24th July 1996

3R Productions Ltd

Past Tapes

Tape Date: 24^thJuly 1996

In this week’s cassette we have a great variety of material. There have been the major annual assemblies of some of the churches as well other conferences on specific themes. We have a comment on the position of family prayer in modern Ireland from one Bishop and some personal reflections on the poet, Patrick Kavanagh from another! This and a good deal else.

Side One:

1. Crossways: News in the Church and the World. This week’s main report is an interview with Pat Brady, liaison officer with Crosscare, the welfare agency of the Dublin Archdiocese. They have published a major report Accommodating Travelling People. The news was read by Liam Greene, SJ and Elaine Comerford.

Time: 5.30

2. Bishop Brendan Comiskey: Bishop Comiskey has loved Patrick Kavanagh's poetry for years. At many times across the years he has turned to the poet’s words for insight, inspiration and encouragement. Lorcan Brennan asked Bishop Comiskey what makes Patrick Kavanagh's poetry so special.

In: (Comiskey) "I think he was................ Oh God give us purpose" Out: (Comiskey) Time: 4.55

3. Fr. Enda McDonagh: Fr. Enda McDonagh was one of the key speakers at this year’s CORI Conference in Rosslare. Under the title "Seeds of a New Spring", Fr. McDonagh explored the difficulties facing the Catholic Church in Ireland, through the images of Light and Darkness. Lorcan Brennan asked him what he meant by the term, "sitting with the darkness"?

In: (McDonagh) "Well, we all have our .........one can't be sure." Out: (McDonagh) Time: 4.50

4. Presbyterians on Peace: The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church took place in Belfast at the beginning of June. One of the nearly 600 delegates was the Reverend Alan Martin, Minister of Findlater’s Church in Dublin. He was a leading member of a special "Church and Government Committee" which took up the challenge of peace- making and the issue of contentious parades. He spoke to Alan McGuckian, SJ.

In: (Martin) "The General Assembly........... Republic of Ireland". Out: (Martin) Time: 5.52

5. Methodist Conference: Each year the Methodist Conference meets at a different venue. Attending the conference are representatives from every Circuit, (which is a group of parishes). The representatives are 50% lay and 50% Ministers. This year Rev. Brian Griffin was there as Superintendent Minister of the Methodist Centenary Church, Dublin. Liam Greene, SJ asked him if there were signs of encouragement arising from the conference.

In: (Griffin) "There were...............that its numbers would justify". Out: (Griffin) Time: 6.39

6. The Church: Fr. Diarmuid Ó Murchú, MSC is well known for his workshops with Religious in America and Australia. He is the author of many books, his most recent one being Reframing Religious Life. Kathleen Dooris, RSM posed a number of questions to Fr. Ó Murchú: is the Catholic Church too European? are the ordinary people who make up the Church controlled by a small minority? Her first question was; where does the Church stand in terms of life?

In: (Ó Murchú) "Well, that's a big...........in touch with that reality". Out: (Ó Murchú) Time: 4.10

Side Two:

1. European Union Inter-Governmental Conference: Last March an Inter- Governmental Conference, known as an I.G.C., of the European Union, started in Turin. The task of this conference is to draft a new constitution for the European Union. This new constitution will dictate our lives and control us over the next several decades. The Justice Office of the Conference of Religious of Ireland brought out a briefing document outlining the issues which should concern us about this new constitution. Copies of the 14 page document are available from the Justice Office, CORI, Tabor House, Milltown Park, Dublin 6 for £2.00. Marie Stuart, RSM asked Fr. Sean Healy why we need a briefing document?

In: (Healy) "This constitution will..................and act upon it". Out: (Healy) Time: 8.01

2. Fr. John Byrne on Collaboration: Fr. John Byrne, OSA, The President of the Conference of Religious of Ireland recently made a strong call for a greater spirit of collaboration throughout the Church, among clerics, religious and lay people. Alan McGuckian, SJ met him and asked him if there was anything new in the talk of collaboration.

In: (Byrne) "When we're talking about...........at the moment". Out (Byrne) Time: 4.56

3. Family Prayer: Recent years have seen a marked decline in the practice of family prayer. The Bishop of Ossory, Laurence Forristal, DD, spoke to Imelda Deegan about family prayer, its importance and the reasons for its decline.

In: (Forristal) "Family prayer is very............into our consciousness". Out: (Forristal) Time: 4.11

4. MSC Conference: For the first time lay representatives were invited to attend the Provincial Conference of The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. Joan Mooney, a married person with three sons attended. She has been involved in parish work for many years. The theme of the Conference was "Lay Involvement In Our MSC Mission and Ministries." Joan spoke to Elaine Comerford and explained her role in the Conference.

In: (Mooney) "My role was.....................not just priests". Out: (Mooney) Time: 4.37

5. Ministry in the Church: The Most Rev. Walton Empey was recently enthroned as Archbishop of Dublin and Bishop of Glendalough in Christchurch Cathedral. In his address, he suggested that clergy did not always find themselves doing the things they were ordained to do. He suggested that priests should not be the parish 'Chief Executive Officer', but rather the 'Chief Transformation Officer'. Archbishop Empey spoke to Martin Browne.

In: (Browne) "Archbishop Empey...............gifted people". Out: (Empey) Time: 5.51

That’s all for this week. I hope you find some or all of these pieces helpful. Also, I hope you enjoy a continued run of good weather.

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