It Started

I feel I have to mark this moment: 11pm on the 4th August 1914, when Britain declared war on Germany and the First World War began for us. Thousands of Irish men fought in the British army, which was at that time our army and our country, and many of them died defending not just King and country, but for the cause of freedom. My great-grandfather was among them, thankfully he survived, but he bore the scars of battle for the rest of his life.

Their noble gesture was made in the light of the crazy refusal of powerful men to talk to each other, to find a peaceful way of resolving their differences, a great refusal which led to the deaths of millions. Pope Benedict XV pleaded with the warring factions, they ignored him. When Blessed Charles of Austria became Emperor of Austria he sought to make peace, to end the war, they ignored him too. Peace was rendered mute.

There are many lessons to be learned, we haven't learned them yet. But let us remember in prayer all those souls who died in this bitter conflict. Among them heroic priests like Fr Willie Doyle who offered his life for those he served in the trenches, dying a martyr of charity. And we must not forget that nobility and courage was to be found among those the allies were fighting, we remember them too.

Sir Edward, later Lord, Grey, Foreign Secretary, famously said that with the outbreak of this war "The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our lifetime". Tonight people are extinguishing lamps and candles to mark the beginning of the war. I'm not so sure about that. Perhaps we should be lighting them again - why withdraw into darkness as we remember the horrors of war? Rather should we not come out into the light, and spread that light throughout the world so peace can speak in the light rather than be muffled in the darkness?

Let us pray for all those who died: 

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, 

and let perpetual light shine upon them, 

may they rest in peace. Amen.

Blessed Charles of Austria, pray for us

Fr Willie Doyle, pray for us

Another Excuse For A Party!

One of our new Beati: Blessed Joan of Jesus, OCD

 

Today two great events are happening in the Church - opportunities to celebrate.  First the Holy Father is renewing the consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Rome - the statue of Our Lady of Fatima has been brought over from the Portugal for the event.  I hope this renewal will bring many blessings and graces.  Following the definitive consecration in 1984 we saw the gradual dismantling of the Iron Curtain and the fall of communism in many countries, most notably Russia.  It is to be noted that first real swipe was in Poland, Blessed John Paul II's home country - the first domino to fall. 

 

Also in Spain, 522 martyrs are to be beatified today, among them eleven of our friars: from Lleida four friars: the Venerables Joan of Jesus, Bartomeu of the Passion, Silveri of St Aloysius Gonzaga and Francesc of the Assumption, together with Francesc's brother, the Venerable Pau Segala Sole, a diocesan priest.  From Tarragona seven friars: the Venerables Vicente de la Cruz, Elipio of St Rose, Pedro of St Elias, Angel of St Joseph, Carlos of Jesus Maria, Jose Cecilio of Jesus Maria and Damian of the Most Holy Trinity.  Four Carmelite Brothers from a congregation founded by one of our friars, Blessed Francis Palau, the Tertiary Carmelites of Education, will also be beatified: the Venerables Julio Alameda Cameraro, Luis Domingo Oliva, Isidro Tarsa Guibets and Buenaventura Toldra.  That congregation has since been integrated into the Discalced friars.  Friars from the Carmelites Ancient Observance are also being beatified in the same group: the Venerable Alberto Maria Aleman, O Carm, priest and eight young Carmelite brothers in formation, and the Venerable Carmelo Moyano Linares, O Carm, priest and nine companions - Carmelite priests, clerics and postulants.  So both branches of the Carmeite Order have reason to celebrate today.

 

I also note that last week Pope Francis canonised the Franciscan Secular Order mystic, Angela of Foligno by equivalence. Another great Saint, so great news. The Holy Father is certain going at saint-making with hammer and tongs.  In his short pontificate so far he used Papal privilege twice, dispensing with the need for a miracle for canonisation in the case of Angela and John XXIII, and I believe he will also do so for his fellow Jesuit, Blessed Peter Fabre.  Benedict used the privilege once, I believe, to canonised St Hildegard, and I think Blessed John Paul also only used it once to canonise St Maximilian Kolbe.  There are rumours that Francis may use it again for Pius XII, dispensing with miracles and beatification and going straight to canonisation.  If he did so it could raise a rumpus, although I think he might be the one who would actually get away with it.  He certainly loves his Saints does our Holy Father!

 

While I love new Saints, as you all know, I do think equivalence and dispensations kept to a minimum and the norms and process adhered to strictly.  One of the accusations often thrown at the Church when it comes to Saints is that is a purely political process and popes canonise their own cronies for ideological reasons.  The requirement for bona fide miracles knocks that accusation on the head.  As regards the time taken to process a Cause, well the quicker the better.  I'm not one of these who thinks every Cause should  be left for fifty year before even looking at it: if the work is done quickly and it is done right and in accordance with the canonical legislation, and there is a miracle, why wait? 

 

All that said we delight in the canonisation of St Angela and offer congratulations to the Franciscans.  And if he is so inclined, I might have a few candidates for the Holy Father - our own Matt Talbot, Fr Willie Doyle (he would have to dispense with the need for process there since the Jesuits have not decided to open a Cause there yet) and we have a lady, a member of our Fraternity, who was known for her holiness; we'd be delighted if the Holy Father would give us our first Saint!

 

Have a good Sunday.

Christians In The Military

Fr William Doyle,
Jesuit Mystic and Military Chaplain

One of the things Catholics can be most proud of is the heroic ministry of our military chaplains, particularly in times of war.  Many of our priests have been killed on the field of battle as they brought the sacraments and consolation to soldiers as they died.  Indeed Catholic chaplains have been acknowledged by many as being the one who took the greatest risks and were always to be found by their soldiers' sides in the heat of battle.  

 

A number of such chaplains are now on the road to beatification as the Church discerns that they were sanctified through their heroic ministry and laid down their lives out of love for those they served.   Among these we find the Servant of God Fr Vincent Capodanno, and the Servant of God, Fr Emile Kapaun, who was recently honoured by the US government and who may be beatified soon as a miracle has now been attributed to him.  Of our Irish chaplains, Fr Willie Doyle, killed during the First World War, is the most universally honoured and invoked, although, strangely, a Cause has not been opened for him.

 

It seems this admiration of Catholic chaplains, and Christian chaplains, may well become a thing of the past, in the US military anyway, as some who see their ministry as a threat to secular values seem to be having their way in the Pentagon.  According to Fox News, Christians in the military, chaplains among them, are to be prevented from speaking about their faith for fear that they may be proselytising.   Reports say that this will become a crime in the military and those accused of it will find themselves before a court martial.   There is even talk of "treason". 

 

Is it possible that we are going back to the days of Ss Sebastian, George and the other soldier saints who were persecuted and convicted as treasonous simply because they were Christians?  I hope not.  Someone somewhere in the US military must have some common sense; let's hope it will prevail.

 

And let's hope our lot in power do not get to hear of this, they might get some bad ideas, and let's face it, they've had enough of them as it is.

Online Novena Begins Tomorrow

The annual Online Novena to St Genesius begins tomorrow - I will be hosting it on my blog.  It will consist of a brief meditation and the novena prayers to St Genesius.  The novena will take as its theme our current situation in the west where Christians are suffering for their fidelity to Christ's teaching.   Given developments here in Ireland and in the US, we all need to reflect more on how the love of Christ can sustain us.  Please join in the novena and spread the word.

The annual feast day Mass will take place in St Mary's Church, Drogheda, Co. Louth, on Saturday the 25th August at 3pm - all are welcome to attend. I would encourage members around the world to mark the feast day - if you can get a priest to offer Mass for a gathering of members do so - texts for the Mass are to be found in the Common of Martyrs in the Missal.  I would also encourage non Catholic members of the Fraternity to unite with us through a service of prayer, remembering the intentions of the Fraternity and those we pray for in a particular way. 

Today is the anniversary of the death of Fr Willie Doyle on the battlefield: there is a wonderful piece on him on the blog dedicated to him.  Fr Willie was a wonderful priest - a man of God, who was both a mystic and a man of action.  His heroic death was the crown on a life of dedicated service.  Why he has not yet been beatified I do not know - there isn't even a Cause!  How I wish he was Italian, French, Spanish, American of Polish for if he was he would probably be canonised by now.  We priests need holy models of priesthood to encourage us - a "St William Doyle" would be one.  Let us pray that someone will open his Cause: perhaps in the new batch of Irish bishops one of them will take the initiative.

Eucharistic Congress 2012: Some Thoughts

Well, the 50th International Eucharistic Congress is over and the Church is preparing for the next one in Cebu in the Philippines.   We had a large contingent from the Philippines over and, as always, their faith was most impressive.

I spent the week going up and down to the Congress doing some continuity work for the television broadcasts on EWTN, some vox pops and interviews, some of which were for EWTN radio.  One of the most impressive interviews was with Pat Kenny who runs the Fr Willie Doyle blog.  He gave a talk on the Irish Jesuit on Monday evening in St Kevin's Church hall which was packed.  I interviewed him on Tuesday afternoon and I think it will be a very interesting programme.  Fr Willie is one of the Irish figures who should be put forward for canonisation - if he were Italian, Polish, French or Spanish, he would probably be canonised by now.

Anyway, the Congress.  I must say I was very impressed by the organisation and it was obvious that a lot of hard work went into it, so congratulations to those who pushed the sleeves up and tackled what was a mammoth task.  The RDS had a real festival atmosphere and I was delighted to see that many of the new congregations and communities had come and their presence would have encouraged the Irish, many of whom are unaware that religious life is more vibrant in the Church today than it ever was.   Despite what the secularist media say, the Church is alive and kicking!

The liturgies were, for the most part, done very well, although there are a number of issues - some abuses crept in, but then given that these abuses have become part and parcel of the Irish liturgical scene they were to be expected.  But Rome was watching (and the Holy Father referred to abuses in his message yesterday), so I presume over time a gentle but firm hand will deal with them.  But there was a prayerful atmosphere as well as a jubilant one: the Congress gave Irish Catholics an opportunity to celebrate their faith and be exposed to the universal nature of the Church and the many ministries, associations and congregations which are part of our faith.  So well done to the organisers for facilitating that and facilitating it so well.

There were many wonderful speakers, and a number who should not have been asked, and that had been one of my concerns earlier.  That said I was delighted to have the opportunity to see and hear some world class speakers, including the new bishop of Shewsbury, Bishop Mark Davies who is a most remarkable man: a holy man, a good bishop and one with an evangelical soul.

While I thought the ecumenical dimension was a good idea, I think they have should have been more careful.  Ruth Patterson, a Presbyterian minister, was one of those involved, and after having a podium to speak at the Congress she came on to RTE radio and basically said that the Catholic Church will have no credibility or effectiveness until it ordains married men and women.  She also said that orthodoxy was a subtle form of idolatry.  She is entitled to her opinion, but I would imagine having been given a platform to speak at a major Catholic event, she would have the graciousness not to attack the Church as she did.  Inviting her was a  mistake, though the organisers cannot be held responsible for what this lady says after the event.  However given her reputation, prudence would have suggested they should not have taken the chance.

One group who was not invited, and I think should have been, were the members of the Personal Ordinariates.  Given that this was the first Congress following the Holy Father's establishing the Ordinariates, I think an invitation should have been forwarded to the leaders of the various Ordinariates.  I'm sure Mgr Newton from the UK Ordinariate would have been delighted to come, and he could have been a keynote speaker.  It would have been most appropriate given that the theme of the Congress was communion with Christ and with one another, seeing that they have just entered full communion with the Church.  Perhaps the organisers in Cebu will invite them for 2016.

I also think the Eucharistic Procession was really lovely, though I believe we should have had it in O'Connell street.  There seems to be a fear of having such processions in the city now, I presume some do not want to appear triumphalist given recent history, but I think we need to start regaining confidence in our faith again. Let's face it if the gays and lesbians can parade down O'Connell street proudly in their hundreds in their upcoming Gay Pride March, we have every right to do so in our tens of thousands.  Interestingly this Congress may have brought confidence back to the Catholics of Ireland.

The Statio Orbis yesterday was very well prepared for.  Contrary to the reports in The Irish Times which says only 50,000 turned up, the figure was much more obviously about 70,000-75,000.  Strange that, Patsy McGarry, the religious affairs correspondent was sitting a few seats away from me and saw the same crowd as I did: perhaps he needs to go to Specsavers and have his eyes checked - obviously his glasses are not up to scratch.   In fact Patsy was pretty obsessed with figures all week: at the press conferences the one question he always asked concerned attendance figures.  Indeed the secular media have been quite boorish in its coverage, and all the work of Fr Kevin Doran and his committee overshadowed by their obsession with apologies.  

I was disappointed to see Joe Duffy of Liveline involved in the presentation of the Statio Orbis - given his attitude to the Church and his bashing of priests and Church doctrine on his radio show he should not have been invited.  Nor, in my opinion, should have an invitation been extended to Enda Kenny (unless, of course, he gatecrashed).  I noticed though when he arrived there was booing and very little clapping - it was very subdued. I'll say one thing for him though, he has nerve.  That said, the Statio Orbis was a wonderful celebration of faith, the highlight being the Holy Father's message.

So all in all, congratulations to the organisers for facilitating what became a great festival of faith.  It would be great to have such gatherings and festivals more often: perhaps the Church in Ireland may consider a national Congress every few years.  I know we have the Divine Mercy Conference each year, but I think the faithful Catholics of Ireland would like other events to help nourish their faith. Perhaps some national gathering for the Year of Faith???  So Fr Kevin Doran deserves a lie-in this morning and a few weeks holiday. 

Lest some critics take a shot at me in the combox, I do admit that the Congress was not perfect, but all in all it was a success: it made us Catholics feel proud of our faith and reminded us of what is important. It may not sort out the Church in Ireland, but it gives us a boost to start working on reform realising that there are a lot of good, solid, orthodox and prayerful people and organisations out there quietly working away to proclaim the Gospel.  It also brought Cardinal Ouellet to our shores, the one who will be responsible for appointing our new bishops (indeed the majority of them as many of the present bishops are due to retire in the next few years): he needed to see the Church in Ireland, virtues, vices and flaws, to help him in his decision making, and I think he got a good start on that. 

Now I'm exhausted, and no doubt many others, so we might all just take a few weeks to recover and get going again for October: the Year of Faith.  Any suggestions anyone?  Anyway, given our positive experience, I think we'll have to start saving: next stop - Cebu in the Philippines 2016.  I wonder if Ryanair will put on a few flights?