News

Following a recent Pontifical Council for Christian Unity in Rome, the Irish Catholic published some highlights from the Pope's reflection on it:

Pope Francis said many Catholics share his initial thoughts about the worship of charismatic Christians – “that more than prayer meetings they seem to be samba schools” – but he is convinced God wants Catholics and Pentecostals to learn from each other.

Catholics can appreciate the way Pentecostals “live their Faith, give praise to God and witness to the Gospel of charity” although “often in ways different than we are used to”, the Pope said during a meeting with members of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

Pentecostals, on the other hand, should be helped to “overcome their prejudices about the Catholic Church and recognise that in the invaluable treasure of the tradition received from the Apostles and safeguarded throughout history, the Holy Spirit has, in fact, not been extinguished or suffocated, but continues to work effectively,” the Pope said.

Council members were holding their plenary meeting, which focused on relations with Pentecostals, charismatics and evangelical Christians.

You can hear more of Pope Francis' heart and commitment to Christian Unity in his address to the Pontifical Council on 28 Sept 2018.  Talking about Pentecostal, Evangelical and Charismatic groups he points out that "the constant growth of these new expressions of Christian life is a very significant phenomenon, which cannot be overlooked."  He said, "we have the duty to discern and recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in these communities, trying to build with them the bonds of authentic fraternity."

You can read his full address by clicking here.

God is about doing something new in our land.  Isaiah 43: 18,19  say:s  “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." 

ECI will have a stand at the World Meeting of Families Family Congress - Stand 85 - do come visit.  We are sharing this stand with Release Prison Partnership which runs Alpha the prison , the Recovery Course etc. 38 prisoners did Alpha in 3 prisons in 2017 praise God and 22 Prisoners graduated from the biblical 16 Week Recovery Course which is based on the biblical equivalent of the 12 steps of AA.

Do also visit the Alpha Stand, Catholic Charismatic Renewal and lots of other excellent stands.   You might like to know that in addition to the Holy Spirit making major inroads through Alpha in prisons, that it is amazing what is happening in Secondary Schools - some 2,011 students, average age 16, did the 10 week Alpha Youth course in 31 Secondary Schools last year.  This involved 78 Alpha Youth Courses and  75% of these schools were RC.  This is good news.  More schools are wanting to run Alpha Youth than the Alpha Ireland youth workers can cope with.  103 volunteers were involved in delivering  these 78 courses and the limiting factor is having more volunteers to go into our schools   See Attached note for details of the 78 Alpha Youth Courses.

The New Wine conference went really well in Sligo with some 1,700 attending including 500 children.  This Christian family conference has been pioneered by the Anglican Church and they have asked ECI to help open it up to Catholic Christians.  3 of us led Seminars there this year - Bishop Kevin Doran from Elphin, Dr. Fodhla McGrane, who works as a Pastoral Worker in Belfast with Clonard Monastery and myself.  My 2 Seminars were well attended and the theme was - Towards Revival in Ireland from an evangelical Catholic perspective and How can the Churches work together post abortion referendum. 

Former President McAleese has been hammering the Catholic Church - in the beginning of July I was praying for her and sensed the Holy Spirit saying to contact the Irish Times and ask for a right of reply.  To my surprise they agreed.  Enclose my 700 word article which they published.  Being the IT they changed the heading I gave it from "Reform in the Catholic Church" to   "Mary McAleese comments on Jesus and marriage equality are appalling" see https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/mary-mcaleese-comments-on-jesus-and-marriage-equality-are-appalling-1.3559069

Dear Friends

Thank you so much for all the work, prayer and commitment put into the prolife cause in Ireland over this whole campaign.  Like you I felt devastated because of the choice that the majority of our people made yesterday and yet I chose to trust in the Lord, He is Lord of Ireland and His Purposes and Will shall be achieved in Ireland, maybe now the hard way and not the easy way.  I think of the wonderful spiritual heritage of our people going back to St. Patrick that we have now rejected. We chose man’s way over God's way and we will pay a price.

In the light of the people’s choice I cry out for mercy for our people and our land. As the prophet Isaiah says in Scripture: “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.  The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.  With joy you will draw water from the well of salvation! (Isaiah 12 :2,3)

In appealing to our people to save the Eight, truth was not enough.  The No campaign took a human rights perspective on standing up for the unborn child.  However the majority of our people bought the so called “Care and Compassion” argument of the Yes side…..3,000 Irish women having to go to England for an abortion etc.  They did not give any consideration to God’s perspective.

Our people need spiritual revival as in Patrick’s time.  They need to hear the clear gospel message: that God loves them, we are all sinners, but Jesus died to forgive our sins and take our guilt on himself, and so they need to allow the Holy Spirit convict them of sin and accept Jesus into their lives. Then they need to be filled with the Holy Spirit to live the Christian live and lastly they need Christian Community.  This is the only way our people will be lifted out of the mire into caring about God’s perspective on life etc.  In the words of St. Patrick “I was like a stone lying in the deep mire; and he that is mighty came and in His mercy lifted me up and raised me aloft and placed me on the top of the wall … I must spread everywhere the name of God “

May the Lord give us a new urgency to fulfil the great commission to “go and make disciples of (our nation and) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”  All this while functioning under his authority, being filled afresh often with his Spirit and knowing for sure the continuing abiding presence of Jesus with us. (Matthew 28:18-20).   Let us win this nation for Jesus in the days ahead.

Yours Sincerely

Paddy Monaghan
Convenor of Is God for the 8^th? Initiative

PS: Bishop Kevin Doran, one of the Is God for the 8^th? 123 signatories, has issued a super pastoral message after Referendum result. I have just read it and it confirms the above. He said: “In many countries where abortion has been legal for years Christians continue to bear faithful witness. That hope must inspire us now as we proclaim anew the Gospel of Life, both in the political arena and in the renewal of our pastoral outreach…..St John speaks of Jesus as “a light shining in the darkness; a light that the darkness cannot overcome” (Jn. 1). My prayer for you is that the light of Christ will fill your hearts, especially in these days, so that you in your turn may be “a light to the world”. (Mt. 5)”

 https://www.elphindiocese.ie/a-pastoral-message-from-bishop-kevin-following-referendum-on-8th-amendment/

Fr James Mallon, author of the best selling book, Divine Renovation will be speaking in at HTB Onslow Square, London on Wednesday 9 May.

He gave an inspiring talk in November 2017 in Maynooth and Cork to 400 attendees including several Bishops, many Priests and Laity.   Here are some of the points from his talk:

• He challenged the church to consider Pope Frances’ call to make missionary disciples.
• Like a fish doesn’t notice the water it’s swimming in, he asked, “What is so embedded in our church culture that we fail to notice it?”
• What is it we celebrate and invest in as a Parish? That will show us what we value.
• Any organisation that doesn’t change as much as the world around it is facing decline. How much are we willing to change in order to love unconditionally?

He continued to give very practical tools, testimonies as to how we can work with the Holy Spirit to renovate our parishes. You can view videos of the talks from the conference at: www.tine-network.org/parish

If you’re interested in parish growth and development, this is an event well worth considering.

It will most benefit parishes where priest and lay parishioners can attend and plan together. It is open to people of all denominations who have a heart for the renewal of the local church. The day will involve a “hands on” approach that will equip you to go back to your parish and begin your own journey. For this reason, we strongly recommend that you read ‘Divine Renovation: Bringing your Parish from Maintenance to Mission’ beforehand.

You can find out more and book tickets here.   The event is free of charge.

A cross denominational Steering Group has been working since mid 2017 to draw up an agreed cross denominational response to the 8th Amendment.  120 leaders have now added their names to the agreed pamphlet from a broad spectrum of Churches across Ireland.  They include 48 Catholic Clergy and Lay leaders, 16 COI clergy and lay leaders, 15 Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist leaders, 39 Pentecostal leaders and 2 Messianic Jews.

Copies of pamphlets can be downloaded below and are also available in Footprints Bookshop in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.  To order email Dougie Hobson at  footprintsdunlaoghaire@gmail.com ((01 663 8773).  The cost is 20c each or 10c each for quantities of 100 or more. Footprints have done a deal with a Courier so for quantities of 100+ please add a courier charge of €9 if in Dublin or €12.50 if outside Dublin.    Obviously you can avoid carriage costs by calling to Footprints between 9.30am and 6.30pm Mon – Sat.   Already 7 Churches have ordered 3,800 and they are being delivered by courier on Friday.

It was wonderful to learn that 32 TDs from 3 parties plus independents voted against the Repeal Referendum in March.  The only Sinn Fein TD to vote against was since suspended by her party. See list of the 32 in attached Irish Times report. Please pray for these politicians who are speaking out on behalf of the unborn.

There was a report recently on Morning Ireland News Programme.  Cliona Johnson shared how, after having 5 children, she was given the news that her next baby had a life limiting condition.  She spoke very movingly about her decision to give birth and how the 17 minutes that her baby son lived brought such joy.  Prof.  John Monaghan, a consulting obstetrician, was interviewed and said there was no situation in 40 years where there was a life threatening condition.  There were 2 videos in RTE Report.   See second one – it is just 7 minutes.

http://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2018/0321/949022-abortion-eighth-amendment/

You can check out Praying for the 8th at 8 here.

Lets put a high value on this Cross Denominational document and encourage all our friends to read it.  Please feel free to email to your contact list. 

Paddy Monaghan,   On behalf of Steering Group -
Dr. John Murray, Miriam Beattie, Pastor John Ahern, Pastor Nick Park, Stephen Cardy, Fr. Seamus Heaney PP and Paddy Monaghan.

29th November in Maynooth,  30th November in Cork.  

Fr James Mallon is the Parish Priest of St. Benedict's Parish in Nova Scotia in Canada and  he has moved his Parish from Maintenance to a Mission in 5 short years.   His Book -- Divine Renovation -  is well worth reading.

Fr. James will be the keynote speaker at these two one day conferences in Maynooth and Cork.  For all concerned with revitalising Parish life these Conferences should prove inspirational.   For more details and to book please go to www.transformedparish.ie.  

On the Resources page you can read ECI's Extracts from Divine Renovation,  eg. 2000 Parishioners have now done Alpha and you have to have done an Alpha Course to be on the Parish Pastoral Council.

New Wine is a wonderful Christian Family Holiday Conference held in July in Sligo each year.

It takes over nearly all of the IT in Sligo with accommodation for individuals and families in the excellent student accommodation called Yeats Village, which is a part of the campus. Over 2,000 people attended in 2017.  New Wine was initiated by the Church of Ireland but families from all churches participate. Bishop Kevin Doran came and was warmly received on the Wed evening.  My wife Anne and I attended for the week and enjoyed wonderful worship, good Speakers, a broad variety of Seminars on Defending the 8^thAmendment, Marriage matters, Grief and Loss etc There is a wonderful programme for children from 0 to 19  and some 300 volunteers from North and South look after us for the week.

The Conference organisers would dearly love to have a lot more Catholic Christians.  So please mark the diary, Sat 8^th to 13^th July 2018.  Check out www.newwineireland.org     I would love to bring 5 families from my Parish of Johnstown in south Dublin next year.

Paddy