I was in church last Sunday and I am fascinated by the diversity of our priests these days. My schedule requires that on certain weekends I attend different churches so I get to "know" several priests during the course of a year.
In the last decade or so, we've had priests for India, the Philippines, Poland and Africa.
At one church there is a Priest from Kenya who is a large athletic man who has an African-British accent. He exudes great confidence and is deliberate in his sermons and all his actions in the mass. You can't help but feel the strength of his faith.
When we pulled up at church this week, the Priest was pulling up with his car. He stepped out with a small person whom I mistook for young boy. It turned out the person was actually a very small man who was an older Priest from Nigeria.
The two African Priests said the mass. At the end of the mass, the Priest from Nigeria stood up to say a few words. First off, he said he would like to thank Americans for their faith that was in many ways a guiding light for the rest of the world. He said it was our faith and support with the faith and support of European Catholics that led to the missionary work in Africa which in turn led to his and other African priests vocations. He was basically saying that by supporting the mission work in Africa decades ago we were now seeing and experiencing the benefit of that work by having priests like him serve parishes in the US. I was touched by this because one of my Uncles was a school master from Scotland who had actually gone to Africa with his wife to run a Catholic school. I couldn't take any personal credit for this of course, but it made the Priest message seem more relevant. Perhaps all those small coins we used to put in those little milk carton mission banks had done some good.
The Priest then told us that unfortunately, the Catholic faith in Europe was almost dead. Traveling through Europe, he had seen empty churches and almost a total lack of any expression of the Catholic faith. He went on to say that even in Ireland, mass participation was on the decline and the church had seemed to have lost its way offering shorter masses to try to hold onto to those who considered mass a burden on their time.
I had talked to an Irish publisher a year or so ago when Ireland was in the throes of their examination of the church's running of the various social services. The Publisher suggested that the people had enough of the Catholic church and its priests.
I am hoping against hope that these reports are exaggerated or at least short lived. I think it is wonderful that we have an increase in priests from Africa, India and the Philippines. This gives us new strength and vigor. These priests add a new dimension to the faith and Lord knows we need it. It also suggests that the church is growing in the places from which these priests come to us. It is all good as they say.
But as an Irish American, you can't help but feel bad when you consider that the church in Ireland might be on the decline. For Irish Americans, Ireland holds a special spirituality for us. The Irish religious came to this country at a time when the Catholic church was in a primitive vulnerable state under siege from many quarters. Their work was instrumental and inspiring. Not only did they keep the faith alive here, they also improved the religious training and education of the poor Irish--many of whom had come over during the famine.
It was the second and third generation Irish American priests who have established such wonderful institutions like the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Hospitals, Universities, etc. We need that continuing flood of new blood from Ireland. We need the example of Irish piety and faith. We need all the help we can get! We have our own faith crisis going on right here.
The world keeps changing and we might not like everything that the Vatican does. We might feel disgraced and angered by the Priests who have betrayed their faith and abused children. We might believe the church leaders mishandled much of the scandal. We might disagree with things that are being said and done by some of the human beings who are our church leaders. But we can't help but believe that the body and blood of Jesus Christ that is present at the altar for us at each mass is a gift that is present in the Catholic Church. Most of our priests are wonderful spiritual people who have kept the faith, who have fought the good fight. Certainly, the Irish can see this, can they not? I pray so.
In the last decade or so, we've had priests for India, the Philippines, Poland and Africa.
At one church there is a Priest from Kenya who is a large athletic man who has an African-British accent. He exudes great confidence and is deliberate in his sermons and all his actions in the mass. You can't help but feel the strength of his faith.
When we pulled up at church this week, the Priest was pulling up with his car. He stepped out with a small person whom I mistook for young boy. It turned out the person was actually a very small man who was an older Priest from Nigeria.
The two African Priests said the mass. At the end of the mass, the Priest from Nigeria stood up to say a few words. First off, he said he would like to thank Americans for their faith that was in many ways a guiding light for the rest of the world. He said it was our faith and support with the faith and support of European Catholics that led to the missionary work in Africa which in turn led to his and other African priests vocations. He was basically saying that by supporting the mission work in Africa decades ago we were now seeing and experiencing the benefit of that work by having priests like him serve parishes in the US. I was touched by this because one of my Uncles was a school master from Scotland who had actually gone to Africa with his wife to run a Catholic school. I couldn't take any personal credit for this of course, but it made the Priest message seem more relevant. Perhaps all those small coins we used to put in those little milk carton mission banks had done some good.
The Priest then told us that unfortunately, the Catholic faith in Europe was almost dead. Traveling through Europe, he had seen empty churches and almost a total lack of any expression of the Catholic faith. He went on to say that even in Ireland, mass participation was on the decline and the church had seemed to have lost its way offering shorter masses to try to hold onto to those who considered mass a burden on their time.
I had talked to an Irish publisher a year or so ago when Ireland was in the throes of their examination of the church's running of the various social services. The Publisher suggested that the people had enough of the Catholic church and its priests.
I am hoping against hope that these reports are exaggerated or at least short lived. I think it is wonderful that we have an increase in priests from Africa, India and the Philippines. This gives us new strength and vigor. These priests add a new dimension to the faith and Lord knows we need it. It also suggests that the church is growing in the places from which these priests come to us. It is all good as they say.
But as an Irish American, you can't help but feel bad when you consider that the church in Ireland might be on the decline. For Irish Americans, Ireland holds a special spirituality for us. The Irish religious came to this country at a time when the Catholic church was in a primitive vulnerable state under siege from many quarters. Their work was instrumental and inspiring. Not only did they keep the faith alive here, they also improved the religious training and education of the poor Irish--many of whom had come over during the famine.
It was the second and third generation Irish American priests who have established such wonderful institutions like the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Hospitals, Universities, etc. We need that continuing flood of new blood from Ireland. We need the example of Irish piety and faith. We need all the help we can get! We have our own faith crisis going on right here.
The world keeps changing and we might not like everything that the Vatican does. We might feel disgraced and angered by the Priests who have betrayed their faith and abused children. We might believe the church leaders mishandled much of the scandal. We might disagree with things that are being said and done by some of the human beings who are our church leaders. But we can't help but believe that the body and blood of Jesus Christ that is present at the altar for us at each mass is a gift that is present in the Catholic Church. Most of our priests are wonderful spiritual people who have kept the faith, who have fought the good fight. Certainly, the Irish can see this, can they not? I pray so.
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