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Archbishop of Tuam says Church becoming increasingly marginalised, weakened and despised
Galway Bay fm newsroom – The church in Ireland is becoming increasingly marginalised, weakened and despised in our society.
That’s according to Archbishhop of Tuam Michael Neary, who this morning delivered his Reek Sunday homily at the summit of Croagh Patrick.
He spoke of the need for the church to return to penance and prayer and take stock of its place – and the message it seeks to deliver – in the modern world.
In his homily, Archbishop Neary made reference to the slow, silent decline of faith in Ireland, and how many feel they are ‘strangers in a strange land’.
He said that pilgrimages – like that on Croagh Patrick this morning – offer an opportunity to take stock and discover new heart.
He acknowledged that the Church today is – as it was in the Roman Empire – small, peripheral, suspect and despised in the face of a brilliant, glittering and self-assured society.
Archbishop Neary said it would be easy to avoid the long, hard personal journey that is needed and spend all of our remaining energy on desperately vying for attention in our modern culture.
However, he offered that before we speak, we must have something to say – and the church in Ireland is being called to return to penance and prayer.
He suggested it’s best work could yet to be done – and acknowledged this work will be carried out by a smaller Church that has been politically, socially and financially weakened.
He said the Church must get used to preaching on street corners and making the gospel heard over the constant noise of the public arena.
He closed his homily by stating that if the Church in Ireland has one mission – it is to subvert the ‘closed shop’ that is the Western World and startle it with a renewed message of the generosity and hospitality of god.
The death has occurred of the former Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Martin Drennan, six years after he announced his retirement on health grounds. He was aged 78.
The Galway Diocesan Office confirmed the death this (Saturday) afternoon of the Bishop and Apostolic Administrator Emeritus, who oversaw the Diocese for eleven years.
Born on January 2, 1944 in Piltown, County Kilkenny, he studied for the priesthood at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, from where he was ordained to the priesthood in 1968. His brother Michael is also a priest.
Following his ordination, he continued his studies in Rome where he was awarded a Licentiate in both sacred theology and sacred scripture. He returned to Rome in 1980 to become spiritual director at the Pontifical Irish College for the next five years.
He became a lecturer in sacred scripture at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, where he continued to teach until his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Dublin in 1997 with responsibility for East Wicklow and South Dublin.
Following the retirement of Bishop James McLoughlin, Bishop Drennan was appointed Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh and Apostolic Administrator of Kilfenora and he was installed on July 3, 2005 in Galway Cathedral.
Outgoing Cllr Terry O’Flaherty (Ind) is on course to retain her City Council seat – and top the poll in City East.
With 33% of the boxes tallied, Cllr O’Flaherty is polling strongly, particularly in Renmore.
Michael John Crowe is ahead of his running mate Alan Cheevers for the Fianna Fáil vote, according to the early figures, although that could change when Doughiska and Roscam boxes are opened.
The Green Party’s Claire Hillery is on about 7%, with Fine Gael on 10% and Sinn Fein on 5%.
The opening of boxes for the local elections began at 9am this morning in Leisureland when the tallymen (and women) kicked into gear.
As regards the Galway County Council elections, the smaller areas are being opened first which means that the four-seater Connemara North boxes will be first in the pecking order.
It will be followed by Gort-Kinvara (5 seats), Connemara South (5 seats), Athenry-Oranmore (7 seats), Ballinasloe (6 seats), Loughrea (5 seats) and finally Tuam (7 seats).
The boxes in these areas will be opened and tallied in that particular order before being transferred to the Galway Lawn Tennis Club on Threadneedle Road where the counting will commence around mid-morning.
That is when the fun will really begin – although the tallies should give a good indication as to where most of the seats are destined.
As regards the city, the Galway City East boxes were opened first, followed by Galway City Central and finally Galway City West. These votes will be transferred to the Westside Centre by around 11am for counting.
There are 39 seats on Galway County Council to be filled with 18 on Galway City Council. The City Council count is expected to conclude on Saturday night but the County Council count – with seven electoral areas to be filled – could well go into Monday.
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