EVENTS THIS WEEK
- STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING: A meeting of the above group will be held tomorrow, Monday, November 17th in the Priory at 8.00pm. It may be no harm to remind you again of the agenda for this meeting:
- (A) CHURCH REORDERING: During the planned renovations it will be necessary to vacate the Church and Priory (if we are to avoid asbestos poisoning) for some months. We will need to discuss interim arrangements: (i) Where do we worship for the few months while the church is closed? (ii) Where do we live during that period? (iii) Where do we work during the period when the Priory is 'off limits'?
- (B) ADVENT PREPARATIONS: We would need to sit down and plan our celebrations for the Advent and Christmas season. (This day two weeks is the First Sunday of Advent). This year, we have both a Mass of Giving (Dec. 14th) and a Children's Christmas Mass (Dec. 21st). Santy is expected to manifest after this event! So we need to plan and discuss.
AS I WAS SAYING...
The 15th century (and later) Renaissance is associated primarily with artistic geniuses such as Giotto, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Caravaggio, to name but a few! The movement was dominated by these Italian Masters. Inevitably, perhaps, these geniuses tend to eclipse the literary renaissance that flourished at the same time.
The literary Renaissance is associated, in main, with northern Europe, but particularly with the Dutch Augustinian writer, Brother Desiderius Erasmus (1467-1536). Despite the fact that he was an Augustinian, he travelled widely(!). His many editions and translations of the bible, early Christian authors, and the classics revolutionised European literary culture. A renowned linguist, he lectured on Greek at Cambridge for three years. Some of his surviving letters were gathered together in the course of the last century and published in eleven volumes. But his most widely know work was a little slim volume called 'In Praise of Folly'. There he poked fun at the theologians and bishops of his day, a highly dangerous hobby in the late medieval world.
Erasmus was an even-tempered, moderate man. He was very sympathetic towards the Reformers initially, but he found his fellow Augustinian, Martin Luther, far too loud and far too erratic. Towards the end of his days, Erasmus finally abandoned the fence and opposed the Reformation. "When debate is clouded by poisoned passions, sweet reason escapes by the back door" was his withering judgement on Luther's intemperate tract, "Against the Murdering Hordes of Peasants".
Both Luther and Erasmus were passionate believers in the need for reform. But they disagreed radically on the manner in which that objective should be achieved. Early on in the game, Luther concluded that the Roman Church had already advanced too far down the road to perdition. There would be no turning back. The only way that significant reform would be achieved would be through a 'refounding', a 're-formation'.
Erasmus and his particular school of 'reform' viewed matters from a very different angle. All corruption and sin have their origins in ignorance, according to this school. We must not confine our reform programme exclusively to the Church, argued Erasmus. The Christian's duty is to reform society in general. So Erasmus proposed a comprehensive educational programme for all Christendom. "If man knows the good, he will do the good. Ignorance alone chains man to evil" he stated famously. Clear and certain knowledge compels right behaviour.
Erasmus remains a highly attractive figure in an age when such specimens were as rare as hen's teeth. But surely his thinking was hopelessly naive. Does clear knowledge compel right behaviour?
Erasmus came to mind as I studied The 2004-2006 Strategy to Address the Issue of Crisis Pregnancy, published this week this week. This report points to 'lack of easy access to contraception and the absence of a fully comprehensive sex education programme' as the root cause of crisis pregnancies, and, obviously, abortions. But Britain has had a comprehensive sex education programme and contraception free on the NHS for over 20 years now. Yet its abortion rate per capita is over twice that of Ireland. Does clear knowledge compel right behaviour? Or does it require clear knowledge of right behaviour?
-Dick Lyng.
CONGRATULATIONS MARTIN
Our most senior parishioner, Martin Kelly from High Street, reached the grand old age of 100 years on Wednesday last. Martin, who now uses a wheelchair, is otherwise mentally sharp and physically robust.
He was born in Mayo, 1903, one of nine children. He could have had no inkling then of the major surprises the new century had in store.
We had just recovered from the death of Queen Victoria. Edward VII had been crowned our new King! But you could still purchase a brand new motor car for £100! Nevertheless, interesting times were about to dawn. Pope Leo XIII had just died at the age of 93 after a record 25 year reign; his successor, Pope Pius X attempted to reassure his flock that isolated pockets of sanity still remained in places. He issued the following instructions: "No woman who wishes to be thought of as a good Catholic shall wear a low-cut evening gown in the presence of an ecclesiastical dignitary." Despite this sensible reassurance, some ominous straws were visible in the strengthening winds! Madame Curie had just become the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst had only recently established the 'Women's Social and Political Union'.
Small wonder that Martin departed for the United States in 1922 where he worked for 10 years. He returned to Ireland in 1932, the year of the infamous Wall Street Crash. (He has assured me that there was absolutely no connection between both events!)
During his time in the States he met the 'love of his life', one Mary O' Malley, also from Mayo. Mary threw in her lot with him and they made the journey home to Galway. They married the following year, in the old Pro Cathedral on Middle Street. They moved to High Street to a premises which they had purchased there with their American earnings. Martin was to work and live in that same premises for the next 54 years. He retired to the Coral Haven Nursing Home on the Headford Road only last year.
Martin's daughter, Eileen, gave a wonderful party to mark the occasion at her home in Circular Road. The guest of honour was himself in great form and he thoroughly enjoyed himself. Many of his old neighbours from the warrens of High St-Quay St-Cross St arrived to enhance the celebrations. Martin was a staunch patron of Murphy's of High Street. Three pillars of that establishment paid their respects (namely Sonny Molloy and Mr. and Mrs. Paddy Murphy). It was a really wonderful occasion. The Augustinian salutes its eldest parishioner.
HUNGER AWARENESS
Thanks very much to all who attended the meeting of the Hunger Awareness Campaign in the Priory on Thursday The gathering was addressed by Fr Michael Mernagh, Dublin. The national campaign is being launched in Dublin on Tuesday week next. We will kick off the local campaign here on the first Sunday of Advent. If there are others who would be interested in getting involved, please give your name to Cathal Cunningham, or else hand it in at the Priory Office.
PAPAL CROSS
The central symbol for the World Youth Days is a simple wooden cross dedicated by Pope John Paul II in 1984. That cross will be in Galway this week. On Sunday next a special young people's Mass will be celebrated in Knocknacarra at 4.00pm. The bishop will preside.
After the Mass the cross will be brought to UCG Chapel for two evening services, at 8.30pm and 9.30pm. The latter will be followed by a vigil until midnight.
Quote, Unquote........
- "Every reformation must have its victims. You can't expect the fatted calf to share the enthusiasm of the angels over the prodigal's return." -Hector Munro.
- "We may find in the long run that tinned food is a deadlier weapon than the machine-gun." -George Orwell.
- "I have been told by hospital authorities that more copies of my works are left behind by departing patients than those of any other author." -Robert Benchley.
- "There are few more impressive sights in the world than a Scotsman on the make." -J.M. Barrie.
- "The young always have the same problem - how to rebel and conform at the same time. They have now solved this by defying their parents and copying one another." -Quentin Crisp.
- "The world degenerates and grows worse every day. The calamities inflicted on Adam were light in comparison with those inflicted on us." -Martin Luther.
- "When men grow virtuous in old age, they only make a sacrifice to God of the devil's leavings." -Alexander Pope.
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