Fr Tim Finigan over at the Hermeneutic of Continuity blog has a little piece on the Vatican's latest approbation of Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue, Bishop of Lancaster. Alive! also has a piece on him. Why wouldn't he be great since he's from Cork! (Note that I do not usually speak well of the 'Rebel County' even though my paternal grandfather came from Mitchelstown). The Irish Church has been making a major contribution to the British Church since just after the time of St. Patrick. St. Augustine of Canterbury would have failed in his mission to re-evangelize Britain but for the Irish monks that came to his aid from the North. The Irish along with the Italians and Poles, and many other Catholic communities have made the Catholic Church in Britain possible, though you might not read that in the history books. The English have always avoided telling the whole story and it's not just the Protestants that suffer from that flaw. Well done Bishop O'Donoghue, I hope you can still sing 'the banks'. For those who wish to read his report 'Fit for Mission Church' you can get it here. It's well worth the effort of reading. Go get inspired!
1 comment:
It's amazing (and sad) how many English Catholics regard the Irish influence as a negative. My impression is that American Catholics are much more enthusiastic about celebrating their Irish origins.
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