Sunday Newsletter

Masses Today

6.30 (Vigil) James Cogavin (Flood St.); Batt & Maureen O'Driscoll, (Anniv).
11.00: Maura Heaney, Bowling Green, (Anniv).
6.30: Kathleen, Nellie & Sylvester O'Sullivan (Bowling Green), (Anniv).

AS I WAS SAYING.....

It is hard to imagine a greater contrast between two men than that between Charles Haughey and Denis Faul, who died in a Dublin hospital Wednesday. If it is true, as Shakespeare put it, that "the evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones," the life of Denis Faul is likely to be quickly forgotten; the populist politician Haughey, on the other hand, was granted a state funeral and has already generated a mile of newsprint picking the bones of his controversial career in the Irish media in just over a week.

In the murderous snake pit that was Northern Ireland over the last thirty years, very few authentically prophetic voices were audible from any side. Denis Faul stood head and shoulders above the rest. Here was a cantankerous, difficult voice that would not be silenced! Where others bent and buckled before bullets and bullies, Faul kept his hand to the plough and remained unfazed throughout. If ever a priest resembled the Old Testament Jeremiah in our day, it was Denis Faul. It was as if he made his own Yahweh's charge to that cranky old prophet:

Let you now gird up your loins;
Stand up and tell them everything that I commanded you;
Do not be dismayed by them
Lest I dismay you before them:
From now on you are as
A fortified city, a pillar of iron, a wall of brass.
Assail you they most surely will,
But they shall never prevail! (Jer. 1:17ff.)

He was the unrelenting scourge of bullies and fearmongers: the British Army, the RUC, the UVF and the Provos all loathed him and feared him in equal measure, with very good reason! But could a northern priest wish for any higher accolade than to be despised by all four of these groups at the same time! He himself was the recipient of death threats on many occasions.

For thirty years he campaigned tirelessly for the victims of injustice. And it mattered little to him which side the bully was on. He began his public life protesting against the injustice perpetrated by the police force; his last appeal was to the Provos to deliver up the bodies they had buried like animals in unmarked graves.

He gave his last interview to Gerry Moriarty of the Irish Times. He had his pitch ready for Saint Peter: "I hope I can say I helped the poor people when they were in trouble, that I gave them money, that I got them to England when they had to get away, that I helped the prisoners. It's important to bear witness." He adds. "The quality Irish people most admire is courage, and not just physical courage but moral courage as well; that you can stand up, speak your mind, even though you're getting lambasted from all sides. You have to stand up."

Actually St. Peter may be distinctly uncomfortable in the presence of such a courageous warrior as Denis Faul. Now there is a man who could have done with a state funeral! But he declined an honorary doctorate from Queens because of their neglect of the Classics. A state funeral? He would have had no interest!

-Dick Lyng

Pilgrimage to Knock

The Augustinian pilgrimage takes place on Saturday, July 15. A bus will leave from Merchant's Rd. Des Foley will answer all queries. If you intend to travel, get tickets at Priory Office.

Midsummer Festival

Progress Report: The first function of our Mid Summer Festival is well under way in the church. Thanks to Gerry Ferguson for organising the singers and to Heidi for getting the readings and the readers together. In the absence of Gerry on the night, Noel O'Rourke acted as 'Ringmaster'. A promising start to the week indeed! And, most blessed relief of all, it is a pleasant Summer's evening without a hint of rain.

However, we have conspired against nature this year by investing in two patio heaters. As I write, these are being assembled by Peter Cunnane and Pierce in the car park. In fact, we will be very disappointed indeed if these instruments are not tested by a rather chilly evening on Saturday!

Thanks to one and (nearly!) all: Fabulous work was done during the week. Of course in extending gratitude to people for work done, we always run the risk of omitting names. This is particularly true when a project is a 'Team Effort' as is our Mid Summer Festival. First of all, thanks to Mary O Hící, Margaret Cunnane, Heidi Gibbons and Margaret Cunningham for the wonderful floral display in the Church. It was much commented upon, and deservedly so. Enormous work went into this display, obviously, and it is now recognised as the outstanding feature of the weekend. (Of course, it has the advantage of enduring beyond Saturday night, unlike the burgers and the beer!).

Thanks to Harry, Peter, Cathal, Noel (and their capable auxiliaries) for cleaning up the car park and getting the tents together for Saturday night. To Peter Cunnane for the beautiful posters and the (more mundane) tickets, and to Annamarie Heanue for distributing them conscientiously throughout the city!

Thanks to Charlie Byrne who generously sponsored the Children's Art Competition. Bernadette Whyte was, as always, an indispensable presence behind the scenes. Brenda Foy took on the task this year of securing and delivering the supplies; this was an enormous undertaking, but she executed all (in the good sense!) with a malignant cheerfulness! We are very grateful again this year to Peter O'Neill for his organisation and execution of the barbecue!

The following were very generous indeed with supplying the fare for the barbecue: Freeneys, the King's Head, the Olde Malt, George and Elizabeth McLoughlin, the the Ardilaun Hotel. Richie Jenkins and Karl Heery made sure that our food was kept warm and Tony Freeney ensured sure that our beer was kept cold! We welcome in a special way this year the parishioners from the Church of Ireland, together with their ever-vigilant Pastor, Patrick. And, to those I have no doubt omitted, sorry. It wasn't intentional, I can assure you!

Nigerian Massacre: An Appeal

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country of more than 130 million people, is roughly divided between a predominantly Muslim north and a mainly Christian south. As you can see from the map, Maiduguri is located in the north east. This is Irish Augustinian territory, and the first bishop of Maiduguri was an Irish Augustinian, Timothy Cotter from Limerick.

Tim was appointed in 1966 and died in 1988. On Tim's death in 1988, there were 4 native priests in the diocese, and 21 Irish Augustinians. Today there are 36 native priests, and one (!) Irish Augustinian. One of those men, Matthew Man-oso Ndagoso was appointed as the first native bishop of the diocese in 2003. In this way, Maiduguri is a model missionary diocese, with its own supply of vocations.

However, the news from there is far from good. In February this year, cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, sparked off widespread riots in Maiduguri. These offensive cartoons were first printed in a Danish newspaper six months earlier. Of course the target of the Moslem mob was not the cartoonist, but unfortunate local Catholics and Christians who wouldn't even have been aware of the existence of these cartoons. Crowds of protesters carried machetes, sticks and iron rods ran through the city centre. At least 50 Christians died, and 53 churches were burned down, and Christian businesses were burned wholesale. One young priest, Fr. Michael Kwali Gajere, was murdered.

The following list of costed destruction will give you some idea of present needs: Bishop's House (€152,616.00); St. Augustine's Parish Church (€500,000.00); St. Michael's Church, Pastoral Centre and School (€150,000.00) St. Rita's Parish Church and Social Centre (€171,000.00); St. Mary's, seminarians residence and Marian shrine (€147,000.00; Catholic Church, Gadaka (€31,000.00).

Next weekend, Fr. Des Foley, who spent over ten years in Nigeria, will preach an appeal to you to help our brothers and sisters in Nigeria at all the masses here : 6.30 (Vigil), 11.00 and 6.30 on Sunday evening. next weekend, July 1-2. We know that, is always, this appeal will meet a generous response from you.

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