Sunday Newsletter

Masses Today

6.30: William Morris , (Anniv).
11.00: Kathleen & Martin Coleman, (Anniv).
6.30: Nellie Carter, (Anniv).

AS I WAS SAYING.....

Our fascination with the future could lead to a neglect of the present. A great deal was achieved by way of building up community, especially through the great work of our three very active committees. But, from the point of view of Liturgy and keeping the ordinary things 'ticking over', much was neglected too, or optimistically placed on the 'long finger'. During the last year, for example, we recruited no new Readers, no new Ministers of the Eucharist, no new collectors, and so on. (Though we did manage to replenish our seriously drained pool of Altar Server!). But, generally speaking, liturgical ministries have been neglected by us.

On Sunday last, in the presence of our Provincial, we marked 'new beginnings' through the ritual installation of a new community. We would do well to apply that same theme to all areas of our endeavours here in St. Augustine's. In fact, from the very beginning, those people involved in the 'Augustinian Project' were clearly of the view that the 'restoration' of the church here would not be confined to the building alone. Rather, 'restoration' and 'renewal' would extend to our Ministers, to the manner in which we ourselves minister, to our liturgies, and to the renewal of our people in general. In fact, our liturgical weaknesses are glaringly exposed by the new layout of the church space itself. To give but one obvious and simple example: the absence of lay readers at some of our weekday Masses is now exposed as laziness or negligence (or both!). We got away with it in happier times when the ambo was physically far removed from the people! Now that it is right in your midst, it is so obvious that you should be using it at all Masses!

When we attempt to consider the future, that last point will seem petty indeed! Because there our major challenges lie. When this entire plant (both church and priory) is functioning fully, our real work will begin. As a parish community we will explore the future together, or attempt to 'imagine our church into the future'. Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly cleverly reminded a gathering last year of the demanding nature of the process of imagination:

In the year 1985, could we have imagined an Ireland with a woman President or, better still, two women Presidents? Imagined a powerful female Tanaiste, a female Minister for Agriculture, a female editor of The Irish Times - with letters that begin 'Dear Madam'. Imagined the end of plastic bags? Imagined smoke-free airports and bus terminals and shops and offices? Imagined smoke-free pubs. In Ireland?! Then imagine all that and then imagine what we would have said in response? Surely we would have though that we were at least half way to paradise, if not already there.

What will the Catholic parish be like in 10 years time? "I have no idea whatsoever," Archbishop Martin told that same gathering. "Expressing uncertainty is honest and true. All I know is that organised religion will change dramatically in the years to come. Change belongs to life; recognising this and reacting to it is part of our times." The challenges are enormous. Our response to this rapid, radical change has only begun!

-Dick Lyng

Double-jobbing

Parishioners in Upper Austria have been taken in by an impostor with a long history of posing as a priest, and performing priestly duties. In the guise of "Fr Axel", an assistant priest from Bavaria, Gerhard Vilsmeier came to help out in the parishes last September. He was a devoted pastor, who was not only well-versed in the Bible and in theology, but an excellent organist and a moving preacher. In October he led the annual pilgrimage to Maria Schmolln.

His parishioners were looking forward to seeing him concelebrate Midnight Mass when, late on 23 December, the bishop received a telephone call from the vicar-general of Passau. "Fr" Axel was not a priest at all but originally a carpenter from Bavaria.

Twenty years previously, at the age of 25, he had tried a similar stunt in Tyrol, calling himself Axel Kolbe and saying he was a missionary priest from South Africa. He baptised and celebrated marriages, and assumed all the responsibilities of a priest - except that he did not hear confessions - until he was found out and excommunicated. Even then his parishioners collected signatures to persuade the church authorities to let him stay and even appealed to the Pope. It turned out that his "excommunication" was unnecessary as he was not even a member of the Catholic Church!

Not long afterwards he was fined 4,000 Deutschmarks in Berlin for falsely pretending to be a "Doctor of Church Law". In 1995 he appeared on a talk show on Austrian TV and had to confront a couple he had married 10 years previously in Tyrol. (The marriage ceremony was invalid and another had to be arranged.) Asked whether he had a bad conscience, Vilsmeier said, "Yes, perhaps I will have one for the rest of my life." He explained that he had always wanted to be a priest and had run around the house as a four-year-old blessing everything with a lavatory brush.

The Masses Vilsmeier celebrated are invalid. "Fr Axel", meanwhile, has -not surprisingly- disappeared.

-The Tablet, 14 January, 2006.

Items of Interest

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