It seems the Irish Dominican province has been hijacked by a group of right-wing culture warriors.
Reading the leaflet one could easily get the impression that Dominicans have exclusive rights on truth.
It's insulting to the bus driver, the nurse on the hospital ward, the IT worker, the gardener, the cleaner, the teacher in the classroom, the journalist, everyone, who is not a cleric.
Is this really what has become of the Irish Dominicans? It can't be as ludicrous as this? Does the material tell us anything about the work Irish Dominicans do?
It tells us that "Dominicans live in imitation of Christ". Self-centred gobbledegook. Far too universal a statement to have a shred of truth about it.
The layout, the style, the typeface is unattractive.
On the accompanying prayer card one reads: "... Our Blessed Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and patrones(sic) of the Order.
"The form of life of the Dominican friar draws him to enter more perfectly into union with Christ and to be transformed along the way." In this awkward sentence it's still possible to get a sense of the pomposity of the leaflet. Indeed, an insult to the parents of every single Irish Dominican.
What sort of people would or could be attracted to this view of life, the world, God?
Does it say a meaningful word to 21st century readers?
The vocabulary throughout the leaflet is simply alienating and couched in pious cliches.
And then the pictures. Below are two of the pictures in the leaflet.
9 comments:
Remind you of an old Catholic Truth Society pamphlet.
I note the direction they are facing.
Pre-Conciliar stuff at its worst.
You being a Dodder man might be interested in this.
Link
Michael, Ciaran Dougherty here again.
Why do you think that it is your right to attack the work of one of your brothers? The brother who produced this is trying his best to preach the Gospel and to draw people to the Order. He has more of an insight into what is attractive to people these days than you do.
As I have said to you before, why don't you try and get to know the brethren, instead of just criticising them?
It's easy for you, the great rebel, to sit at your computer and rubbish the efforts of people who are sincerely trying to draw people to the Dominican way of life we have. You don't live it, and that is your choice, but please leave those who do wish to live it alone.
You say that what has been produced is an insult to the parents of every single Irish Dominican, yet you seem to have no problem insulting the author? I'm an Irish Dominican and this is in no way an insult to my parents. To even suggest that it is shows how deep the end you have dived off is.
You should know better than this.
Ciaran.
'It seems the Irish Dominican province has been hijacked by a group of right-wing culture warriors'. It sounds similar to the comment you dismissed in your post concerning the 8th amendment leaflet 'allies in the media'. Are we to presume you are the only one allowed to do this? Do you have 'blog sphere infallibility' ?
I understood your comment about parents of Dominicans to highlight the common baptism of all christians. It was not, as implied above, an insult to the parents of Dominicans. The use of phrases such as Dominicans living the Christian life " more perfectly in union with Christ" may , inadvertently give the impression of levels of perfection. Such an impression may be offensive to all who are baptised. I am sure the Dominican who replied would not promote such a non-christian belittling of baptism.
This is the most real post I have read here. Well said!
In fact it's prophetic. It could not come at a more appropriate time - in every sense:
- First, in Holy Week.
- Second, at a time when the Church desperately needs religious men and women who are true to their charism.
- Third in the light of the recently released statistics about faith, belief and religious affiliation in Ireland, to speak to the minds and hearts of people today.
The offending literature - and accompanying 'illustrations' could have come from the 1900s.
This publication fits nicely with the newer members of the province that I have come across. I think it is a good indicator of the province's orientation in recent years and a far cry from smelly sheep.
Pope Francis on what it is to be a priest:
A priest is someone who also got rid of the temptation to see himself as a “devout” individual who retreats into a religious intimism which has very little of the spiritual about it.”
- to the Italian Bishops' Conference, May, 2016.
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