A pleasant surprise

 

A visit, today, to the Basilica of Saint Michael’s Cathedral in downtown Toronto happily coincided with the celebration of Mass at 12.10pm  I was pleasantly surprised to see not only a reasonably good turnout of people but also to see the presence of a large number of people I would consider to be young. My estimate is that very approximately 50% of attenders were under the age of 40. I could not help notice a queue (a line!) of 12 or so young people waiting for confession.

Living and dying

 

It is often said that the Irish “do death well.” A time of bereavement is usually marked by deep family and community support, and it is taken for granted that friends, neighbours, and extended family will show their respect for the deceased by attending the funeral Mass. In many other cultures, funerals are more private occasions, attended only by invitation. Not so in Ireland.