I’m given to understand that this letter appeared in the Irish Times yesterday – Jude.
A chara,
The Irish bishops should be careful about withdrawing all the students from Maynooth for the Brits might reclaim it since they originally bought and paid for it. The Brits funded the original seminary to make sure that the Irish Church of the future would not be influenced by those radical republican ideas from France. They wanted to ensure that the Irish Catholic church would be servile and obedient and promote a right-wing view of the world. It must be said that it admirably fulfilled its purpose from their point of view. With few exceptions most priests toed the party line and accepted the political status quo. The present crisis is an opportunity for the whole Irish church to review the role of a national seminary in the Irish church. If there is going to be a national seminary it should have as a priority its prophetic calling to train future priests and deacons to make a preferential option for the poor and oppressed in Ireland. The biggest problem with Maynooth, as I see it, is its middle class culture and bias. There have always been disciplinary problems. I knew a fella once who was severely censured for not wearing a biretta. It did not get much coverage in the media.
Is mise,
Fr Joe McVeigh
‘With few exceptions most priests toed the party line and accepted the political status quo.’
Father Joe Mc Veigh can take great pride in the fact that he is one of rhose Priests who refused to accept the status quo. A man of great courage and fortitude.who wouldn’t be silenced by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.
Well said Joe and Hugh
I thought the seminary was founded by a Fitzgerald, an anti-union Fitzgerald at that?
A brother of a senior United Irishman if memory serves?
Who is Joe McVeigh?
Better still: who are you?
I agree with Joe McVeigh but think his letter would have had more impact if he had avoided using the word “Brits”. Gets people’s hackles up and turns it into a political letter. Joe and I were contemporaries in Maynooth (though they wouldn’t let me wear a biretta) and I have fond memories of his kindness to me and great admiration for his stance on the “preferential option for the poor and the oppressed.” No back doors with this particular Fermanagh man!
P.S. Joe is his name and he wouldn’t be one for titles. As a Cork priest told me, baptism trumps ordination. (apologies for using the T word there!!)
Most Priests, unfortunately, did toe the anti Republican line during the conflict, there were some honourable exceptions but they were very few and far between.
“Most Priests, unfortunately, did toe the anti Republican line during the conflict, there were some honourable exceptions but they were very few and far between.”
Why was that unfortunate? One could hardly expect priests to support an anti-Christian position.
Just on a point of information, MT: do you equate Christianity with pacifism?
“Just on a point of information, MT: do you equate Christianity with pacifism?”
No. Do you?
I do, however, associate it with believing that violence is only justified as last resort and being instinctively anti-violence.
That’d be near enough my own position, MT. Now how do you know that the first half of your assertion isn’t the case here?(Btw – you won’t forget to answer my question ‘Who are you?’, will you?
“Now how do you know that the first half of your assertion isn’t the case here?”
What assertion are you referring to?
Jude, could you explain to which assertion you were referring, so that I may reply?
Sensible letter but is the Irish clerical hierarchy listening?
What’s a biretta? BERETTAS would have been more in vogue around here at one time!
A Beretta is a brand of gun manufactured by a company for 500 years.
Included ,according to their website,are concealed handguns and Long Guns which look to me like assault rifles which are proclaimed to leave “an indelible impression”.
Well I would assume so.