Not a public word, not a whisper from the Dominicans, who are their neighbours and indeed those who administer the parish.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Could you tell us about your dilemma? What has the comment on the Lisbon treaty to do with the second half of your contribution re the irrelevance of the Irish Dominicans? And does this mean that you are irrelevant yourself, since you are an Irish Dominican?

The attention seeking aspect of your blog is rather distasteful. I dont know how you get away with it....your contributions generally are very insulting. Shameful.


I shall retain the right to remain anonymous. Thank you.

Michael Commane said...

Thank you for your comments.

Michael Commane said...

Forgot to say I have no problem realising and recognising my own irrelevancy.

Anonymous said...

"They are doing my head in." One person's comment is hardly a good indicator of any pattern or general state of affairs. Perhaps things have changed he doesn't like, but others do? Perhaps his expectations have changed while the Dominicans haven't. And there are more diverse expectations on religious institutions and ministers nowadays that everyone can't be please. Unfortunately, the common approach is to continue as has been done these last 30 years. If you continue doing what you've always been doing, you're likely going to get the same results.

The involvement of religious and clerics in the public sphere has not always been a happy one. Secondly, is there anyone in the Dominican community you mention that is capable of helping? I imagine most are elderly, tired and probably doddery. The young are probably few in number and over stretched as it is. How many in the community have been sent there to do "local" work?

Michael Commane said...

Thank you for your comments.
The irony of it is that the hardest working and those most concerned about people are in general those you call 'doddery'.

Anonymous said...

Your "general" statement is far too general to be true. Perhaps the doddery are more concerned about those they think are still frequenting the church...but who are in fact either dead, housebound, or gave up on church going years ago.

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