The Association of Catholic Priests held a meeting entitled ‘Towards and
Assembly for the West’ in the Clayton Hotel Galway (today), Saturday 6th
Oct.
Four hundred people attended.
The energy and enthusiasm of the gathering
was equal to what we experienced at the Regency Hotel last May.
The speakers, both from the platform and the floor, spoke about their
commitment to their faith and to the Church, but stressed over and over
again that it is our Church; they want to belong, to be involved, and
to be regarded as equals in the Church, as was envisioned by the Second
Vatican Council.
Considerable disappointment was expressed at the absence of any bishop,
even though all the bishops of the west had been invited.
It was the
strong feeling of the meeting that the bishops be asked to engage
actively with the energy and enthusiasm that is being unleashed in the
Church as a result of the regional gatherings being organised by the
ACP, and the emergence of the Association of Catholics of Ireland (ACI)
There was also a strong sense that time is short; there is a window of
opportunity now to secure the future of the faith in Ireland.
But it
will not be there for much longer.
Local churches have died out in the
past and it is important that we now work together to ensure that the
Irish Catholic Church not only survives but flourishes.
Brendan Hoban 086 6065055 Tony Flannery 087 6814699