Sunday Newsletter
Masses Today
6.30: Philip & Delia Murphy, High St., (Anniv); Michael Flaherty (Month's Mind)11.00: Thomas Lenihan, late of Bowling Green, (Anniv).
6.30: Michael Folan, (Anniv).
- Masses Sunday, October 7th: 6.30 (Vigil): Annie Conneely (late of Market St.); 11.00: Esther Tierney; John Crean, (late of Long Walk); 6.30: Frank Barrett.
- Recently deceased: Pray for the late Philomena Beatty, Renmore, who died tragically on Monday last. She leaves behind Seán, and her children Noel, Mary, Anne, Helen, Ruth and Irene. May she rest in peace.
- COLLECTION: Last Sunday's collection (for COPE - formerly the Galway Social Services) was €1,276.00.
As I Was Saying...
The Galway diocese launched its 'Policy on Child Protection' this weekend. This document is itself based upon principles already outlined in 'Our Children, Our Church' (2005), a national policy document drawn up by a special Working Group of child care experts at the request of the Irish bishops and religious superiors.
It is worth looking at the brief given to that group: You will work to develop a comprehensive and integrated child protection policy for the Irish Catholic Church. This policy will encompass all Church-related activities and personnel (including volunteers) in Ireland, North and South. The policy will be rooted in best practice for the safety and welfare of children, and provide specific guidance on the management of concerns and allegations regarding child protection. The policy will be consistent with civil law. It will also be consistent with all relevant Church Law so as to be normative.
These principles are now being translated into 'practical implications' for parochial life in Galway. The most heartening thing about the 10-year process involved in producing these two documents (the national and diocesan one) is the central involvement of lay people, female and male.
If active parish councils had existed as they now do, children and young people would have been spared much suffering at the hands of depraved church personnel. Decisions would not have been secretly biased in defence of criminal members in the clerical culture. Can we imagine any parent on a parish decision-making body permitting a man against whom there was a sheaf of accusations, to remain in contact with children? Would the average parent have consented to moving an admitted paedophile to another place where he could continue to abuse? However tolerant men might be of this behaviour, women would most certainly have stood up and blown the whistle.
This is only one example of how impoverished the Church is without the influence of women in its decision-making process. Women have been centrally involved in bringing the diocesan Child Protection policy to fruition. Let us hope that they will now be centrally involved in its implementation.
As the months go by, we will gradually learn what this new policy means for daily life in the parish. Each parish will have to provide a yearly audit to the bishop on the progress made in implementing this policy. The bishop, for his part, is obliged to provide an audit to a committee of the Bishops' Conference on progress in his diocese. By next Summer, we will all be more familiar with this area.
As Bishop Drennan said yesterday at the launch of the document, "I look forward to the day when we won't need to talk about child protection, but will be able to focus on the positive, on what is best for children's welfare, for their growth, for their integrity." It will all have been worth it if it prevents even one child from being abused. Is it too much to hope that we have turned the corner?
-Dick Lyng
Items of Some Interest
- Harvest Festival: We will celebrate our Harvest Festival on Sunday next, October 7th. It is customary for members of the congregation to bring along to the service (or, better still, leave it in to the Priory during the week) tokens of the harvest: apples, potatoes, jam, bread, or whatever. The church will be suitably and seasonally decorated. If you are in a position to help out with the celebration your assistance would be very welcome indeed. We will hold a very short meeting about this after the 11.00 Mass this morning.
- Cathedral: Each Sunday evening during the month of October there will be a Candle-light Procession in the Cathedral, commencing at 7.30pm. During the procession the Rosary will be recited, concluding with Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. (Procession candles will be available at the Cathedral doors).
- Youth Mass:Mass for young people in the senior classes of Secondary Schools (male and female) and beyond will be celebrated on Sunday next, October 7th at 6.30pm.
- Child Protection: The diocesan document on child protection is launched by Bishop Drennan this weekend. Our parish representatives are Donal O'Connell and Rosemary Ryan, who will see to it that we are adhering to this programme.
- Church Kneelers: As promised, our kneelers have been 'decommissioned', for a trial period at any rate. We will review this decision before Christmas. Again, this action was taken by our Parish Steering Committee for two reasons: (i) the unnerving noise made by the kneelers in lowering them to the floor after the Sanctus; (ii) the fact that a number of people sustained facial injuries through tripping over the lowered kneelers. This decision wasn't taken lightly. We pursued every alternative course of action imaginable, but with no significant alleviation of the difficulties in question. While we understand why many of you may bemoan this action, we know you will appreciate the serious reasons underlying this decision. It is suggested that the congregation stand from the Offertory Prayer to the Acclamation after the Consecration, bowing in reverence both at the elevation of the Host and the Chalice; then sit for the remainder of the Eucharistic Prayer. Remain standing for the 'Behold the Lamb of God', again bowing in reverence. Then be seated until its is your turn to come forward for Holy Communion.
- Holy Communion: We had our meeting of Ministers of the Eucharist on Wednesday night. About fifty percent of the team showed up. A lot of dissatisfaction was expressed at the way communion is generally distributed. The dissatisfaction extended to our weekday Masses. In short, it was felt that the distribution of communion 'is all over the place' simply because the priests and Ministers of the Eucharist are 'all over the place.' New arrangements were agreed upon. Fr. Niall has drawn up a list of these. Ministers should not distribute communion until they have secured a copy of that list from Niall and familiarised themselves with it. These arrangements will be explained to the congregations at all the Masses.
A Papal Eye-Opener
Where ecumenism is concerned, the present Pope has been branded an 'ecclesiastical caveman'. After all, he did leave some very ugly hostages to fortune when he wrote that Protestant communities 'cannot, according to Catholic doctrine, be called "Churches" in the proper sense'.
So it came as a pleasant surprise this week when Pope Benedict fully endorsed an agreed statement by the Anglican- Roman Catholic Commission for Unity. This document seeks to move the Churches on from debate into practical action. The thrust of the statement is a call for cooperation and it recommends that the two churches come together to speak publicly on social justice, eradicating poverty and caring for the environment.
Canon Gregory Cameron, Anglican spokesman, said: "True ecumenism is not about discussion taking place elsewhere but about Christians working together in local church situations, and this document attempts to bridge that gap." {This sounds very like what we have been attempting to do with St. Nicholas' community!}.
Anglicans and Catholics should "do all things together except when deep differences compel us to do them separately", says the statement.
It recommends sharing training for lay people in evangelisation and cooperation in biblical study, church history and pastoral training for seminarians. Attending each other's ordinations is also encouraged.
As both churches recognise the validity of each other's baptism, the Commission suggests joint programmes for families presenting their children for baptism and encourages Catholics to have Anglican "witnesses" (non-Catholic godparents) and vice versa.
The report calls on Catholics and Anglicans to attend each other's Eucharist, albeit non-communicatively, and reminds the faithful that since 1971 the churches have formally agreed on the meaning of the Eucharist and Christ's real presence in the bread and wine.
On A Happy Note
Dear Fr Lyng,
I have attended your church for some time and have 'enjoyed' the liturgy (and your sermons!) but most of all your choir. I have hoped for some time that your choir would soon record a CD of this wonderful church and liturgical music. They have such a wonderful repertoire of classical and religious music.
So much of this music will be lost to future generations if choirs like yours fail to record. Seasonal hymns, like Queen of the May, The Easter hymn, Hail Glorious St Patrick, the Ave Maria, Panis Angelicus, and so on. What a legacy! What a worldwide marketable Christmas present for patrons of the Auggie abroad!
Yours a listener.