www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Archbishop Ireland lives again

Interestingly, 100 years ago the Germans and the Irish built different Catholic churches in my city. Even the German Lutherans had their own church. The associate pastor I referenced is one extreme of Irish spirituality. I have also met an Irish priest I would consider a neo-pagan, he's so liberal. I suspect most Irish fall somewhere between the extremes as is the case for most nationalities. But one thing's for sure, the Germans and the Irish did not see the world through the same lens. There was, at least at one time, a genuine culture clash between them.

Good man yourself, Lawrence! Now that the seminaries in Ireland are no longer producing a surplus of priests to staff foreign missions around the world, I wonder what effect this is going to have in years to come.

Brigid (a stranger to 'Cream of wheat' but a friend to Flavahan's oatmeal)

In other words, it bears considering each person as an individual.

Jim Gaffigan has a stand up joke about this... If you see a Latino with a passionate temper it is alrigh to say "Gee, he has a fiery Latin temper!" If you see a non-Latino afflicted with same you say "Gee, that guy is a real Jerk!"

So maybe just maybe when you come accross a particularly jansenist-sounding priest whose last name begins with an "O'" or a "Mc" instead of saying "Gee that guy is really Irish" it might be better to say "What an semi-jansenist!"

I have known far too many Irish priests, religous and laity to be comfortable saying that any one of them could be described "as really Irish" with that meaning anything, save perhaps their predilection for certain foods, a type of beer or whiskey, or a love of Erie. (My best friend's grandmother had to have something with a shamrock, Irish flag, or St. Patrick statue or print in each room of her house. SPD gifts - things with Irish themes - were given to each grandchild on that day. I digress)

I try to take them one at a time... However convienantly folks might fit a charciature or sterotype, they are alawyas more than just that.

A bit touchy today, are we? No offense against the Irish was intended. Besides, I think they outnumber us Austrians anyway. And as for the Germans and Irish seeing the world through different lenses, that was true at one time. I suspect they may be more alike than different today.

Bingo! You nailed it. I've also picked up these vibes from liberal/modernist American RC clergy (I am not speaking of those who are loyal to the Magisterium) vis a vis their opinions of imported priests from Poland, the Phillipines, and elsewhere. These foreign priests are not seen to be a good fit for the "American Church" or "Amchurch". They disrupt the whole neo-modernist "dog and pony show"-what the late Dr. William Marra (Philosophy Professor at Fordham University, and a student of the late Dr. Dietrich von Hildebrand) used to refer to as the team of "Fr. Smile & Sister Heretic".
Dn. Robert

The usual amount of touchy here - I will leave my fans and detractors to debate just how touchy that amount of touchy is.

My point - if overly long and drawn out - is that these generalizations based on the ethnic backgrounds of priests here in America are not terribly useful.

What I find most interesting is that a high degree of cultural homogenization is occurring in many places. Will any of the ethnic groups have distinct and recognizable behaviors in a few more years? This has been going on in the U.S. for some time, but I haven't observed quite as much of it in Europe. Will the EU accelerate it?

Interesting. I picked up on the same thing among some liberal - moderate RC clergy.

-- John

What is also driving some of the older American priests around the bend is the fact that many of the younger priests are rather traditional. Some of the younger priests here have been studying Latin.

Back to the topic - the good Cardinal has outdone himself. First he whined that England must be more accepting of immigrants, then he tells the Polish they must integrate into English Catholicism.

I'm four generations removed from Poland, and yet hearing that garbage ticks me off to no end!

Then again, I'm not surprised. The British Government refused to allow Polish servicemen to march in the parade after VE Day in London. this after Polish pilots battled the Nazis in the skies over London during the Battle of Britain.

Papa Benedetto, it's time for a resignation to be received.

It would be far better for the Latin Church in the UK to "integrate" itself into the Catholicism of the Polish.

Better yet, the US Government should remove the visa requirements and let the Polish who want to emigrate come to the US.

Jezu Ufam Tobie!