Preaching

So the buzz word is 'manpower'.
I have just read 1.1 of the Draft Manpower Document of the Irish Dominican province.
"Closures will bring about renewal."
Elsewhere in it I read that the Irish Dominicans can provide the Irish people and those coming to Ireland purpose in their lives.
For me these are difficult words to read. Who do we think we are that we can write this sort of material. At present we don't seem to be too interested in offering hope to each other.
What is it about clericalism that makes people think that they have some sort of 'God-given' insight which allows them talk as they do?
Instead of being close to people it seems to me we are isolating ourselves more and more from the daily lives and sufferings of those to whom we think we have something to say.
Is there any forum/management structure which will help and advise priests in their preaching and ministry.
At a Mass I was at two weeks ago I heard a priest (not a Dominican) 'preach' seven minutes of total nonsense. His celebration of the Eucharist was appalling. Certainly Latin would suit him and those who have to listen to him much better then no-one would understand him.
And I don't think he is too great an exception.
Why is the standard of preaching so poor?
A seminar/meeting/workshop on our preaching, where we would invite people who attend our churches to join with us could prove a fruitful exercise.
Of course there are great preachers of the Word. But they always seem to me to be the men who have cast off all the shackles of clericalism.

Stocks and shares

While working at The Irish News I had the good fortune of meeting Archbishop Brady. I always found him a kind and pleasant man, very friendly and no nonsense about him. A man devoid of pretension, a humble man in the best sense of the word.
His sermon at Knock has received much attention.
But, there is always a 'but'. I imagine long before the ordinary Irish punter was dabbling on the stock market, the Irish hierarchical church was buying and selling shares. Is there a single diocese or religious congregation that does not have stock market portfolio? I doubt it. I imagine they have financial advisers.
The money that has been at their disposal to pay for the misdemeanours of priests has been mind-boggling.
Has anyone ever done an audit of church property in Ireland?
As for the tarot cards; I recently read a monthly 'holy' magazine, which was a mix of pious nonsense and patronising lore. And then all through it there was a clear hint that they needed money to keep it going.
I like Archbishop Brady. What he said needs saying, but as per usual, there is more to the story.

Journalists and priests

I think it is St Thomas who says that it is what is said rather than who says it that should concern us.
That has been a dilemma for me today. I see there has been a controversy between Irish Independent columnist, Ian Doherty and Fr Vincent Twomey.
Both men greatly annoy me. And then it dawned on me - it's not who they are but what they say. But it is exactly that - what they both say that irritates me.
Interesting. It strikes me that journalists and priests have much in common - many of them, journalists and priests end up believing in their own importance. And that certainly seems to be so with both these men.
Ian Doherty versus Vincent Twomey!
But the sun shines in West Kerry today and I'm not buying the Independent and have no intentions of letting Vincent Twomey annoy or irritate me.
Funny thing is though that I am a priest and a journalist.

The picture

The older man in the picture posted by Nick Miller is Tadhg Kelliher from Castlegregory. He tells me that he worked for my grand-aunt and grand-uncle. He says they were extremely odd.
Does that explain me?

New academic year

At last the sun has appeared in West Kerry and there can be no place in the world more beautiful than this corner of the earth.
Alas the summer is almost over and it's back to business shortly.
I have been on holiday here at home for the last ten days.
It's the place my grandfather was born and his before him. And it is in that context that I am delighted to be going back teaching. As and from next week I'll be teaching German in the local secondary school. The modern buzz word is 'connectivity'.
I'm also delighted to be going back teaching German. It's up there with my 'first loves'.
And then on top of that Concern has given me a permanent pensionable job based on three days a week. It means the coming year will be busy.
But then it has always dawned on me that being busy is an important key to the puzzle. Maybe especially for priests. I often wonder what priests do all day.
Please pray for me. I have bought a Honda Deauville 700cc. Amazing piece of equipment but dangerous too.
The plan is to retrace the steps of the Soviet general who routed the Wehrmacht on the Volga and chased them all the way back to Berlin. And he told him too that he would meet him again and it would be in Berlin.
But it is just to Tralee this afternoon!

Edith Stein

Today is the feast of Edith Stein.
On a visit to Poland in 1985 I called on an Anglican pastor on the GDR Polish frontier near Breslau. We had morning coffee together and I can still remember how he told me that his State - The German Democratic Republic - was about to collapse.
At the time I thought he was out of touch. How wrong I was and how correct he was.

Italian wisdom

There is an excellent article in The Guardian of August 8 - feast of St Dominic by Neal Lawson. It is about the positive possibilities that are now offered by Gordon Brown's premiership in Britain.
The author quotes a line from the Italian strategist Antonio Gramsci, ".. the old is dying the new cannot be born".
The article is about how Brown may address the symptoms of inequality.
He talks about how the political pendulum swings between our desires as individuals and our social needs, between our private and public lives, the thirst we have for freedom and the hankering we have for security.
It is ideal reading material for those Dominicans meeting in Bogota at present. Dominicans, who preach the Gospel would do well to read it.
I'm tired of all the new pious guff I am hearing and reading.

Flying kites

Came across the following sentence on the webpage of the Dominican chapter in Bogota.

"The eighth month of the year is beginning. This is the right season for flying kites in Bogotá; it is very windy."

The following piece also appears on the webpage.

"A new week has begun here in the General Chapter. Our Eucharist was celebrated in French by the Provincials of the Provinces of Saint Dominic and Saint Thomas in Italy. The homilist this time was Fr. Giovanni Distante, O.P, Provincial of the Province of Saint Thomas Aquina, who preached about 'becoming aware of the necessity of more complete and visible solidarity with the human beings of our time'; a preoccupation that must be present in the General Chapter. The songs for the Eucharist were in charge of the student brothers."

Is it cynical to say that this sort of language leaves people confused?

Feast of Saint Dominic

A word to say thank you to those who have made comments on this blog.
The reason why I decided to discontinue was multifaceted.
Bloggers are a strange 'breed' and bloggers who are associated with the clerical 'thing' seem even more 'strange', especially those with a 'pseudo conservative' style about them.
I also despair at times when I look around and realise how the clerical institution refuses to face serious issues.
Just in recent days I have experienced a form of anger and violence that has really frightened me. And it was because of that experience I decided what's the point in trying to get any form of discussion up and running. Most times, that anger and violence is hidden and couched in a worrying form of silence and 'pretence'. Now and again it emerges in many different manifestations.
And back to the website of the Dominican chapter in Bogota. It is appalling - will anyone shout out and say this is a terrible website? I doubt it.
Recently a Dominican told me that we exercise our form of democracy when we vote for our 'superiors'. I find that astonishing but also patronising. Does it mean once we vote we shut up and say nothing. Dominic would surely turn in his grave at such an idea.
On this 8th day of August 2007, happy St Dominic feast to all readers.

Maybe good bye

It is most probable that this blog is about to close down. Blogs and bloggers are a strange animal.
There are more efficient ways of getting the message out to the public.
That letter, which I quoted from The Tablet makes a good point about the mind-set of some bloggers. And I would hate to be associated with such a grouping.
I hope you have enjoyed what appeared on this blog.
But be assured, the fight goes on.

Not user friendly

Can anyone advise on how to navigate around the Dominican Order General Chapter webpage.
It appears to be far too complicated for those 'lesser mortals'. But that reminds me of years ago when people would hear a sermon, not understand what was being said and then come to the conclusion that it was above their heads. Of course, it was not above their heads - just simple rubbish that had no sense to it.

Excellent letter in The Tablet

This letter appeared in last week's The Tablet.
I quote it because it is written by someone, who is most perspicacious. An excellent letter, which needs to be carefully read and then discussed in an open and honest fashion in every seminary around the world. And now too.

"Mark Francis was right about the motu proprio in what it ignores and its missed opportunities. For the most part (to quote the motu proprio), 'Christ's faithful who spontaneously request it' and 'parishes where a group of faithful attached to the previous liturgical tradition exists stably' are already well catered for under the existing arrangements.
And for all the talk about 'leaving the 99 to go after one lost sheep', the new arrangements will not bring the Lefebvrists into the fold - their problem has never been liturgy but ecclesiology - they do not believe in the same church. Once the dust has settled, the newly all-powerful Ecclesia Dei commission has made its mark with one or two star chambers, and everyone has calmed down, the main difference will be that some seminarians and younger clergy of a certain persuasion (most of them, incidentally, bloggers and all of them knowing the private email addresses of the Roman Curia) will be wearing more lace and promenading a little more grandly.
Chris Grady
London SW4"

Dominicans meet in Colombia

Provincials of the Dominican Order are currently attending a general chapter in Bogota. A chapter is held every three years and at the next one, venue to be decided at this meeting, the Order will elect a new leader.
There does not appear to be a bulletin board on the website of the Order, informing people what is going on at the chapter on a daily basis. It would be so much more attractive and user friendly if one could go to the site and read what is happening that day and what happened yesterday.
Maybe every province of the order should have its own daily update.
Why is it that when it comes to communications and the dissemination of information, church organisations are simply not at the races?
Is that why there is far too often a knee jerk reaction to 'blame the media'?
The Dominicans will spend much time and expense talking at Bogota about the mission of preaching. Before another word is said someone should direct the provincials to do an honest audit of what the actual situation is on the ground, province by province.

Sermon of prior provinical of the English Dominicans, Allan White

Navigating around the web there is some interesting information on the chapter of the Dominican Order taking place at present in Colombia. Here is a sermon preached in the last few days by the provincial of the English province, Allan White, who is actually a Cork man. He talks about not being saved by institutions. He also refers to a mission of transparency.
Interesting words.

The Pharisees took counsel together to destroy Jesus. They call a general chapter to decide how to deal with this threat to their survival. Like many who are involved in such meetings they concentrate so much on the detail in the picture that they risk failing to see the background. What is the background to Jesus? Matthew gives it to us quite plainly. He makes a long quotation from the Suffering Servant songs in Isaiah. In these songs Isaiah proclaims to the defeated and demoralized exiles in Babylon that their exile is ending and that they will return home. They have been chosen as God´s servant to be a light to the nations. They are to live this vocation not by imitating the imperial ruthlessness of Persia and Babylon; they are not to adopt the way of earthly powers to subjugate and oppress human beings, their mission will bring light and justice but not with destructive force and military might; they will carry out this task with gentle care.

There is a contrast between this general chapter of the Pharisees and the response of Jesus to threat it poses. They intend to use the full force of the law to compel submission, but submission is not obedience. You cannot change consciences by making law. The Pharisees are proactive in their legal righteousness.

The contrast is with Jesus. Matthew emphasises what he does not do. “He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone here his voice in the streets, he will not break the bruised reed or quench a Smoldering reed. He dies not attempt to impose himself or his ministry by force. Faced with oblivion or with the threat of extinction he does not as many of us would do draw attention to himself, enter into controversy, gather allies or raise a faction, using the law, bending the system to ensure that we do not fall into the annihilation of invisibility. He withdraws rather than confronting those who reject him. Why so? So that all that he says or does may be more transparent to the presence of God which rests on him.

Jesus encourages his disciples into this same withdrawal. They too are called to the way of transparency. Sometimes religious institutions can imitate too closely the ways of state and empires. In their fear of extinction they forget that their mission is to mercy and that the laws they live by are simply commentaries on the Gospel. Many of us are bruised reeds and smoldering wicks, not to be crushed or quenched but summoned to the abandonment of all that prevents us from being transparent to the grace of Christ. We are not engaging in Chapter like that of the Pharisees motivated by fear, designed to eradicate threats and compel submission to law rather than encourage obedience to the Gospel. We know we shall not be saved by our institutions, our projects our priorities or our frontiers, but only by sheer naked commitment to Christ, the Word which we bear and in whose name we glory. All we have to offer is the Word and the name. People may expect more of us or demand more spectacularly visible triumphs, but they are doomed to disappointment.

We are called to follow Jesus on the way to the transparency. "Philip: the one that has seen me, has seen the Father". as well as Jesus was transparent with the One who sent him, this way, when people see us, they should only see Jesus. When Peter, in the Acts of the Apostles was going through the the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, a poor man asked alms . The man simply asked to be healed, which Peter was able to do. However, he gives the poor man much more. Peter asked him just to look on him and then he said: "Silver and gold I have not; but what I have, this I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk". Pedro asked the man to gaze at him, to see through him. Our task is not that people know to the Order of Preachers but taking people to know Jesus. That is the mission of all preachers: a transparency mission.

The Putin Youth

This link makes for an interesting read.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2134522.ece

It in some ways resonates with a new clerical tone within the Irish church and the Dominican Order.
The piece about being ashamed to wear the T-shirt - well you could replace that with 'roman collar' or some other items of clothing.
What do you think?
Surely the new tendency is worrying! Or is that the sort of thing Plato began to say as he grew old?

A letter

There is an interesting letter in today's Irish Times.
Here it is in case you may not have seen it.

VATICAN AND THE JEWS


Madam, - Newspapers around the world have reported that the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone, has declared that the highly controversial prayer for the conversion of the Jews could be dropped from the reintroduced Latin-language liturgy. He said that "we could simply study the possibility of substituting the prayer", which asks that "God remove the veil from Jewish hearts" so that they would recognise Jesus Christ.

The picture of the Church's top personnel (which ones, how many?) spending time studying this "possibility" is truly mind-boggling. We have no way of knowing what Jesus himself might think of this use of manpower by the Church which claims to be the only true Church of Christ. The words of the gospel come to mind: "and Jesus wept". - Yours, etc,

(Fr) SEÁN FAGAN, SM,

Lower Leeson Street,

Dublin 2.

The Bible

On Sunday and Monday Irish newspapers reporting on Joe O'Reilly being brought to prison mentioned that he asked to be given a Bible. Paris Hilton also had the 'Great Book' in prison.
That sort of detail always surprises/interests/amazes me.
I imagine a large number of Irish people are not familiar with the Bible as a whole or individual parts of it. And yet a man goes off to prison and he asks for a copy of the Bible. Why? Had he asked for 'Oliver Twist' would the newspapers have reported it? Maybe. If you were heading to prison would you ask for a copy of the Bible?
Just this morning I asked a colleague what was the first book of the Bible and she did not know.
Maybe I am wrong, but it often strikes me we pay great lip service to the Bible and know so little about it.
The readings at Mass at times seem difficult to understand. What a pity we don't sit down in our communities and discuss the readings at Mass in an open and honest way. We could learn so much from one another.
Are we as Dominicans excited about our preaching?
Is there not a great need to take on the challenging job of making the Bible come alive for people, seeing it through the eyes of faith and reason? We have some great biblical experts. Do we use them enough?

Money matters

Should anyone be looking for a single ticket railway voucher, all they have to do is call into a Credit Union office and purchase one. They are €30.50.
I called in to the Tralee Credit Union office to be met by a queue that was stretching from the counter area to the entrance door. It reminded me of that RTE programme 'Queueing for a Living'. But it also made me think of the different ways privilege manifests itself. I imagine people in high income jobs, people who don't have to think about money are seldom inside a Credit Union office.
An anonymous subscriber makes a comment re 'cleaning windows'. I don't really think the argument holds. I have stressed that anonymous subscribers are really not welcome on this blog.

Connecting heaven and earth?

I only experienced one heavy rain shower today. First day not to get wet on the bicycle in many days! It was a beautiful evening on the east coast and I went for a walk with Jordan O'Brien in the Curragh. It was a perfect evening and Kildare was looking magnificent. We called into Lumville House for a drink. Over 23 years ago John O'Gorman, Canice Murphy and I often called into Lumville for a drink on a Sunday evening before going back to teaching the next day in Newbridge.
The past so often seems idyllic but they were great days. And John is dead now. He was a genius. Is there a heaven where he is experiencing the love and reality of God? But where has all his knowledge gone? At first he was sceptical of what I would tell him about where our province was heading but probably after the 'Alfie' experience and one or two other events he began to see the 'light'.
He could cut through the humbug with laser precision, especially the pious humbug and all the nonsense that religious life has managed to collect over the years.
He once suggested that the province should offer redundancy packages to those who wanted to leave. He argued that many stayed because they were simply unemployable and could not keep up the same standard of life they had become accustomed to in the order if they left.
A Roman taxi driver thought John was a Roman so good was his Italian. But he never lost or forgot his Cork accent.
Mathematics was his first and real home and he got so bored in theology class that he began to take notes through the medium of Greek. He resigned his priesthood but remained a Dominican.
So, what is heaven, where is it. Is death the end. The only time I am ever convinced that death is not the end is when I visit my parents' grave or recall to mind close friends who are dead. Is it some sort of consolation, an escape from the thought of destruction, annihilation?

Odd blogging

Someone pointed me in the direction of the blog of an Australian Dominican. On a quick read of some items on it maybe it is time for this blog to say adieu.
Are bloggers a daft lot?

Giving meaning to words

I recently heard a Dominican, a man I greatly admire, say that he was nervous about engaging with other Dominicans as he was afraid they would cut him apart. He explained his feelings succinctly and clearly by pointing out that he felt that every word he would say would be divided and sub-divided into many parts.
It made me think. How correct he is. We have developed an amazing technique in not communicating with one another. I say that on the day after the provincial has gone across the world to attend a general chapter of the Order. Who can care what will happen at that meeting if we are not talking and communicating with each other. Another Dominican admitted to me that he could not think of the name of the Master of the Order.
We are imploding and no-one seems to care. Certainly no-one wants to talk about it. Reading any documents that circulate you would think everything was great.
It is taking me some time to formulate, but I have a story to tell and am on the verge of putting it in print. For a group who gives such lip service to preaching the Gospel and talking about 'truth', well, I must admit to being confused.
Does pious nonsense hide us from what is real?

Celebrating Mass in the vernacular

All the talk about the Latin Mass is intriguing. Has it ever crossed anoyne's mind that there is real need for courses, seminars to help priests celebrate the Mass as we know it, in a prayerful, dignified and meaningful manner.
The prayers of the missal, the prescribed Scripture readings are wonderful. Far too often we priests render the celebration of the Eucharist a most unedifying spectacle.
Will celebrating Mass in Latin change that? I doubt it.
I am a priest 33 years and never once has there been a forum, a platform for discussion, whereby I could be helped and advised in the celebration of Mass. I cannot comment on my own celebration but I certainly have seen appalling instances of terrible celebration.
It would be great if the Vatican/bishops/religious superiors issued a helpful paper in how to assist priests celebrate the Eucharist. And, personally, I prefer to pray in a language I and the people praying with me understand.
I recently heard a priest ramble on and in the middle of his ramble he told the people praying with him that God needs our love. He also told them that the Saturday before Palm Sunday was a great time to marry. It was a sunny day so I presume he saw the sun and was thinking on his feet!
He might well be better off celebrating Mass in Latin, and maybe preaching too in a language most people do not understand.
Maybe the expression 'transparent liturgy' will become the latest oxymoron!

Denis Byrne RIP

June Caldwell,
That comes as a great shock to me. May I have your email address please.
MC

Battle for a word

On Saturday, July 14 Fr Tom McInerney celebrated 50 years of priestly ordination. Tom is a Tipperary man. When I was a student in the Dominican Priory in Tallaght we had the practice of reading in the refectory during meals. Tom McInerney was the corrector at table, which meant if a student mispronounced a word, Tom could correct the error. There could be up to 70 people in the refectory. I can still clearly remember the following incident. I was reading and the word 'nausea' came up. I read it, and believe I pronounced it correctly. Tom stopped me and pronounced the word as he believed it should be pronounced. I continued reading without referring back to his 'corrected version'. He stopped me again and said the following; "Brother Michael it is the custom in this house when the corrected is corrected by the corrector, the corrected corrects the correction of the corrector". That's what he said.
The following day a brother pronounced the word corps as in army corps as if it were a dead body. Fr Tom never corrected him. He must have had a crystal as that man has held 'high office' in the province.
Those were the days and maybe still are.

The good Samaritan

Sunday's Gospel tells the familiar story of the good Samaritan and how the priest passes by without helping. It is an interesting story and with great relevance for our times.
How come that most of the manual work in Dominican priories is carried out by women. In these last days I was in a priory, a priory that has a large number of young men, and I observed a young woman cleaning the windows. Surely there is something odd in that?
Up to 40 years ago the non-ordained brothers polished the shoes of priests. So too did the sisters polish their shoes.
And maybe the mindset has not moved on too much in the intervening years.
Is it somehow or other bred into Irish priests that they may not dirty their hands? Is that why the priest passed the man in trouble, was he afraid to dirty his hands and clothes?

Liturgial integration

Today's Irish Times carries an interesting editorial on Poland. The piece is titled 'Awkward Poland'. It makes some interesting points and refers to how the present government's strong defence of national sovereignty and Catholic fundamentalism represents a radical break with previous Polish governments formed since 1988 and is quite at odds with values enshrined in European integration.
It's a fair point.
How are the Irish Dominicans responding to the pastoral needs of the Polish communities in Ireland?
Is it just a question of bringing Polish Dominicans here and filling our churches with Poles for Polish liturgies?
Has there been any discussion, thought or consensus involved in how to minister to the Europeans visiting our churches?
Are we just clapping ourselves on the back when we see our churches filled again, this time with non-Irish?
But if Mass can be in Latin, why not in Polish, Lithuanian, German, Latvian?
The last thing we want are ghettos.

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A comment has been removed as it was attributed to anonymous.

Raining on the soul

It has rained every working day in Dublin since mid-June. If you are a cyclist you are bound to be angry and frustrated at this stage. Last evening coming home from work it was raining and this morning as I left for work it was raining.
People who don't experience what it's like really don't understand how bad it is. They don't get wet, they simply cannot appreciate the awfulness of it.
And that very point struck me cycling down Rathgar Road this morning in the rain. It made me think about the word 'preaching', preaching the Gospel. Over the years I have heard so many ministers of religion 'preach' to people, telling them how to behave. But how can someone who has never sat in another person's skin enter into any sort of significant conversation with them?
And that forced me on to think about analogy and how well Philip Gleeson spoke on the subject.
Any sort of glib comment about moral behaviour has to be counterproductive. Any simple pious words about God surely are blasphemous.
I cringe when I read some catholic publications, which seem to serve up all the 'answers' to their readers. We should call them the Catholic Red Tops. I'm against all forms of censorship so I can't advise people not to read them!
I also find it odd how the church does not continually go that extra kilometre when it comes to supporting the poor and the marginalised, the people who are suffering.
What sense or good does it make if we tell people 'we know' and then add, 'we are right'.
For me, the church uses and lives on the vocabulary of powerful and wealthy institutions, every now and then, offering lip service to the poor and marginalised.
What real care and compassion is shown by superiors to those who are marginalised?
If I had my way, I'd make cycling, cycling in the rain, an obligatory requirement when studying theology.
Anyone know next week's weather forecast?

'Knocking'

Yes, I also believe 'knocking' is part of the fun of blogging, especially so in an era where there seems to be an emphasis on being serious and important, maybe most of all in an organisation as the Irish Catholic Church where there is a growing and worrying tendency whereby people are becoming annoyingly insular.
I am amazed that a newspaper does not get a journalist to eavesdrop on Sunday sermons and then report on them in Monday's edition.
I think very quickly many Irish priests would begin to take themselves and their high notions of priesthood less seriously having read a series of sermons.
But 'knocking' might irritate people, might make them think the writer is a crank. And that would be of no help. This blog is about creating a platform for a serious and open conversation. It is an attempt at debunking pious humbug.