The Rite

Hollywood's new exorcist movie, The Rite, is due to be released on January 28th next in the US - not sure when it will hit Irish cinemas.  I will be interested to see it for a few reasons - firstly because of my interest in the area and my realisation that we need more priests dedicated to the ministry of exorcist given the rise in the occult in these times.  Secondly, I have read the book on which the movie is based.  It is a brilliant read and it does away with many of the myths surrounding the ministry.  I also like the personal dimension as the priest in the question, Fr Gary Thomas, shares his life experience and his vocation story with us.  I see, though, the producers have wandered somewhat from the book, so I hope the movie is not sensationalist.  We will have to see.  The opening lines in the trailer do cause me to worry......

The other reason I have an interest in the movie is because a friend of our Fraternity, Colin O'Donohue, is playing the young priest.  Colin is a wonderful young actor, and we are all delighted that his career is going so well.  Colin travelled to Rome with us on our first Fraternity pilgrimage in 2008.  I hope this movie is the beginning of bigger things for him.   I must say, looking at the trailer, our Colin looks good in a collar, so he does!

Trailer:

The Truth Will Out

Thank God the tide is turning with regard to the Venerable Pope Pius XII.  At long last, thanks to stringent and dedicated research by scholars, the War time pope's real work is finally being acknowledged.  As you know Pius has laboured under the accusations of not doing enough to save the Jews, and of not speaking out.  Apparently, if Pius had spoken out against the Holocaust, Hitler would have stopped his campaign in fear of the pope's blinding authority.  Only a fool would believe that.  Anyone with an ounce of sense and a smidgen of historical knowledge would know a direct papal attack would have inflamed Hitler and cranked up the killing machine.  The events in Holland in 1942 as Jewish Catholics were hauled off to their deaths by the Nazis in response to the Dutch bishops' condemnation, are a good indication of what would have happened on a global scale.

Much thanks must go to Gary Krupp and the Pave the Way Foundation, which is trawling through the Vatican archives and unearthing the truth.  Mr Krupp began with no preconceptions - he wanted the record to speak for itself, and as he researched he saw that Pius was heroic in his efforts, and that many Jewish people are alive today because of the Pontiff's generous and quick response.   Just a few months ago the foundation produced evidence that Pius was personally responsible for getting 200,000 Jews out of Germany following Kristallnacht.  Now, just a few days ago, the foundation has released the testimony of the son of a Jewish survivor who reveals that his father was among the many thousands hidden by the pope in the Vatican.  There is so much evidence in favour of Pius now, his critics do not have a leg to stand on; of course these same critics do not actually consult the historical record, as a number of Pius' defenders have proven.

The Venerable Pius is important for our Fraternity.  His encyclical Mystici corporis, in which he reflects on the theology of the Mystical Body of Christ, is one of the foundational documents for our spirituality - that of spiritual accompaniment.  In the spirituality of the Fraternity of St Genesius, we see our apostolate in the context of the Mystical Body of Christ as taught by St Paul, and then Pope Pius XII.  If you have not read the encyclical, please do so: it is a wonderful read.

St Malachy Triduum Day Three: Feast Day

Given that today is St Malachy's feast day, and as we bring our Triduum to an end, perhaps a word or two on friendship.  Malachy and Bernard were dear friends: two holy men in love with God, they recognised in each other a soul mate and companion on the path to perfection.  Each sought to help the other to sainthood, and as they both attained it through mutual assistance, it is only right that their relics should lie together, intermingled.   I have spoken about friendship before on this blog and how same sex friendship is now taken to be homosexual relationships.  So far Malachy and Bernard have escaped the revisionists of the gay movement, and I hope it stays that way because the example of their friendship is one we can learn from.

The friendship they shared had many dimensions. It was personal - two human persons who liked each other, had a lot in common, and so enjoyed each other's company.  The fact that they were Saints does not mean that this human dimension should be excluded from their lives.  A second dimension was their common vision - their desire for the vision of God.  They often spoke about God, and together reflected on Him and his love for mankind.  Looking in hope towards the beatific vision, they taught each other about the Lord while living in his presence.  In this way, almost like a sacrament, they brought the presence of the Lord to the other.

Thirdly, they were men with a common purpose: reform.  They helped each other, encouraged each other, and no doubt consoled each other as they worked long hours and years in the Lord's vineyard, seeking to help the renewal of the Church.  Soul mates, they knew how to salve each other's wounds caused by enemies, misunderstandings, failures and weariness.   Fourthly, they spurred each other on towards holiness, as did St Basil and St Gregory.  Realising that they were send to each other to help form the other in the ways of sanctity, they corrected each other, advised each other in love, so they would not be distracted from the destination which lay ahead.

Finally, their friendship is a symbol of the communion which is to exist between the disciples of Christ.  As a married couple reveal, in their sacramental marriage, the love of God for his people, and the communion which exists in that love: friends reveal, through the union of their love, that love and communion which is particular to the Mystical Body of Christ.  As Malachy and Bernard loved each other, so we too should love one other and help one another on the path to holiness.

Happy Feast Day

Novena Prayer to St Malachy

Glorious Saint Malachy,

ardent yet gentle shepherd of God’s people,

we come before you seeking your

intercession and protection

in this time of trial.

Malachy, angel of peace,

who brought those in conflict

to be reconciled

in the name of Christ,

grant lasting peace and reconciliation

to our country.

Mighty pillar of the Church,

who banished error

by the truth of your preaching,

obtain for each of us the grace

of sincere repentance and renewal

that we may serve the Lord in holiness

all our days.

Most fatherly Archbishop of Armagh,

enkindle the hearts of bishops and priests

that, aided by your patronage and example,

they may labour to form a holy people

            strong in faith

            constant in prayer

            abounding in charity

            devoted to the Sacraments

            and loyal to the See of Peter.

O saint rich in mercy and compassion,

look upon all who are suffering or in need

and obtain for them support, healing and hope.

St Malachy, ablaze with heavenly fire,

be a light to guide us on our pilgrim way

to the Kingdom of Heaven.

There may we be united with you

in singing the praises of God

for ever and ever.

Amen.

SS Malachy and Bernard, pray for us.

There Be Dragons

During my time in seminary in Rome I had the privilege of spending a couple of hours speaking with Fr Dick Mulcahy, a priest of Opus Dei.  Fr Dick would have been well known in Ireland because his father was the famous General Mulcahy who played an important role in the War of Independence and the subsequent Civil War.  Fr Dick was a friend and confrere of St Josemaria Escriva, and he was over for the canonisation of his founder and friend.  In his kindness he had time to talk to this poor seminarian as was about St Josemaria and the priesthood. 

I think of that encounter and the conversation as we await the release of a new movie about St Josemaria, There Be Dragons.  It is a welcome addition to the list of Christians films and stars a young movie star, Charlie Cox.  The director, Roland Joffe, interestingly is an agnostic, or, as he describes himself, a "wobbly agnostic".  Due to be released in the Spring, I hope it comes to Ireland.  While not expected to be a hagiographical piece - thankfully - such movies tend to irksome and too sentimental, Joffe intends it to address more human issues: things people do to find meaning in life, and is set against the background of the Spanish Civil War.   It seeks to reveal the saints and heroes in ordinary human life - that's good.  So much bad news today we need to hear about the good.

I hope it will also help promote devotion to St Josemaria who has been a figure of controversy for some in the Church.  After my talk with a priest who knew him personally and lived with him for many years, St Josemaria emerged as a very human and loving man who was dedicated to Christ and preaching the Gospel in the age in which he found himself.  He saw how important the laity were in the Church's mission, and he sought to inspire them to take up the apostolate.  He was also a priest who recognised the tremendous privilege of being a priest - that is an important example for all of us priests today. 

Trailer:

Short news article:

St Malachy Triduum Day Two: Angel of Peace

As we continue our Triduum in honour of St Malachy, I thought we might look at one of the titles in the prayer.  Called the Angel of Peace by St Bernard in his biography of his friend, Malachy was one who richly deserved that title.  Ireland was a country at war with itself at the time (as it is today). The Church in Ireland had many problems.  As he sought to introduce reform, he also sought to bring peace to the Church and his country.   Malachy knew that as long as even one person was at war either with others, with God or with themselves, then there would never be peace.

True peace emerges from reconciliation - with God, our neighbour and with ourselves.  The key to this reconciliation is fidelity, which itself emerges from love.  He could tinker with the structures all he wanted, but his efforts would fail if he did not address this personal problem.  He did address it - through his personal holiness.  He did have enemies, but more admirers - the people of his land recognised that here was one who loved God and inspired others to love him: in this, then, he was truly an Angel of Peace.  As we pray this Triduum may Malachy, Angel of Peace, help us be reconciled with God, our neighbour and ourselves, through fidelity and love.

Triduum Prayer to St Malachy

Glorious Saint Malachy,

ardent yet gentle shepherd of God’s people,

we come before you seeking your

intercession and protection

in this time of trial.

Malachy, angel of peace,

who brought those in conflict

to be reconciled

in the name of Christ,

grant lasting peace and reconciliation

to our country.

Mighty pillar of the Church,

who banished error

by the truth of your preaching,

obtain for each of us the grace

of sincere repentance and renewal

that we may serve the Lord in holiness

all our days.

Most fatherly Archbishop of Armagh,

enkindle the hearts of bishops and priests

that, aided by your patronage and example,

they may labour to form a holy people

            strong in faith

            constant in prayer

            abounding in charity

            devoted to the Sacraments

            and loyal to the See of Peter.

O saint rich in mercy and compassion,

look upon all who are suffering or in need

and obtain for them support, healing and hope.

St Malachy, ablaze with heavenly fire,

be a light to guide us on our pilgrim way

to the Kingdom of Heaven.

There may we be united with you

in singing the praises of God

for ever and ever.

Amen.

The Age of Martyrs

On this holy day when we remember the faithful departed in Purgatory and offer prayers for them, I'm sure many of us around the world are mourning the murder of fifty-two Catholics in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Deliverance, in Baghdad, Iraq.    Atrocities such as this bring it home in a very stark way that we are living in the greatest age of martyrdom in the history of the Church.  These Catholics, like many others in Iraq, including the bishop of Mosul a few years ago, like many around the world, were killed for one reason and one reason alone: they were Christians.  That amounts to martyrdom.  I have no doubt in the years to come the Church will open the Cause for the canonisation of many whom have died in the recent conflict, and the glorious company of the Martyrs of Iraq will grace the Calendar of the Church.  But for now, we pray for peace, for the bereaved, and for those who, in the name of religion, saw fit to kill our brothers and sisters because they refused to renounce Christ.

Most Holy Mother, Queen of Martyrs,

look upon your suffering children,

and obtain from your beloved Son for them

the grace to endure, to love, to trust,

to heroically proclaim their undying faith 

and to forgive those who persecute them.

Most Holy Mother Mary, Queen of Peace,

receive our martyred brothers and sisters into your arms

and give to those who mourn and those still suffering

the grace of peace.

There is one God, the Holy Trinity,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

and one redeemer, JESUS CHRIST

the Incarnate Son of the Father

who was crucified for our sake,

rose from dead,

and now sits at the right hand of the Father.

May God be praised.

All Souls

We hear so little about Purgatory these days, and yet without it, there is no sense to today's commemoration.  I'm not going to provide a defence of the Church's teaching on Purgatory - it is in Scripture and in Tradition (that teaching handed down to us from the apostles), so that should be enough for the disciples of Christ.   But I am concerned about the souls who are no longer being prayed for.  As a priest in modern Ireland I have had to deal with immediate canonisation ceremonies (aka funerals).  Everyone now goes straight to heaven, it seems, even those who did not believe in God or did not live a good, moral life.  Today's commemoration reminds us that we cannot be so presumptuous, that we must realise that our sinfulness does have consequences and damages us.  While we may not be damned, we do need to undergo a period of purification so we can enter into glory of heaven.  That purification requires assistance from the living by means of prayers, sacrifices and acts of charity.  The effectiveness of these pious works on behalf of the dead is a indication of the union which exists within the Body of Christ.

Today I will offer my three Masses for the Holy Souls: I encourage all my brother priests to avail of that privilege for the sake of our brothers and sisters being purified.   I would also appeal to them to remind the faithful of the Church's teaching on Purgatory so prayer for the Holy Souls will not be neglected as it has been for many years.  We ourselves hope to one day benefit from the prayers and sacrifices of the Church on earth.  I would also encourage the laity to have Masses offered for the Holy Souls.  My late singing teacher, Evelyn Dowling, made a resolution to have a Mass offered every month for the Holy Souls, and she remained faithful to that until her death.  I imitated her practice and as a layman arranged for Mass to be offered each month for the Holy Souls - now I offer the monthly Mass myself - one of my own and separate from Mass requests -not a bad practice for priests to adopt. 

In honour of the Holy Souls on their day, a little piece from Blessed John Henry Newman's Dream of Gerontius in which Gerontius asks to be taken into Purgatory so he may be purified and prepared for heaven:

"Take me away, and in the lowest deep
              There let me be,
And there in hope the lone night-watches keep,
              Told out for me.
There, motionless and happy in my pain,
              Lone, not forlorn,—
There will I sing my sad perpetual strain,
              Until the morn.
There will I sing, and soothe my stricken breast,
              Which ne'er can cease
To throb, and pine, and languish, till possest
              Of its Sole Peace.
There will I sing my absent Lord and Love:—
              Take me away,
That sooner I may rise, and go above,
And see Him in the truth of everlasting day."

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them

may they rest in peace.

Triduum to St Malachy

My friend Fr John McKeever, curate in the cathedral in Armagh, has been working very hard in the last few months promoting devotion to St Malachy (1094-1148), great Archbishop of Armagh and best friend and soul mate of St Bernard of Clairvaux.  At the moment he is leading a novena to the Saint in the Church of St Malachy in the cathedral parish - it's a great success, thank God.  The church is beautiful and contains a relic of the Saint.

St Malachy was born in city of Armagh itself, not far from the church dedicated to him.  He was of noble birth, but chose to devote his life to Christ rather than pursue the life of the elite.  He was ordained priest by St Celsus, the great reforming Archbishop of Armagh, in 1119.  He spent two years studying liturgy before he was elected the abbot of the monastic community in Bangor in 1123.  His great ability and holiness was obvious, and this led to his appointment as Bishop of the Diocese of Connor in 1124. 

He was not destined to stay in Connor: in 1132 he was appointed Archbishop of Armagh, successor of St Patrick and Primate of All Ireland.  He was reluctant to take the position, but he accepted it as the will of God.  Thanks to difficulties - mostly political, he could not take possession of his See for two years, but when he did, following in the footsteps of St Celsus, he was a reforming Archbishop, leading a great renewal in Ireland, reorganising the structure of the Church in Ireland and bringing it into line with Rome.  As Archbishop he saw that communion with Peter was vital.  He was also keen to rid the Church in Ireland of laxity and various abuses.  All of this, however, raised the shackles of many, and so he soon found himself with resentful enemies. 

All of these reforms took three years, and once they were underway, Malachy felt it was time to resign his See and devote his life to prayer.  He was a great friend of St Bernard - he had already brought the Cistercians into Ireland, and he longed to be one himself.  He remained as Bishop of Down, and was appointed Papal Legate to Ireland.  He travelled a great deal, and often visited Bernard in Clairvaux.  It was during one of these visits that he fell ill and died in the arms of St Bernard on the 2nd November 1148.  He was buried in the abbey church of Clairvaux, and four years later his friend Bernard was buried with him in the same grave. Today their relics, intermingled, are preserved in the Cathedral of Troyes in France.  His feast day falls on the 3rd November.  He was the first Irish Saint to be formally canonised by a pope.

It is obvious that St Malachy is very much a Saint for these times, particularly for us in Ireland.   I hope that devotion to him is renewed in the Church in Ireland.  We need another Malachy today, a heroic figure who will courageously initiate the reform we badly need - a heroic figure who will not crumple under the attacks of the media and the hysteria of (ill-)liberal bishops, priests, nuns and laity who want to break with Rome and establish a secularist, relativist and New Age church.  Their efforts, ungodly influence in the Church in Ireland, and the good old fashioned laxity which plagued Malachy, have created serious bulwarks here to prevent real renewal.  So, we need Malachy's intercession.

So, I have a suggestion: too late to begin the novena in time for the feast, but we can pray a Triduum.  Please find below the beautiful prayer composed by my friend Fr John, the official prayer for the novena, and we can pray it for three days.  Please remember Ireland as you pray it.  Also ask for graces - if the Lord wants renewed devotion to this great Saint, he will grant miracles and favours to promote it.

Triduum Prayer to St Malachy

Glorious Saint Malachy,

ardent yet gentle shepherd of God’s people,

we come before you seeking your

intercession and protection

in this time of trial.

Malachy, angel of peace,

who brought those in conflict

to be reconciled

in the name of Christ,

grant lasting peace and reconciliation

to our country.

Mighty pillar of the Church,

who banished error

by the truth of your preaching,

obtain for each of us the grace

of sincere repentance and renewal

that we may serve the Lord in holiness

all our days.

Most fatherly Archbishop of Armagh,

enkindle the hearts of bishops and priests

that, aided by your patronage and example,

they may labour to form a holy people

            strong in faith

            constant in prayer

            abounding in charity

            devoted to the Sacraments

            and loyal to the See of Peter.

O saint rich in mercy and compassion,

look upon all who are suffering or in need

and obtain for them support, healing and hope.

St Malachy, ablaze with heavenly fire,

be a light to guide us on our pilgrim way

to the Kingdom of Heaven.

There may we be united with you

in singing the praises of God

for ever and ever.

Amen.

Tutti Santi! Bouna Festa!

If I started talking on today's feast I'd be here forever.  This is one of my favourite feasts of the year, when we celebrate All the Saints in heaven - our brothers and sisters now living in glory with God.  And as we do so, we hope that one day, we will be numbered among them. 

Have you ever met a Saint?   I'm sure we all have, given that most Saints are unknown - and we all have Saints in our families.  Of course we can also ask, have we met a person beatified or canonised by the Church, or will be?  I was privileged to have met the Venerable Pope John Paul II.  I just missed meeting Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.  I also met Fr Benedict Groeschel, still alive, thank God, but one, I firmly believe, will be canonised one day.  I studied and lived with a priest who was murdered in Iraq and may be declared a martyr and beatified one day; and I grew up knowing a Franciscan Brother, Br Placidus, a friend of my parents, who was martyred in Africa in 1997. 

But there are two people whom I knew well and who I believe were Saints, and if I can anything to do about it, would love to see their Causes opened: both were members of our Fraternity; both had a profound holiness and both suffered a great deal in Christ-like abandonment and heroism.  I will tell you about one of them today: she was Anne McGovern.

Anne was born in Corlough, Co. Cavan on the 6th March 1938, of a farming family which was quite religious.  She was quiet and devout by nature.  Her desire was to be a teacher, and so when she finished school she went to teacher training college and qualified as a primary teacher.  Until her retirement, she taught in various schools.  Like St Therese, nothing extraordinary happened her, but her gentleness and holiness impressed all who knew her.  When she retired she joined the Legion of Mary, and there her quiet apostolic soul found plenty to satisfy her desire to reach out to others and bring them to Christ.  She was tireless in her work for Mary, whose virtues were becoming obviously manifest in her.  She was elected the President of her praesidium, of which I was the Spiritual Director, where she fulfilled her office with great charity and kindness.  She joined the Fraternity of St Genesius as a means of offering her prayers and sufferings for those in the arts.

A quiet and reserved woman, when she fell ill with breast cancer, she kept it to herself, quietly suffering great pain, yet remaining serene and joyful.  Though she was quite ill, she showed great concern for others who were ill.  She revealed her illness to me, and I was sworn to secrecy.  I tended to her, anointing her each month and helping her as much as I could.  I was amazed at her heroism in the face of illness, nothing got her down. Indeed, if anything, she was more radiant and joyful.  No one knew she was ill, but all remarked on her holiness.  It was my privilege to accompany her in the last year or so of her life, watching, as I firmly believed then as now, that I was watching a Saint being born into life.  Her heroism in the face of suffering was such that she asked to offer her pain for the Fraternity and its mission, becoming an Oblatory Member.

On the 9th May 2009, Anne did not feel well,  The next day, as she was spending her usual hours in prayer in the adoration chapel of our church, she fell ill; she struggled on to the evening Mass, but she was so sick she had to be taken into hospital.  I was alerted the next morning.  When I went in to see her, she told me that the time had come.  "I didn't think it would be so soon", she said to me.  I told her that if this was God's time, then she had to prepare herself.  She did not complain, but gave herself into God's hands.  For the next few days she lingered, suffering a great deal - it was upsetting to see her; yet I knew this was the last time she would suffer - soon she would be in heaven.  On Friday 15th May, Anne, having suffered the passion of her beloved Lord, gave up her spirit.   Her obituary relates her life and interests, but misses out on her faith, hope and love.  Today, as we celebrate this feast, and not preempting the judgement of the Church, I remember Anne and pray that she now shares in the vision of God.

Anne McGovern

Music and Liturgy

The Catholic press and some blogs have been covering Scottish composer, James McMillan's article on his blog concerning the composition of his Mass for the Papal Visit to Britain.   In the article he reveals that Britain's "trendy" liturgists tried everything they could to prevent him getting the commission and later, branded the work as inappropriate for parish choirs.  I would believe MacMillan because I remember a few months ago some "liturgical composers" complaining that MacMillan was an "art composer" and so not a good choice to write the new Mass.  

Related to that story, I hear that the new priests' association here in Ireland is opposing the new translation of the Mass - no surprise there given its membership.  They are saying the "people" will not take to it and that experiments in South Africa show that the new translation is a disaster.  They did not say that when the "people" were confronted with the Novus Ordo in the 1970's, a much more stressful transition.  Ironically, those who oppose the new translation want to hang on to the old one!  But fathers, sisters, people, are we not supposed to be progressive - we move forward, not backwards!!  The new translation is moving forward, move with it.  Ah, how things go full circle!

Both stories reveal the tedious attempts by aging sixties revolutionaries to keep their Sandinista regime in place through manipulation of the liturgy.  James MacMillan is one of the few great contemporary Catholic composers who can hold his head high in the music world.  His work is infused with faith and beauty, and is well written, something most of the ditties composed for the liturgy over the last forty years lack.  He is a professional composer who knows his art and excels in it - who better to write a Mass in the new translation?  His genuine ability as a composer can be seen in the fact that he can write for amateur choirs and provide a Mass which can be sung by congregations - many composers today cannot do that, not even professionals.   MacMillan has done that.  Listening to the new Mass both at the Mass in Glasgow and then at Blessed John Henry's beatification, I was impressed - it is very beautiful and real, and it is sensitive to the nature of the liturgy and the varying abilities of choirs around the English speaking world.  It will last, I think, unlike the compositions of some of our liturgical composers which sound outdated almost as soon as they are trawled out.

Now, a treat!  Some MacMillan for our Sunday listening:

His Tu est Petrus, written for Pope Benedict XVI and performed at the Westminster Papal Mass.  Can I get Rathkenny choir to perform this, I wonder?

His Gospel Fanfare at the same Mass.  This is just fantastic!!