The death has taken place of Brother Vincent Gallagher KCSG. KCHS.  Brother Vincent was a former Supreme Knight of the Order.  He was also a past president of the International Alliance of Catholic Knights and a past vice-president of Unum Omnes.  May he rest in the peace of the Risen Lord.

Council 9 Portadown of the Knights of St. Columbanus invites you to take part in a Lenten series.

The Knights of St Columbanus

Year of Vocation

Appreciating those in Ministry - December 2008

                                 In this Year of Vocation it is right and indeed a pleasant duty for the Order of the Knights of St Columbanus to show our appreciation of the magnificent and selfless contribution to the Church and society by those who live out their vocation in the many manifestations of witness, love and service.

Irish people have done such service not only at home but throughout the world for centuries. It is probable that Ireland has had more missionaries per capita than any other nation on earth. There would be few places on the five continents which have not been touched by Irish people doing the Lords work and living their vocation.

Vocation is now recognised as a diverse manifestation of that commitment. Throughout this special year we have focused and will continue to focus on the many opportunities to highlight and encourage vocation. In this month of December we say thank you to those already in ministry. The obvious are Priests and Religious. There are priests, nuns, brothers, in every corner of this country who give of their time, expertise, love and support all hours of the day and night and have done so for generations.

So, thank you Fathers for blessing our Marriages, baptising our children, offering us Gods forgiveness and the Eucharist, guiding us on the right paths, comforting us in our trials and tribulations, and God willing sending us to our eternal reward.

Thank you Brothers and Sisters for feeding and clothing the hungry, befriending the lonely, nursing our sick, educating our children, supporting our communities.

Thank you all for doing the unpalatable, difficult, but essential services which best reflect the three principles of vocation, including supporting the crisis pregnancy, the homeless, the disabled, the prisoners, the dying. Indeed, in a society where the most vulnerable are the least attractive you continue to be there.

We could probably also stretch the ministry word to those non ordained or religious who care for the sick, support the aged, educate the children, guide the youth. But that’s for another day!

We have expressed our appreciation to as many of those in ministry as possible in a card

This thought is for you

Who, by your ministry,

Serve the Lord

In the way you do.

This thought is for you

Who serve us all,

Night and day

With prayer and care.

This thought is for you

That, at this sacred time,

You'll know we care,

And are always there

 For you.

Seamus McDonald, Supreme Knight 

Advent 2008

A new Supreme Executive was elected at the annual Supreme Council meeting held in Armagh from October 10 to 12, 2008.   The new Executive headed by Supreme Knight Seamus McDonald takes up Office immediately and will lead the Order for the next three years.

PROCESSION IN HONOUR OF ST. OLIVER PLUNKETT - JULY 6, 2008
 

The skirl of pipes, a mass of colour and bright sunshine marked the arrival at Peter’s Church in Drogheda on Sunday last of the annual procession in honour of   St Oliver Plunkett, the martyred Archbishop of Armagh.  The procession from Our Lady of Lourdes Church was climax of the new Prayer Festival of St Oliver which began on May 31, laying emphasis on peace and reconciliation in Ireland.
The Primate of All Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady was the celebrant at the Solemn Mass in the presence of the new Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza.who was making his first visit to the diocese and who received an enthusiastic welcome from the overflow congregation.
More than half the church was taken up by visiting pilgrims including Papal Knights, other orders, and the knights of St Columbanus for whom this is an official pilgrimage. The Mayor of Drogheda Frank Maher and other members of the Borough Council in their robes occupied a place of honour.
 With the theme of “Martyrdom for faith in our time” the ceremonies included a special tribute to Drogheda priest Father Declan Collins, who was murdered in South Africa six years ago. Declan Collins was the son of Monica and the late Maurice Collins and had three brothers and two sisters. A former bank official, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1990 at the age of 38.  Fr Collins’ family, including his mother Monica were special guests and took part in the Offertory Procession.
The homily for the mass was delivered by Father John Campion, a member of Fr Collins’ Salesian Order, who drew a parallel between the martyrdom of St Oliver and the death of Father Collins who had spent over a decade working with street children in South Africa. A colleague Fr Matthew Agostinelli, found him dead at his presbytery in the Indian township of Ennerdale near Johannesburg. He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. He had been putting the finishing touches to preparations for the opening and blessing of a new multi-purpose hall. From the time he arrived in Africa, most of his time had been spent working with homeless street kids and adults in Cape Town, as well as a period working in Swaziland.
He was instrumental in pressure for an inquiry in the mid 1990s which led to the charging of five city traffic officers in connection with torture and abuse. Another Drogheda priest, Fr John McAllister, was also remembered
 Most Reverend Canon Jim Carroll, PP. VF. Who as Parish Priest of St Peter’s is Keeper of the Saint’s Relic, expressed the hope that the tradition of pilgrimages from other parts of Ireland to the Shrine of St Oliver will be revived.
This year, the procession was enhanced by the Carlingford Pipe Band who added colour with their uniforms and their lively rendering not only of hymns but of popular tunes. The procession was lead by a colour party drawn from the local scouting troop as well as representatives of local Catholic organisations. The relic of St Oliver was carried between the two churches by local members of the Knights of St Columbanus.

Brother Seamus McDonald, Deputy Supreme Knight

His Eminence Sean Cardinal Brady

PRESS RELEASE       13 March 2008

Bishop Éamonn Walsh launches What God Joins – Towards a meaningful
understanding of Sacramental Marriage, by The Knights of St Columbanus

The Knights of St Columbanus have chosen the subject of the Sacrament of Marriage as the theme for their 2007-08 annual national project.  The publication What God Joins – Towards a meaningful understanding of Sacramental Marriage was launched today by Bishop Éamonn Walsh, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Dublin, in Renehan Hall, St Patrick’s College Maynooth.

Over the next three months, the Knights of St Columbanus will distribute copies of the publication to each priest and to pastoral leaders in Ireland as well as to ACCORD, the Bishops’ Catholic Marriage Care Service, which has 57 centres throughout the country.

The publication is a user-friendly and supportive guide to any person whether they are involved in its celebration or who support and promote in any way the institution and the Sacrament of Marriage in the Catholic tradition. 

From the outset and throughout, the booklet offers both realistic and reassuring advice, as an extract from the foreward written by Supreme Knight Paddy Byrne suggests: “It’s [marriage] not always easy but it is certainly rewarding … We must be blessed.  There must be someone looking after us.  We could not do it alone.  There must be a third party.  I believe it is the Lord.  We continue our journey.”

One highlight of this publication is the research undertaken into young people’s understanding of language and concepts associated with marriage.  Useful appendices draw the reader to various Catholic Church and other documents and to marriage and family support systems.

What God Joins – Towards a meaningful understanding of Sacramental Marriage opens with a preface from Bishop James Moriarty, the Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin and Episcopal liaison with the Knights of St Columbanus, and an introduction by Fr Joseph McKeever PP VF and Order Chaplain to the Knights of St Columbanus; Mr Jim Leahy, Supreme Warden of the Knights of St Columbanus; Mr Eoin O’Mahony of the Council of Research and Development of the Irish Episcopal Conference; Bishop Donal McKeown, Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor; Mr David Quinn, Journalist and Director of the Iona Institute; Sr Anne Codd PBVM of the Commission for Pastoral Renewal and Adult Faith Development of the Irish Episcopal Conference; and, Monsignor Gerard Dolan PP VG and a Chaplain to the Knights of St Columbanus in the west.  The publication was compiled by members of the Supreme Executive of the Knights and promoted with the support of staff members of the Irish Episcopal Conference.

The full text of the publication is available from the home page under SACRAMENTS

You will be My Witnesses Acts 1:8

A Year of Vocation for all

Its time to hear and respond to Gods call.

An initiative of the Catholic Church in Ireland,

seeking to promote the universal call of Baptism

to witness, love and service

The Episcopal Conference has approved the initiative; the programme has been planned in principle; a director has been appointed to co-ordinate, arrange and facilitate the events and projects.

The committee under the able chairmanship of

Fr Paddy Rushe and with Bishop Donal McKeown as Episcopal liaison, includes the best in vocation, liturgy, pastoral care and public relations

During this ‘Year of Vocation’ special focus will be placed on the vocation of all Christians as expressed by witness, love and service and as lived out in the specific call of: marriage; ordained priesthood; religious life and single life.

This is advance notice, and a call to action by the Knights, to

• advise you of the dates, theme and purpose of the ‘Year of Vocation’;

• invite you to promote, as much as possible, the ‘Year of Vocation’ among your colleagues and friends,

[suggestions and resources will follow]

• ask you to consider ways in which you, your Council and your Area could include ‘vocation’ as a theme in your own initiatives and events over the year.

The calendar between Vocation Sundays

13 April 08 – 3 May 09

weekend 11^th – 13^th April. Launch event..

May. Prayer cards for second level students

June. Promoting Marriage. With ACCORD.

July . World Youth Day rally in Australia

An Irish splash to coincide.

August. Placing material in Pilgrimage centres.

September Promoting a new Vocations Week in Ireland.

October. Mission awareness and support.

. Attendance at Careers Fairs.

November. The call to be single.

December. Appreciating those already in ministry.

Probably the Knights biggest input.

2009

January. Opportunities in Music and Song.

February.These are the days, the Days of Life.

Using the occasions as they arise.

March An event around St Patricks Day.

April Celebrating community

May Concluding event.

A conference. Pastoral letter.

A publication of papers on Vocation.

A Legacy

In these changing times, when the market place is tougher than ever before and many cynics await the chance to attack, this project is an opportunity to try and meet some of the real needs. By focusing on the call to fullness of life, love, commitment and relationship and service. the Year of Vocation may not achieve every goal, but will most certainly have an impact in the following areas.

• Encourage all those in ministry

• Provide an opportunity for those among the young adults, the faithful, migrants and minority ethnic groups, the mass media and those who seek and search to become involved at a deeper level

• Renew the Irish Church’s sense of identity and direction.

• Establish a new time to encourage vocation to Priesthood as well as returning Vocations Sunday to its rightful emphasis.

Talk about it among yourselves and with others.

We will develop our contribution, beginning at COD March.

You are encouraged to make a commitment.

Keep in touch on www.yourvocation.ie

Press Statement

The Knights of St Columbanus and the Abortion issue in Ireland

At the Summer meeting of the Council of Directors, the Knights of St Columbanus considered the issue of abortion in Ireland in the light of the most recent Court challenge and particularly the coming election.

We have reviewed the current situation and believe that it is important and timely to clearly state our position as lay men committed to the principles of the Gospel, as husbands, fathers and grandfathers and as members of the Catholic Church. We believe that any interference with the natural process of procreation and childbirth which seeks to destroy the unborn child is unacceptable and a denial of the right to life. We repudiate the view that the life of the unborn is not equal to that of other human persons, including the mother. We reject it and we call on those who share our view to vote against those who do not support this fundamental moral principle of the right to life of the unborn. We call on faithful followers of the Gospel of Life, promoted by the Catholic Church, or other people of conscience or principle, or indeed other faiths which respect the sanctity of life from the moment of conception to natural death, to join us in publicly defending this position.

It is apparent that there are some who seek to have abortion on demand made legal in Ireland. We have written to various political parties to establish their policy in this area. We reject the broad application of the concept of ‘danger to the life of the mother’ as a reason to allow an abortion. With love and care from those around her, a woman can live out her pregnancy in a supportive and loving environment and, where nature dictates that a child will not survive outside the womb a mother can return her child to God knowing that she did nothing to harm it. There are, or should be in a caring society, adequate safeguards in place to guard the mother and the child in the womb from any threat to their lives.

We want to be perfectly clear about our position on this matter. The Christian belief is that life begins at the moment of conception and ends at the moment of natural death. We accept and applaud this interpretation and call upon the people of Ireland to join us in propagating and supporting this principle. The clearly developing child in the womb which can be observed during a scan and which delights the expectant parents does not change to a mere inconvenient annoyance because of the wishes of others, be they the parents, their supporters or pro-abortion activists.   The development of the child in the womb should be immune from interference or violent attack and a mother in a crisis pregnancy should receive our utmost care and support in a manner consistent with this basic ethical principle.

As a logical follow through to this principle we believe that it is reasonable, and indeed our duty, to call on the voters of Ireland to reject those candidates and parties who espouse and support the implementation of abortion in Ireland and we call upon those in positions of influence, including the Hierarchy and Clergy, to actively encourage, advise and influence the faithful and all pro-life supporters to vote in accordance with their conscience and to stand proudly for life.

The Knights certainly will.

Paddy Byrne  Supreme Knight 

The Knights of St Columbanus  Ely House  8 Ely Place  Dublin 2 

00 353 1 6761835

Paddy Byrne can be contacted on 00 44 (0)771 8741 773

10^th May 2007   St Comgall

A Talk on Education

Given by

Most. Rev. Donal McKeown DD

Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor

Northern Area Committee

Knights of St. Columbanus

Mammy, what is that man talking about? !

Huge process of educational change, in the context of social and political change.

Change is necessary because we have the best education system in these islands – and, at the same time, the worst education system.

All change has is based on a set of conscious or unconscious assumptions about what is good/ bad etc. So we have the surface changes, but we also have the unspoken agendas. We have been trying to

·       Recognise and engage with the need for change;

·       Recognise the political realities;

·       Engage on the basis of philosophical and theological convictions, rather than just on a purely pragmatic basis or self interest. The past cannot be recreated and we want, not just to be part of the future but to make an important contribution to the creation of that future.

NI education:

Very fragmented [1]

But that is the reality – that 58% of children are educated at schools not owned by the State, but by Trustees. That is where we start, having to buy-in the sectoral interests.

Controlled: owned by ELBs, with specific representative rights for Transferors and including some Grammar schools, and Controlled Integrated.

Catholic Maintained and VG: owned by Trustees (diocesan and religious) and the c. 520 Maintained schools are managed by CCMS. The VGs have had a special relationship with DE.

Integrated: NICIE schools are owned by their parent groups who set them up and NICIE, while having a support function, has no strategic role in the development of them.

C na G: Similar role to NICIE

Most successful sector is the Catholic managed[2] despite higher levels of FSME [3]

CHANGES

A: Post-primary review

Burns and then Costello: seeking to advantage those that the current system of academic selection has disadvantaged. Schools can specialise, have particular emphases – but parents will choose schools, not schools pupils. Schools will fit around pupil needs, not pupils round school needs.

Plus: Entitlement Framework – to broaden access for all pupils and not just for some.

Currently partly on hold.

B: New Curriculum

Emphasis on developing skills rather than just delivering content.

C: Review of Public Administration

To slim down admin bodies. Good!

Initial draft policy papers showed

·       DE (policy only) ← Ed Advisory Forum (for stakeholders)

·       Education and Skills Authority (ESA)- all executive functions

 Trustees objected strongly that

1.     ownership rights were being removed;

2.     schools were being viewed as individual entities rather than as part of networks;

3.     ethos adds value and ESA could not deliver commitment and enthusiasm on the ground;

4.     the most controlled sector was the least successful.

Grant aid for a Catholic Education Service (set up by the Trustees) has been agreed in principle for all Catholic schools to

·       support ethos

·       develop planning proposals

·       support selection and development of Governors

·       support selection of staff

·       develop advocacy for the sector.

D: Shared Future

Broad strokes could not be argued with.

However, a Triennial Action Plan was issued without any consultation, proposing

·       joint schooling as the assumed solution, unless it was not possible (whereas we saw the right to faith-based education where it was sustainable);

·       prioritising joint projects (and thus disadvantaging schools in  disadvantaged areas where sharing was never going to be possible).

However, this NICIE driven set of proposals seems to have been out on the back burner.

E: Bain Review (Dec 06)

Set up to look at how schools should be planned into the future.

Came out with three points:

·       money should go into pupil services, not into buildings.

·       School planning should be area-based (ie not from on high)

·       All types of schools want to and can contribute to reconciliation. i.e. promote sharing over separation.

Accepted by Hain who suggests offering an award scheme to any schools that promotes sharing and reconciliation.

We see it positively as leaving space for sectors, and recognising the roll of all schools in reconciliation.

F: Sustainable Schools Policy

Following on from Bain. Currently out for consultation.

Philosophies at work.

1.     Integrationist approach to education

2.     Secularist approach to education

3.     Centralist tendencies

4.     Centrifugal tendencies.

5.     Catholic approach:

a.     Parents are entitled to choose type of schooling that they wish for.

b.     Schools and communities have a symbiotic relationship

c.     Ethos adds value

The Catholic Response.

1.     1999-2001 Post GFA

a.     Building Peace, Shaping the Future

b.     Proclaiming the Mission

2.     2002 Post Burns

a.     CGCE (set up by Trustees)

                                                   i.     To develop a vision

3.     2005 CGCE 2

a.     To promote the Vision

                                                   i.     Sept/Oct 06 roll out

                                                 ii.     2006/7 – in every school

b.     Catholic Schools Week (Feb 26 - Mar 4)

4.     2005 NICCE

a.     Representing all Trustees

                                                   i.     Acting as reporting body for CGCE

                                                 ii.     To represent the sector in dealings with Government initiatives.

5.     TRC conversations

a.     To ensure that Trustees can talk to Transferors and not just to secular statutory bodies

6.     American Ireland Fund correspondence.

Result:

1.     A challenging environment, with other ideologies

2.     We are now punching at our weight

3.     We have a united Catholic sector

4.     Open to the possibility of some inter-church solutions where Catholic school is not sustainable.

5.     Need for promotion, with confidence

a.     We can deliver excellence.

b.     We support cohesive communities and social capital.

c.     We are committed to reconciliation and capable of making a unique contribution.

d.     We want to find workable, effective and efficient solutions that promote the common good and preserve our rights as a Catholic community to offer Catholic education to all and not just education for ethnic Catholics.

Good Friday at Ely House 

The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ will be read every fifteen minutes commencing at One oclock.  This will take place in the Oratoru of the house, 8 Ely Place, Dublin 2.

At three pm the Stations of the Cross will be said around the perimeter of St Stephens Green starting at the Wolfe Tone memorial opposite the Shelbourne Hotel at 3 pm and stopping at 14 locations on the pavement.

All are welcome.

 Lenten Talks 2007

A programme of Lenten Talks will be held in various centres around the country.  Details will be published as they come to hand.  Please check each Area page for details.

Christmas day Dinner 

The Annual Christmas Day Dinner hosted by Area 1, Dublin, was held in the R.D.S on Christmas morning.  Over four hundred guests sat down to a Christmas Dinner and twelve hundred dinners were delivered from the R.D.S throughout Dublin.  Each guest also received a "Goody Bag".  Provincial Grand Knight, Rioch McElinn, headed up over three hundred volunteers who gave generously of their time.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin and the Archbishop of Dublin, both genenrously gave of their time to visit the dinner and greet the guests.   The Knights of St. Columbanus have been hosting this Christmas Dinner for eighty years.   Similar Dinners were hosted by other Areas thoughout the country.

Keeping Christ in Christmas

I know! Its an easy mantra. You see it in the low circulation religious newspapers, on posters on the notice board in the church porch and sometimes as additional stickers on Christmas card envelopes. Not a lot of exposure for the event which gave the season its name.

Indeed, increasingly, you see and hear far more about trying to keep Christ out of Christmas! What with trying to be politically correct, not mention the war, being inclusive, acknowledge our multi-cultural society and not upset the non-believers, just plain living can be difficult or even  a mine-field.

You seldom see a corporate or business Christmas card with a faith based message. Local authorities and retailers now work hard to ensure their decorations have no religious message – even the angel beloved by children has become a fairy, Santa Clause has become the iconic face of the celebration and a red-nosed raindeer from the North Pole has scattered the lowing cattle of the stable in Bethlehem.

On the other hand we could all acknowledge the season for what it is without going overboard and certainly without upsetting anyone. The message is very simple. A child was born 2006 years ago who was immediately recognised as the Son of God come to earth to show us the way to live, love and in time join him and the Father in heaven. Christmas day is celebrated as His birthday. In liturgical terms it’s the beginning of the Church year. You may have followed the preparations of Advent in the weeks before or you can now decide to give some time and space to acknowledge and/or celebrate what was, whether you are a believer or otherwise, one of the most significant events in world history. The reality is that a large portion of the worlds population follows the path traced for us by Jesus. Not all of those are committed or diligent, but their lives have a significant Christian dimension. They were baptised into it, raised and educated through it, live by the Christian ethos, join in the ceremonies and have an expectation of an eternal reward.

Over the twelve days of Christmas, up to the Epiphany on 6^th January, why not use the opportunities presented to celebrate the coming of Christ, renew our faith in Him, and start the new year afresh leaving all the baggage behind. (A priest at Mass in Lisdoonvarna on the 1^st January some years ago gave no homily but played ‘Time to say Goodbye’ sung by Sarah Brightman  and Andrea Boccelli, sending us home to put the disappointments and failings of the past year behind us and start again). Nothing too serious or trying at least to start. We could take some time in the run-up to pay our respects at a crib at home or wherever, sing a Carol with the children, go to Church on the day, and make every effort to be kind and generous to everyone, particularly within our own families, over the period. This effort could include making a significant charitable gesture wherever the opportunity arises. Nothing in this suggestion  will harm, upset or annoy any of our fellow citizens, whatever their origins, religion or belief or indeed lack of belief, so long as they have a respect for their fellow man as we ought and as the man we honour this Christmas taught us ‘ to love one another’.

Enjoy the family celebrations; encourage the young ones to understand and take part in the events; and remember that the birth of Jesus changed the direction of the whole of creation. Surely for the better!

The Knights of St Columbanus in Ireland have campaigned to Keep Christ in Christmas over the last months and years and have sponsored and organized a series of adult faith formation talks for Advent at various venues around the country to increase our knowledge of our faith in preparation for the coming of the Lord.

Peace be with you this Christmas.

Paddy Byrne Supreme Knight

Knights of St Columbanus

Where is God present in my life today?

November 21^st 2006

St Joseph’s Seminary.

Bishop Donal McKeown

There is the story of the young priest in the parish who was preparing for the wedding of a young couple who didn’t have a lot of money. So he asked the PP if it would be OK to have a bit of a simple reception in the chapel straight after the wedding ceremony. That would save lot of money. The PP grudgingly accepted, though when the seats were moved aside and the food brought out, he felt distinctly uneasy. But when the food was over and the band appeared he could take no more. He remonstrated with the curate that this was not acceptable – but the young guy was having none of it. Sure didn’t Jesus go to the wedding feast at Cana and I’m sure that there was eating, drinking and music and dancing there too. “But,” blustered the poor PP, “the Blessed Sacrament wasn’t there!”

We have grown up in the Catholic tradition with a huge and not unwarranted emphasis on the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. That has been a core part of our tradition and it is a sign of great wisdom where Adoration and Exposition have been encouraged and promoted. After all, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Catholic Church has always taken the Incarnation seriously. The Churches of the Reformation have been finding out that if Jesus is not somewhere in the life of the Church, then he may well end up being nowhere. Indeed, Alistair McGrath, the well known Evangelical theologian - a native of Belfast but now Professor of Historical Theology in Oxford – recently suggested that the Reformation’s emphasis of the Word of God as the only way in which Christ touches us, was the forerunner of atheism in European thought. The God who does not touch our senses quickly becomes a distant God and the distant God will eventually become the dead God.[1]

However, our generation grew up with the assumption that the main presence of Jesus was in what we called the Real Presence. He was there, on the altar, in the Tabernacle. Most of remember the holy picture of the child, knocking at the door of the Tabernacle, waiting for Jesus to respond. There was great reverence for Jesus there and the whole set of rituals such as Benediction, incense and the Mass in Latin emphasised that. However, it was not some radical new Latin American theology but Vatican II – which finished 41 years ago – which underlined the various presences of Jesus in the life of the Church, without in any way playing down the unique presence to us in the Eucharist. The Constitution in the Sacred Liturgy, issued in December 1963, is clear.

“To accomplish his work, Christ is always present in His Church, especially in her liturgical celebrations. He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, not only in the person of the minister … but especially under the Eucharistic species. By His power he is present in the sacraments, so that when someone baptises, it is really Christ Himself who baptises. He is present in His word, since it is he Himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in church. He is present, finally, when the Church prays and sings for He has promised: “Where two or three are gathered for my sake, there am I in the midst of them”.[2]

Furthermore, we also have the specific promises of Jesus that he is to be encountered in the least of his brothers and sisters (Mt 25:31-46). So Catholicism has a clear approach to the presence of God in the world. We believe that Christ is present in some sort of objective way in a specific place, namely in the Eucharist. But any excessively objectified understanding of Jesus’ presence among us can also do an injustice to the NT. God is revealed in the world but is revealed to people, individually and profoundly – and there is then the invitation to develop our relationship with the three persons of the Trinity, namely

Ø     the Father who creates and still loves the world so much that he sent his only Son (Jn 3:16-17);

Ø     the Son who took upon himself the sins of the world. (Is 53:4);

Ø     and the Spirit who lives in the depth of our being.

We are invited not just to know about God, but to know God.

It is then specifically in the Gospel of John that we see a core truth about the message of Jesus. It is not primarily about moral teaching – though his moral standards are high – but rather about a profound mystical relationship with Jesus and the Father. He prays at the last supper: “may they be one in us as you are in me and I am in you”. (Jn 17:21) and promises that, if anyone loves Jesus, that person will be loved by the Father and both Jesus and the Father will make their home with that person. (Jn 14:23)  That reflects the transformation in us through the relationships we have with God, and with God’s presence in our lives. Jesus talks about being born again (Jn 3:16) and Paul talks about our bodies becoming Temples of the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor 3:16).

That is the context for some of the key emphases of the late Holy Father in terms of the Church’s priorities for the new millennium. He was very clear that the first task of the Christian community is to help people to be holy[3]. As he had made clear in the important document on the laity of 1988, Christifideles Laici, [4] the universal call to holiness is the primary call to all the baptised.

We come to a full sense of the dignity of the lay faithful if we consider the prime and fundamental vocation that the Father assigns to each of them in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit: the vocation to holiness, that is, the perfection of charity. Holiness is the greatest testimony of the dignity conferred on a disciple of Christ.[5]

And Novo Millenio Ineunte says that the response to the call can have only one starting point.

“We wish to see Jesus" (Jn 12:21). This request, addressed to the Apostle Philip by some Greeks who had made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover, echoes spiritually in our ears . Like those pilgrims of two thousand years ago, the men and women of our own day — often perhaps unconsciously — ask believers not only to "speak" of Christ, but in a certain sense to "show" him to them. And is it not the Church's task to reflect the light of Christ in every historical period, to make his face shine also before the generations of the new millennium?

Our witness, however, would be hopelessly inadequate if we ourselves had not first contemplated his face. The Great Jubilee has certainly helped us to do this more deeply. At the end of the Jubilee…… our gaze is more than ever firmly set on the face of the Lord.[6]

This in some ways echoes the comment of the great German theologian Karl Rahner, who is often quoted as saying, “The Christian of the future will either be a mystic or nothing at all”. Perhaps one of the key failures of the Post Vatican II church has not been the lack of religious content that we heard, but the lack of an experience of prayer.  So JPII invited us all to contemplate the face of Christ – the Lord who preached, who suffered and who was raised. This Jesus is to be seen in the scriptures and especially in the Gospels. And the only way that we can reach that contemplation of the face of Christ is through an active prayer life. Prayer, he says, is an art.[7] That is why the Pope was very clear that all of our Christian communities have to be “genuine ‘schools’ of prayer”. [8] He goes on to say that “education in prayer should become in some way a key-point of all pastoral planning”.[9] That probably is the most central area of Christian renewal. Religious information is important so that we can argue the case for our faith, because faith is never unreasonable, though it is more than just the fruit of rational thought. But we grew up in an environment where prayer and the sense of God’s presence was in so many aspects of our lives – church, family, school etc – and in the so much of our Catholic symbolism. The Church will not survive just by becoming relevant – whatever that means – nor by trying to get people to adhere to our codes of behaviour, but rather through building communities where people can walk together as disciples of Christ.

The word discipleship is important. While the Churches of the Reformation tended to emphasise the importance of conversion, of that deliberate choice of following Jesus or of coming to know God revealed in Jesus, our tradition has very much stuck to the idea of growth in faith as a process. There may be special high points – but our understanding of discipleship focuses not so much on the call of the apostles to follow Jesus (“Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. And they left their nets at once and followed him.” Mt 4:20), as on the constant journey of discovery that the apostles still had to travel with Jesus and they came to know who he was. They often didn’t understand him, were unsure of his identity, Peter told Jesus that he couldn’t suffer and betrayed him, and the Acts of the Apostles show that there were many times when they couldn’t understand the ways of God. Disciples, by definition, are people who are learning rather than just people who are doing. You are members of the Knights of Columbanus, not just so that you can undertake certain pieces of work or achieve particular goals. You are Knights because you have been called to discover in the fraternity and in the work, another way to be disciples of Jesus. Your membership is first and foremost for your own salvation - and only then (and through this) for the salvation of others and the good of the Church.

Discipleship doesn’t mean learning in the sense of studying. It means seeking to see where Jesus is calling you to be a learner. It means first and foremost an acceptance of the invitation to be his disciple, to allow yourself to be led by him, to accept that, wherever he leads, you, he is present – whether you are with him on Calvary or after the Resurrection. For most of you, your call to be holy, to be a disciple, is in the midst of the world and its cares, in the midst of your families and of the relationships that make up your life. After all, Jesus did not come to take his disciples out of the world but to use them to consecrate and save the world. (Cf. Jn. 17:15). The God, who so loves the world that he sent his only Son so that the world might be saved, (Jn. 3:16) seeks – like Jesus in his dealings with people – to heal the whole of the world and ever aspect where healing and salvation are needed. So the presence of Christ is my life and yours has nothing to do with a special holy corner of life that has little to do with the rest of my life. Nor is the Christian call just one that helps us to escape from the world or cope with it. The purpose of Christ’s presence and of the work of the Spirit and of the Church is the healing of the world, its being brought back to the stability and harmony that once prevailed and which was disturbed by sin in the Garden of Eden. Thus Christ is present everywhere in my life – in my formal prayer and in my leisure, in my work and in my relationships and even when I sin, for no part of my life is of no interest to God.

So Christian prayer is not just about saying prayers. It is about giving praise and worship to God and listening to hear what God is asking of me – and of course prayer forms can be useful in that journey. The Lord’s Prayer is not just the only prayer that Jesus gave his disciples but it is also a pattern for prayer. It consists of an introduction (addressing God as Abba/Father) followed by three phrases that praise God (the holiness of his name, that his Kingdom/reign in the world will come, and that his will might be done), followed by four petitions. Christian prayer is thus not primarily one of asking for things, and the core of Christian prayer is never directed to Mary or the Saints. The primacy is given to worship, thanks and praise directed to Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That does not mean that there is no role for Mary or the saints in our prayer life. But Mary was clear that her soul glorified the Lord and her spirit rejoiced in God her Saviour. (Lk. 1:46). Even though the Rosary is made up primarily of Hail Marys, the principal focus is on the life of Jesus and on God’s grace working through her. It is an invitation to view the mystery of God’s love as revealed in the life of Jesus and to view Jesus through the eyes of the one who loved him most.[10]

Of course, the Catholic tradition has focussed heavily on not just the proclamation of the Word to the ears but on touching the whole person. Jesus did not just cure people or preach the Good News. He touched lepers and other sick, he used clay and spittle, he was washed in the Jordan and he body was nailed to the cross and was raised on the third day. So we have much in our tradition that seeks to touch the person in all of who they are. We use symbols and gestures, we have sacraments and rituals, we allow for the possibility of relics and pilgrimage sites. The purpose of all these sacraments and sacramentals is not to get in the way of Christ in my life but to enable God to touch all of my being, and to inform and form my imagination. That is the way to touch not just the head but the heart of the person. And we all know from our modern advertising media just how important it is for the person to feel good about themselves and how important bodily integrity – of a lack of it – can be too a person’s self-esteem.

So what are the key ways that the late Holy Father suggested to us as central to this coming to know Jesus and to make space for his presence, not just in our world but in our hearts? Firstly, he puts the emphasis on the Sunday Eucharist and he quotes the Vatican II constitution on the Liturgy again. The liturgy of the Church is “the summit towards which the Church’s action tends and at the same time the source from which comes all her strength.”[11] Here we hear the Good News proclaimed and we celebrate and proclaim Christ’s ultimate victory over sin and death. JPII is also very keen on the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, for there we celebrate the reality of human failings and the fact that God’s love and grace are stronger than the worst that human beings can do. There is more grace in the world than sin. The centrality of the Word of God is also highlighted. Then people who are nourished by these presences of Christ are then expected to witness to that love of God by developing, not just any kind of spirituality but a ‘spirituality of communion’, a form of spirituality that builds communion with God and with people. That spirituality demands a commitment to ecumenism and the need to stake everything in charity.[12]

The Church’s year, which comes to an end and a new beginning in under two weeks, provides us with a rhythm that invites us enter into the mystery of God present in our world.

Ø     Advent underlines the yearning for God and for healing.

Ø     Christmas celebrates the fragile God in solidarity with all humankind.

Ø     Lent asks us to enter into Jesus’ call for fasting and penance.

Ø     Easter celebrates the ultimate victory over all that mares the face of the earth.

Ø     Pentecost reminds us that we are primarily a church sent out to mission.

And during the rest of the year we are invited to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn from his teaching. That all culminates in the feast of Christ the King, for that is the sign of the ultimate victory of good over evil, when all things will be restored in Christ – and you will be well aware of that scriptural reference, instaurare omnia in Christo.

Forms of prayer

So what forms of prayer – other than formal liturgical prayer – might nourish us on the journey? And in our prayer it is good to remember that prayer is not about doing or saying anything but about opening up our lives to God and his grace. It is important that God is present in certain places - but that can allow some people to keep him out of at least certain parts of their lives. God seeks to be present in all of our lives. Furthermore, knowing about God and the scriptures in our head may facilitate us in coming to know God – but it is no replacement for that difficult task that is prayer. God seeks a way into our heart, not just into our head or our hands.

The Rosary is much recommended by JPII, not as a repetition of prayers, but as a meditation on the mysteries of God’s action in the world, as seen through Mary’s eyes. The words are the mantra, the meditation is the core of that prayer.

Similarly the scriptures are key to knowing Jesus and discovering his presence. After all, it is in the person of Jesus that God is revealed to people. There are various ways of praying with the scriptures but they all centre on reading a passage and trying to find out what words or phrases strike you. Some may console, some may puzzle, some may make you feel uncomfortable. But let the words of God strike you where you are. Do not be afraid of them. Allow the word to touch your heart. You may struggle with the words in your head, or you might just repeat them. You might wonder why a particular phrase has caught your attention or you may know exactly what it is saying to you. It could be a word of encouragement or a painful one. Just stay with whatever the Word of God is saying to you.

Your time with the scripture may be limited – and you might want only to read the Gospel or another reading for the following Sunday and stick with that all week. Or, if you have time, take the daily readings, or take one of the Gospels and just read part of it in sequence each day. There are plenty of books in the New Testament to keep you going for a long time! But, whatever you do, the purpose of the knowledge of the New Testament is to let you know where Jesus is present in your life. What is he saying to you in this dialogue between the facts of your life and the words of scripture? That is a key place where Xt is present in your life. And some people find it nourishing to share with others what the scriptures are saying to them.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is another key Catholic tradition of prayer. That is a time for silence and for simple prayers – time before the mystery of God present and making himself small and vulnerable in the pain and pride of our world.

Some like to pray publicly with other people. Some find an emphasis on the thanks and praise important. Others feel uncomfortable with an excessively public display of prayer. However, praying with other people is not just a support in prayer but also a statement of the essentially communitarian nature of the Church, as the Body of Christ.

Summary

In the 90s there was a popular book in educational circles on the theory of Multiple Intelligences, but Howard Gardner[13]. He suggested that, as well as the typical measures of human intelligence, there was a whole range of other intelligences to do with movement, music, creativity etc. Schools should thus seek t develop all the ways in which people can be intelligent. However, following on Gardner, there have been at least two other key intelligences identified. Emotional Intelligence [14] is prized as the ability to understand what is happening in our own emotions and to be aware of how to engage with those of others. And we also find Spiritual Intelligence. This is not specifically about how religious a person is, but rather assesses a person’s ability to know their story, to process their experience, to learn from all of what happens to us – painful and pleasant – and to make of the rubble of the past some foundation for the future. It is interesting that this ability, much appreciated as a human quality, is seen as something to do with the spirit of a person. Perhaps we have had the language of imagery, parable and art to support us as human beings in processing the pain of being human – and perhaps now we are seeing in our culture people who are suffering from disorientation, because – as Viktor Frankl notes – we have given them the enough to live but nothing to live for, they have the means but no meaning. [15]  All of this would suggest that a rich spiritual life is not a blockage to living a living a true human life but an indispensable asset in doing so.

So the question as to where Christ is present in my life is not one with simple answers. That remains a question that individuals have to answer as they develop while they set out on, or continue with, their journey of discipleship. Holiness is about engaging with the mystery of God in our concrete lives, not being afraid of silence or of challenge, being able to live with sacrifice, delayed gratification and generosity, being able to share our journey with others or at least with an anam cara, a soul friend. Some people find that keeping a diary is a good way of recalling and reflecting on our times of prayer. But, however we do it, the NT seems to suggest that, unless we know something of God, of Calvary and of Resurrection in this life, we will not be prepared for the enjoying of it beyond the grave. God is everywhere in my life and yours, in every corner of the world with which he is in solidarity. But it remains up to the individual to know where their own Advent journey is leading them, what it will cost them and what keeps them on the road. The Magi did not travel alone. They travelled in a group with the support of other like minded individuals. They will have been mocked by many for their dreams and lack of proof. But they were prepared to follow their star – and it was precisely that difficult journey with all its shocks and surprises that enabled them to recognise the Messiah in the most unlikely of places, when they eventually reached Bethlehem. The God of the Bethlehem stable, the Nazareth workshop, the roads of Galilee and the Cross of Calvary is never a comfortable God, but then only a mad God would want to save the world after all the awful things that human beings have done since Cain and Abel. Pope JPII’s call to holiness is an invitation to develop a spiritual life and a spiritual intelligence that will sustain us, even when the culture no longer finds meaning in religious language, practice and symbols. The experience of Exodus and Exile are core features, not just of the life of the Jewish people but of all believers. A sense of being abandoned and lost is one that Jesus himself has to endure. Your organisation will survive and thrive if it helps it members to develop their own spiritual life and to develop a response to the silent cry of many hearts for meaning, belonging, healing and love. If it gives in to the temptation to retreat and to be defensive, it will become a place of dying rather than of living.

Jesus Christ came and never left the world. He still invites people to be disciples and to respond to the needs of the modern world – as he did in every generation. Today, the people of San Colombano al Lambro in the diocese of Lodi, near Milan, celebrated St Columbanus, their patron and yours. On Thursday they will gather with others in Bobbio, when the holy man died. He journeyed far and wide and met many challenges in his quest for the presence of God in the world and may one day become one of the patrons of Europe. He invites all of us to journey in response to the apparent successes and apparent failures in our life in 2006. We talk the talk but Jesus has always asked his disciples to walk the walk. Only thus can we discover the Jesus who is always present to us – and helps others to believe that he is present for them as well.

ADVENT TALKS 

A series of Advent Talks entitled "Advent as a Challenge" is taking place in Ely House, 8 Ely Place, Dublin 2.  The talks will continue on December 7 with "Advent and the Artist".  On December 14 the subject will be "Advent - a Spirituality for Today".

The special Reflection Tea Talks take place at 8.15 pm and are delivered by the Moderator of the Priory Institute.  Admission is free and all are welcome to attend.

 Supreme Council Meeting 2006 

The Annual meeting of the Supreme Council of the Order was held in the Kingsley Hotel, Cork from 13th to 15th October 2006.

The meeting was hosted by Area 5, Cork headed by Provincial Grand Knight, Finian O'Donoghue who hosted a Reception for the delegates on the Friday night.

A wide range of subjects was discussed and important decisions on the future growth of the Order were taken based on a "Root and Branch" review of the Order.  This report was formulated by a special committee chaired by the Deputy Supreme Knight, Seamus McDonald.  Some initiatives were put forward by local councils including a "Keep Christ in Christmas" campaign.

The keynote address was given by the Supreme Knight, Paddy Byrne, who reviewed the year since the last meeting and set the scene for Order activity in the year ahead.

During the meeting all delegates visited Bru Columbanus.  This is a facility set up by the Knights in Cork to offer free accommodation to people who have seriously ill relatives in Cork hospitals.

PILGRIMAGE 2006

Local Drogheda Council CK32 are heavily involved in the organisation of this year's St. Oliver Plunkett commemorations which will take place in St. Peter's, Drogheda , on Sunday July 2nd. Catholic groups from all over Ireland will attend the 70th anniversary of the first Armagh diocesan pilgrimage to the shrine.  The event will commence with a procession to St. Peter's starting at 3 pm.

 Relics of St. Claud de la Combriere 

The Relics of St. Claud visited Ely House on Friday 16 June 2006 and departed 9 am the following morning. A special welcoming ceremony was held followed by Holy Mass and Benediction.  An all-night vigil then followed. The Kights are very grateful to the Jesuit Community in Ireland for allowing the visit.

Fish on Fridays

A Programme of Talks for the Lenten Period

Hosted by the Knights of St Columbanus

8 pm on Fridays during Lent 2006

Ely House 8 Ely Place Dublin 2

All Welcome

Seafood canapés and liquid refreshment will be served at 9 pm

This successful series of talks will conclude on Good Friday with the Reading of the Passions.  This will take place every 15 minutes between 1 pm and 3 pm