Ireland: Mass is cancelled due to lack of priests

[BrendanD]

Not to get the self-described "Traditional Novus Ordo" (sic) types in a tizzy but one would have thought that after twenty six years of John Paul the Great Ireland would not have been lost...

There will be no Mass in a Donegal parish this Sunday morning -- because there are no priests to say it

  The congregation in Kilcar has been told parish priest, Fr John Gallagher,    is going into hospital and Raphoe Diocese can't supply a stand-in.

The cancellation of all Sunday morning Masses at St Cartha's Church in the    coming weeks means parishioners will have to make a 12-mile round trip to    attend Mass in either Killybegs or Carrick.

  A spokesman for the Bishop of Raphoe, Dr Philip Boyce, said there was an    ongoing "crisis" in the low numbers of vocations and hinted at the    possible future amalgamation of churches and parishes in Donegal.  

  "We need to prepare our parishioners and explain to them what will    happen in the future, because there are so few new priests being appointed,"    he said.

You can read the rest here:  The Independent

It amazes me that neither the Reformation nor centuries of oppressive foreign (Protestant) rule was able to strip Ireland of the faith but V2 and a few decades of John Paul II have laid her low...
 

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[ggreg]

Doesn't amaze me.  The Devil is playing his trump card.  Ever read Aesop's fable of the Sun and the Wind?

Things are economically very good for Ireland now also.  That tends to make people forget God.

[NorthernTrad]

I don't get what the big deal is - this is the NEW SPRINGTIME people!  What would be really upsetting is if we started running out of liturgical dancers!

[MeaMaximaCulpa]

This is truly sad, since Irish priests effectively established and sustained the American Church for its first 150 years.

[Galway]

In the same Diocese the Traditional Mass is also cancelled. The priest who says it is ill. A few priests in Raphoe Diocese celebrate the Traditional Mass when possible. They are Diocesan priests and have parish duties. The Mass in Bruckless that has being cancelled is a weekly Mass.

There is interest in the Traditional Mass within the Diocese. They just need priests to give the time towards the Mass. You need a couple of more apostolates in Ireland where you have the Mass and  doctrine classes, spiritual conferences, and catechism classes after Mass.

Occasional Traditional Masses are a  positive step but you need a  more regular Latin Mass. You need a  Sunday Mass to bring yourself and your family to.

The article in the Independent made a point about the decline of family size. This is a major factor. But as you say, the Irish economy has been good.

A good priest once said to me, "there are many Catholics in the pews with protestant minds". A valid point, Cromwell tried to get the rosary beads from Catholic hands and there was a defence of the Faith. Now many, not all are caving in. Ireland is a sorry state of affairs really.Why people let it happen is another matter?.

[BrendanD]

Things are economically very good for Ireland now also.  That tends to make people forget God.

I know that's the conventional wisdom but I never fully bought into it.

America experienced the largest economic expansion in world history during the latter war years and beyond - and American Catholicism thrived in the 40s, 50s, and early 60s.

The Irish economic up tick (the so called Celtic Tiger) is roughly 15 years in the making and it cannot (entirely) account for the massive decline in vocations and abandonment of the faith.

For an interesting read see:

Roaming Catholics: More conversions than ever before...

Here's a snippet:

The appointment this week of the Venerable Dermot Dunne, a former Catholic priest, as Dean of Christchurch, one of Dublin's two landmark Anglican cathedrals, highlights a growing trend of "denominational migration".

[Achonry]

The shortage of traditional Catholic priests is lamentable in Ireland. There are a number of traditional catholics trying,since the Motu Proprio to find priests to offer Mass in the old Rite and they cannot be found. The number of diocesan priests who offer the Mass frequently and regularly here is tiny (probably less than five) . I have written to all the retired priests in my diocese and the adjacent one and have not received one reply ; I have had letters published in four local newspapers,asking for traditional priests for the Old Rite and not a single priest. I had two replies,one from a man I already knew and one from an Englishman who had moved to Ireland and wanted (sadly) to know where "all the traditional Masses" were. As far as I know there are only three Sunday Traditional Masses in all of Ireland.  Little seems to be done in the, so-called, "legal and canonical" world. The Fraternity of S.Pius X is doing wonderful and really excellent work led by Fr Ramon Angles, but they are short of numbers and priests. They do the best they can and are providing Sunday Masses all over Ireland with limited numbers,which is what counts.May our Lord bless and prosper them.
       The "Indult" types try very hard but provide little except occasional Masses at odd times,sometimes monthly,sometimes annually,but we need the Sunday Masses,sacramental care and good teaching.
        Can readers please pray for good Irish priests who will fearlessly rebuke error, teach the truth and give us the Mass and sacraments ?
         In the dioceses there is a real shortage of priests.This is little to do with the "scandals" [people were,I think,angry about the cover ups and episcopal inaction] or with increased prosperity.There are other prosperous parts of the world with a reasonable number of vocations. I believe it is the crisis of faith,lack of good doctrine, a lack of good Catholic bishops which has allowed really bad Religion books in school. There are dioceses where there hasn't been an ordination for some time.The large Diocese of Ossory hasn't had an ordination for fourteen years......and this is "Catholic Ireland" ?  

[AdoramusTeChriste]

Not to get the self-described "Traditional Novus Ordo" (sic) types in a tizzy but one would have thought that after twenty six years of John Paul the Great Ireland would not have been lost...

Indeed.

Meanwhile, the prots send missionaries to Ireland to convert the Catholic idolators. It's one of the most popular assignments for heretics in my area.

[EIRCOMNET]

Some good points Achonry. Just to point out that there is of course the regular Traditional Mass at St. Kevin's Harrington St. Dublin both daily and on Sundays. In Ossory we had the first Latin Mass for 40+years last Saturday week. As a teacher I can state that R.E. in the schools has been terrible. Also the previous bishop would not allow a Corpus Christi procession through the streets despite requests from lay people.
When I consider that all the young people have been reared on the truly awful Alive O it's no wonder people would not present for the priesthood.We must keep on trying to restore the Traditional Latin Mass all over Ireland. 

[jovan66102]

How sad! On my road to conversion, two major influences were two holy priests, brothers from the Ould Sod. They had come to America because Ireland was producing more priests than she could use! That it has come to this pass is indeed sad. May God bless Ireland!