Forty years later recalling the wise words of Fr Paul Hynes

Over 40 years ago an Irish Dominican regularly spoke about the importance of Dominicans, especially young Dominicans, making sure to be gainfully employed.

At the time the Irish Dominicans had a number of men teaching in the Dominican-run school in Newbridge in Co Kildare. The late Fr Paul Hynes thought it a great place for a young Dominican to begin his pastoral life.

"It will give you the discipline of a nine-to-five job, five days a week. What else would you be doing but hanging about doing nothing," he would say with a sense of fun and anger in his voice.

Much has changed in 40 years but is it possible or fair to say that today priests seem unwillling or 'afraid' to work and mingle in the workforce of humanity?

So often one gets the impression that priests are simply not there where they really are needed, wanted and required. Instead they find refuge in their own groupings, all the time far away from the daily life of people.

So often one gets the impression that priests are simply afraid to go out and work and consider themselves equals in the workforce.

It's easy to develop lofty ideas about God when one is not part of the madding crowd.

Right across Europe and maybe in other places too, good and noble people are walking away from the institutional church. Why? Is it that priests have stayed in their presbyteries/monasteries/priories, looked out their windows and sometimes, just someimes, waved at the people passing by.

And always thinking they know best what God is thinking.