Irish Spirituality
click above to read in full (pdf)
See also: Our Mass, Our Life: Some Irish Traditions and Prayers
The Integral Irish Tradition
What is An Réalt?
Posted on July 8, 2012, in CATHOLIC PAMPHLETS. Bookmark the permalink. 10 Comments.
Lux Occulta 
Thank the Lord there are still some good old Irish catholics, like Shane, still left in this putrid apostate World Church!
Finally, you’re back.
Always nice to be missed 😉
You were missed, Shane! Great to see you back.
Oh dear… only scanned this really but I think here we see the seeds of the 60s/70s Jesuit revolt in the final paras with the reference to ‘mere Latinism’ etc. and the glorification of the supposed “Irish Church”. As if it were anything without Rome. Maybe wrong, and this surely bears further reading, but still…
Jaykay, thanks for the welcome back! I think his point there about ‘mere Latinism’ is referring not to Roman authority as such but the tendency to see Catholicism as synonymous with Latinity (widespread in the 19th century) whereas the Church encompasses a wide range of liturgical traditions (Byzantine, Coptic, etc.) and (historically) diverse expressions within one rite (Sarum etc). The Church in medieval Europe could be quite heterogeneous in some of the ‘non-essentials’. I don’t think he’s disrespecting Rome, he was quite a conservative priest.
Welcome back, too, Shane – I was checking regularly for signs of life so you must’ve been busy, mate. Although I’m sure the reason for the hiatus was not the Eucharistic Congress. I just checked out a youtube recording of the Mass and, apart from the latin bits – Credo III and Lauda Sion – it was a real NO mishmash with altar girls etc. And what about that utterly corney and neo-pagan carrying of the smoking bowls of incense by that fella and chick all albed up and roving around during the offertory incensation at the altar….a ‘let us offer each other the smoke of peace’ moment, no doubt! Sheesh!
Thanks Tony, totally agreed with you about the liturgy at the IEC. Very 1970ish.
Very 1970ish indeed – but, from an Aussie perspective, the smoking bowls routine was obviously an extension of the indigenous/aboriginal ‘smoking ceremony’ carried out during the opening rites of the Mass of Beatification of Mother Mary of the Cross (Mary Mackillop) by Pope John Paul II at Royal Randwick Racecourse back c.1995 – blecchh – together with all (now) St Mary’s latter day disciples (the Sisters of St Joseph) feigning concelebration with outstretched hands.
One wonders whether any ‘closure’ is to be had from these appalling examples of the enduring dynamic of the participative fetish! The folk organising these ‘liturgies’ are now so out of touch/unexposed to their Tradition that they have no objective yard stick nor sensible snout to assess their own DIY ‘liturgies’ against. Oh – and another thing – the absence of Sanctus bells at the consecration was both shriekingly telling and sad at a main Mass for a EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS.
I will turn my back on that and, as an antidote, read some of the excellent material you have provided from saner times! Keep up the good work, Shane!
Shane: You are right! I certainly did a grave disservice to Fr. Ó Laoighire by just fast- scanning through the pdf, on a mobile browser, and not copping on that the entire final paras. are in fact a quote directly taken from a French author. Instead I just fixed on certain phrases (albeit betes noires to me) and took them entirely out of context.
Having now had time to read the leaflet in its entirety I can see exactly how scholarly it is, and that the whole thrust, as you say, is in direct contravention to the hackneyed “Celtic Church” idea so beloved of our modern day wanna-be Cranmers, and affirms how much the real Celtic Church was firmly anchored to Rome and Tradition. Should be required reading for ACP members… yeah.
I spared myself the sight of the final Mass of the Congress. Thankfully, from what I read. How amazing that they actually forced themselves to churn out Credo III – certainly the last time that’ll be heard by the majority of Irish Catholics attending (our Parish Mass yesterday managed to omit both Gloria and Creed). The whole dancing-around-with-an-insense-bowl thing is just so hackneyed, but our homegrown “liturgists” probably considered it cutting-edge stuff. Or maybe they imagined that’s what went on in their dreamtime version of the Celtic Church, with a bit of goddess-worship on the side. A large bit, probably.