Irish Priests Form Association; Meeting Hall Overflows

The National Catholic Reporter ^ | 9/20/10 | Cian Molloy

[marshmallow]

DUBLIN -- The inaugural meeting of a new association to represent the views of Irish priests drew six times more participants than organizers expected.

More than 300 priests were present at the first meeting of the Association of Catholic Priests in Port Laoise Sept. 15. Organizers had expected only 60 priests to attend, so the meeting was delayed while proceedings were transferred to a larger meeting hall.

One of the founders of the new association, Father Brendan Hoban, said the new association does not seek to represent all priests, only those who agree to its program, which was published in the September edition of the theological magazine The Furrow.

"The association hopes to speak to the members of the Vatican's apostolic visitation to Ireland to voice our opposition to the new English-language translation of the Mass," Father Hoban told Catholic News Service. "We believe the new translation, which is to come into effect next year, is over-complicated and over-Latinized. There has been very little consultation about it, but nobody seems to want it -- it's another example of the church trying to fix things that don't need to be fixed and not fixing the things that need fixing."

The association said it also would work for "full implementation of the vision and teaching of the Second Vatican Council, with special emphasis on: the primacy of the individual conscience, the status and active participation of all the baptized and the task of establishing a church where all believers will be treated as equal; a restructuring of the governing system of the church ... encouraging a culture of consultation and transparency, particularly in the appointment of church leaders; a re-evaluation of Catholic sexual teaching and practice that recognizes the profound mystery of human sexuality."

This is the third body to have been established to represent Irish priests since the 1960s. The Association of Irish Priests fell into disuse in the early 1970s and the Irish bishops instituted the National Conference of Priests of Ireland, with elected representatives, in 1975, but it ceased operations in 2007.

The Association of Catholic Priests hopes for greater success than the National Conference of Priests of Ireland, which was often ignored by the hierarchy. When one conference president tried contacting the papal nuncio to Ireland, he was informed that he was "a nobody leading nobodies."

[marshmallow]

The association said it also would work for "full implementation of the vision and teaching of the Second Vatican Council, with special emphasis on: the primacy of the individual conscience, the status and active participation of all the baptized and the task of establishing a church where all believers will be treated as equal...

By now, we know this shtick by heart. It's code for liberal dissent from Church teaching.

Ireland's ageing "spirit of Vatican II" clergy getting ready for their last hurrah.

[AU72]

The Catholic Church in Ireland is in the middle of a steep decline.

[Andrea19]

I’ve been to ordinary form masses in Irish Gaelic, and it’s a powerful liturgy; then they should abandon English. But no one would understand one could say? Oh wait, in that case, go back to the original Latin.

[wideawake]

I see the left has not abandoned the old National Socialist propaganda technique of "we only expected 60 but five times as many came! It's a groundswell!" (and yes I'm aware that the brilliant journalist who wrote the article thinks that 300 is six times sixty).

300 priests represents about 5% of the Irish clergy.

[AU72]

I grew up with the Latin Mass and Gregorian Chants in Church. I was appalled when it turned into protestant coffee houses with guitars and sing-a-alongs.

[Andrea19]

I’ve been to some extraordinary form high masses in the last year and they are amazing, and reverent. Hard to see how it fell away. Then again, you must have been one of the blest; almost all the people I’ve met, who grew up when the Tridentine mass was the ordinary form, usually go on and on about how it was this rapid fire dialog mass with bad hymns.

[SuziQ]

"We believe the new translation, which is to come into effect next year, is over-complicated and over-Latinized. There has been very little consultation about it, but nobody seems to want it -- it's another example of the church trying to fix things that don't need to be fixed and not fixing the things that need fixing."

Except for the 'over-complicated and over-Latinized' part, this statement could easily have been made the last time the Missal was 'translated', in order to make it relevant to the 'modern' Church. I made this point to our Choir Director who was lamenting the changes. ;o)

It's my understanding that many of the changes were made to make the Liturgy more tied to Scripture, which it always has been, but the prayers at Mass don't always reflect.

[CdMGuy]

How’s about sending these 300 into retirement. I doubt the Catholic Church in Ireland spent any less time reviewing these changes than the Catholic Church in America. Just a bunch of left wing priests who have their tu-tus in a tither because these changes correct a small part of the mishmash created by Vatican 2.

[ichabod1]

Irish Priests Form Association; Meeting Hall Overflows

Police called in to break up numerous fistfights, dozens arrested for drunk and disorderly.