I didn't know that he was one of those transferred to Rome. I can't believe that they didn't send him packing. As if things weren't bad enough! What you say about Rome scares me. I avoid anti-Catholic websites like the plague. Nevertheless, I still think that the seminary in Maynooth should have been closed down since they have failed to reform it. Surely there has to be a better option than letting Maynooth continue its erosion of what's left of the faith in Ireland. We get more like Belgium with every passing year.
I am not recommending this blog, it comprises mainly of the anti-Church rants of a homosexual priest who founded his own Church and had himself 'consecrated' bishop (he did suffer some horrible treatment at the hands of his superiors but blames the whole Church rather than the individuals concerned). But if you have a very strong stomach and want to join those commentators who try to put him right sometimes, then you may want to take a look. He jumps on any and every anti-Church bandwagon and seems to regard himself as some kind of religious guru (as do some of his commentators) with a hotline to God. To give him his due, he does publish those comments that are very critical of him and his posts. He does know an awful lot about what is going on in Maynooth and the Irish Church generally having many priest contacts within it (although he is a homosexual, he does regard it as hypocrisy for active homosexuals to remain in the seminaries/priesthood and exposes what is going on among that group.) But BEWARE if you are a sensitive person. http://wisecatholic.blogspot.co.uk/
My stomach isn't that strong. How sad that there are priests in the Church feeding his hatred by passing information to him. That won't heal his hurt and disillusionment and it certainly won't undo the harm done to him. God help him. Maynooth needs to be shut down and nobody associated with it should ever have any future role in either selecting or preparing seminarians for the priesthood.
Judging by the latest wave of hostile newspaper articles and Irish television programmes about the Tuam scandal, unfortunately it looks like we have suffered another major setback in bringing people back to the Church in Ireland. For some reason for all that is going on against our Church in Ireland at the moment I keep thinking about what Jesus said when he said that "the gates of hell will not prevail against it." and also Saint Paul when he said "...for when I am weak, then I am strong."
There was a great talk by Frances Hogan at the Divine Mercy conference in Dublin last month. She believes that some of us in the remnant will have to give our lives in the future to ensure our faith gets past down to the next generations and that chastisement will inevitably occur to bring people back to the faith. She also mentions that the conscience of the world will have to be "illumined" as in the case of St Paul, perhaps she is referring to the Warning:
The latest craze to sweep Ireland in a big way seems to be Yoga, if anyone else has noticed. The late exorcist Father Gabriel Amorth said that Yoga was incompatible with Christianity and that there are spiritual dangers attached to it.
I heard some people were talking about how they want to remove religion classes and replace them with 'mindfulness'. Unfortunately even the Irish Catholic were supporting this mindfulness stuff in an article this week- http://irishcatholic.ie/article/teaching-youth-art-stillness In reality as Catholics the only thing we should be mindful of is Christ and our Faith .
Any 'spirituality' (I initially typed 'spitituality' in error, which seems eerily appropriate) which is not of God has only one source. Note what seems the complete absence of Christian symbolism in that art that the students are creating. Mandala ("magic circle"): a symbol of the Self "seen in cross-section" (whereas the tree is a profile view), of wholeness, of psychological totality, balance, and of centering. Has a clear periphery and a center and is often build on the quaternity archetype. A protective circle (see temenos). Circles, squares, and multiples of the number four or eight represent this wholeness. Jung came up with this concept after seeing the round mandalas used for meditation in the Far East ("yantras"), and he considered those of Tibetan Buddhism the finest examples. Circles tend to mean spirit, whereas squares mean earth. Mandalas tend to occur during times of psychic disruption, and they compensate for it and sometimes suggest that it will be resolved. They also mediate between conscious and unconscious. Three types of mandala: static, circumambulatory, and performed in life. All imply rotation. Disturbed mandalas: those that deviate from the circle, square, or cross, and also those based on the numbers three (reflecting ideation and will) or five (reflecting the bodily man) rather than four. The alchemical vessel is a counterpart to the mandala. In other words, Jungian and inherently gnostic. The same old heresies keep re-cycling. "Mandalas tend to occur during times of psychic disruption...": Is it not the truth that it is demons that occur in such instances, for example in the case of the Gaderene swine?
The Holy Face campaign is running in Dublin at the moment, and it is having an effect. View attachment 6339 View attachment 6339 http://www.torchofthefaith.com/comment.php?comment.news.1598 View attachment 6339
Maybe it's just the fact that it is Easter week, but the differences between the faithful and non-faithful seem to be becoming more noticeable or apparent lately, or the "sifting" that many people refer to seems to be becoming more visible. It is definitely noticeable here in Ireland at the moment. It is like two camps are forming. It seems even more noticeable than before for some reason.
We (both camps) are becoming more certain, on which side of the fence we want to be. For example, when I see my oldest daughter late today, I'm wondering if she's going to give her "traditional" greeting of, "Happy Zombie Jesus Day." If she does, I will gently and sorrowfully explain why that is offensive. (Which is not to say that some of her jokes are not funny -- catch the double negative there --, like the one with the punch line, "And the tomb opened, and Jesus stepped outside, and if He sees His shadow he goes back in and we have six more weeks of winter!") (I guess you had to be in that Sunday school class...) Happy Easter, and hope Winter is over for you. (Unless, of course, you live on the part of the planet where Winter is coming...)
I just entered and read this thread going back quite a bit. I have a slew of Irish ancestors and I believe they prayed me back into the Church. I dedicate much prayer for the souls in purgatory connected to me--all ancestors right back to the beginning. Hopefully they are all in heaven but I take no chances. To me one of the most powerful signs of the serious times we are in is what is happening in Ireland. What a heartbreak to all our Irish saints. Frances Hogan has a wonderful talk on YouTube about reclaiming the faith in Ireland. From her mouth to God's ears!!!
WOW! This video says everything I feel about the situation in the Church as well as Ireland. We are the servants of the Lord, and Francis Hogan is saying it all without making any comments about what or who has gone or done wrong in the last fifty years. May the entire blessings of Heaven be poured out on this wonderful woman, and any who are able to join her in that small remnant she speaks about. I'm in. Merciful Jesus, I trust in Thee.
Muzhik. Winter would indeed seem to be over. Last night I was lulled to sleep by the frogs singing in the pond. Spring peepers we call them. Beautiful. And this morn the birds. That's sheer bliss. In winter around here you only hear crows. I am sorry your daughter has that cynical 20 something humor. At some point grace will break through. I have to believe this. I know this. My youngest son told me some years ago in a rant against the Church that he wanted to go to hell where all the interesting people are. That thorn is deeply imbedded in my heart. I keep praying but the years pile up. I lose fervor sometimes sadly but I live in hope.
AED, I have more than one young person say what your son said about going to hell where all the fun is, instead of sitting on a boring cloud in Heaven. The answer that never fails when someone makes that stupid statement." So you want to go with hitler, and all the rapists and killers and vicious perverts that ever lived go. Rather you than me." It never fails to make them stop and think, even non Christians are stopped in their tracks when you remind them the filth and the dross go to hell. I also tell them there has to be a sewer somewhere in the after life, and I think it must be part of hell, and I tell them sometimes that the fires in hell are the central heating system for Heaven. I tell them anything that makes them stop and think. Since people have to not believe in Heaven and hell to make such a stupid statement, using comparisons to earth works quite well. Another one I have heard young people say is. "Of course I believe in God. I am God." Now that is one I have not yet figured out how to reply to. I tend to say, "You are only on this earth in order to show how trustworthy you are to be allowed into Heaven. If you are useless and couldn't care less, you will end up in hell."
Has anyone heard there has been two Churches in Ireland where the Blessed Eucharist has been stolen, as well as damage done in the Churches. I believe one is in County Clare and the other is in County Longford. If only these foolish people believed. What they have done will send their Guardian Angels fleeing from them and their families and loved ones. Then satan can do them all so much harm, and their Angels will not be able to protect them. They need to flee to the nearest Priest and confess what they have done and make reparation immediately for the sake of themselves and their families. ====== If anyone reading this has anything to do with the atrocity against the Holy Eucharist in Ireland. Return it and run for help to a Roman Catholic Priest, before your family and loved ones are facing disasters. Even if you are not Catholic, you need to put this right in the sight of God. Is it fair for you to bring a curse on your loved ones. For shame on you. ===== Saint Michael, Holy Arch Angel. Guardian of the Eucharistic Jesus, Defend us and Eucharistic Jesus in this hour of battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. Safeguard Eucharistic Jesus, send someone to be there if trouble comes. May God rebuke the evil one I humbly pray. And do thou, prince of the Heavenly Host, By the power of Almighty God Thrust satan down to hell and all the wicked spirits who wander through the world, Seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Wonderful Julia. Iwish I had thought of it at the time but I felt like sword went through my heart and I couldn't speak. The subject never came up again. Probably because he saw how devastated I was. That second statement is right out of the devil's playbook. That was his sin. He wanted to be God. Fortunately my son never said that or I would have given him something to take the starch out of him!!how dangerous to even think such a thing. Poor paltry people. Life will teach them Who God is and who they are not, if God grants the grace.
That's the problem. They DO believe. They just don't care, and they believe that their actions will not have punishments in this life.
Life has a way of teaching us the Truth if we are blessed to live long enough. There is a certain arrogant disregard that comes with youth. This culture exacerbates it,sadly.
