Sunday Newsletter

Masses Today

6.30: Derry Roughan, (Anniv).
11.00: Máire O'Hare, (Anniv).
6.30: Denis & Kitty Daly, (Anniv).

As I Was Saying...

World Cup madness has descended upon us like a silver cloud. The old cliché, 'Football is really a religion' will be repeated endlessly. I often wondered if the intent of that cliché was to elevate football or to devalue religion? Some would hold that football exploits religion in that it employs much of the paraphernalia traditionally associated with religious ritual and worship. Pre-match parades have their roots in religious processions, while hymns such as 'When the Saints Go Marching In' make no attempt to disguise their obvious religious origins.

While football has exploited religion, there is no shortage of religious people prepared to exploit football to their own ends. With the World Cup pending, an English evangelical 'think-tank', called 'Christian Vision for Men' was established. They claim that British congregations have lost 49 per cent of all males under the age of 30 during the past 20 years.

Churches are very pastorally driven. But real blokes are looking for decisions, not discussions. The problem has become a 'male culture' versus a 'church culture' which has become feminised. Too many sermons talk about Jesus' love, compassion and grace. This is all wonderful stuff, but these are not simply male concepts! Men want to know about Jesus' great decision-making and his decisive leadership. That is the reality they recognise.

Canon Simon Bessant of Sheffield said: "There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to support the view that the gender balance in Church of England congregations is getting seriously out of line." In fact research has shown that the gender ratio of your average Sunday congregation today is 70/30 in favour of woman. In short, there is a serious "testosterone deficit" in our Churches today.

This deficit manifests itself at all levels of Church life, from worship to administration. Popular hymns such as 'Amazing Grace' are simply in the wrong key for male voices, according to Baptist Pastor, Rev. Carl Beech: "These are wonderful songs but they do not translate for men to sing. You hear blokes singing at football matches but not in church and that is because they prefer songs you can sing in a low key. But church is not just about the singing and the problem is a lot of men get put off thinking it is."

So how are we to entice the male defectors back to the pews? The evangelical 'think-tank' mentioned at the outset, 'Christian Vision for Men', has started a campaign. They are asking clergymen to show the World Cup on big screens above the pulpit and even serve beer while the football tournament is on! Again, the Rev. Carl Beech has a clear vision of the possibilities: "The World Cup is when pretty much every bloke in the country bonds over a common goal. Why can that not be done in a church?"

Just think of what the cheating hand of Thierry Henry has spared us and thank God for small mercies! Enjoy the games.

-Dick Lyng

Items of Great Interest

The Late Conor Morris

Conor Morris' funeral Mass was celebrated in Knocknacarra Church on Wednesday last. Conor was 75. He had been ailing for a short time. He was CEO of the Galway County V.E.C. from 1986 to his retirement in August, 2000. We got to know him well during that time because his offices were across the road in Hynes' Building. He attended the 8.30 Mass here in the Augustinian every single morning during those 14 years.

A native of Carnmore, he was educated at 'The Bish', and later went on to University College Galway. He completed his third level education in University College Dublin where he qualified as a Vocational teacher.

He gained wide experience through teaching in various counties, among them Kildare, Cork and Longford, where he became C.E.O. of the local V.E.C. He returned to Galway in that capacity in 1986.

He was a trojan worker and a man of great ability. His greatest achievement was the development of the 'Outdoor Education Centre' at Petersburg on the Galway Mayo border. His first act on becoming C.E.O. was to purchase an old big house and yard with out-offices, together with 32 acres of land, hill and lake, for the handsome sum of £1! Petersburg House, built in 1715, was the ancestral home of a branch of the Lynch family of Galway. One of the first Lynches to live on the estate was called Peter and he put his own stamp on the place by naming it Petersburg. There is no Russian connection!

The decision to turn it into an outdoor education centre was an inspired one. It is ideally located for land-based and water-based adventure activities as it is situated on the southern shore of Lough Mask with hills and forests all around it. Conor immediately embarked on a massive fundraising campaign, both at home and in the States. His vision and determination has certainly borne fruit for the Centre opened its doors just two months before Conor's retirement from the VEC in 2000. The Centre stands as a fitting monument to his fruitful term in office.

He was an avid supporter of Galway GAA, and he was a great man to get his hands on an All Ireland ticket in a crisis! But his favourite hobby was bee-keeping.

He is survived by Eileen and their children, Noreen (Reidy), Pearse, Gerard and Conor, and his many grandchildren, his two brothers and two sisters. He served well. May he now rest in peace.

SUMMER FESTIVAL

Our Mid Summer Festival, on weekend of June 25-27, is getting dangerously close. It has five components: (1) Preparing the Church. Margaret Cunnane, Margaret Cunningham and Mary O h-Ici usually look after the floral decorations and they do it well. (2) Barbecue and Kitchen; (3) Liturgy; (4) Children's Art; (5) Children's Entertainment.

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