How might our parish churches look like in 2050 #2

 

To look forward we need to look back first.   It appears that most Roman Catholic Churches, in Ireland, were designed, constructed and laid out in the early to mid-19^th Century. It was a time of rising confidence and a thriving but small Irish middle class after the catastrophe of the famine years.  The long persecution of penal times largely ended with the Emancipation Act of 1829.  Some churches, including my own parish church here in Goresbridge, were built some years before official Emancipation.

Typically, rural churches or chapels were simple but functional laid out in a cruciform shape with the sanctuary in a small space at the Eastern end of the central nave or aisle.   There were statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and often of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the side altars to the right and to the left of the sanctuary, that is, in the North and South transepts. Devotional candles were a frequent sight. 

The best is yet to come

Sunday 22 March 2026

Ezekiel 37:12-14 Psalm 130(129)

Romans 8:8-11 John 11:1-45

“Lazarus, come out!” he cries in a loud voice.
“Unbind him, and let him go,” he commands.
breathe upon us with the power of your Spirit, that we may be raised to new life in Christ, and serve you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

 Lectio Divina:*

Meditatio:  “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (John 11:16)

 Commentary:

We stand before the sealed tomb with the two sisters of Lazarus, their much‑loved brother now dead and laid to rest. Jesus himself is “greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved,” and he weeps for his friend. It is a moment of suspense. What will happen next – and where do I stand in this story?

St Patrick helped bring the Eucharist to Ireland

What would Saint Patrick make of St Patrick’s Day in Ireland in 2026?  One thing is sure – faith in the living Christ is his message to us today. Although we do not find explicit references to the Eucharist in the two writings associated with his name – the Confessio and the Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus – we can be sure that Patrick brought with him the Christian faith and the associated practices, understanding and established norms of the land from which he came. 

How might our parish churches look like in 2050? #1

 

In this and following blogs I explore some possible ideas for making better use of existing spaces in our churches. 

A word by way of context: as we are only painfully aware, Mass attendance is in freefall over recent decades, priests are ageing but here and there a few little green shoots of hope are sprouting up, unexpectedly. 

Why Sunday matters #2

 

Last Sunday I reflected on how our experience of Mass might be enriched. Today I turn to a related question: what makes our Sunday celebration come alive?

From time to time it does us good, I think, to step outside our own parish and savour a different atmosphere or approach. Earlier today I attended Mass in my local “Mother Church”: the Cathedral of the Assumption in Carlow, a town of some 30,000 souls in the South East of Ireland. The Cathedral serves one of the town’s three parishes.

I was not disappointed.

Rays of light and truth

 

Yesterday evening I was kindly invited to join Muslims at their centre in Kilkenny to share an iftar meal.  The iftar is the meal Muslims share beginning precisely at sunset each day of Ramadan. It was a privilege for me to join the event.

Of course, as a Christian I did not participate in the religious rituals and prayers used by Muslims.   I remained in my place quietly and prayerfully as others recited the prayers including the various postures used throughout the world. It was a humbling experience to be welcomed and to show solidarity with those who share a common humanity and a common belief in the One, Merciful and Almighty God.  Though we understand and relate to God in different ways we are called to live in friendship and mutual care according to the precepts of good religion.

A child-friendly Eucharist

 

My late uncle, a Columban missionary priest, served in China and Burma at various stages between 1946 and 1966.   I recall his stories about children playing at an open-air mass in some very basic conditions in a village mountains.  This was a far cry from the fine architecture and marble church of Dalgan Park where he completed his seminar training in the early 1940s.  For Fr Michael, children were always of central importance in any family gathering. And, on those occasions when mass was celebrated, devoutly and properly, on the kitchen table there was a job for everyone including the smallest.

Introducing children to the mass takes time and patience especially when they are not used to the surroundings, actions and sights associated with mass.  If a kind, calm and warn environment is created this can help to put children at ease and lead them in curiosity to a place of encounter.