So tomorrow I will be interviewing one of the Catholic chaplains in UCD, Fr. Leon Ó Giolláin, for my inaugural podcast. (Presuming that there are no technical or other hitches.)
Do you have any questions you'd like me to ask him?
Bear in mind that I intend a very genial interview, Fr. Leon is someone I admire and like very much.
ReplyDeleteI'd like you to ask him about Irish saints and our own experience of Catholicism prior to the last century and apart from politics. At the back of Knock Cathedral there are giant statues of Saints Patrick, Kevin and Brendan. https://www.knockshrine.ie/grounds-gardens/ I kept going back to them when I was there. There was a fierce truth to them somehow. I remember talking to a Cistercian monk about his vocation and he said he loved history in school. This man is in his forties so the same curriculum as us, you remember the history book. He said he loved the story of Irish monasticism and wanted to be part of it so it would never end. I loved him for that (in a sisterly way!) We've sort of lost touch with that part of our roots. It's appears if you knew no better that Ireland was always a victim of 20th century Catholic Brute Bishops. But what about before then? There was deep meaning and sacrifice in Ireland apart from the politics. Monasticism and prayer. Ask him about that if you could.
Sinéad.
Sinéad.
Will do, Sinéad. Funnily enough I feel very disconnected from that world myself. It seems so distant, so foreign. I find it hard to identify with anything but the more recent tradition of Irish Catholicism, from Cardinal Cullen onwards, or so. But this priest sometimes mentions old Irish saints so he may have something to say about that. Thanks.
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