Masses Today

• The collection last Sunday was €1,063.83.
• You will notice today the presence of new 'security baskets'. Please don't get paranoid! But we are grateful to the donor of the unsolicited gifts. They (a validly married couple!) wish to remain anonymous. And, furthermore, we were never ones to look a gift horse (or even a gilt horse) in the mouth!
• Pray for the repose of the soul Etta O'Sullivan, Rockbarton, and late of Moycullen. Etta died tragically in a car accident during the week. Despite her 87 years, Etta was as fit as a fiddle and as bright as a button. She delivered many a lecture to my humble self on some of the more obscure points of theology and spirituality. Her main claim to fame was her role in "The Quiet Man" as a 'stand-in' for Maureen O'Hara. Her late husband Bernard predeceased her by about six months.
• Remember in your prayers also Emmet Fitzgerald (34 years) from Renmore Park who died tragically in Kerry on Friday. Emmet's parents, the late Brendan and Rita, were great patrons of the Augustinian here and Emmet himself was almost a daily visitor to the Augustinian Church. In fact he and his brother Michael served Mass here in the 1970s. He married Caitriona just three years ago. Emmet will be buried after his 11.30 funeral Mass in Renmore, tomorrow, Monday. May he rest in peace.
• On Sunday next, St. Patrick's Day, there will be a Diocesan collection for Trócaire. Only those who are not using Trócaire Fast Boxes in their homes are expected to contribute.
• The Liturgy Group will meet on Wednesday night next in the parlour at 8.00pm. This group consists of about six people. Their meetings last for about 90 minutes, ending about 9.30. They would dearly love to welcome some new members. They are working on the Holy Week and Easter Vigil Liturgies at present.

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AS I WAS SAYING...

It has been an extraordinary week on a variety of fronts. In deference to dimness of memory, let us trace our steps backwards. Surprised this morning, March 9th, by 'earth covered in forgetful snow". But had been well prepared for such surprises in the course of the week. Was ambling along Concourse in UCG on Friday, awaiting arrival of malingering students. Spotted this screaming poster: "Why are young men killing themselves?" The poster oozed compassion and the humanitarian heartbeat behind it was almost palpable. Samaritans recruiting, I murmured to myself, well...fair dues to them. I drew closer to scrutinise their 'plan of campaign' all the better. Just could not believe what my eyes revealed....This wasn't the Samaritans recruiting...but Sinn Fein!! Imagine!! "Why are young men killing themselves?" pleads Sinn Fein. I just could not resist the temptation. I took my marker from my bag, and added the following little riposte to the rhetorical question: "Why bother your arse! Contact us and we will do it for you!"

On Friday morning, our national radio warned of the presence of a strange animal on the road near Tullamore. The Automobile Association identified it as a camel; an expert with some local knowledge contradicted the AA woman and claimed it was a Llama (as in Dali). Whatever it was, this strange animal caused much consternation. But should we not be growing accustomed to camels by now. After all, the Annals of Connaught carry the following entry for the year 1472:

Extraordinary animal arrived in Ireland from the King of England, viz. a kind of mare, yellow in colour, with bovine hooves, very long neck, very large head, and a very long, ugly, scanty-haired tail. She ate wheat and salt and would draw any load, however heavy, that was attached to her tail; and she went down on her knees in every doorway, however high, as also for her rider to mount. Mac Jordan D'Exeter died.

"An incredible story!"' (Sgel dochreidhte) is O'Connor's comment in a marginal note 275 years later. He should have been in Tullamore on Friday morning last.

And then there was Thursday, the day of the Referendum count. Snow in Summer I can take; Sinn Fein manning Helplines I can just about tolerate; Camels in Cong (or Tullamore) I can imagine. But the crowd who lined up to claim victory on Thursday defied all imagining. Pro-lifers and Pro-choicers crowed triumphantly from the same confused, untidy nest! Let us take refuge in more normal times. The Annals of Connaught carry this consoling entry for the year 1471:

Showers of hail fell each side of Beltaine, with lightening and thunder, destroying much blossom and beans and fruits in all parts of Ireland where they fell. One of these showers, in the east, had stones two and three inches long, and made large wounds on the people they struck and destroyed a dog in Mag Trega. A boat could be floated over the floor of the great Church at Boyle, or so we heard from the monks of that place.

No doubt Sinn Fein manned the Helplines that day too!

-Dick Lyng

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EVENTS THIS WEEK

• PATRICK'S DAY: As you know, Sunday next, March 17th, is St. Patrick's Day. To mark the occasion, Fr. Denis Crosby and a choir from Furbo will sing a Mass composed for the occasion, Aifreann Caomháin, at 11.00 in the Augustinian here. This is a new Mass -in Irish, obviously- that has not been presented before. Sonny and our own choir are taking a 'festive break' for the day.
• THE CHURCH RENOVATION GROUP: This group will meet again on tomorrow night, Monday March 11th at 5.30 in the front parlour. This group have done tremendous work over the last few months and Decision Day has all but arrived.
• THE 'BISH' GROUP: All those who attended that pre-Christmas 'brain-storming' session in the Bish are invited to the Augustinian Priory for a very important meeting on Tuesday night next, March 12th at 8.00. We are very anxious that all those who attended that meeting should reassemble again on Tuesday night.

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SCRIPTURE AND EUCHARIST:

We held our second 'Lenten Exercise' session on Wednesday night last in the Priory. Despite counter-attractions (Liverpool were playing and the odd Irish person was voting!) we had a great tun-out. Thirty five people came along discuss the development of the Eucharist down through history. (An edited version of the delivered text is available on the Web). It was most encouraging to see the level of interest displayed, and to again witness the great variety of views on offer! A few of us will have a look at the actual organisation and structure of the evening for the next night. In ways, we fell victims of our own success. Ideally, there should not be more than one group in any room for comfortable discussion. Perhaps we should have asked a person in each group to act as chair, and to report back on the salient points of discussion. However, we learn as we go along.
Despite this, I got the distinct impression that everyone present enjoyed the night. However, I got an ambiguous note from one of the participants. It went as follows: "Thank you for a most interesting evening, which leaves me more confused than ever!" A sense of humour is a great saviour! We will hold our final session on Wednesday week next, March 20th. That night we will explore what theologians today are trying to say about the Eucharist! Thanks to everyone who showed up. Your presence was highly valued.

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The Poet as Exile

In a Roman beer-house
we foresaw
we had little time.
We had to ply two trades,
trade of work, trade of rhyme,
both unfinished when we slept.

There were
picture-postcards of the streets
for sale
under the death-room of John Keats:
here Caesar fell,
here hot chestnuts are for sale.

In a Roman beer-house
we had talked,
no answer found, unless
we had outlived our usefulness
and no dignity had kept.

By the fountains of Rome
we sat down and wept.


-Michael Hartnett.

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ANDY WARHOL

Andy Warhol ('Everyone is entitled to 15 seconds of fame') died in 1987. To some he was a genius; to others, as mad as a hatter. I lean towards the former judgement. After all he did leave a behind him a £600 million fortune. He was a New York Catholic whose work became increasingly dominated by religious themes towards the end of his short life. Hi last works included several hand-painted pictures on spiritual themes after Renaissance masters, such as the Last Supper, in which Leonardo's traditional interpretation is overshadowed by enlarged logos of brand names!!!

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THE PATH TO ROME

As a child, my Christian faith was nourished by Enid Blyton's book -I think it was called A Storybook of Jesus. Then at 18 I went to Rome with a friend who had lived in the city and knew every church there. It was like entering a gorgeous dream. I thought, "Why did no one ever tell me about Rome?" I couldn't believe what I was seeing: the concrete evidence of faith took my breath away. I felt cheated. My Church of Scotland seemed thin gruel indeed when compared with this flamboyant declaration of Revealed Truth. In Rome, I felt I could put my hand on God. He was just there; and not only God but all the company of Heaven; saints without number, Madonnas without end. My imagination was ignited. I would become a Catholic.

-Julia Hamilton(English novelist).

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