The Collapse of the Irish Church?

[@dalspartan]

Maybe I’m wrong, I am wrong too often, but in my experience growing up Catholic, it was assumed we had faith. We weren’t fed for knowledge, not that the Eucharist isn’t spiritual food, but catechism and theology classes were useless as we never cracked a Bible or a catechism. We studied “relevance” and psychology. I didn’t hear of Aquinas or Augustine until I was much older. When a non-Catholic explained to me about Jesus’ death and resurrection, well, I knew the story but didn’t think it was personal. Then he quoted “Behold I stand at the door and knock…” and I realized what I’d been missing. I didn’t have that personal faith or relationship with Jesus. He didn’t say I couldn’t be Catholic or a single negative about the Church, just gave me a Bible to read and grow. I was astounded that many stories I had heard and the readings at Mass were really there and alive! My heart is broken for my grandparents native Ireland. I pray the Lord opens doors!

[@rafadabrowski7958]

This is very relatable. In my country (Poland) the catholic church was the only institution that could somewhat legally oppose the Russians, Germans and communists who wanted to erase our culture, so people would naturally come to church as a sort of national duty. When the struggle ended in 1989 this need disappeared and just like in Ireland mass participation dropped, but the church acts like everybody knows the cathecism and is devoted to Christianity just because they attend the chuch. The mass is so often the priest trying to correct or tell how to behave to somebody who is already very devoted to Christ and knowleadgable, but so many people come there with little understanding or even interest. They show up because that's what tradition tells them to do, some of my friends who are atheists were forced to go to church because otherwise the neighbours would judge them. Their family couldn't come up with any other reason to attend. We really need evangelisation, cathechization. Instead the church focuses on defending two hours of religion classes where we aren't taught anything (why are they so pointless) and fighting political battles that just alienate most of the population. I barely ever heard the good news being shared by the priest. The focus on sin and how awful we are when we sin made me start losing hope in God even wanting a relationship with me. Luckily I eventually heard a sermon that told us about, among others, God's love. A why to believe instead of 99 reasons you're doing it wrong and it made me grow closer to God than all those 99 listed reasons combined. That said I'm all the more happy to see channels like Breaking in the habit where we can start the search for answers online. We need somebody to randomly tell us exactly what we needed to hear, just like your non-catholic friend (or that priest) did. We won't hear if nobody even talks about it though, but if more of us act and pray maybe a change will happen and I think there is a bright light in the tunnel.

[@dalspartan]

@@rafadabrowski7958 thank you for sharing. May I suggest Word on Fire, Amen, and Ascension? I’m reading Word on Fire Pentateuch and Eusebius at this time, with the Baltimore Catechism on my “next” list.

[@raylouis7013]

That's weird. I grew up Catholic in Australia. I was always encouraged (and EXPECTED) to read the Bible. In fact I still have the beautiful leather bound Bible my Catechism teacher gave all her students for their First Communion. Still read the beautiful individual message she wrote in the front for me decades later.

[@dalspartan]

@@raylouis7013 I grew up in the late ‘60’s; the Diocese took a very liberal interpretation of V2. The early years with the Nuns were traditional, but when I studied under the Christian Brothers it went off track, in my opinion.

[@mahendradas9165]

​@@rafadabrowski7958❤

[@dinkohrvat344]

My elderly Irish friend refused to go to mass . When I asked him why I never saw him at mass he replied he was slapped violently across the face by a priest when a child. When I asked why he was slapped he said he failed to bow in front of the priest in the street when their paths crossed !!! Some of these old priests ,nuns and brothers were real monsters !!!. I recall The communist dictator President Tito of Yugoslavia was also slapped across the face as an altar boy and never returned to the church .One slap changed history and he became communist , then a dictator who killed thousands and persecuted the church in Croatia and Slovenia then part of Yugoslavia . !

[@kennethanderson-co7fw]

While i believe that we have moved beyond that I still find remnants of that in places. A few years after I was ordained, my elderly Lithuanian Aunts chastised my sister for not showing me more reverence. While that was my sister, and we joke about the situation, suppose that had been in a parish setting. Maybe I'm naive but we need to develop a ministry of stewardship and discipleship, based on serving the Gospel message.

[@bernieoconnell5515]

Refusing to go to mass because he was slapped by a priest is ridiculous. People were martyred and died for their faith and others risked everything to go to mass. If your heart is with Jesus turning the other cheek is the right thing to do here. Go to mass and stop using excuses.

[@dinkohrvat344]

@@bernieoconnell5515 He died and was an atheist to the end .

[@bernieoconnell5515]

@@dinkohrvat344 well that’s that then.

[@johnfromwales6713]

​@@bernieoconnell5515 The problem is that everyone in Ireland from back then has a similar story; the nuns who taught them in school were really mean, a local priest abused some children, a friend was treated very badly by the church etc. I've been to mass all over the US and all over Ireland and the difference is night and day. In Ireland the church had and some would say continues to have an air of judgement, dourness and condemnation against everyday people. Most people in Ireland who grew up in Catholic Ireland felt it was a chore to be catholic; "you should feel guilty about everything. Now sit and be miserable and don't question anything". Not my experience but the experience of like 90% of Irish people over the age of 50 I've talked to. For most Irish people of that generation it seems Catholicism wasn't a fun or enjoyable experience. Can't really blame them for not practicing later in life.

[@MrLetmein2011]

I’m also coming back to the faith of my childhood. I’m 59 and falling in love with the catholic faith 🙏🏻💚

[@GringoXavier]

God bless you. I’m an Irish Catholic and at the age of 41 I said my first confession in 30 years. The Catholic Church is so beautiful once you understand what the Eucharist truly is. I wish you well on your journey back home. Viva Cristo Rey.

[@carlos1rsa]

Bravo.

[@sandraelder1101]

Never too late to fall in love ❤😊💒

[@donfarlan214]

IT could be because you are getting old and fear death, and want to believe Jesus will love you and want you to be in heaven for eternity. Death for most of us is not a happy thought, but thinking about heaven is. Thats why you see so many old people in church .

[@GringoXavier]

@@donfarlan214 haha. Lad I’m 44 this year. God willing there’s another 50 years in me yet. But I get your point.

[@cycleforbrotherkevin4580]

Frank Duff said in the 1970s when our churches were full that the faith was not deep...we went to Mass out of habit, obligation....when the storm came, we had no roots to withstand

[@KevDenihan]

He was spot on.

[@jcliswong]

The Legion of Mary remains relevant and becomes even more important than before.

[@Murray-bo3fg]

Springtime ofV2 anyone?

[@oliverclark5604]

Sufficient valid consecrated male female marriages vowed to God now are prudently discerned able to withstand extreme tensions of occult as hidden, incest connected as substitute mate, economic advantage by tax-exemption embezzlements and lower insurance cost by fraud that was the economic basis of consecrated celibate marriage vowed to man in Christ. This basis was by grooming by diseased identities of 'familyist' family members of their psychologically and or emotionally vulnerable family members with the false inducement of consecrated celibate marriage as a falsely purported presumed "higher vocation" (TTMHS, PCF, 1995, 35; cf. "opinion" of St Paul at 1Cor7:25-34) than consecrated male female marriage. This was as inadvertently perhaps promoted by Frank Duff p. 231 of the LOM Handbook 1993 edition in quoting Cardinal Pie on prudence falsely by Cardinal Pie purported presumed displacing courage when courage and the other virtues are lacking when not "guide[d]" by prudence (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994, n. 1806).

[@jerryoconnor-ps8bb]

Simple answer. Many people were told what to think and not how to think. The atrocities carried out by Rome here in Ireland has come back to bite them. Thankfully, they are now a spent force. Indoctrination doesn't work anymore. Religion is the oldest con game in the history of humanity.

[@factsandlogic4709]

As an Ulster Protestant I must admit that it is not the catholic church dying in Ireland but rather The Church dying in Ireland as even those who know christ do not desire him as the should, and most men refuse to lay all on the altar for God as their fathers did in times past. However our fathers prayers still ring out: God Save Ireland is the cry, and by God's good grace the irishmen may one day again be counted worthy to do all in his will and trust his grace

[@oliverclark5604]

"lay all on the altar for God" means in God in God's keeping in uncertainty of the beliefs of the three persons of the Trinity the inseparability and qualitative equality of God's (a) doing roles, and (b) doing roles and being identities. This double keeping authorises in uncertainty of belief a third keeping as by the Holy Spirit as of identities in need of union as completing the trinitarian relationships between the three Persons. To "do all in his will" and to "trust his grace" is by "God's good grace" as "I AM WHO I AM" as revealed to Moses in the burning bush at Exodus 3:14. This "I AM" results from multiplication of doing processes and being progress as the "Multiplier" as authorised applied by Pope Francis' consecrated celibate marriage vowed to man in Christ in its inseparability and qualitative equality been kept with consecrated male female marriage vowed to God on 17 June 2021 on the reference point of Mary at Lk 1:29-45 and Mt 1:24. On 17 June 2021 this consecrated marriage of Pope Francis kept in uncertainty of his belief the inseparability and qualitative equality of its (a) roles and (b) roles and identities in the cases of its procreation role gift charity donations embezzled by its Vatican state ten citizens/employees, including Cardinal Angelo Becciu, and the Italian state Parliament "Zan" anti-homophobia bill as an unacceptable risk of fraud on its identity as a consecrated celibate marriage and the identity of consecrated male female marriage. This multiplication of (a) doing role as part of the will as the faculty of keeping inseparability and qualitative equality of thinking role and having faith identity and (b) of being as identity is this "I AM WHO I AM". The "fulfilment" (Lk 1:45) "believed that there would be" (Ibid) by Mary is in each present moment of real presence in it keeping these in uncertainty of belief as inseparable and qualitatively equal. In our times this keeping was by Pope Francis' consecrated celibate marriage on 17 June 2021 through consecrated marriages completing Humanae Vitae 1968, 12 by adding 'qualitatively equal' with "inseparable" (HV, 12) on this reference point of Mary keeping in uncertainty of her belief the inseparability and qualitative equality of her consecrated celibate (Lk 1:38) and male female (Mt 1:24) marriages.

[@lukemccann]

God Bless you brother

[@Kipperbob]

It's such a shame that only now when the Christian church is so weak that we both Catholic and Protestant are faced with a common enemy, the rise of the evil that is Islam on our islands, doesn't it make our petty differences look small when we look at the battles before us all. God bless you my Christian brother.

[@jackieking1522]

@@oliverclark5604 I was a volunteer at a Catholic holiday camp for disadvantaged children when Humanae Vitae was published. Three ( Latin American) seminarians renounced their "vocations" and left. Bloody nuisance as I now had more kids to look after ( and had no real idea what the fuss was about)

[@jackieking1522]

@@oliverclark5604 I wonder Oliver if you re-read this in 10 years time will it have become as incomprehensible to you as it is now to me?

[@kierondurney8386]

I began watching this with cynicism, I have to be honest. I thought 'Oh here we go, another American telling us how great they are and how bad we are'. But I was startled out of my negativity by the simple, powerful, sight of you walking in your habit along the streets of my childhood. What was once a common sight in Ireland is almost never seen now. I was also impressed by the calm and insightful way you spoke about what has been happening to us here. The Clericalism was appalling and it wasn't just the abuse of the position either. Clericalism effectively removed you from the community you were supposed to serve. In the 1980's I spent a few years as a Monk involved in education. As soon as I received my habit, everyone's attitude to me changed, including that of my parents. In so many ways real encounters stopped - you were treated with deference all the time. That's not real or healthy. But the reality of Clericalism gave many people the opportunity to walk away from the church - you referenced this in your - 'That was them, we're not like them, so it's not my fault or responsibility' ( I am paraphrasing there). But the truth was, that, in the case of the mother and baby homes, everyone knew they were there and now many people act like it was a big secret, which they knew nothing about. I am one of those who stayed, by choice and I am sure, through the guidance, protection and support of The Holy Spirit. Since I retired two years ago, my parish priest has asked me on a number of occasions to get more involved in the life of the parish. Within me, I find the biggest resistance to this are the thoughts and feelings which are the legacy of Clericalism. Becoming more active in my parish has brought me into more connected contact with the priests of my Diocese and what I encountered has amazed me. Without realising it, I had expected to meet men who were beaten, exhausted and dispirited. Instead the people I meet are filled with joy, energy, commitment and a deep seated desire to be a sign of the Love and Mercy of God in the world. There are two reactions within the Irish church to what has happened. On the one hand there are those who say that the only way forward is to go back to the old ways before Vatican II. On the other hand there are those who look to the leadership of Pope Francis who constantly talks about stuff on a human level and looks to the Gospels as a roadmap back to being authentic. Your reference to our troubled history and connecting it to the issue of Secularism intrigued me - being Catholic was seen as a way to be different to the British who weren't and once the Peace process took root in the 1990's, many people no longer had that reason to be in the Catholic church. I had never thought of that before and of course it takes an 'Outsider' (if you will forgive the use of the term please) to spot something that we might not see at all. Another issue is the standard of Catechesis we received in the schools. Many people say that this was the fault of Vatican II, but I don't agree. We were 'guided' in the Faith by both men and Women who didn't have faith themselves, but who didn't know that. They were Catholic because the world around them was, not because they had a personal commitment to a relationship with God. You can't pass on something which you don't possess. In my few years as monk, I met men and women who had spent a lifetime in the Consecrated Life because their parents sent them there, not because they had a vocation, but because there were too many children at home and sending some off to 'the Brothers or the Nuns' was the done thing. In most cases these men and women were deeply unhappy people. So, where is the Church in Ireland now? Well it is smaller, poorer and leaner than ever before, but despite appearances we are being led by priests who have a deep personal connection and understanding of the values of The Kingdom of God. We are not lost, even if we are still not fully sure of the way forward yet. Thank you for this post Father and for the time, energy and prayer you clearly brought to bear in compiling it.

[@seamusogdonn-gaidhligarain2745]

This was beautiful; difficult, but beautiful. thank you for sharing

[@bridgetshelton556]

The church has to be the people of God !To just be kind to one another is what Jesus wants for and from us ! Our Eucharist is Jesus in an intimate union with each one of us ! Lord to whom should we go ? You have the words of ever lasting life ! What a promise Jesus has given us if we just practice patient perseverance !

[@bkp1283]

Remove the wolfs.restore the flock .repent and be very protective of the flock . Remove and prosecutor the wolfs.

[@bertsmert6787]

Thank you for your post. I found it very enlightening. God bless you.

[@Tybourne1991]

Hi Kieron, Thanks for your honest and heartfelt response. I found it truly hopeful, too. You're spot on about the deference linked with clericalism. There was also the opposite side, of contemptuous anti-clericalism. I remember dating a girl from an Irish family. Her mum invited the parish priest over for Sunday lunch, and her uncle asked, "What did you invite that grey-haired gobshite for?" Yet, as soon as he arrived, it was all, "Oh Father! It's grand to see you again, how are you keeping now?" This splitting, as we call it in psychology, maybe stemmed from personal and historic trauma. Maybe what the Irish church needs isn't to go back to pre-Vatican II or move 'forward' to a synodal church, but to rise upwards together through ecclesial movements that unite clergy and laity. The Neocatechumenal way, for example, has been validly critiqued, but there's a big difference between seeing a fourteen-year-old read from Sirach then talk about his own struggles in fighting with his friends, compared to a priest in an average parish badgering laypeople to 'participate' by getting up and doing something. In these movements, things happen organically, and priests and religious are cherished as part of the community, not apart from it. I hope these movements are flourishing in Ireland and being supported by the bishops. Let's not forget that monasticism, the Franciscans, and even the Jesuits started as lay-led movements.

[@ellatuohy8774]

As a very catholic Irish teenager in Ireland I’d also like to say there became a very relaxed idea towards teaching Christianity from parents because you learn it school but unfortunately in our catholic ethos schools were taught close to nothing about Christianity but rather everything Islam because it gets more points in our state exams but asking my classmates and peers they also agree with me that they never even considered being religious because we’re not being taught it and not being taught the amazing things the church did for us and saved us from we’re only told about the tradgys committed by people who don’t represent God , the rise of secularism has also lead to lack of passion or care to preserving our own culture I can’t tell you how many times people have been confused when I mention our culture and Catholicism nurtured it and saved thousands of lives from just that alone

[@hindenpeter2.04]

We were taught to pray the Lord's prayer in Irish that's actually to Allah, the Biblical burning bush Lord who spoke to moses in the form of a talking fire.. It's Chrislam since 1970 TBF, but the early Church didn't recognise this burning bush entity, rejecting the entire the bybull BS that was rammed down their neck.. Anyway, we're meant to split with their entire fecking programme with the 3rd secret out n' about online since 2010 after the NWO was stopped. Apocalypse Not!

[@vickybarrett7340]

I could not agree more with this

[@BrendaCarey-m9u]

I think we were taught about an angry God and not the loving God, It was all rules, as children it was a harsh religion, ( for me) A lot of families liked to have one child be it priest, christian brother or nun, The catholic religion suppressed women and the state & church worked hand in glove, orphanages, mother & baby homes and industrial schools, I decided to become spiritual as opposed to controlled religion. I'm an OAP now and feel sad that our religion was not taught in a way children would embrace

[@jw-vx8im]

​@@BrendaCarey-m9urespectfully. The society at that time suppressed women. Those in the church being in a leadership role are a product of that society. Not many religious let alone layity have the ability to lead the life of a hermit monk shut off from society.

[@allthenewsordeath5772]

@@BrendaCarey-m9u Yeah, as I get older, I’m increasingly of the opinion that you have to be both spiritual and religious, if you’re just one or the other, you open the door to heresy or purely performative faith.

[@CLMNX]

I'm from Nigeria, and I completely agree with the sincere submissions here. There's a lot of lessons to take home if we must continue to be signs of the Kingdom of God in our local communities. The toxicity of power and clericalism may degenerate to a soulless Church identified with buildings and structures. This was not the kind intended by the Eternal groom. Pray also for the Church in Nigeria ❤❤❤

[@SanjayFGeorge]

May God bless our brothers in Ireland and Nigeria. I grew up in Nigeria from 1977 to 1987 attending mass by Irish Augustinians from County Limerick in Maiduguri Borno State. Later I did a master's course in Limerick from 2021-2022. All I knew about the priests from my childhood were that they were Irish. I didn't know that they were Augustinians or that they were mostly from Limerick. While attending an Irish language mass (yes they still existed) circa 2021, I showed some photos of my childhood to him and Fr Micheal recognised the priests - our vicar Fr Cullen from Cork and Bishop Cotter from Abbeyfeale. He told me that the Augustinians were there in nearby O'Connell Street and that I should visit them. Almost all of them recognised the two priests and two even told me that they ordained by Bishop Cotter. I also heard hilarious stories about Fr Cullen whom I remember to have been a very boisterous person 😂

[@Meowmixery]

I didn't know there was Catholicism in Nigeria, I thought mostly either Protestant or Islamic glad to see a friend in Christ either way. Cheers from the USA

[@anacristinasimoesvilar6588]

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🇵🇹From Portugal!!!

[@CLMNX]

@@Meowmixery Hmmmm. Well, Catholics in Nigeria numbers up to 13% of Christian denominations of almost half the population of about 220 million persons. I'll say the Irish missionaries tried on that note 😉

[@Justanotherconsumer]

@@MeowmixerySt Patrick is also the patron saint of Nigeria. There’s a connection.

[@RealBelisariusCawl]

I just wanted to drop in to say that today I attended my first Catholic mass. I was quite overwhelmed, and very much lost as to when to say things, or how/when to make the sign of the cross, or how/when to genuflect or bow… However! The family sitting next to me was incredibly kind and helped me through the process so I would know what to do. It was the most incredible Church service I’ve ever been to. The entire time I was there I had the same sort of feeling in my chest that I used to get as a kid on Christmas morning just before the presents got opened - genuine childlike joy. I’m actually finding myself _genuinely impatient_ for next Sunday. Friar Casey, you were a BIG part of my motivation. THANK YOU. In Jesus’ name, may your work continue to bring more like me into the fold.

[@catholiccrusader5328]

Welcome on board!

[@jackieking1522]

In my first 18 years I attended about 10,000 masses ( yes, more than one a day, every day.) . Left home at 18 and haven't been to another service since. 60 years later and I still glow with the relief.... definitely have forgotten the Latin and maybe all the other ritual. Quite proud of myself actually, shedding all that conditioning. Pity about the lost childhood but what the heck, having a worry free termination.🤗

[@Ark_bleu]

@@jackieking1522can I ask-What was up? Were you in a cult?

[@Steven-hq3go]

I'm glad you're going to church but read up on Reformation history and Reformers.

[@AnnaMack-m1l]

You should trying going to a real Catholic Mass, then, with a real priest.

[@1234smileface]

Irish here. My parents told us stories of how they were treated by priests and nuns during their childhoods. The Catholic church in Ireland was more focused on controlling infrastructure, people and making money than helping the poor and illiterate.

[@seanrathmakedisciples1508]

Put your trust n Jesus rather than men . Start reading Gods word daily: starting at the gospel of John chapter 24 onwards daily and allowing God to speak to you personally.

[@blaisemacpherson7637]

I hear people in the us say "churches are empty" but they haven't been to Mass in Spanish where it's always standing room only.

[@freshrockpapa-e7799]

I live in Spain and I don't know of any church that is standing room only, and I have visited a ton of them.

[@tottenhamteacher]

@@freshrockpapa-e7799in this case - I GUARANTEE you they mean LATINO America (you know those you bastardize for speaking your colonizing tongue).

[@jamesleonard5307]

@blaisemacpherson7637 And how many of these Spanish speaking attendees actually believe / follow the Faith? Full pews aren’t necessarily a good indicator of how holy / devout one is.

[@tottenhamteacher]

@@jamesleonard5307 didn’t say they were just saying - the “posh” Spanish abandoned the faith; cry me a river. I would say 60% of Latin America believe but influences influence. Adios amigo!

[@Laurelin70]

@@jamesleonard5307 Tell that to the fans of the TLM who brag about how full their churches are.

[@philiphumphrey1548]

I suspect the Irish Church got far too close to the Irish state, that never ends well.

[@mlyn911]

Same happened in Quebec

[@AllhailTDLjimpic]

True. The point of separation of Church and state is to protect the Church, not the state.

[@TheMaster3782]

I suspect, watching this video and reading similar article in the Catholic World Report, that it wasn't so much that the church leaders in Ireland got to close to the state, it's that they became the state. In other words, the goal for many, not all, not even most, was power or respect.

[@SanjayFGeorge]

Like in Germany

[@eleveneleven572]

That's what did for the CofE which got a very bad start as a tool of the State under the rule of a monarch. It destroyed Christianity in England. ...it took a long time from enforced attendance and persecution, to non conformism, the enduring Catholic recusants...but look at it now. 🌈 !

[@j.h.g3505]

Greetings father I'm a mexican immigrant raised protestant however I wish you many blessings in your travels and continue to enjoy your content

[@georgesaguelton5751]

@@louseveryann2181 spoken like a true Pharisee, showing the old Roman better-than-though attitude which Fr. Casey opposes in this video.

[@georgesaguelton5751]

@@louseveryann2181 holier-than-though attitude from a rad trad troll as we see your other identical comments

[@j.h.g3505]

@@georgesaguelton5751 I appreciate your hospitality sincerly! @georgesaguelton5751 and lulul@louseveryann2181 you know why can't we oh I don't know focus more on unity as brothers in Christ instead of raging on the r/catholic sub

[@majafleur9646]

9-10 months of RCIA to join???? No wonder we stay Protestants.

[@suzannelangdon]

@majafleur9646 whatever time it takes surely that time dedicated to God Is worth it 🥰 there is a lot to learn so that you have a good foundation to start your Catholic journey with Christ 🙏 do not be put off by the commitment, your soul is worth the time. God bless you and your family 🙏

[@judyceannt9750]

I'm Irish, living in Ireland, a practising Catholic. I've just listened to the first half of this podcast. It is really interesting and explained so much to me. I think it is very balanced and all I can say is thank you. I was blessed by being educated by the Sacred Heart nuns from the age of 4 and having parents who studied their faith. My challenge os how to encourage my daughter to own her own faith and be responsable for passing it on to her children. In France ,I attended mass in Churches where there were only 3-4 elderly people but also in Churches were 2-3 young families had taken charge in order to support their priest. the children were altar servers, who led the priest in, who went down among the congregation to share a sign of peace, and who led the parishioners up to communion etc. Adults and older children were involved in singing and reading at mass but also organising parish events etc. It was wonderful, life giving and inspiring. A hope for the future. I would like to say to diocesan priests. In my opinion, it is very tough for a discesan priest and lonely. You must be there for each other. You must love ( want the good of) each other and support each other, have each other's back's. I worked as a family doctor before there was out of hours cover. There were 3 of us covering the practice 24/7. We covered each other's back. We cared about each other. Otherwise we could not have survived. Diocesan priest are so important. Their celibacy is precious. It enables them to be there for their parishioners, for mass, for counselling, for confession, for visiting and anointing the sick for funerals, marriages baptisms, for preparing homilies. A tough job, often unappreciated. Thank you to one and all

[@scooby1992]

Well said ! The other issue I suspect in Ireland and certainly in the UK is that years ago priests lived together in the presbytery ( at least in medium to large parishes ) and there might be three or four of them , but at least two . Now apart from the cathedrals and very large parishes most diocesan priests live alone . I do n know that in my diocese there appears to be great fraternity among priests in each deanery.

[@generalusgrant]

As a Protestant, I am impressed by the frankness and goodwill of many Catholics to address difficult issues in their church. At the same time, it may reassure Catholics and especially the faithful in Ireland to remember that church decline is not their problem alone. Protestants face the same decline, perhaps worse. And they can't blame either celibacy or clericalism. It's secularism that seems to be the rub and it's spreading across the world along with economic development. Baylor University's Phillip Jenkins has documented this well in several books, including "The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity." Jenkins has determined that, as nations experience development and citizens grow more prosperous and comfortable, people start to think that they can live successfully without help from religion. Richer people also have smaller families of course, and that weakens their religious participation since children are an important way to connect adults to the church from baptism through confirmation and schooling. With fast economic growth, and the removal of a nationalist reason to stay Catholic, Ireland may just be catching up with the religious apathy of the UK or Scandinavia. With development, even areas of the global South like Latin America or eastern Asia that had seemed immune to secularism now face church decline. As an example, the church in that Christian powerhouse South Korea is facing challenges as the nation's prosperity rises and its birthrates fall to western levels. And where is the church still growing? In Africa and more traditional nations in the global South that have not yet experienced full western-style economic development. Living difficult lives, folks in poorer nations more clearly see that they need God. But as they start to develop the way that Europe has, and their citizens become more materially comfortable, will they also start to think that they don't need God? I'm starting to think that Jesus's teachings about a rich man, a camel, and the eye of a needle are worth more attention. For example: And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matt. 19:23-26)

[@ocomaing]

Excellent

[@judyceannt9750]

'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible'. That is our hope, knowing He will send forth His Holy Spirit and lead back the lost, because He loves each and everyone of us.

[@generalusgrant]

@@judyceannt9750 Amen!

[@stc5490]

Thank you. Great post!

[@muhdhanif1048]

I am a Muslim, but i think this is an excellent writing!

[@luckyleo88]

Hi guys I'm a Singaporean catholic married to an Irish woman living in Ireland for the last 5 years. I am 36 and when I attend mass, all you see are mostly people above 60 that attend mass often. It's sad that the majority of 16 - 50 year olds who are baptized catholic don't bother about going to church anymore. It's also more troubling that the mother and baby homes as well as the industrial schools in the past are thrown under the rug and barely any clergy was held responsible? It's crazy I don't know how to keep a strong faith when everything around me feels like fading away.

[@BabyBugBug]

Give it time. The world is like a pendulum that swings back and forth. Right now it has swung far to the left. Religion is an integral part of the human experience and something that each person, whether he wants to admit it or not, thinks about deeply as it is a fundamental part of his soul. It is to be expected that young people will be more drawn to worldly concerns while older people think about life’s meaning more and come back to God. It has always been this way. Do not lose hope, no matter what society around you seems like. The Church has gone through much worse and come through it all.

[@praveendsouze]

"I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find that faith on the earth?”" (Luke 18:8)

[@irenewinters9688]

Decades ago when I hit that wall I asked God to hold me in the faith or I'd be lost. He led me towards the charismatic, the Holy Spirit. It revitalised me. I doubt I'd still be in the church without the Holy Spirit. That helped me survive the scandals & the loss of people my age to identify with in church. Now I'm retired. Still mourn the empty seats, the elder congregation but accept God always keeps (as in keeps PG) a remnant. We are blessed to be in that remnant. As the distance between the world & faith grows it is important to feed faith through utubing great sermons, attending prayer meetings etc. Giving opportunity for the Holy Spirit to stir up your faith. When you are slipping off a raft you eagerly reach out for help. He will grab your hand and hold you. You need to work away at paddling too. It would be worse to slip away with the tide. I ask Him to send you help as He sent me help and kept me all these years. The sea is going to get rougher, it's the times we're in, make Him your anchor. Also read the gospels, especially aloud, go to mass. Some love the rosary. Keep in touch with God. Talk to Him during the day. Talk & pray. He told us we can't do it without Him. And, we can't. But WITH Him all things are possible & we are going to need Him more as times get darker. Hold on to the Light of the World. God Bless you.

[@paulinegeoghegan6260]

Mother and baby homes. Neither were any of the fathers of those babies held responsible

[@pastelito33]

I know how it feels. My partner hates Catholic church fue to the things in the past about abuse. Still, as a foreigner, I keep my faith in Jesús within the Catholic Church. Try to make. Friends with those still attend Ing mass. Ask God for strenght to avoid judgments on no Catholic. Keep confession and comunition

[@marymarcks8787]

I am an Irish Catholic ; living in the USA for many years and have gone through cycles of being less faithful and questioned my faith but I am definitely doing better today. I do blame my my lack of faith as a young person on my interaction with ‘religious’ in education in Ireland when I was there. I have many ‘less than fond’ memories’. Thank God for Fr Mike Schmidt of Ascension for his explanations and for you also❤️

[@Tara-zq3il]

Children weren't really Catechised properly. I include myself.I returned at the age 65yrs and I find Catholicism so beautiful,.

[@judyceannt9750]

It is great to be able to listen to Bishop Barron, Fr Mike and so many other podcasts from The US. I find it very helpful

[@oliverclark5604]

to marymarcks, perhaps both "doing" and 'being' "better" would result from trying "believed" (Lk 1:45) rather than only "faith" (Lk 1:38: "let it be to me") in keeping in uncertainty of belief the inseparability and qualitative equality of thinking (Mary "considered in her mind" Lk 1:29, 34) and having faith. This doing and being in this keeping requires consent in uncertainty of belief to be joined in a consecrated marriage, celibate vowed to man in Christ or male female as vowed to God in keeping their inseparability and qualitative equality.

[@olivierdomingue6312]

The story of the catholic church in Quebec is almost the same, with the church collapsing almost overnight, please visit us someday.

[@majafleur9646]

Agreed .

[@max2348]

I was going to comment the same thing.

[@vincentpainchaud7174]

Absolument !

[@BramptonAnglican]

There’s a man in my Anglican parish here in Ontario he grew up Catholic but converted to Anglicanism in the late 1940s

[@tommyshanks4198]

Ah.. the decline of the church in Quebec. Here is the thing. Old Quebecers always blame the universal church. Yet their parishes were staffed with Quebec priests, with Quebecois in the pews. Catholic life at the time was radically different just outside provincial boundaries. So whose fault was it really? Collectively, it was Quebec itself, gripped as it was in some sort of Jansenist heresy. As for the Catholics I know in Quebec, most are 1st or 2nd generation immigrants. Their experience has nothing in common with them

[@vikingsoftpaw]

As a cradle Catholic, I can definitely say there was a big difference in the church, once the effects of the Second Vatican Council were felt. The first few years in grade school, much biblical and doctrinal history was taught. After that around 1974, The influences of generic christianism were being felt. This continued all the way to the end of high school. I've learned much more about Catholicism and why we believe what we believe when I became involved with the Latin Mass.

[@obk1404]

The catholic church in Ireland did not lose its position of power because of the breaking of the abuse scandal. The abuse was only able to be made public because the power of the church over lay people had already fallen. Once what they had done came into the light the rate of decline of the church was greatly accelerated as it gave people the permission they needed to leave a church they no longer wanted to listen to.

[@margaretduffy4990]

I spent much of my life in the 1970s in rural Ireland and I think that much of the loss since then was self-imposed. One thing that you have missed in your comments on the reaction to Vatican II in Ireland is the plundering of churches by so called 'renovation'. Following Vatican II the churches associated with both my parents (one of them a cathedral) were ruthlessly striped of their altars, their statues, even their stained glass windows in favor of very abstract designs or totally empty space. The visual world that people inhabit has a greater impact on their thinking and belief than is often recognized and to destroy what had been the building up of images for over a thousand years was a terrible move. This iconoclasm, as bad if not worse than anything that occurred in the Reformation, appears to have been pushed from the top of the hierarchy down. It left many people, old as well as young, with an uneasy feeling that the secure ground of what had been the faith that had sustained Ireland through several centuries of oppression had been discarded. Already, as early as 1972, many lay people were questioning whether what they had believed in was really true and people were already drifting away. While still maintaining a rather tangential facade of faith, underneath was a lot of confusion, disappointment and anger. This left the faith of the country highly vulnerable to the assault of so-called "modern" thought. As the country caught up economically with the rest of Europe and with North America it was easy prey for "advanced" ideas and the dead weight of its own dirty secrets.

[@saradejesus9869]

What a terrible loss. It was a terrible historical loss and an emotional/spiritual loss

[@andrewrolwes6034]

Great observations. The once beatiful Romanesque Cathedral of my diocese was wreckvated as well: murals whitewashed, altar rails broken into pieces, side altars smashed to pieces and thrown in the bin. Replaced by concrete and commercial carpeting. All at the direction of a Vatican II bishop who had a reputation for personal humility...his zeal for destruction casts some doubt on that. This was a physical manifestation of the Modernism that underlied it. Its easy to make 22 minute videos about this, that or the symptom of Modernism in the Church, but whats hard to do (especially for our ordained clergymen) is to admit this this all is grounded in the condemned heresy of Modernism. More horrible than the destruction of our holy places are all the souls separated from the Church and from the grace of God.

[@alexkije]

not necessarily

[@gabrielamora6265]

The Catholic Church did not sustain Ireland through centuries of oppression. The will for freedom of the Irish people did. The catholic church always sides with the occupiers so that they are allowed to continue to operate(their very lucrative business). This is self defeating when Protestant Anglo-Saxons invade a catholic majority country because they use religious conversion as a means of assimilation. Centering the fight for freedom around religion only created more problems with those who had already been converted to Protestantism and gave a rallying cry to the Protestants in the north that were transported by the English for that very purpose.

[@andrewrolwes6034]

@@gabrielamora6265 "Religion is the opiate of the masses." -Karl Marx

[@deb9806]

An Irish priest told me large Irish familes tried to give "one son" at least to the church like a gift. When his brother dropped out, he went but it didn't seem like a "calling" more an obligation.

[@jolenethiessen357]

I've heard the expression "tithe child", as in you give 1 out of your 10 children to the Church. I was also common in large French-Canadian families.

[@russellmiles2861]

And when women realise that had control over their sexuality including child bearing: the hollowness of this ideology was revealed.

[@polarbearhero9803]

An Irish family I know well sent 4 sons to the priesthood. The mother died followed by a heartbroken husband and then one by one all the boys left the priesthood. If she had not died, they would have never left so as not to disappoint her. Parents had a lot to do with vocations.

[@russellmiles2861]

@@deb9806 "large families" being the operative word. As women learnt they had control over their own sexuality including child bearing: there system fell apart. There was no longer an extra mouth to provide for, but a shortage of children to support the parents. We have long ignored the churches teaching about sexuality. Even the church gives lip service to such and marrys divorced folk without bother.

[@deb9806]

@@russellmiles2861 The church doesn't say to just keep having kids, you have what you can afford and emotionally take care of. Some people don't have the physical and emotional capabilities. Some people aren't very fertile either. We weren't meant to be non thinking parents, you pray and know yourself. Kids brought into homes not sound are never happy and I don't judge.

[@suzannelangdon]

The faith in my beautiful country was fake and forced. The nuns, sisters and priests were forced into the Church by their families. It was a way to get rid of the strange one in the family while still looking good to the community. These people who were forced had no vocation and so they were not able to foster a love for God in their parishes. The churches were full but no one in the building had any faith, including the priest. The people only attended because it was the norm that was expected. It was a breeding ground for evil to flourish and flourish it did. That kind of faith needed to die off and that's what we're seeing today. You'd be foolish though if you thought that the faith here is dead. God Will Never Abandon us, ever. The faith is coming back, slowly yes but very surely. I am seeing more young people who have a genuine faith in Jesus. There are definitely less people in the church on a Sunday for Holy Mass but I can guarantee you that the vast majority that are there are warriors for Christ 🥰 Please pray for us Irish Catholics 🙏 God Bless you all 🙏

[@AgapeDemetrius]

As Orthodox who has attended Catholic churches, the aloofness of the clergy stands out starkly. It’s quite different for us. Even though we’re more traditional, the priest is one of us. Also, the Catholic churches don’t seem to stay for a meal after church, whereas in the Orthodox church, we always stay at least an hour or two after church and eat together. The priest always sits during that and eats with the people. I’m not putting y’all down, just offering a comparison. When I go to Catholic mass, it feels like the clergy are vaunting themselves above people, they don’t seem to engage collegially at a meal, and it seems the grace is being put to bare minimum, like starvation rations, for the people. It feels formal and cold by comparison to our churches, at least for me. I’m actually shocked by it.

[@loulasher]

You won't find that aloofness in the Latin mass. But, when I came back to the Church, two priests by me did serious, beautiful, N.O. masses. I've seen informal masses (no clown masses, luckily) but I attend Latin, occassionally Byzantine or Maronite as they're near me, mass now.

[@georgesaguelton5751]

@@loulasher TLM or NO isn't the question. Real faith commitment shows itself outside Mass during weekdays outside of Sunday's smell and bells. Faith without works is dead.

[@loulasher]

@@georgesaguelton5751 did I say otherwise? I don't disagree, but Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, Lex Vivendi still stands. His comment was about "aloofness" he sees at Catholic Masses. He does not see it at Latin Masses. I've seen it at N.O. masses and I've seen talking and socializing in Church at N.O. and Byzantine Catholic Masses. Care to address the topic at hand? The topic is the kind of worship due our Lord at Mass.

[@AgapeDemetrius]

@@loulasher perhaps part of the issue is in Europe, Catholic people attended village churches, and the collegial part took place in village festivals. However, now people depart right after church for the game or whatever, and there is no more village life. I think in the early church the Agape meal was important, and took place before the Eucharist. It must have been very important to break bread together as equals, and for the Church to be a place to eat, because the Roman state controlled the bread for it’s people. I think your Catholic writer Fulton Sheen brings this up, when he drives home the point that Jesus is the exception to the various ‘bread lords’ through history. Being fed by the church instead of the emperor (or communist state, or welfare state) is a big deal. Perhaps we orthodox retained more of the sense of that Agape meal. If you Catholics went to the coffeehouse with the priest after mass more, maybe it would help with Love? The TLM it’s true, seems more grace-filled. However, maybe some need the n.o. I don’t understand why they don’t allow both to you, for both types of people.

[@robertperry814]

Part of that might be due to the fact that in Eastern Orthodox churches a fast from midnight the night before communion is still the norm, so a meal is served after the liturgy. Leads to more interaction between the priest and the people as well as among the people.

[@jaqian]

As a 53yr old Dublin Irish man I can say that after I made my Confirmation at 12yrs old and went to a Catholic Secondary School (High School) and wasn't taught anything about the faith. I see my nieces and nephews know even less now making their Communion. Bring back the Penny Catechism

[@patrickmchenry2217]

I’m 53 too…I wasn’t brought up as a catholic but decided to become one as and adult. Stuck with it for a few years then the abuse scandals started. In Oklahoma, many native americas were beaten in orphanages for speaking native language and many other instances led me to just stop going.

[@InExcelsisDeo24]

I’m in the west of Ireland, Father, and my churches aren’t empty. Lunchtime mass during the week is busy, Sunday mass is busy. We do have a vocations problem. The sheer scale of Catholic control over Irish society for decades was extremely negative, as we had many clergy who did not live the Gospels. There was fear, horrific abuse, and misogyny, and the Church essentially had final say on many state decisions. Even in more recent times, the seminaries were exposed as abusive places rife with active homosexuality. There are many other factors relating to loss of faith in a modern, wealthy country as Ireland is now. But the church really missed a beat in Ireland and now there is a void for many where that should be. They attempt to fill it with ‘stuff’ which is never enough.

[@TomTermini]

We're having mass at Omey Island, later today! In the ruins of St Feichin's...

[@hindenpeter2.04]

The Church actually finished up as early as 1944 with the last of any valid sacraments being compromised even before 1777 prior to the French revolution!! In 1944 (secret freemason Anti-pope) Pius XII oversaw the deletion of the final name of God with name of The Holy Ghost updated from 1777's ''SPIRITUM SANCTUM'' to coincide with the spiritUS santUS change, and with it a billion new Catholics so along came Vatican II with hardly any pushback.. Fun fact: Psychiatry went into overdrive and really started developing their psych drugs in the 50's according to some docu, i saw

[@rvdb7363]

I was on holiday in a small provincial town the mid-west of Ireland and the church there was also far from empty. They had two masses on Sunday and both were well attended by people from all ages. Coming from the Netherlands that was encouraging to see. Although I am very fortunate that there are a lot of young families, students and young urban professionals in my parish, that is sadly not the case everywhere. I sometimes sing as a cantor in two other parishes. And I'm often one of the youngest people attending (I'm in my late 30s).

[@jw-vx8im]

You can never escape the human condition and the state of society as a whole. Jesus said it wouldn't be easy but let's not run away

[@suzannelangdon]

Totally agree, years ago you'd find it hard to find anyone who could explain their faith including the priests, nuns and sisters because most of them were forced into the Church including the people. They couldn't teach the people what they didn't have or know themselves. There was no real love for God sadly. My parish has two masses daily and three on a Saturday and Sunday and while they are not packed they are not empty either. We also have three fantastic priests, thank you Jesus 🙏 We are going through a well deserved chastisement, God Has Not Abandoned us. The faith is slowly coming back and this time it will be unshakeable and rooted firmly in Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 🙏 I'm in the West of Ireland too 🇮🇪

[@adventureinallthings]

As usual great video, I'm an Irish Catholic from Dublin and I'd love to discuss this topic with you at any point. I've lived right through this development and I believe I have a grasp of the topic you might find interesting. Also as an aside , sorry I missed you visiting my hometown, I would have loved to show you around to try and repay what you have given me through your channel these last few years 🙂🙏

[@GrahamWilliam-z2x]

Respectfully disagree Father. Irish Catholic here born in Dublin in 1979, the year the Pope came. I believe the Church, especially the Vatican, is still massively interested in worldly and political power. Pope’s Francis has no problem using “clericalism” to crack down on people he doesn’t like. He also has created massive doctrinal confusion, by attempting to change Church teaching to align with modern trends. Gen Z like my son frequently say things like “ how can you believe that stuff, they change their teachings to keep up with the times” . Hard to be intellectually honest and argue against that.

[@barryaustin8339]

Amen

[@bennwj]

Pope Francis is certainly different that any other modern Pope, and he can certainly be confusing. What has harmed the Church in Ireland the most is……socialism. The state took over and replaced religion.

[@blinkinyourarea244]

Im irish, a child of Irish parents, im only 18 but I grew up strongly with the faith despite lots of youths here in ireland having none or just going for symbolic days for the craic right. I owe it to my granny who never trusted the institution back in the day for the rampant corruption and abuse, but taught the ideals of the catholic church to my dad and to allll of his brothers and sisters - dont get me wrong ofcourse they went to mass every week and went to catechism but my gran insisted on teaching the catechism and the bible herself. This stayed strong in my family and is a reason why i am still proud to be catholic nowadays,

[@georgekavanagh8220]

Are you a Charismatic Catholic or traditional? Have you heard of Dr. Mary Healy in Detroit?

[@FrederickBainhauer]

The faith starts in the home. A family that prays together, says the rosary and attendance Mass together, and eats meals together strengthens the faith

[@marcucciofoster]

Good for you, lad; please don't change. My parents bought a house in Stroudsburg, Pennslyvania. We are Italian. Many, many Irish from New York City were retiring there and had befriended my parents. I can still smell the coffee and cake in the dining room, as they would sit together on so many occasions and then sing songs a capella by the fireplace afterwards. How charming. We often went to church together. Most of them have now passed, and I am haunted by my memories. When you lose your grandma and your parents, as I have, it is up to you to keep your traditions alive. I've consecrated my life to Saint Rita of Cascia. Ask Saint Patrick to stay with you for the rest of yours. You're a good bloke.

[@Archie460]

I grew up in Dublin back when the church was packed I had a mass said for my Mam and dad on the weekend and watched online from Australia , I couldn't believe how empty the church was 😢 it Really broke my heart. Thanks for your timely inquiry into this sad straight of affairs.🙏

[@verneser]

Thanks Fr Casey from Singapore. This video gives me hope, for my husband to return to the church..a man of Irish descent, living in Australia, and was hurt by the Church. Praying in gratitude for Ireland, and you and the team for this video and all your productions. ❤

[@chachos96370]

Hi, I'm from Singapore too. Keep praying! St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine is the Patron Saint for all who had left the Church. St. Monica prayed for her son for 17 yrs & now he is a Saint! I'm still praying for my family, relatives & friends who had left the Church too & I believe that one day they will turn around.

[@nicolad8822]

Leave the poor man be.

[@verneser]

@@nicolad8822 the poor man you are refering to is my husband? If yes….you are asking me to leave my husband, the man I entered a covenant with, to help us both be in divine union with God. I cannot comprehend leaving behind my husband and “let him be”, the opposite way a captain is not suppose to abandon ship…🤔😅

[@timmoore9736]

@@verneser Wow! Excellent answer!

[@jcliswong]

The good thing about Australia is that the country has a strong prayerful Rosary army. Continue praying for your husband.

[@timcolby8874]

It is truly a shame to see all this happening not just there but also around the world this is not just limited to the Catholic faith but others as well. As a member of the clergy myself in the theologian, unfortunately people are being misguided and misled from entities of this world and not of this world this world. It is not just up to the clergy, it is up to the congregation to spread the good news of Jesus Christ throughout the land. God bless you my brother and thank you for this wonderful presentation. Yours in Christ. Minister Timothy Michael Chicago Illinois

[@BabyBugBug]

Our schools are largely to blame for the anti-religion exhibited by our young people.

[@russellmiles2861]

And these are religious schools ? ​@@BabyBugBug

[@timcolby8874]

My apologies for the typing errors. My computer was not functioning properly

[@BabyBugBug]

@@russellmiles2861 I mean public schools throughout Western countries, which the vast majority of children attend.

[@russellmiles2861]

@@BabyBugBug I feel own my schooling was very poor - I left functionally illiterate like many of my mates. Whereas my own son's benefited from a much better education. Oh I married a pretty Irish lass: all her siblings had a good education (far better than mine) at Roman Catholic schools - none continued with attending church in adult life. My children did because I took them. A number were outright wicked. Personally I haven't seen in merit regarding morals in Christian education. I assume you had a much better experience; I applaud your parents attitude to your education

[@irish-u6p]

The COVER UP of the sexual abuse played a huge part.

[@BKT_04]

That’s what he said

[@workinprogress-ye5or]

Yes, it was how long it went on, probably centuries but decades that we know of. I remember kids whispering about not being alone with a teacher at Catholic school and they wouldn't talk to me about it. Telling parents...no way. That silence and lack of education in others touching you and your rights to your body was too long in coming. Having nuns hit your kids and priests be alone with them on camping trips and things like that wont happen now but you need to learn from the past. Kids need to know what is wrong and it's not shameful to tell.

[@irish-u6p]

@@BKT_04 And? He asked for input.

[@RanchoSantaAnadelChino]

​No it is not. The sexual abuse and cover up are separate abuses. You can do the later without the former.​@@BKT_04

[@JamesVideoCollection]

If you left the Catholic Church because of grave sinners in the Church, then you were effectively ready to leave the Church anyway. You don't leave Jesus (and the Church He founded) because of Judas, if you really believe in Him.

[@lingsuyen9509]

The products of the Catholic Missionary schools all over the world have those dedicated nuns and priests to thank for their excellent education in their formative years, and I myself in Malaysia am grateful, and proud to say I am one of the them, one of the lucky ones to be educated in a Convent school due to the confidence that my parents ( themselves having received only nine years or less of schooling ) had, in the Convent School. May God Bless all of these clergy 🙏❤

[@alexxavier7001]

I lived in Dublin and as a Catholic I can say that the Irish people embraced the liberal ideas, scientificism and atheism. Many Irish people speak about Jesus but they have stopped going to the church for more than 30 years and they don't know the history of their country and the history of the Catholic Church. Ireland without catholicism can be anything, but not Ireland.

[@TheCarlocaroline]

It was Ireland before Catholicism. Maybe it was even richer then. We suffered greatly under the church.

[@alexxavier7001]

@@TheCarlocaroline Sorry, but you should study Irish history. Ireland without catholicism can be anything, but not Ireland. San Patrick's is the symbol of this country and the Irish people forgot who he was. Everything in Ireland reminds us of the Catholic heritage and now, the Irish people are supporting the leftists ideas and have abandoned the christian faith. Sorry but the Irish people are going to desappear as a nation. The Irish identity comes with catholicism and nothing can change that.

[@TheCarlocaroline]

@@alexxavier7001 everyone in the world knows who st. Patrick is, never mind just ireland. Yes, there was a long culture built up then but we were slaves to the church from birth to death. They also ran the state. They thought they owned your soul. The misery the caused to unmarried mothers or parents of babies that died before they could be baptised. Not allowing them to be buried within the church walls. The magdalan laundries?Slave labour and child trafficking. They stood in dance halls between the men and the women monitoring them. And that's before we even get to the mountains of physical and s. Exual abuse which was absolutely rampant. Look up the brehon laws which existed before Christianity and you'll see women had more rights then and we had a rich culture.

[@YewrMan]

​@@alexxavier7001'Leftist' ideas? We have all sorts of nationalities here. Of different faiths, including no faith, and we can be tolerant of anyone who isn't harming themselves or others.

[@fergspan5727]

Too much woke ideologies in Ireland . Being told that being a Christian is bad and I’m sick of it

[@johnhancock9384]

As a Catholic I often take issue with You tube apologists because I believe they are trying to impose their misguided religious perspectives on others in the name of a very complex faith. I appreciate you taking a look inward at the failures of the church. The church created a lot of problems in Europe with the Catholic power structure and abuse that it inflicted on marginalized people. I believe listening to people and focusing on the words thoughts and ideas of Jesus would be a good start in getting people back to church.. Thanks for your efforts.

[@BreakingInTheHabit]

That's the sort of stuff you get from this channel.

[@LibreVisionNetwork]

Visit the Franciscan Church in Tijuana, Mexico 🇲🇽 so U don't feel so hopeless.

[@catholicguy1073]

I saw some Franciscans when I was in Guatemala this summer. It was nice to see.

[@Spartacus-hc9xt]

I used to study at Trinity college Dublin. It seemed like most of my peers had rejected the church at that time due to scandals and probably more importantly due to a liberalization in the culture. At that time (2015/2016) I shared these beliefs. Very happy and blessed to have found my way back to the church. I hope and pray that our Irish brothers and sisters return as well.

[@grahamluna6935]

Good lad! 🙏

[@nicolad8822]

They are over that nonsense.

[@JohnMac-pf6js]

29, Irish. Catholic family, Catholic school. The era in which I grew up Catholicism is completely disgraced and mocked. I recently had a discussion with uncle who is a priest and my father, and realise how divorced from reality they are about how things actually are. I think older people move through their own circles and don’t get much exposure to how younger people feel, or they get glimpses of it but don’t feel threatened by it because they don’t have to exist around it. And I personally regard this as a failing, because it’s the state of affairs that has been left behind by their era, firstly, and as we get all get older, that’s the world that you will grow old inside of as younger people take the reigns. For example, I see a lot of outrage now about the Olympic mocking the last supper. That’s literally nothing new, that’s all I’ve ever known. This has grown and grown to such a point that it has spilled over into maybe the largest affront to Christianity in modern times. It’s a serious failing. It would be a good thing for people to feel threatened by this, and not bury their head in the sand. You should feel threatened by it, because it’s a reality, and this might motivate action. Head burying is what’s got it to the point it is. And by action I don’t mean condemnation and whinging. We have to pick up a sword and engage on the front of ***influence in the ongoing culture war. That is what will actually have an impact. What’s needed also is progressive approaches. Wisen up. Learn about the modern world, and what gains peoples respect. And by that I do not mean compromising our values and trying to fit in; that will make us lose respect and be contemptible and pathetic. We need competent, capable, intelligent people who lead by example, which involves adapting to our current times. While I’m sure God appreciates our efforts and personal faith, I’m sure results and success would be a better offering, which involves adaptation and actually engaging with the current landscape. I think it’s moral duty to learn how to earn peoples respect back in modern times, and that’s going to need a strong dose of the Christian value of humility. Humility to acknowledge how we have been the times in which the church has decayed. Whose fault is that but ours? We have failed so greatly and we need to humble ourselves to learn how we can win the respect of the world back and have as much influence as possible. Or die off with righteous pride.

[@pobstrel]

It wasn't mocking the last supper though. Since when was Jesus painted blue? The Olympics are a Greek invention.

[@geniemarie7977]

@@pobstrel correct

[@JohnMac-pf6js]

@@pobstrel New York Post: “A Paris 2024 spokesperson admitted the controversial drag show version of ‘The last supper’, seen in Fridays opening scene was indeed inspired by the iconic da Vinci mural - despite attempting to vehemently deny it following the backlash” “”Thomas jolly took inspiration from leonardo di Vinci famous punting to create the setting” an Olympic spokesperson admitted to the post in a statement on Saturday, referring to the opening ceremony creative director”. Also, barbara butch, the actress sat in the place of Jesus had posted on her personal instagram story the night of the event a side-by-side picture of her scene and the last supper, captioned “oh yes, oh yes! The new gay testament”. If you are Christian yourself, dont be so gullible and easily fooled by a PR cover up.

[@JohnMac-pf6js]

@@pobstrel New York Post: “A Paris 2024 spokesperson admitted the controversial drag show version of ‘The last supper’, seen in Fridays opening scene was indeed inspired by the iconic da Vinci mural - despite attempting to vehemently deny it following the backlash” “”Thomas jolly took inspiration from leonardo di Vinci famous painting to create the setting” an Olympic spokesperson admitted to the Post in a statement on Saturday, referring to the opening ceremony creative director”. Also, barbara butch, the actress sat in the place of Jesus had posted on her personal instagram story the night of the event a side-by-side picture of her scene and the last supper, captioned “oh yes, oh yes! The new gay testament”. If you are Christian yourself, although I suspect you aren’t, dont be so easily tricked by an obvious PR cover up.

[@jimbear4979]

@@pobstrel It was mocking. One of the participants even said it until the heat came down then they spun it. It was pathetic.

[@boiledwater62]

I was raised strictly Catholic in Ireland, but after reading the New Testament I could no longer remain in this system which was unrecognisable as a living church of believers demonstrated in the epistles. That’s 40 years ago and I still have no regrets. Only the Almighty Father can birth true believers and build the true Ecclesia. You are right in your assessment. As a child I witnessed many people go to chapel but have no understanding of having living faith in God. They had faith in the Catholic Church, but that’s putting your faith in man, not God.

[@tomy8339]

That's a great testimony. I've said the same thing for many years. When a person seeks God and honestly reads the new testament for themselves, they will come out of aberrant denominations like Catholics, Jehovah's Witness, Adventists, Mormons etc.

[@SaintTimothy23]

Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland, pray for us

[@gerarddoyle3835]

Exactly Right

[@EuropeanQoheleth]

Amen

[@shantisingh3955]

I appreciate your reasonable thoughts on beautiful churches Communication /word of God will be the main priority for with present generation & & continue to coming generations for revival 🎉❤❤ From India 🎉🎉❤❤

[@adrianthomas1473]

It’s more complex - the essential problem with the “Church” is that the organisation becomes too important - we have Christian leaders and do not realise that there are no Christian leaders but only Christian followers. The Church makes everything so complex and does not place Jesus central. This is why Mary is so inspirational- Mary always points to her Son - do what He says. The Church turns the Faith into a philosophy. There is too much infighting between Christians and the world has lost interest.

[@danknauer5091]

Infighting today cannot compare to the centuries of real fighting between various Christian denominations. Interesting that when Irish Catholics and Protestants made peace, both started to decline in numbers. Hmm...

[@adrianthomas1473]

@@danknauer5091 Sadly two wrongs do not make a right. Why do Christians argue with each other so much? This was an argument Celsus made against Christianity in the 2nd century. We still fight the battles of the Reformation.

[@Mlbguy]

As active Irish/American Cradle Catholic, I have reunited with my Church. Sadly, most of my family refuse to be part of the Church. I am in a Parish that welcomes LBGTQ and Divorced Persons to worship. It is integrated and reaches out to Immigrants. It is also a Jesuit Parish. Christ is about LOVE and never exclusion! This was a very sound video. Thanks!

[@jankowal260]

Matthew 18:15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector." Sometimes you have to exclude people for their own good. Christ of course is about love but also about repentance.

[@Cuinn837]

@@jankowal260 You are right on.

[@debbyhutchinson3225]

looking for a fight are you

[@billTO]

The Jesuits really are remarkable. Read "Tattoos on the Heart" by a Jesuit , Fr Greg Boyle, who runs amazing vocational programs for (mostly Latino) boys in Los Angeles. They learn a trade plus the value of honest work, and are saved from gang life.

[@RedRiverMan]

@@jankowal260 sounds like my parish and we are regularly bringing in new faithful, mostly non-Catholics who come, feel the welcome and reverence and stay to join the church. The exclusion and self righteousness is an idolatry too long promoted by the so called traditionalists and is not of Christ.

[@arnolddavidson5245]

I,too, have become progressively disenchanted with the Church ( my parish). The priest, it seems to me, is running a business. Public relations seem to be its most important function: the priest, after mass ( I don't feel the presence of the Holy Spirit at all), takes of his priestly garb and grabs his cup of coffee play his role as the Public relations officer. I was once meditating on the crucifix and was told it's time to go. There was a pressing business to attend to. Another time I was told to "make an appointment " to see him when he was there in front of me. He was brusque. At Mass, I feel the absence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Eucharist is handed out in a perfunctory manner. The gospel is read by the deacon in the same way. I don't want to attend Mass anymore. It's dry.

[@georgesaguelton5751]

Indeed, I have experienced the same. All many priests can do is reading Mass without commitment, simply copying homilies from Catholic websites without personal input. Being administrators of sacraments with little faith to show the world. We can only hope that the next generation of priests will think of themselves as servants, not lords,.

[@arnolddavidson5245]

"takes off his priestly...." it should be

[@arnolddavidson5245]

I wish to add one more incident with my parish priest: I went to make a general confession, facing him. Before I even finished my sin, he said, " I know what you mean," and I went on to the next, feeling I was taking too much of his time. Again, I felt like a moron.

[@Cklert]

I pray for you brother. Not all of us are blessed to have good priests to shepherd over us. Regardless of how you may feel, and how... unconventional your priest is. You are receiving the Eucharist. You are receiving Absolution. The sacraments are valid. I recommend you find another parish. If another one is not nearby, then I recommend you talk to your priest. I know it might seem intimidating. But if he's as much of PR guy as you say he is, then you need to communicate your grievances with him. A priest needs to listen to the spiritual needs of his flock. If that fails. It might be time to write to your bishop about him. If all that fails. Then offer this all up to the Lord. For in the end you are being obedient and faithful to the Lord, not the priest. You are suffering a spiritual drought and it is being ignored, and yet you're still choosing to remain in God. Unite that with Our Lord's suffering and longing. He will surely look upon that favorably. God bless, brother.

[@UncleKlausSchwab]

Again, you are allowing a man's attitude to spread doubt. A bad priest should not affect your faith because the priest is not the faith.

[@scottcreedon7405]

Church closures was a wake up call for me to return to Church.

[@workinprogress-ye5or]

I think in CT where I live, it helped to have a few close in my city. It's large and back in 50s more families lived in the city and walked to church. After leaving for suburbs they didn't need as many and lack of priests made it worse. Now when i go, all pews are full, it gives you a feeling of community. Confession has people and ages seem 30-up. I think college age is hardest.When I go to a church in neighboring town, it's full all the time, only church in that city but full and bulletin is 5 pages of activities. I wish more was talked about that is postive.The young priest even brought up Fr Casey in sermon last week and 5 things video.

[@Tybourne1991]

Hi Fr. Casey, As an English convert to Catholicism, I find the Irish Church both inspiring and frustrating. St. John Henry Newman, who I view as a spiritual great-grandfather, had a clear understanding of its strengths and struggles long before Vatican II or the abuse scandals. He noted the historic oppression faced by Irish Catholics: “It is Protestantism which has been the tyrannical oppressor of the Irish…” (The Northmen and Normans in England and Ireland, 1859). Newman believed that a university could heal these wounds by nurturing both clergy and laity. Influenced by Coleridge’s idea of a 'clerisy,' he envisioned a diverse faculty, including English laymen, to bring fresh perspectives and break cycles of internalised oppression in the Irish Church. However, he underestimated how deeply the Irish resented reminders of English rule. Newman saw university education as a means to elevate society’s intellectual and moral standards. While his intentions were sincere, they might seem patronising today. His efforts often faced resistance from those he aimed to help, caught in their own internalised oppression. This dynamic contributed to clericalism and, ultimately, the abuse scandals. This history has led to a kind of internalised secular protestantism, where people define themselves and their society by opposing the Church rather than appreciating its wisdom. This is really just the flip side of the deference that went before and might reflect another form of internalised oppression, distancing people from the truth that liberates. Yesterday, the BBC reported that the Archdiocese of Dublin has just one man in formation for the priesthood. It reminded me of a story from about thirty years ago when a friend attended a wedding in Dublin celebrated by the novice master of the Dominican province. At the time, they had one man in formation. My friend thought it must be tough, but the novice master quoted St. Francis de Sales: “A single soul is diocese enough for any bishop.” This pastoral care seems to have paid off, as I understand they now have many in formation. In my view, secular clergy should not only be discouraged from celibacy but should be supported in having a family if they're not part of a religious community to avoid a lonely existence, as illustrated by The Beatles’ 'Eleanor Rigby.' This could form part of our efforts to reconnect with the ethos of the first millenium, when the Irish essentially saved Western civilization. Imagine how much more effective Fr Ted could have been with a Mrs Ted - or "Matka" as they're called in the Ukrainian Catholic church- to keep him in check! :) James Joyce’s 'Ulysses' remains a powerful critique of Irish Catholicism, yet it also hints at possible reform and renewal amidst its misdirections by rediscovering the Jewish roots of Christianity in the domestic church.

[@andreawales1938]

What do you mean by “secular clergy”? That’s a contradiction in terms.

[@Tybourne1991]

Hi@@andreawales1938 , it means priests who belong to a diocese but not to a religious order.

[@timothyoreilly6675]

The British left southern Ireland in the nineteen twenties and the Irish Free State was established. The Irish had to run their own state after hundreds of years of the Brits running things. The Catholic Church had the infrastructure (schools, hospitals etc.) and the administrative skills to keep things running. For all their faults the whole system would have collapsed without the Catholic Church.

[@briangasser973]

British colonies without the RCC managed their independence in India, Singapore, Malaya, and other states.

[@BulletRain100]

@@briangasser973 The Indian subcontinent exploded into multiple wars between the Muslim and non-Muslim populations. Singapore is just a city. Malaya and most other colonies were self-governing for around two decades before they became independent so they had time to build the institutions before they were on their own. Ireland was never considered a colony but instead a part of the core of the United Kingdom. Ireland faced harsher repression and a lack of freedom because the goal wasn't resource extraction but forced assimilation.

[@russellmiles2861]

The Northern Irish education system is notorious for the divide: families send children to school representing their Faith. The collapse has been even more stark with such religious education system.

[@timothyoreilly6675]

@@russellmiles2861 Firstly, what's wrong with faith based education? Secondly, most Catholic children in Northern Ireland attend Catholic schools (or at least the ethos is Catholic).

[@russellmiles2861]

@@timothyoreilly6675 nothing wrong with faith based schools ... It is a parents human right to raised their children as they choose.

[@sanctoircroi]

This is such a beautiful contemplation of our situation here in Ireland. I was raised in Ireland with very secular views and was blessed to have a conversation experience through the Holy Spirit in my late 20s. I am fully engaged with my faith and joyfully serving to help people know Christ again in a trauma informed, body-based way that women especially can feel welcome in. If anyone wants to discuss this more I would be so happy to chat! God bless you all xx

[@joeoleary9010]

Gee, I don't know. A church that did nothing for the Irish cause of freedom, and that employed and sheltered tons of priests that hurt children. Gosh, it's a real mystery.

[@adrianainespena5654]

And who enslaved young women in the Magdalene laundries? How could people object to that???

[@MatthewZmusician209]

Wow an organization that has a few bad apples how shocking!

[@MatthewZmusician209]

@@adrianainespena5654 wow an organization doing a bad thing that they later regret wow! so shocking it is like churches are ran by humans who do bad things sometimes .

[@CATboss001]

I'm a Dutch convert and bravo, you've completely hit the nail on the head (again)! Praying for you, please for Europe!

[@pouweltje]

Being a Dutch convert myself I totally agree. We face the same problems as in Ireland, although our country was never such a catholic country as Ireland. The people you interviewed and you yourself are really showing us the way the Church should move to become relevant again in this part of the world by spreading the Good News. So thank God that there are still young friars like you with a heart for the Church AND for the needs and reality of our modern western society.

[@ricardofabia]

The same problem permeates all of Europe. Once a continent that was God's warehouse of great saints and preachers, became stale and stagnant due to complacency both of the clergy and the people. The Church should never assume that the game is over. Continual conversion and spiritual growth are paramount , and the mission of salvation of souls needs to be vigorously promoted. Say what you will about the Cathars, but they were appealing to the people because they lived what they preached, and the bishops need to start doing the same.

[@georgesaguelton5751]

All clergy should adopt an attitude of service, not domination. Seminarists should no longer be taught that they are special compared to laity so that abuse can be avoided.

[@Kai-z2l]

Why cant u just practice ur belief in private without trying to indoctrinate an entire population lmaooo

[@WinstonSmithGPT]

You have to understand this is part of a well-orchestrated attack on European culture, not just religion.

[@ericmarley7060]

​@@WinstonSmithGPTThe culture IS the religion.

[@growtocycle6992]

I think it's similar to the issues in the church of England and Scotland. When the church is inherently linked to the political system of a country, it falls apart when the government becomes secular

[@dominicpardo4783]

Governments should be secular.

[@martinsavage8498]

In the UK the catholic church is certainly not part of the state it was actively repressed up to the 19th century when the catholic emancipation act was signed. Up until the last decade or so if a member of the Royal family married a catholic they lost any right to the throne. The catholic church has been subjected to distrust for centuries and in some parts of the UK is still actively targeted by some minorities. That is not to say that the catholic Church in the UK hasn't been as downright stupid as the rest of the world. Don't forget that the state used the church to try and solve issues they found too difficult and failed to keep oversight. It is convenient to point fingers without looking at ourselves.

[@growtocycle6992]

@@martinsavage8498 this is Ireland...?

[@growtocycle6992]

@@dominicpardo4783 it's working so well for the UK, Europe and the US. (Despite claims contrary, the US is becoming increasingly secular)

[@martinsavage8498]

@@growtocycle6992 yes I did spot that, but you raised the UK Catholic church as an example.

[@theannoyedcat2946]

...oh Éirínn, it is truly sad how the land of my heritage, where many in my family came from, has fallen away... I pray for Éirínn, that her sons and daughters return to Christ and the Catholic Church.

[@Backpfeifengesicht45]

When sons and daughters went to the catholic church, they got abused.

[@martinjlord]

As a Brethren Pastor I would like to encourage everyone to pray and continue to be a light in this present world. This self searching is healthy for all of us. We need to raise up our entire congregations to be missionaries. Also to encourage small group Bible studies for the congregation to participate in. Great video

[@peterselo7707]

Catholic culture in Ireland engendered deference to the clergy and sham piety. When secularism froze out the Catholic culture, bishops and priests were exposed as emperors with no clothes on.

[@SmallAlexander]

People are being lured away by bigger, better, where their whole family is. The lies, and misconceptions about the catholic church that abounds in protestantism. It is so very hard to deal point for point all the points they get wrong in one session. But from my perspective, the catholic churches can be incredibly creepy, uncomfortable looking, the bad music (in a lot of churches), the bad unpalatable, unhappy body, and the list can go on. There's a lot happier of a life in protestants churches as well. People want to follow Jesus, and do God's will as well, and the catholic church doesn't foster a real helpful relationship with people so they can work on their spiritual lives.

[@Kredorish]

Bro, that Dublin to NYC portal is wild

[@CooneyTheGamer]

But its basically a zoom call

[@Kredorish]

@@CooneyTheGamer I meant wild, as in, the crazy stuff people have done with it.

[@researchotaku]

Irish-American Catholic revert here. My family moved to the States when I was three years old in 1989. Ironically I visited Ireland around the same time Father Casey seems to have been there this year. I'll admit that I felt like a weirdo for praying a daily Rosary (plus a Chaplet of Divine Mercy on Friday), going to a daily Mass and wearing a veil, and visiting the shrine at Knock because the majority of my family and people around me are non-practicing despite baptizing their babies, the country having a whole *industry* around First Communion, and getting married and buried in Catholic Masses. My father was molested by a priest (and when he told his mother about it, he accused him of lying because "who would want to molest *you*?") so the abuse scandal hits very close to home. It was mentioned briefly but I think that part of the problem was the Church dominated *everything*, especially schools. I'm personally very wary of sending my children to Catholic school because nearly every atheist I've met went to Catholic school. My own family bears this out: all of my generation who attended Irish schools are non practicing if not atheist and those of us who attended public schools are the practicing ones. American Catholics may hate to admit it but Ireland is a case study of what would actually happen if we mandate religious education in the schools.

[@mikosian]

Someone may have already made this recommendation, but Mary Kenny's book 'Goodbye to Catholic Ireland' is a thoroughly-researched social history rich with insight into the complexities of this dramatic change.

[@becca0668]

Irish person here also catholic, and I can 100% say that the decline in the church was the abuse. You see many of our older generation were the abused! Whether it in the the industrial schools run by the brothers or the laundry's ran by the sisters. Those generations are angry and rightly so, so when raising our parents they passed on that hate! Now in my family we went to church alot and we still do, but honestly you ask any irish person the abuse just over shadows everything and something about us irish....we never forget, just look at our hatred for the British hahaha so yeah thats why. Anybody who gave you any other answer is lying because you only would get the full story by living here and growing up here to feel the wrong doings and the trauma left on alot of peoples families. Its also just expected that your catholic mostly all the primary schools are catholic and you are pretty much forced to do the communion and confirmation. Its just how it is , alot of people say they are catholic because thats just how we are raised without choice. Thats why the church would be full on a funeral / easter or xmas but not weekly. There are key events we all go too because its expected, and then theres just some daily stuff stuff we do, however theres a difference between being raised catholic and almost forced, than just being catholic by choice. And sadly alot of us are just forced catholics from when we they babies until now. And I know that sounds polarizing that the older generation hate the church yet so many are still catholic, but thats just how it is, its complicated. Thats just how Ireland is haha...

[@imawake805]

I'm really impressed by the Irish. Modernly, their political stances are solid and they stood up to such a corrupt church. So many other communities will subject their kids and families to horror to protect their public image.

[@rainynight3L33]

Thank you for this video. I moved here 8 years ago thinking I was going to a country of great faith, but I quickly noticed what you did as well. Didn't stop me from practising my faith, but it's sad when I realized no Irish person my age was at mass. If there was a young person at mass, they were most likely from a different country. Also, one missing point you should check out would be the "Mother and Baby Homes" that they had in Ireland. It would be another one of the factors for your video.

[@roxanelvgsch]

4 years here and I feel exactly the same....!

[@UncleKlausSchwab]

This is again failing to understand history and attempting to view a past world with the lens of a modern welfare state today. Today, unwanted kids are aborted.

[@rossb267]

A an extended family member of mine just left the sisterhood after 40 years. For her, it wasn't even the abuse... it was the cover-up. Praying for her.

[@nicolad8822]

She doesn’t need it.

[@rossb267]

@nicolad8822 If the saints did extreme penance and endless prayers for the Holy Souls for even the most venial sins. How wise would it be for us to pray for everyone we can, for the day of the LORD will come like a thief in the night.

[@seanrathmakedisciples1508]

@@nicolad8822 There is only one reason why people miss heaven which is for rejecting Jesus who is the saviour of the entire world A saviour saves so call on Jesus now and ask him for forgiveness and to save you Now start reading Gods word daily starting at John chapter 14 onwards

[@JoeHonestTruth]

The biggest task for Catholic priests is to convince people that practicing the faith delivers salvation, and living only a secular lifestyle means missing out on eternal life. The reality is there is an eternal hell. But priests typically just can’t exploit that message consistently and effectively. They don’t want to talk about the existence of hell. They don’t preach and educate people as to the reality that sinning has to be avoided and sins require reconciliation on a regular basis, not just once a year. Leading a faithful life with sacraments is a necessity for attaining eternal life.

[@adelbertleblanc1846]

NO ! You are wrong : The biggest task for Catholic priests is to consacrete the EUCARIST !

[@mathanmor]

My mum is Irish, from very rural Donegal, and your hypothesis is very accurate, particularly the untouchable reverance engineered by and shown to the clergy. That and the powerful role of the church apparatus in matters of state. Dia dhaoibh

[@DawnLapka]

St. Patrick is looking down from Heaven, hoping that Ireland will get better. ❤

[@nicolad8822]

It has.

[@furydeath]

is that where the church moved Patrick to?

[@hannanolan8140]

Faith is Jesus and the cross The only way

[@catholiccrusader5328]

St. Patrick won his war. now it's our time to show CHRIST what we're made of.

[@DylanMc329]

I'm twenty seven, from Ballymun in Dublin and it's such a deprived area, rife with drug addiction, high unemployment, many early school leavers, single parent households dependent on the state to name but a few of our problems. Since I rediscovered my faith, I have spoken with and to government entitites and NGOs about starting faith based initiatives in my area and was met with closed ears.

[@grahamluna6935]

You sound like a guy with a bright future. Stay in your light. Do not dismay.

[@josephonuh4515]

Keep pushing, put your worries to Our Lady's care.

[@josephonuh4515]

Keep pushing, put your worries to Our Lady's care.

[@josephonuh4515]

Keep pushing, put your worries to Our Lady's care.

[@user-qy2wf2lt6v]

NGOs? Poor you 😢

[@AutumnButterfly]

As a Catholic I love the Church, but in Ireland some pretty horrible things happened regarding the Church. Magdalene laundries, orphanages with more graves than adoptions, homes for unwed mothers that essentially became prisons. Catholicism is beautiful but when the Church fails to help or even defend the most defenseless, people aren’t going to want anything to do with it.

[@Meganec3810]

This that’s why I left

[@johnkehoe1067]

There may have been problems but the Tuam babies situation was utterly exaggerated and largely nonsense

[@UncleKlausSchwab]

​​@@Meganec3810then you were never Catholic in the first place. Leaving a Church because of bad men is a very immature attitude given the faith was not at fault, but rather those who had no faith were, yet you blame the faith.

[@UncleKlausSchwab]

​@@johnkehoe1067don't tell them that, they think RTE and the media tell the truth.

[@richardstevens8839]

The Evangelical Church in America is making similar mistakes

[@stephencook9727]

I have been watching your videos over the past few years. I have to say, this presentation is of a quite different kind to any that I have seen from you before. Deeply reflective, radical and helpful in many ways. Well done.

[@redink71]

from the cheap seats. My understanding was the Church was for lack of a better term tyrannical They ruled over peoples lives with an iron fist. They were also too intertwined with the government, and they held sway over every aspect of their private lives. People just got tired of it. I just came from visiting Ireland. stunning beautiful country, with wonderful people.

[@user-dbdbehcbn]

Hello. I hope that you enjoyed your visit to Ireland. I am a member of the Legion of Mary. Every week we give out thousands of Miraculous Medals on the streets of Dublin. We also do home visitations. We are encouraging lapsed Catholics to return to the Mass. Every week we have many interesting conversations. We are seeing green shoots. The best is yet to come.

[@georgesaguelton5751]

All good and well but the the Church hierarchy must learn to serve, not dominate then the abuse of power will no longer happen.

[@Rehearsal3434]

I’m currently reading “Forming Intentional Disciples: the Path to Knowing and Following Jesus.” It explores how many Catholics do not have a personal relationship with God or Jesus, what that means for the Church, and what we might do about it.

[@strummerali]

I agree with all the reasons given in the video for the demise of the Catholic Church in Ireland. I am 63 yrs old and live in a Catholic community in Ireland all my life and something else I observed also in my community was that as we became more affluent, shops and businesses opened 7 days a week, and the idea of "keep holy the Sabbath" feel by the wayside. Also as more of our children went on to further and higher education (university) they also wanted took on part time jobs, which meant weekend work (Sundays), which in turn meant they couldn't or wouldn't fit Mass in.

[@gerridalton1345]

As an older Irish Person living in Canada I agree completely with your observations. Even as a child growing up in the west of Ireland Sports like football games happened later in the afternoon on a Sunday .There was an obvious day of rest . Less distractions and little outside influences. Of course we did not have the need for all the retail therapy back then either.😞As money was scares.Nobody lived on credit cards. Have a blessed day. God is still in charge regardless.We are so fortunate to have Priests like Fr Casey and many other to help us in our Faith journey . 🙏☘️

[@robertgrey8648]

Greetings from Frankfurt, Germany, dear Father Casey, big fan of your podcast! Yes, we have the same problem here in Germany, where church attendance for both Catholic and Protestant churches has declined in the last decades. Moreover, being Catholic or Protestant is often seen here as a cultural element reserved for Christmas, Easter, and weddings and not necessarily as a tool to bring us closer to a higher spiritual realm. That is why I love your podcast so very much; Father Casey, you have the gift of instilling a renewed love for the Church, especially among the youth and rekindling our faith in God. Through your uplifting words and example, you show that everyone is welcome at the table of God.

[@adelbertleblanc1846]

Thank You for Your share, my friend. I would share this with You : "Stand in the Faith. Don't let yourself be troubled. For 60 years, I have seen theses that seemed unshakeable collapse over the generations" - (Pope Benedict XVI).

[@robertgrey8648]

@@adelbertleblanc1846 Dear Adelbert, thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words. Beautiful quote by Pope Benedict indeed

[@mikemcnamara3777]

Ireland reverting to being pagan. I’m so saddened. Although I’m an Irish American living in the USA am now the last catholic in my line. My children have abandoned the faith as they embraced the world. Satan is luring the young to ruin.

[@2002georgezacharia]

Unfortunately it's true for most of Europe

[@30Salmao]

Don't give up the young. They can be reverted.

[@catholicguy1073]

I’m fully Irish as well. My family came from Dublin mainly. Hopefully my daughter will remain in the faith. Perhaps your children will come back, you never know. Say your prayers asking God just like St. Augustine’s mother did.

[@mikemcnamara3777]

@@catholicguy1073praying my guts out just like Saint Monica. Pray with me.

[@tavmminqat]

Can you define what you mean by pagan in this context? It seems like most have moved towards agnostic and atheist not pagan.

[@AnCoilean]

My first cousin once removed fits the three sons trope. His eldest brother got the carpenters yard from his dad, the middle child got a mechanics apprenticeship financed by a field being sold and the youngest a then closeted gay man became a priest. He specialised in providing clerical support to those in hospice care. He eventually came out, left the priesthood and got married to his husband Patrice, a lovely Frenchman. But his priesthood did allow him to discover his vocation in life, giving care to the dying. He is now a therapist who specialises in counselling to the dying and their families.

[@josipjosipovic4765]

He must have a good proctologist than.

[@mapelp7]

Dear Fr. Casey, while I'm with you on clericalism, and also on priestly abuse, we must not leave out the institutional abuse of many Irish Catholic organizations against young women and their babies. While not difficult to understand when a mob organization is behind such terrible sins and the millions of lives affected, I tremble like the angels just to think why so many Catholics in positions of authority can rationalize these ills and not take ownership for them. Good point on how Irish hierarchy became the power behind the throne and really enjoyed it. However, this is a major problem throughout the world, as well as the Vatican, and explains why Pope Francis is being attacked from many places inside and outside the Church. I also believe that in discussing the Church's trust problems not only in Ireland, but also around the world, clericalism needs to be looked into much deeper to uncover the monstrosities caused by them. There's still much more evil to be uncovered under this topic. Please continue to pursue this topic, plus in your own humble way, to encourage fellow priests in various levels of authority, to walk the talk when it comes to taking ownership for past Church sins, instead of continuing to look down at the laity and expecting us to continue to seeing them as something special. Please remind them, especially bishops, that simply saying that the worst is way behind us, is an insult to our intelligence and an insult to our Lord and the power in Heaven. While God is merciful and wants all of us to repent, I firmly believe He was thinking about Church abuses and those responsible when He thundered against those responsible constant Pharisaism in His homeland.

[@SanjayFGeorge]

So unmarried mothers and their kids should be cared for by the nuns free of cost?

[@becca0668]

@@SanjayFGeorge Are you from Ireland because it seems like you dont know what those places really were, kids were murdered and women were abused. Cared for isnt the word to use here. Those places were evil and run by evil people. Just recently in Tuam a mass grave of 100s of babies was found. Please do your research.

[@SanjayFGeorge]

@@becca0668 Murdered is not a word I would use so casually. You have nuns who were not trained well in medical care who had inadequate food to share with people who were essentially living of the charity of others who had not squandered their lives. Poor nutrition leads to reduced immunity which leads to death.

[@becca0668]

​@SanjayFGeorge stop defending monsters. So people starved in church ran institutions while the church filled it's pockets? If they wanted to feed those babies they would have !

[@djackson652]

​@@becca0668 As the great-grandson of Irish immigrants, it makes me very sad to see what has happened to my ancestral home. Clericalism ( not always a structure in the Irish Church but very much beginning in the early 19th century) became clerical abuse. But do not forget that this abuse was carried out by Irish men and Irish women. Would you condemn all Irish people as evil as a result of this or condemn all Muslims for 9/11 or all step-fathers ( they perpetrate the vast proportion of sexual abuse)? Shame on those who carried out this abuse and those who covered it up but don't tar us all with the same brush.

[@MegaDePorter]

Thank you. As a convert to Anglo-Catholicism from a very deeply Roman Catholic family, you have hit the nails on the main issues. God love you.

[@adrienneharriger1832]

I really enjoyed listening to all of the people you spoke to in this video. They seemed genuine, kind, open-minded, and thoughtful

[@YaboiOGOC]

The conflicting feelings of wanting to watch but knowing it’ll make you sad

[@barendbe]

I am speaking not from an Irish but a mainland European persepctive, and it is not only church attendance which is in decline. It is also the mass-political party membership, union membership, cultural association memberships, sports memberships, basically all kind of memberships and attendance rates are declining. I wonder how this happened and how to deal with it. Is it because the population is becoming older? Is it that our economic activities have changed? Is it because of communication being available through phones instead of actually having to meet up with people? Is it due to the shorter attention span people can bring up? Of course it is not a short and simple answer but at least starting to notice the patterns helps in thinking about the significance and potential solutions.

[@Jimmylad.]

Fantastic comment! A very insightful and astute observation.

[@SharonPadget]

In the past young unwed mothers were treated like slaves by nuns and their children were taken away from them. Shameful!

[@deb9806]

And my friend was told not to be friends with Jews. I'm glad so much of that is gone.

[@patthompson8591]

😓😥.

[@lilafeldman8630]

@@SharonPadget reminds me of that episode of Call the Midwife. The young unwed mother whose baby was taken away from her.

[@liambyrne591]

Be careful what you wish for

[@deb9806]

@@liambyrne591 Luckily we do evolve. I never understand thinking how "they" did things in the olden days were always better. It many times wasn't.

[@rosemaryeshghi6436]

I spent a summer in Ireland as a young college student in 1973. I was not a particularly committed Catholic at the time, but I thought I would attend a few masses on some of the Sundays I was there. I was appalled by the lack of reference by the laity, and how before holy communion was presented, half the congregation walkedout the door. That would never have happened in my parish in New Jersey. Even in 1973.

[@tonydecastro6340]

Excellent video. But where are the women? All the interlocutors were men. But it is the women who, in turning away from the Church, will determine its future. And the Irish Church has lost them.

[@gerardacronin334]

Exactly.

[@catherineventure3996]

The church is not outdated. Our Lord's teaching was for all times. Men and women have not changed much since Adam and Eve. The Catholic Church has got ir right through and through. I deliberated for eight years before joining it in oderer to be sure. That was fifty seven years ago. i have never once regretted my decision. Trust it.

[@smiley9872]

You are 100% correct. Welcome to Ireland.

[@rk43409]

My father was a first generation American born in 1899 of Irish immigrant parents. I remember him speaking of the Irish pastors who all thought they were 'little popes'. But he was a man of great faith and found what he needed in the church. For myself, I don't believe the church will bestow salvation on me, but is a tool by which the Holy Spirit will guide me to salvation.

[@patodwyer721]

Thank you Fr.Casey for your Guidance and Leadership The world needs good Shepherds to gather the lost sheep

[@hannanolan8140]

Have you not heard?

[@patodwyer721]

@@hannanolan8140 Heard what

[@finolaomurchu8217]

Yes I think that's John's Lane church Thomas Street. Has Harry Clarke Stained Glass windows. Then White Friar street, Carmelite Church. Beautiful churches in Dublin city.

[@grlfcgombeenhunter2897]

But for how long sister

[@1964may25]

Thank you, Father, for making such positive and honest videos. There are many priests on KZbin who display arrogance and anger that divides Catholics. Never so with you! Yes, we are not 20th century Ireland but we have one new divisive problem: online algorithms. I am flooded with suggested videos that create angry groups among Catholics. That so many of these are by priests and even bishops makes me despair. It is a whole new way to lose trust in Church leadership.

[@nayon9379]

🏵️THE GOSPEL OF WORD OF ALMIGHTY GOD "the Salvation of the last day that Christ brought the second and last incarnation of His new and holy name" fulfillment of the prophecy that the Lord Jesus Christ said "All that the Father hath is in Me, therefore I say that the SPIRIT shall receive of Me that which He SHALL REVEAL it to you." (John 16:15) Almighty God said Thus in the Age of the Law, JEHOVAH was the name of God, and in the Age of Grace, the name JESUS ​​represented God. In the Last Days, His name is ALMIGHTY GOD --- the Almighty. And He uses His POWER to GUIDE man, conquer man, achieve man, and ultimately, end the Age, "I once identified as JEHOVAH. I was also called the MESSIAH, once people called Me JESUS, the Savior because they loved and respected Me. But NOW I am no longer the JEHOVAH, OR JESUS ​​that people have known in the past. I AM the God who RETURNS in the Last Days, will bring the AGE to the END. I am the God who RISEN from the ends of the earth, I am full of My whole Disposition and Full of Authority, Honor, and Glory. People have never shared in Me, have never known Me and always know nothing of My Disposition. From the creation of the world until NOW, no one has seen Me. This is the God who appears to man in the Last Days but is HIDDEN to men, REAL and TRUE, like a blazing sun and a blazing fire, full of POWER and overflowing authority. There is not a person or thing that My WORDS cannot condemn and there is not a person or thing that cannot be PURIFIED by BURNING fire. Eventually all nations will be blessed because of My WORDS, and will also BE CRUSHED to pieces because of My WORDS. In this way everyone in the LAST DAY TIME will see that I am the SAVIOR who RETURNS. I AM the ALMIGHTY GOD who conquers all mankind. And for man, I am the one who was once the SACRIFICE for SIN, but in the last days, I will also be the flames of the sun that will burn all things, as well as the sun of righteousness that will reveal all things.☀️ That is My work in the last days. I have taken this NAME and I HAVE this disposition, so that all people may see that I am a RIGHTEOUS GOD, and I am the BURNING SUN, and the BURNING FIRE. This is so that everyone will WORSHIP ME, the only TRUE GOD. And so they will see My TRUE FACE: I am not only the God of the Israelites, and I am not only the redeemer ------ I AM THE GOD OF ALL CREATION IN ALL HEAVEN AND EARTH AND OCEAN. " From the "The WORD Appears in the Flesh" His home and kingdom stands and can be seen in our midst, KZbin! and can also download 'Apps' "THE CHURCH OF ALMIGHTY GOD" 💐 All is led from it because here is the food that will satisfy all and water that will flow into the whole person of anyone so that from this food and water all may recognize the guidance of God throughout his Rule over mankind. (John 16: 7,13-14) "But you must KNOW the TRUTH. My departure is for your good, because the DEFENDER will not come to you if I do not go away. But if I am gone, I WILL SEND Him to you. But WHEN the SPIRIT of TRUTH COMES, He will guide you into ALL the TRUTH from GOD. For what He SAYS is not of Himself, but what He hears, and He will tell you what will happen in the future. He will honor me because the SPIRIT WILL RECEIVE from Me what He WILL REVEAL to you. "

[@josephryan5949]

Slightly surreal, watching Fr. Casey walking down O' Connell Street, Dublin, but wonderful to see. So glad you got to see a little of the beauty of the countryside also. Yes, there is much work to be done, but as your speakers alluded to, there are signs of hope also.

[@thelastbrobo7826]

I'm an Irish Catholic and haven't lost the faith. Irish people became very worldly and coupled with the priest abuse scandal many people just stopped going to mass. I agree with what you said about it being the reason, there was no faith to begin with.

[@exercisethemind]

As an American Catholic of Irish ancestry, I think that there is something deep in our religious practice and collective psyche which makes it tempting to think ALL of our problems are of our own making. This comes in part from a genuinely good impulse of Christian responsibility and also honest humility in recognizing our faults. But if we do not also recognize the very real, intentional, and sustained anti-Catholic campaigns that have been waged against us and the social context of imperial influence and the corrupting influence of capitalism which has also worked to make people despise themselves, we are naive. Catholics are not less moral or more sinful than the arrogant Atheists and others who condemn us today. But if we have integrity, our response to hatred from without and personal failing from within should be the same: a recommitment to our deepest values and a renewal of faith in action, practicing what we preach, living the Gospel.

[@celeridad6972]

It's definitely an interesting video, and yes I think something similar is happening in Hispanic América but the end of the video really gives me hope, I will definitely go to church this weekend

[@virnajohanna]

Oh, if someone could help, we can take one of those churches, here in Colegio San Jose (Cajica-Colombia) we are a vibrant and faithful catholic community and we don’t have church building

[@francisxl368]

Make the Catholic Church more traditional, it’s become to modern & mainly too aligned/cozy with secular other institutions such as the WEF or various Governments around the world

[@rachaelbarat8460]

I was thrown out of the church several facades ago. Coming from an Irish family, I am amazed at your thoughtful and correct analysis of the Irish situation. Well done. As a Buddhist I see the same problems in Thailand.

[@markahearne3280]

Im 36. I went to catholic primary school. Baptised , made communion and confirmation. I was never brought to mass growing yp or thought the faith. I wish my parents showed me and looking back i wish we said a family rosary together. I agree with the point that people are now choosing their faith and not forced into it. I am sorry for all the people hurt and abused by people of the "faith" but the church is not the same these days and those men and women do not represent the true catholic faith

[@desfarrell909]

The priest and friar chosen to speak were the right choice, a complete absence of arrogance. What did they used to say 'pride is the worst of the 7 deadly sins'? Strange, angry months we live in, about to get a lot worse i suspect...

[@johnkilcullen1051]

Archbishop McQuaid, who is referenced in the video, was the personification of arrogance. For example, if a government minister was proposing to do something he disapproved of, he would ask the minister to "call on him". He expected the elected politician to go to him instead of him going to the minister.

[@tjdomerny4847]

I'm 6 minutes in. This is your best, clearest, most authentic video. I hope to be able to affirm that by its end.