The following article by Paul Dempsey, a priest of Kildare & Leighlin, is in the current issue of the Furrow.
A “Young” Priest’s View…
A number of months ago I received a call from the producer of the
“Marian Finucane Radio Show,” asking if I would join with a number of
other priests to share my experience of what it is like to be a priest
in Ireland today.
The producer’s idea seems to have come from the fact
that people weren’t hearing from the “ordinary priest” who works day in
day out in a parish. A group of about dozen of us gathered in the
studio of diverse age, involved in various ministries.
The most
striking aspect of the discussion that ensued was the amount of energy
it stirred up among us. Each one present was passionate about what he
had to say and wanted to be heard!
As I reflected upon the experience I
wondered if the vitality that emerged in the group came from the fact
that here someone was actually listening to us the “ordinary” priests,
who despite our weaknesses are trying to carry on with our ministry in
the Church today.
I can only speak from my own perspective, but this
sense of being listened to is not a common feature I have experienced in
the institutional Church.
Before going any further, I should preface
my remarks by saying this article is not to “have a go” at the hierarchy
or the institutional Church. It is merely my experience of priesthood,
after thirteen years of ordained ministry.
It also reflects many
discussions I have had with other priests who seem to be going through a
somewhat similar experience as myself.
I begin by looking back.
The priesthood in Ireland has come through a
long and complex journey.
One of the most influential figures to shape
the face of the priesthood here over the past one hundred and fifty
years was Cardinal Paul Cullen (1803-1878). As the number of priests
continued to grow during his tenure, Cullen at the Synod of Thurles
(1850) sought to create a model of priest required for pastoral
administration in Ireland both in his public persona and in his interior
life.
Dr. Patrick Corish presents this model quite succinctly as
follows;
The priest was to regard himself as a man apart, marked out by his
black or dark dress and Roman collar, prayerful, devoted, carefully
nourishing his necessary learning, all this supported by regular
retreats and clerical conferences. His life was to centre on his
church, the focus of sacramental life for his people. [1]
In addition, total obedience to his superior, the bishop, was
expected. The priest’s opinion was in no way significant and did not
need to be listened to.
This model of priest has been promoted for well
over a century and still, to a certain extent, is encouraged by many
figures in the Church today.
We are told that Cullen’s Catholicism is
dead, this may be true in mainstream society, but within Church circles
I’m not totally convinced.
This might at first seem an exaggeration but
the following are some examples to illustrate what I mean;
Revised Liturgy: The introduction of the
revised liturgy, we are told, is imminent.
This is a significant
decision that will influence the way every priest and faithful
parishioner (many who are clinging on by their fingertips) will
celebrate the liturgy.
Personally I am somewhat embarrassed that I will
have to explain to educated, faith filled people that they have uttered
the incorrect responses at mass over the past forty years.
Further to
this no priest or parishioner I know has been asked or consulted about
these impending changes.
Does anyone with responsibility in this area
of Church life want to listen to what many ordinary people and priests
might have to contribute to this “discussion” around the liturgy?
Further to this are those leading the way in this process really serious
when they tell us this is going to contribute to a great renewal in the
Church?
I just find this a staggering claim in the context we find
ourselves in the Irish Church engulfed by so many serious problems.
Appointment of Bishops: Much has been written on this topic, so I do not intend on labouring the point here.
The diocese I am working in, Kildare and Leighlin, at
the time of writing is seeking a new bishop.
I know that some have
received letters from the Nuncio’s office seeking information about
certain candidates.
This is supposed to be “top secret,” but it has to
be the worst kept secret in Irish Catholicism!
I should add that I
haven’t received any correspondence from the Nuncio’s office, even
though at 39 years of age, the decision reached will probably influence
my life for quite a number of years to come!
While this very limited
“consultation” is to be welcomed, it seems to me that it is the very
same process that has happened around the appointment of bishops in
Ireland for decades.
We are told of renewal in the Irish Church in the
light of recent revelations, but there seems to be a distinct lack of
renewal in this very significant area of Church life.
This system, as
we have so clearly seen, has not served us well in the past.
Surely it
is time to refresh this process and open it up to far wider
consultation?
Could those with influence in this area perhaps listen to
what so many priests and people are saying?
Sacraments: This is a huge area that
deserves an article of its own.
Many ministering in parishes are
worried about how we are celebrating the sacraments. We seem to follow
the same pattern every year.
Archbishop Martin in his address on The Future of the Catholic Church in Ireland (10th
May, 2010), outlined that sacraments are more than something you
automatically receive when you reach a certain class in school.
I agree
wholeheartedly with the Archbishop, but I would go further and ask;
what are we doing about it?
If we take Confirmation for example, we
continue to celebrate this sacrament in the exact same way as we have
done for decades, totally ignoring the fact that our cultural context
has changed and changed utterly.
When a pupil comes to 5th or 6th
class they are automatically in “Confirmation Class.”
Could I ask why
we are still doing this in a more or less identical fashion as fifty or
more years ago even though we are at a totally different place as
Church?
Is it not time to reflect seriously on this?
Can someone with
influence and leadership, such as an archbishop, listen to this, and at
least start a real discussion around new possibilities in this area?
I am acutely aware of other major issues where people are not being
heard such as women and their role within the Church, also those who
find themselves in a strained relationship with the Church because of a
second relationship or their sexual orientation.
These are serious
issues that have received more comprehensive coverage in other articles
and continually need to be aired in an open, honest and comprehensive
way.
The above are examples I share to bring home how many faithful
people and priests feel they are not being listened to in the Church.
This is leading to a great deal of frustration.
Many are seriously
disillusioned, finding themselves in a “wilderness.”
However we cannot
get stuck in our disillusionment. It is in this context that I now turn
to look a little more closely at the experience of priestly ministry in
Ireland as I see it and then examine how we might re-envisage our call
today.
New Reality
The reality is starting to really hit home, the reality that the
number of priests is now plummeting in Ireland.
Up to now I sensed that
for many this was some far off reality that wouldn’t really affect us
for decades to come.
But now it’s here.
As parish priests retire there
are no replacements therefore parishes are being joined together and
the “territory” to cover for priests is expanding rapidly.
Many retired
men are generous with their time and energy and continue to cover
masses in many places, but this is only putting off the day for further
change.
We talk of “clusters” and “pastoral areas,” trying to “manage”
this rapid change.
But surely we need more than a mere “management
strategy”?
Is it not time for us to go deeper and reflect on the heart
of our mission as priests, disciples of Jesus Christ?
I suspect that
some of us are still working, probably not consciously, out of the model
promoted by Cardinal Cullen over a century ago.
Our lives are defined
by certain functions in the parish.
We function around schools, Boards
of Management, masses, weddings, baptisms, funerals, First Fridays,
hospitals, nursing homes and the list goes on…
These obviously are
extremely important, they are the opportunities we get to journey with
people in the good and challenging times of their lives.
These are the
moments we get to bring out Christ’s love and compassion in the reality
of life.
But is this somewhat limited? Should there be something
more?
Have we confined the Gospel to the safe place of the four walls
of our church buildings, focussing on the “devotional” rather than the
truly radical nature of the call of Jesus Christ?
This is something I
will return to later.
Further to this we seem to be stumbling in a hap hazard way into the
future.
Where is the debate within the Irish Catholic Church around the
direction we are going?
In particular where is the voice of the
younger generation of clergy?
It seems to me that there is a serious
lack of debate among my own generation of priests.
Surely we should be
contributing to, if not leading, the discussion around Church life and
the role of Church in society?
We could ask what does it mean to be in
ministry today?
How are we bringing the message of Jesus Christ alive
in Ireland?
What forum could be established to enable us to reflect
more upon these questions and encourage more discussion and debate?
Today there is much talk of change and renewal in the Irish Church,
but what do we really mean by this?
A wise elderly man said to me
recently that it is always good to have a certain “healthy level of
scepticism” in life.
I find myself in this position when it comes to
this process of “change and renewal” in the Church as I don’t see too
much evidence of it as yet.
But surely if it is to happen it has to be a
radical process that brings us back to the roots of what it really
means to be “Christ’s Church” in the changed and changing culture that
is Ireland today.
Even though I hold a certain “level of scepticism”
about this process happening, I still have hope that the Church can
grapple with the unprecedented challenge it faces in Ireland today.
I
have this hope because I know the Church doesn’t depend totally on us,
it is in Christ’s hands.
However we have our part to play and so we are
left with the question of what this process of renewal could entail?
The answers are not so straightforward as they are nuanced and complex.
Catherine Maignant, acknowledging the damage done by the scandals in
the Church and the advance of the postmodern condition, offers hope when
she does not see evidence of the Irish abandoning belief, she points
out;
“The capacity to believe does not, however, appear to have been lost
on the Irish, whose reaction to the unacceptable attitude of the Church
was to dissociate the institution from the message it conveys rather
than massively rally to the ranks of disenchanted atheists.”[2]
I find this in my day to day experience of ministry.
So many people
are totally disillusioned with the institutional Church, but deep down
there is belief and the message
the Church offers is still important to them.
Charles Taylor, the
Canadian sociologist observes that “our age is very far from settling
into a comfortable unbelief.”[3]
This offers those of us involved in ministry some nuggets of hope!
A Possible Response
Looking back over its history, the Church has been constantly
challenged to respond to new situations.
The Second Vatican Council
(1962-1965) was a response to a time of great change in the Church and
the world. Many new and exciting ideas emerged at that time.
The
theologian, Karl Rahner (1904-1984) saw the Council as;
A watershed marking the transition from a European and western-Church
to a world-Church. Moreover, Vatican II wished to speak in a different
idiom, moving away from a traditionally defensive neo-scholastic
theology, towards a more missionary style aiming to speak to those for
whom Christianity had become alien.[4]
Even though this was written almost fifty years ago, Rahner’s sense
of a “missionary style,” of Church attempting to speak to those for whom
Christianity has “become alien” is extraordinarily contemporary.
What
implications does this pose for those of us in ministry today as we face
a time of unprecedented change?
Firstly I believe it changes the whole
focus of our ministry.
Yes of course we have to continue to serve the
day to day tasks of parish life, but surely our vision of ministry
should not be limited to this, but rather broadened to envelop this
sense of the “missionary.”
On the day we were ordained deacon, the
Gospel of Christ was placed in our hands and the bishop said, on behalf
of the Church; “Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose hearld you now are. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, practice what you teach.”
How are we “heralds” of the Gospel in society today?
I do not mean to
be naive here, I am well aware that we have been rattled by recent
scandals and reports.
Our confidence is shaken.
As a result my deepest
worry is that we have subsumed ministry down to the bare minimum.
This
comes out in the various “management strategies” we are working on in
various dioceses.
As mentioned above we are working on “clusters” and
“pastoral areas,” these are important only if they are responding to who
we are as church in society today.
My fear is that they are merely
attempts to work out practical ways of continuing the model of ministry
we have been so familiar with throughout the decades, a model that is no
longer able to respond to the needs of a changed cultural context.
Secondly, as “missionaries” we are challenged to focus on what is at
the heart of our faith.
What is mission?
What are we about in ministry
today?
What are we giving our time to?
So much is happening in
society; the financial crisis, unemployment, road safety, environmental
issues, poverty, homelessness, addiction, crime, injustice and the list
goes on.
Surely the Church and those of us in ministry must be the
voice of the Gospel on these issues if we are to be serious about the
Christian message in society?
But where is the voice of the Church on
all these issues?
I am aware that documents are produced by the bishops
on some of these issues, but how are they communicated or are we happy
to leave them gathering dust on some shelf?
The Church’s message is far
too important to allow the latter to happen!
The issue of
communication is crucial here.
Jesus Christ, as we know, was the great
communicator, his life was about communicating the great message of the
Reign of God.
I am mystified that the Church in Ireland hasn’t put more
resources into this essential area of communication.
We are met by a
deafening silence from the Church on so many issues.
Surely this is not
good enough!
We send people to various places throughout the world to
study theology, which is very important, but should we not be sending
others (clerical and lay) to be trained in communications so as to have a
pool of commentators able to deal with the media, not only in relation
to the scandals, but to voice the message of the Gospel in the public
square on issues concerning so many in our society?
I do not mean that
we should be mere “slick” media people, but I do believe in a
professionalism that could competently engage with the media world.
Another point developed by Rahner in relation to the future of a
lived faith was the concentration on what is “most essential to
Christian piety.”[5]
This is a somewhat sensitive area.
Rahner is not disapproving of
devotional practices of the past, however he is outlining that we must
focus on what is central to our faith.
God’s self-communicating love,
God’s grace, is at the heart of Rahner’s theology.
The Eucharist is
central here and is at the heart of our Christian life.
With this in
mind he says that in the future “we shall speak of Jesus and not of the
Infant of Prague. We shall speak of Mary but have less to do with
Lourdes or Fatima.”[6]
I think this is significant as there was a heavy reliance in the past
on devotional practices in Irish Catholicism at the expense of good
theology.
Perhaps the temptation around this is still with us today?
Could this have been behind the comments of Archbishop Martin in
Rimini?
Even though his comments about the poor theological level of
some Catholics in the Irish Church were picked up as controversial in
the media, nonetheless his point needs to be heard that good theology
has to be at the heart of our vision of Church at present and for the
future.
Are we as a Church putting enough resources both human and
financial into this crucial area or could we make a bigger effort to
enrich this area of Church life in Ireland?
This is essential if the
Church is to engage with the new questions emerging in our culture today
and for the future.
The importance of the Church Community
There is no doubt that much criticism has been poured upon the
Catholic Church and especially its leadership in recent times, some
justified, some perhaps not.
However, despite this, it is important to
highlight the importance of the ecclesial aspect of the future.
If we
lack this ecclesial nature then we get no further than our own opinions
and uncertainties which can lead to a selfish form of relativism.
As
Christians we are called to make a real decision around faith to live in
the world in a certain way, individually and as a community.
This
Christian “way,” if it is lived genuinely, goes against the tide of
mainstream society.
In the past there were external or societal
supports present for those who were living the Catholic Christian life
in Ireland.
These supports are now disappearing.
If we apply this to
the ordained ministry then perhaps a more humble priesthood needs to
emerge, one that witnesses to Christian values in society and commits to
questioning the dehumanising elements present in the dominant culture.
This is a broader understanding of our call than merely reducing it to
“functioning” in a “devotional” Church.
Surely this broader
understanding of ministry is at the heart of discipleship?
The
priesthood must follow this model of leadership if it is to witness to
the call of Jesus Christ.
As we look back over the history of the Irish Catholic Church there
are many periods that invite critical questioning.
However I believe
the future of the Irish Church remains open to new horizons.
Many in
Irish society today still possess a great love of the Church and a deep
knowledge of its rich tradition.
It is a tradition that has responded
to the various signs of the times.
The challenge is, as
always, to reflect on how to share the rich resource of the Gospel with
the prevailing culture of today.
In order to do this the Church
community needs to enter into a period of deep reflection informed by
the Word of God and accompanied by prayerful reflection.
This is a more
reflective approach to our changed and changing culture than a “purely
activist understanding of evangelisation.”[7]
It would be refreshing to see some leadership around this “reflection”
culminating in some form of national Church gathering.
There is a
temptation that the Church response to the challenges posed by the new
cultural situation would be to become merely “relevant.”
The Gospel
offers something far deeper.
The Church cannot modify the Gospel in
order to make it relevant and popular.
Chesterton’s insight that “the
Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found
difficult and left untried,”[8]
is apposite.
The present challenges dare the Church to be authentic
and faithful to the radical call of the Gospel.
This has been found
wanting in the past, where the Irish Church has drifted from the vision
of Jesus Christ.
A profound living of the Gospel among the Church
community in Ireland is called for today.
The history of the Church in
Ireland, as we have seen, does not always reflect the Church’s response
to this call.
Humility is needed to face the truth and ask forgiveness
for past misdeeds and sinfulness.
Conclusion
It is always important for us to remember that the Spirit guides the
Church at all times, there is a need to trust the Spirit in this
process.
The future is challenging, but also exciting!
The call
remains the same as is outlined in Gaudium et Spes (#43) where it says the Church;
Is well aware that some of her members, clerical or lay, have in the
course of centuries turned out unfaithful to the Spirit of God.
In our
time too she does not overlook the gulf between the message she brings
and the human weakness of those to whom the Gospel is entrusted.
However history may judge these shortcomings, we should be aware of them
and strenuously resist them so that they may not hinder the spread of
the Gospel.
Here lies the heart of the matter, the real challenge, as it always
was; the spread of the Gospel in the cultural context of the present
time.
We should not attempt to “water down” the Gospel message in order
to make it more acceptable today, rather we should live the message
unapologetically.
This is not an arrogant approach, on the contrary, it
requires those in ministry to have a genuine humility where we will
earn the right to be listened to rather than demanding or expecting it.
The Church of Ireland bishop, Ken Good, clearly brings this home in a
talk given at the 2006 MacGill Summer School, where he says;
The main challenge to the Christian church today, in this country, is
not from any external threat, be it secularism, materialism,
consumerism, or postmodernism. The main challenge is the internal one
of ensuring that the integrity, the reality, and the relevance of the
Church’s life and worship, its teaching and communication, must strike a
meaningful chord in a society that still has an appetite for spiritual
reality. Where people see in our churches that our walk matches our
talk, where they see, lived out in the daily pressures of life, real
hope, truth, conviction, commitment, forgiveness, wholeness, community,
generosity, concern for the poor, lives and situations transformed,
where they see God at work then their interest will follow.[9]
What has declined in recent decades are a set of ecclesial priorities
that suited another moment in time.
We have crossed the threshold into
a new era with new questions and possibilities.
Taylor believes this
era is “the beginning of a new age of religious searching, whose outcome
no one can as yet foresee.”[10]
This issues an invitation for those of us in priesthood and ministry to
“put out into the deep” (Lk.5:4) and forever begin in response to God’s
call!
[1] Corish, p. 201.
[2] C. Maignant, Re-Imagining Transcendence in the Global Village, in M. Boss and E. Maher, Engaging Modernity, p. 78.
[3] C. Taylor, A Secular Age, p. 727, cited in M.P. Gallagher, Charles Taylor’s Critique of “Secularisation,” in Studies, Vol. 97, No. 388, 2008, p. 443.
[4] D. Marmion & M. Hines (Ed.s), Christian Identity in a Postmodern Age, Celebrating the Legacies of Karl Rahner and Bernard Lonergan, (Dublin: Veritas, 2005), p. 165.
[5] K. Rahner, Theological Investigations, XX, p. 146.
[6] K. Rahner, Theological Investigations, XX, p. 147.
[7] J. De Kesel, “Annoncer I’Evangile Aujourd’hui,” Nouvelle Revue Theologique, 126, 2004, 3-15, p. 7, cited in Religious Readings of our Culture, in Studies, Vol. 94, No. 347, Summer 2005, p. 145.
[8] C.K. Chesterton, What’s Wrong With the World?, Chapter 5, Ignatius Press, 1994, cited by D. Murray, in “Religion and the Secular in Contemporary Ireland, p. 69.
[9] K. Good, “The Content of Faith, Beliefs and Values Will Not Change,” in The Soul of Ireland, Issues of Society, Culture and Identity, Ed. Joe Mulholland, (Dublin: The Liffey Press, 2006), p. 179.
[10] C. Taylor, A Secular Age, p. 535.
SIC: ACP/IE