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Post by Séamus on Jan 15, 2019 7:59:23 GMT
Very...etc.... I will add that it's no secret I think that ICKSP has shown real interest in bringing this order of nuns to Ireland. Something to pray for ... January 15,feast of Limerick's St Idá/Ita/Deirdre, one of the region's pioneer consecrated women, said to have taught many male Saints in their childhood also, is another day to remember to pray for the Society, male and female branches, especially Sacred Heart church in Limerick. Deidre remains a name one often comes across belonging to women with very little Irish in them, usually pronounced as with a(n English language) double-e at the end. The traditional Benedictine monks recently started in the once large town of Colebrook, Tasmania, have had (about) their third clothing on the Epiphany this year, not hugely connected with the subject, except that the chapel apparently boasts a lovely St Patrick shrine;the largely abandoned St Patrick's church was mostly built to a Pugin design in the 1850s, although the shell of the church existed even before this and may be the oldest in Australia. Vale- Sr Wendy Beckett who died on St Stephen's day @88. Not the most orthodox Catholic in some of her views, but she still gave quite a witness to Christianity by her life and profile as an entertainer. JRR Tollkien was one deeply impressed with the intelligence of the young novice during her time in Oxford.
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Post by Tomas on Jan 16, 2019 15:23:09 GMT
Very...etc.... I will add that it's no secret I think that ICKSP has shown real interest in bringing this order of nuns to Ireland. Something to pray for … Vale- Sr Wendy Beckett who died on St Stephen's day @88. Not the most orthodox Catholic in some of her views, but she still gave quite a witness to Christianity by her life and profile as an entertainer. JRR Tollkien was one deeply impressed with the intelligence of the young novice during her time in Oxford. Having searched the index in The Letters of J.R.R Tolkien in vain for Wendy Beckett as recompense I found as a fact that no less than 15 entries under the heading Ireland and Irish languages, about half in each. Will check some and bring it up in a separate thread soon. The late Sr Wendy Beckett appeared smiling on some prominently displayed neat books some decades ago in "every" bookshop that had any items of christianity. First impression was mixed on my behalf then, the positive side that here was a kind religious sharing her gleaming face in concern for others but at the same time a rather negative side singed out like a rather watered-down kind of catholicism. Maybe it was just vague. Intuition by first impression was not all for it at least.
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Post by cato on Jan 16, 2019 21:04:37 GMT
The late Sr Wendy Beckett appeared smiling on some prominently displayed neat books some decades ago in "every" bookshop that had any items of christianity. First impression was mixed on my behalf then, the positive side that here was a kind religious sharing her gleaming face in concern for others but at the same time a rather negative side singed out like a rather watered-down kind of catholicism. Maybe it was just vague. Intuition by first impression was not all for it at least. [/quote]
Religious orders do attract some prominent individuals who can be very attractive on one level but who are basically nuts doctrinally. The Irish Benedictine order is a notable example.
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Post by Séamus on Jan 17, 2019 8:11:33 GMT
Vale- Sr Wendy Beckett who died on St Stephen's day JRR Tollkien was one deeply impressed with the intelligence of the young novice during her time in Oxford. Having searched the index in The Letters of J.R.R Tolkien in vain for Wendy Beckett as recompense I found as a fact that no less than 15 entries under the heading Ireland and Irish languages, about half in each. Will check some and bring it up in a separate thread soon. It was mentioned in the obituary in Britain's Express newspaper, writers name not included. It wouldn't have been extremely important in either of their lives, but it's interesting. Of course the Congregation would have given her a different name at that time, there were generally no Sr Wendys before the post-council changes. I'm, in fact,reading the Christopher Tollkien put-together BEREN AND LÚTHIEN at the moment. It seems a slight bit awkward, not as 'organically edited' as CHILDREN OF HÚRIN was.
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Post by cato on Jan 24, 2019 11:56:19 GMT
The feminist types who dominate the main Irish religious orders and who have helped decimimate their own communities were involved in hosting Minister for Culture Josepha Madigan for a conference on Women's ministry in the Church. In this case the Irish Mercy sisters were planning to have her preach at their premises in Dublin at a We are Church function.
Ms Madigan you may recall was a major noise in the repeal campaign while claiming to be a catholic in good standing. No church spokesperson contradicted that so it must be true.... Not content with that cheek she led a communion service or said mass according to the media in her local parish when the priest failed to turn up.
Various catholic groups protested about the Mercy invite and it has been cancelled. Thank the Lord. We need more of this kind of protest from the laity when the faith is being betrayed or insulted as the authorities in the church have absolutely no backbone whatsover.
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Post by Séamus on May 1, 2019 12:10:12 GMT
It may be of interest (or probably not) that the Australian Eurovision entrant this month, opera-turned pop singer Kate Miller-Heidke, did her secondary schooling at Brigidine College (Indooroopilly- somewhere in New South Wales apparently) founded, of course, by 18/19th century Irish Bishop Daniel Delany's Brigidine Sisters. As she's younger than I am, it's highly unlikely however that she actually encountered many, if any, religious (whether Irish or Australian) during her time there.
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Post by cato on May 3, 2019 14:17:35 GMT
The Tuam nuns are back in the news with a recent report querying why so much information about burials of children is missing. No one seems to know or records were scanty.
One simple fact seems to have gone over people's heads . Most of the staff in these institutions are dead by now.
Having a child out of wedlock was a scandalous episode for the mother. The father rarely endured any stigma. The mother and child homes were secretive by nature . Many women wanted a fresh start and went on to marry and have families. No one knew what happened and everyone moved on. By and large people were happy with this solution .The poor were treated very badly in the past and the church unfortunately did little to challenge middle class prejudice against those who deviated from acceptable norms.
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Post by assisi on May 4, 2019 11:21:51 GMT
The Tuam nuns are back in the news with a recent report querying why so much information about burials of children is missing. No one seems to know or records were scanty. One simple fact seems to have gone over people's heads . Most of the staff in these institutions are dead by now. Having a child out of wedlock was a scandalous episode for the mother. The father rarely endured any stigma. The mother and child homes were secretive by nature . Many women wanted a fresh start and went on to marry and have families. No one knew what happened and everyone moved on. By and large people were happy with this solution .The poor were treated very badly in the past and the church unfortunately did little to challenge middle class prejudice against those who deviated from acceptable norms. I'm sure things went on that would shock and sadden us by our current standards (perhaps not if our current standards include killing thousands through abortion without any ceremony or detail at all and putting their body parts in a bin or furnace - this might be make the Tuam home look good). The narrative of progressives must be, the past is bad, the progressives' future must be perceived to be good. But consider a few facts about Tuam. I have seen lists of the names of the dead children. Perhaps they are hinting at more I don't know, but the names have been known. Consider this also. The Tuam investigation dates from 1925. That is only 7 years after world war 1. It is only 6 or 7 years after the Spanish flu which killed more people globally than the war, and an estimated 23,000 in Ireland. I'm sure that between these 2 events there were many families that lost bread winners and potential earners throughout Ireland. There was the Irish war of Independence and Civil War shortly before that date too. Add in the world economic crash of 1929, the second world war, rations and lack of basic medication, with antibiotics only starting to be widely used in the 1940s. Unmarried mothers were not just a morality issue, they were also an economic and survival issue. With little or no welfare system in the early past of this timeline, having a baby out of marriage, without a father to support it, meant extreme pressure on families to support another child and a mother (where could they live, could the mother work or would the mother look after the child and be less employable?). So the context of the situation is rarely considered by the progressives as they don't want to know. Also would it not be wise to consider the burial habits of such homes in other places around the same timeline. What were similar services in Russia for example from 1925, or America, China, Spain, Sweden? I'm sure that would be worthwhile context. I saw that Barnardos in the early 20th century in London had children buried in unmarked graves and recently put up a monument to them. I guess we will never know for sure what happened but the lack of context and rush to condemn is part and parcel of the progressive way.
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Post by Maolsheachlann on May 4, 2019 12:15:17 GMT
The Tuam nuns are back in the news with a recent report querying why so much information about burials of children is missing. No one seems to know or records were scanty. One simple fact seems to have gone over people's heads . Most of the staff in these institutions are dead by now. Having a child out of wedlock was a scandalous episode for the mother. The father rarely endured any stigma. The mother and child homes were secretive by nature . Many women wanted a fresh start and went on to marry and have families. No one knew what happened and everyone moved on. By and large people were happy with this solution .The poor were treated very badly in the past and the church unfortunately did little to challenge middle class prejudice against those who deviated from acceptable norms. I'm sure things went on that would shock and sadden us by our current standards (perhaps not if our current standards include killing thousands through abortion without any ceremony or detail at all and putting their body parts in a bin or furnace - this might be make the Tuam home look good). The narrative of progressives must be, the past is bad, the progressives' future must be perceived to be good. But consider a few facts about Tuam. I have seen lists of the names of the dead children. Perhaps they are hinting at more I don't know, but the names have been known. Consider this also. The Tuam investigation dates from 1925. That is only 7 years after world war 1. It is only 6 or 7 years after the Spanish flu which killed more people globally than the war, and an estimated 23,000 in Ireland. I'm sure that between these 2 events there were many families that lost bread winners and potential earners throughout Ireland. There was the Irish war of Independence and Civil War shortly before that date too. Add in the world economic crash of 1929, the second world war, rations and lack of basic medication, with antibiotics only starting to be widely used in the 1940s. Unmarried mothers were not just a morality issue, they were also an economic and survival issue. With little or no welfare system in the early past of this timeline, having a baby out of marriage, without a father to support it, meant extreme pressure on families to support another child and a mother (where could they live, could the mother work or would the mother look after the child and be less employable?). So the context of the situation is rarely considered by the progressives as they don't want to know. Also would it not be wise to consider the burial habits of such homes in other places around the same timeline. What were similar services in Russia for example from 1925, or America, China, Spain, Sweden? I'm sure that would be worthwhile context. I saw that Barnardos in the early 20th century in London had children buried in unmarked graves and recently put up a monument to them. I guess we will never know for sure what happened but the lack of context and rush to condemn is part and parcel of the progressive way. Excellent observations there, Assisi, especially about the historical context and war.
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Post by cato on Jul 10, 2019 16:38:04 GMT
I came across a discussion of the role of nuns in the pre-conciliar church recently and some one made the point that they were the main group evangelizing the young in parishes and schools and forming them in the faith. Nothing has really replaced them and the huge void that has been left in catholic life since their disapearence must have had a dramatic impact on the decline in faith transmission.
Perhaps this had been mentioned before but I have rarely heard anyone mention this as a factor in religious decline in Ireland.
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Post by Séamus on Jul 14, 2019 13:19:56 GMT
I came across a discussion of the role of nuns in the pre-conciliar church recently and some one made the point that they were the main group evangelizing the young in parishes and schools and forming them in the faith. Nothing has really replaced them and the huge void that has been left in catholic life since their disapearence must have had a dramatic impact on the decline in faith transmission. Perhaps this had been mentioned before but I have rarely heard anyone mention this as a factor in religious decline in Ireland. It would be interesting to speculate on 'what if' alternatives... 1,if religious orders in the anglosphere had remained reasonably orthodox and plentiful,but the world had still become aggressively secular ? 2,if religious had,as is the case, largely become the left-wing of the western church,but still remained strong in numbers,with institutes not in the state of collapse many are now in? 3,if Vocations were indeed as rare as they actually are but remaining sisters (&brothers) had reminded orthodox and at their original roles? A recent Missionary Sisters of Saint Peter Claver publication noted their 125th anniversary this year. A bright spark. Although their financial and communicational scope is probably dwarfed by the Pontifical Mission society,maybe even ACN,the more hands-on fundraising and media approach is often very refreshing,due to the awareness it gives of the global Church in a humble and grassroots level. And having consecrated persons still running it mostly themselves gives a special authenticity also
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Post by cato on Jul 31, 2019 11:26:27 GMT
I have become more and more convinced Catholics need to be evangelical in the sense of being able to 1) convert themselves 2) convert others. The basic assumption Catholics made 50 odd years ago of a benign secular order that we should not only dialogue with , but over time to conform to, is deeply flawed.
Sisters (and brothers) took on a radical mission to forsake all in order to spread the gospel and to teach the truth. This vocation became unintentionally devalued after Vatican II when it was assumed "The laity " would evangelize the world. The current laity despite the fact they have the best secular educations possible , have a thin veneer of catechetical knowledge , if even that. We need a dedicated group of teaching witnessing Christians in the church who are not priests.
C S Lewis remarked in one of his books a little bit of religion usually inoculates against the real thing just like a vaacination. Lewis wrote Mere Christianity to provide a primer in core Christian teaching. On my reading list I have Mere Catholicism by Fr Ian Kerr and How to Defend the Faith without Raising your Voice by Michael Kelly and Austin Ivereich. I may post on them at a later date.
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Post by cato on Dec 13, 2019 15:24:16 GMT
I have come across a fascinating book just published called "Divine Illumination The oratory of the sacred heart in Dun Laoghaire".
It deals with what is one of the last Gaelic revival churches in Ireland decorated by a Dominican sister Concepta Lynch in colourful Celtic motifs in the the 1920s and 1930s. Sr Concepta was inspired by the great illuminators and scribes who produced the famous Gospel books of the early Irish church.
The book also includes many interesting photos of Irish female religious at the hight of their influence. It is a world that has been swept away. The Dominican convent was sold off and demolished apart from the oratory in 1997 for property development. One religion was symbolically eclipsed by another.
A really interesting place to visit and this book is a good guide to its contents and context.
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Post by Séamus on Dec 14, 2019 6:04:04 GMT
I have come across a fascinating book just published called "Divine Illumination The oratory of the sacred heart in Dun Laoghaire". It deals with what is one of the last Gaelic revival churches in Ireland decorated by a Dominican sister Concepta Lynch in colourful Celtic motifs in the the 1920s and 1930s. Sr Concepta was inspired by the great illuminators and scribes who produced the famous Gospel books of the early Irish church. The book also includes many interesting photos of Irish female religious at the hight of their influence. It is a world that has been swept away. The Dominican convent was sold off and demolished apart from the oratory in 1997 for property development. One religion was symbolically eclipsed by another. A really interesting place to visit and this book is a good guide to its contents and context. Must rank with the Honan Chapel and the Church of the Four Masters as one of the most 'Celtic' chapels in modern times. Mention should be made of Sr Mary Clare Augustine Moore, one of Catherine McAuley's early sisters who become well known for illuminated documents, mostly profession registers,not of a particularly Irish style but fascinating, particularly as her talent was said to have been quite ordinary when she first started. Her younger sister was a one of the Mercys who worked in the Crimea and became friendly with Nightingale.
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Post by Séamus on Mar 28, 2020 7:16:58 GMT
Although she was reportedly more spiritualist than spiritual,the discovery and (no doubt cancelled) display of Florence Nightingale artifacts (including her Aunt Ann's scrapbook) in Nightingale's London museum this year might be a good occasion to remark on the curiousity of her meeting (in modern-day Egypt) with Dubliner Mother Ursula Frayne,pioneer of Mercy Sisters in Australia (and North America,although Ursula is rarely considered their foundress there due to historical politics): "straight after meeting Ursula, Florence had an appointment with the wife of a very wealthy Alexandrian in her harem. Meeting the exquisitely beautiful,heavily adorned woman,sitting in the middle of an immense marble hall and with not even 'a ball and cup' to play with,Florence was immediately struck by the contrast between this woman and Ursula: 'I felt that I could have died a martyr to give her one hour of such feelings as those Sisters have. A little adopted daughter of her own was brought for us to see,dressed in yellow satin and a shawl around it's waist,with a turbin and a little train- a sweet little child;but I felt how much I would rather be that little Bush (an Aboriginal child the Sisters were bringing from Perth to Europe). How much better chance she had than this'.That afternoon both Ursula and Florence's respective parties left Alexandria. Florence,of course,had no idea how involved she was to become with other Sisters of Mercy in the hospitals of the Crimea" cf biography C.kovesi-killerby.... I met one priest this week who'd been videolinking a mass to hospital beds with one 90-year old Mercy (former matron) as a congregation - the current reality!... And poor Shrewsbury Cathedral- just uncovered and restored it's Mr.PuginJr-made mosaic floor supposedly in time for Holy Week viewing!
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