AS I WAS SAYING...
A new survey of the Religious Life in Ireland has just been published by Veritas. The survey was conducted by John A. Weafer, a sociologist with an impressive track record. Called 'A Fire in the Forest', the survey itself is embedded in a collection of very interesting commentaries, and it has been edited by Dr. Michael Breen, a priest of the Dublin diocese, but now working in the University of Limerick. (I am conscious of the fact that essays on the Religious Life, like essays on exotic butterflies, are of limited interest to the general Sunday congregation. However, in many ways, what happened in the Religious Life over the last thirty years mirrors what happened in the Church in general. While decline is much more in evidence than growth, there has, as we shall see, been definite, positive growth nonetheless).
Superficially at any rate, the story is one of unrelenting decline. The statistics will give some indication of the extent of that decline. Of the 8,457 Religious Sisters in Ireland, 4,174 are over 70 years of age. On the other hand, a mere 120 are under 40 years of age. The same pattern is repeated in the story of male Religious Orders. Of the 735 Religious Brothers in this country, 287 are over 70 years and a handful, 16 only, are under 40. There are 1,783 Clerical Religious (Dominicans, Franciscans, Augustinians, etc.) in the country. Of these, 570 are over 70, while 176 are under 40 years.
I have written here more than once on the subject of radical 'cultural change' over the last 30 years. Culture, in this sense, denotes the whole 'cobweb of connections' into which the human being is dropped at birth. Culture encompasses and conveys the 'texture' of a particular society. Societies 'feel' differently, because they are based on different sets of unconscious assumptions, snared in different cobwebs. These 'cobwebs' are inherited from the past, yet change and adapt to cope with different moments of history.
But sub-cultures can subsist within cultures. Such sub-sets are driven by a different dynamic. They define themselves over against the general culture, a reality which they regard with suspicion, if not derision. These subcultures are consciously created and vigorously sustained. One such subculture is the strict Mennonite sect in the United States, the Amish people. Since the late 17th century, these people have gone to remarkable extremes in their efforts to keep modernity at bay.
There are close parallels between the Religious Life in its older manifestation and the Amish people: keeping contaminating modernity at bay, preserving a way of life that belonged unmistakably to another time and age. The Religious Life had its own definite 'cobwebs of connections' and strange assumptions. It was an hermetically sealed world, sufficient unto itself. In this particular cobweb, a great variety of strange strands intersected and overlapped: humility is good for the soul, the Religious Life is a 'superior way', detachment is a desirable goal, sex is very bad for you, the mind of God is revealed to you through the mind of the Superior (regardless of how barking mad that Superior happened to be!)! The colour of this 'cobweb' was black.
The dangers inherent in this sealed world are now obvious with hindsight: the pliant and the spineless were often rewarded with preferment and promotion. The 'interesting' and the 'enterprising' could cool their heels in warmer climes. No wonder the Irish missionary endeavour was so successful!
However, when the windows of the monasteries, priories and convents were prized open with Vatican II, the old 'cobweb of assumptions', was, like the mad Macbeth, ' ripe for shaking'. In the hurricane that followed, many clung in desperation to the sundering, shaking web. They bitterly resented the disruption, and cursed the characters who opened the windows initially. A few strove valiantly to close the windows, but quickly realised that it was a futile task: the damage was already done. Others simply dropped gently to the ground and made their way quietly to another way of life. The windows could never be closed again. However, all was not decay by any means. Many recognised the reality that this particular form of life had run its natural course. The recognised and cherished the intrinsic value of the Religious Life, but they acknowledged too that, all along the road, a lot of dross and drivel had attached itself to this particular way. So they embarked upon a path that is demanded by every renaissance, be it sacred or secular: a return to the sources. All Orders and Congregations began to as the same question: "What was the inspiration that drove our Founder?"
In the course of this journey back to its origins, most Religious Orders stumbled upon a redemptive insight: the Religious Life is not an end in itself, but must be at the service of the Church and humanity. That, and only that, is its raison d'être.
The next question was obvious: "How can we best serve the world and humanity?" So the task of weaving new webs has begun. The nature and texture of that emerging web has yet to be determined. But the shape it is taking can be gleaned from this surprising statistic: in 1973, there were 723 communities of Sisters in Ireland. By 1999, this figure had increased to 1,335. A new, more personalised form of religious life is emerging. We should shed no tears at the demise of that other soulless web!!
-Dick Lyng.
EVENTS THIS WEEK
- LITURGY GROUP: This group will resume their meetings on Wednesday night next in the front parlour at 8.330. They are now engaged in preparing material for the 'Scripture & Eucharist' sessions, together with making remote preparations for the Easter Ceremonies.
- THE CHURCH RENOVATION GROUP: This group met as usual on Monday evening in the front parlour. Fr. Eugene Duffy, Director of the Western Theology Institute, addressed them. He simply reported on Irish churches that had been reordered and restored. In the light of his suggestions, four people set out on 'a tour of ecclesiastical inspection' on Thursday last, 'doing the rounds of the towns of Israel', well, Roscommon, Mayo and north Galway. The pilgrims in question were Gerry, Cathal, Noel and Mary. They actually visited eighteen churches. (All four were golfers in a former life!). They will be reporting back their findings to the meeting tomorrow night, Monday February 25th, again in the front parlour. Thanks for your efforts, folks.
- RUBBISH: A number of two-legged mice were trapped during the week! Not a pleasant experience!
FAMILY SPATS & SQUABBLES
{A few people requested a copy of the following exchange from the pages of the Irish Times some weeks ago}
Sir,- The language of ecumenism may "have been habitually abused and discredited" by Irish Catholic priests and priests and ministers of other churches which subsist in the universal Church. But abuse of the language of charity, the language of Jesus of Nazareth, is altogether more durable than the occasional spat in the pages of The Irish Times. And it is the violent abuse of the language of charity, not to mention, for the moment, the language of truth, which impels me to reply to the contribution of Father David O'Hanlon on matters ecumenical (January 31st).
If some misguided liberals, including "some Irish Catholic priests and Protestant ministers", seek to break down the barriers of hatred and division which have been erected by doctrinal, political, social and economic concerns between people who sought, according to their lights, to uphold gospel imperatives, some progress has been made.
Ecumenism is ill served by mindless slogans. It is simply untrue to say that "the dogmas of the Councils are absolutely non-negotiable". Few today would hold that "outside the Church there is no salvation". Yet, this remains a doctrine of the Catholic Church today.
It is painful to read the cavalier dismissal of "fundamentalist Protestantism" (no Catholic fundamentalists, thank God!) and "so-called eastern Orthodoxy". The Jewish faith gave us Jesus of Nazareth, the Greeks and North Africans gave us our creeds, their martyrs gave us our saints. And the Romans gave us Canon Law.
Is it too much to expect that, we might begin to lay aside, in the name of the imperative of love enjoined on us by Jesus and Paul, ancient shibboleths of hatred and execration?
Please, David, grow up.
Readers should know that David is my nephew.
- Yours, etc.,
Rev Dr JOSEPH O'HANLON, Blean, Canterbury, Kent.
SCRIPTURE AND EUCHARIST
Last Sunday we offered three 'Lenten Nights' on the Scriptures and the Eucharist. We conducted our first session on Wednesday night last. We had no idea of what number would avail of the offer. Since the format would greatly depend upon the numbers, some organisational aspects would have to be impromptu. (Difficult to divide four people into five groups!)
In the event, over 30 people showed up. The group represented a mind-boggling variety of viewpoints, age-levels and backgrounds, the Church in microcosm, in fact! Nevertheless, they all had at least one thing in common: all wanted to learn more: more about the Eucharist, about the Scriptures, about prayer, about the Liturgy and its history, about contemporary theology. In short, the group was keenly aware of a vacuum in their religious or faith formation, Or, perhaps more correctly, there was a keen awareness that a great chasm has opened up between the world in which they first received the faith as children, and the world in which they are now called to live out that faith as adults. It is, of course, a very different world now. But is it a different faith? A major question hovered over all, but never really landed: "What have we got now to pass on to the next generation?"
From my own point of view, it was perhaps the most positive meeting of this type that I attended since I came to Galway. It is good going to get over 30 people together to discuss their faith on a bad evening! Another encouraging element was the quality and animated nature of the discussion: it was very honest, and it was very informed. I am scrutinising your written suggestions with a view to incorporating some of them in our next session. I hope I have done justice to the atmosphere that prevailed and the questions that emerged from the gathering. We will hold our next session in the series on Wednesday night, March 6th at 8.00
LOURDES PILGRIMAGE: 2002
The Galway Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes will take place from July 1-6. It will be led by the Bishop. Fare: €580 (£456).
Special arrangements and accommodation will be provided for the sick and the invalids at the reduced price of €440 (£346). Names of the sick should be given to Fr. Martin Moran, Merlin Park Hospital (Ph: 757631)
All other pilgrims can give their names to the Pilgrimage Travel Agent, Fahy Travel, Bridge Street (Ph: 594769).
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