Parish Newsletter

Masses Today

6.30: Martin Kelly, (Anniv)
12.00: Patrick Swords, (Anniv).

AS I WAS SAYING.....

The murder on Tuesday last of Brother Roger Schutz, the founder of the renowned Taizé ecumenical community, has appalled Christians around the world. Ironically, he was stabbed to death in the Church of Reconciliation at Taize as he led 2,500 young people in the regular service of Evening Prayer. Together with Mother Teresa and John Paul II, he had universally regarded as something of a living 20th century icon. Very few will question his status as the most significant ecumenical figure since the 16th century Reformation.

Roger was born in Switzerland in 1915 to a Swiss Lutheran pastor and French mother. He followed his father's interest in theology, studying it at both Strasbourg and Lausanne. The context for his founding of Taizé was World War II. In 1940, aged 25, he arrived on a bicycle at the almost deserted village near Cluny (about 240 miles south of Paris) on the boundary line between occupied and unoccupied France. There he offered refuge to abandoned children (mainly Jews) fleeing the Gestapo. His work soon attracted the attention of the Gestapo also, and he was forced to flee France. After the war he returned to Taizé with three male friends and he founded a small monastic community for male Protes- tants, taking the three tradi- tional vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

In time, he became the leader of a community boasting scores of brothers, welcoming many thousands of pilgrims, mostly young, who have visited Taizé or attended the rallies that the community hosts across Europe. Brothers went out from Taize to establish communities throughout the world. It was from Brother Roger that John Paul II got his idea to stage a World Youth Day festival at regular intervals. At the time of Roger's death, 400,000 young people were pouring into Cologne to meet up with a German Pope for yet another World Youth Day. Brother Roger's dream has survived the death of his greatest supporter, John Paul II. Meanwhile, his own community in Taizé today numbers over 100 monks from Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox backgrounds. By any yardstick, Roger has been THE theological success story of the 20th century.

Three factors helped this success: (1) His affable personality. He responded readily to contemporary demands for religious informality; (2) Through the renowned 'Taize chant', his brand of worship tapped into the spiritual vacuum left by the collapse of traditional devotions; (3) He was readily accepted by the mainstream Churches because he posed no real threat to their authority. This Lutheran Pastor was the first person to receive Holy Communion from Cardinal Ratzinger at the funeral Mass for the late Pope. In his person, the Christian Churches could visualise the future, and they liked it, and him! He was a great blessing.

-Dick Lyng.

By the way.......

WORLD YOUTH DAY IN COLOGNE

The Galway contingent (53 from Galway and 43 from Tuam) who travelled to Cologne really fell on their feet. Six of them sat alongside the Pope as he made his historic journey by boat to Cologne Cathedral. In all, 30 fortunate young people from Galway accompanied the Pope in the boat. The group was led by Fr. Frankie Lee from St. Patrick's parish.

Fr. Frankie believes that Galway got seats on the papal boat because of its long association with a Catholic youth festival that takes place in Aldenberg dome each year. For many years, Galway diocese has been bringing young people to the 'Light of Christ youth festival' at the invitation of Fr Ulrich Hennes, who now happens to be Secretary of the World Youth Day event. The association has clearly paid dividends for the Galway group. In all, an estimated 2,000 Irish people attended the event this year.

Accompanying the Pope on the boat will be 500 people in all, including many Church leaders and dignitaries, and youth representatives from 181 countries. Five other boats accompanied the papal boat in its voyage down the Rhine, including the Europe boat, which carried another 30 young people from the dioceses of Galway and Tuam. However, only the papal boat stopped at Cologne Cathedral.

Irish Times journalist Derek Scally spoke to some of the delighted young people about their papal encounter. Maria Rice from Salthill has a message from Pope Benedict: he blesses the people of Ireland and thinks the Taoiseach is a "very good man".

The 21-year-old was one of just a handful chosen from half a million young people to meet Pope Benedict XVI. "It was an absolutely fantastic experience. He's the closest thing you can get to heaven," said Maria last night .

Maria was part of a group of 30 Galwegians on the papal boat. While the rest sat in the rear, Maria sat directly at the Pope's feet, with a perfect view of his holiness - and his red slippers - for most of the cruise down the Rhine. "I got emotional and cried when he came on the boat, but he had an amazing calming and peaceful effect that kind of rubbed off on the whole boat and soon everyone was smiling," she said.

Then came the big moment, her private moment with the Pope. "It was overwhelming. I couldn't really talk to him. I had so much I wanted to say but I couldn't say anything," she said. "Then he asked me in English where I was from and he said he had met Bertie Ahern and thought he was a very good man. Then he blessed me and said through me he blessed the people of Ire- land, " said Maria. After their talk, she returned to her place at his feet, in front of the television cameras. She brought Pope Benedict a gift of a Celtic cross, but in the rush to leave the boat the gift was left behind on the boat.

We will try to get one of the young people to a speak to us at Mass some Sunday when they return.