Y2K Clonmacnois

'He has done great things for me' (Lk1:49).

This weekend (Thurs - Sun) sees an event that has become one of the highlights of the Catholic year in Ireland: the Youth 2000 summer youth festival. It takes place in Clonmacnois this year (in previous years it was in Knock), so it will be more exciting than ever! The early Christian monastic setting is really appropriate though, as the young people of Ireland gather to sing the praises of God, 'ever ancient, ever new'.

Like any other gathering of young people in the country, the atmosphere is lively: there's plenty of craic and some very good live music (provided by Elation Ministries). What makes it different though, is the time for silence and prayer, and the fact that the centre of the whole event is Jesus in the Eucharist.

If you're doing nothing this weekend, why not come along - there're free buses on Thursday from Galway, Letterkenny, Derry, Belfast, Dublin, Waterford, Cork, Killarney, Limerick... so there's no excuse. And if you're busy and can't make it... reschedule! It's not to be missed.

All details are on youth2000.ie, and your place at the festival can be booked via that site.

Here's a pictorial flavour of the festival:

From BreakingNews.ie:

Up to 25,000 pilgrims today made the annual trek to the summit of Croagh Patrick. Led by Archbishop of Tuam Michael Neary, the ascent up the 2,510ft mountain began in the village of Murrisk in Co Mayo at 7am.Mayo Mountain Rescue said weather conditions were good for the climb, with only a small number of minor injuries reported. In a Mass at the summit, the Archbishop told pilgrims that despite wealth and prosperity, people have not found inner joy. “Today consumer values are often not creatively interpreted,” he said in the first services to be televised from the top of the mountain. “True, they can seduce and reduce everything to wealth and security. The truly reflective person learns from this and probes deeper. In the midst of our recent wealth and prosperity we failed to find the inner joy, peace and faith that we might have expected. “Faith enables and encourages us to search for meaning in the particular call we have received from God.”

The pilgrimage – which has been carried out uninterrupted for more than 1,500 years – is traditionally held on the last Sunday in July. Some 100,000 people now climb Croagh Patrick throughout each year. Hundreds of first aid, civil defence and mountain rescue personnel were on duty during the day to assist the pilgrims, many who have climbed barefoot up the Reek, as it is known locally. The mountain has been traditionally associated with St Patrick who, in 441, is said to have spent 40 days and nights fasting on the summit.

As the Catholic Church strives to attract more young men to the priesthood, the theme of this year’s climb was vocation. The Archbishop said vocation is a call to witness, service and love and urged people to ask themselves if God could be calling them to life as a priest or as a religious sister or brother. “It is not so much about what we do but about who we are and how we live our lives,” he continued. “In years gone by this would have focused solely on the call to religious life or priesthood but now we realise that through our baptism, we are all called to live out our lives in whatever vocation or ministry we find ourselves. Today the priest is expected to be a man of courage, energy and compassion who wades into the impossible and makes things new. His ministry is a life-long struggle to open up the world to God’s power and thereby transform human relationships. His pastoral task is one of empowering others as he stands free and hope-filled in a world that is fearful. A new generation of priests will spring up when they see the full living of the Christian life in their homes, their schools, in their work places and parish communities. Only then will they be prompted to give themselves to radical service of Christian people.”

Cuddly Pope

Comment on WYD

It may not be over, but there's already a lot of interesting observations in the press about WYD. This report gets it right, and it makes a welcome change from the negative reporting that characterised coverage prior to the event:

'GOD moves in mysterious ways. And He seems to be fond of irony.At the recent launch of his book, former priest turned historian Paul Collins claimed the Catholic Church was out of step with young Australians. A week later, an international survey concluded Australia was one of the least religious nations on the planet. Our youth were largely indifferent to religion, the survey found. Days later, a far different reality emerged: at the six-day event dubbed “Catholic Woodstock”, a powerful religious spirit was in evidence, inspired by hundreds of thousands of young, over-the-moon, wide-eyed Christians who flocked to Australia’s Sin City. They came for the biggest youth event on Earth – World Youth Day. They transformed themselves and, in turn, they transformed us all with their unrehearsed, infectious happiness.

You did not have to be Catholic to sense the magic. But there was something other-worldly about it all. Raging hormones and teenage rebellion seemingly under control, the youngsters listened intently as their leader – an old-fashioned 81-year-old man – articulated the Catholic view on premarital chastity, violence on TV, sexual ethics, abortion and euthanasia. Many of those raised on hi-tech gadgetry reverently participated in traditional rituals of the Catholic Church – practices the young are not supposed to appreciate. And oceans of Gen-Y youngsters – the so-called tough pragmatists of the world – regularly shed tears. Every time the Pope appeared in public, there was a rapturous ovation from young pilgrims. Thousands subscribed to daily papal SMS messages, in which he referred to himself as “BXVI”. By the end of the week, police were describing the no-drugs and no-booze pilgrims as the best-behaved group of youngsters they had encountered.

“The surveys say this country is one of world’s least godly, but you can sense something amazing happening with this bunch of young people,” a senior Catholic Church source said. “It’s as if the young are spontaneously and joyfully showing a desire to return to traditional values. It’s not something we expected and I don’t think it’s a flash in the pan. “One young woman told me, ‘Our parents’ generation comes across as selfish. We want more. We want to be committed to something real’.” '

Fr Ragheed

I've just come across this reflection at Rationabile Obsequium, a blog written by a priest who studied recently at the Irish College, and was contemporary with Fr Ragheed Ganni, an Iraqi priest who was killed slightly over a year ago. Well worth the read...

What's WYD about?

I was so impressed by this video recorded by the Daily Telegraph (an Australian newspaper). The responses of the young people to the question 'What's WYD about?' are spontaneous, but clearly heartfelt. More power to them!

Du bist Deutschland

This video, which I found on Carole Brown's blog (A Light to the Nation) really moved me. When I was talking to my students about sex and relationships, I was surprised to hear that they hardly ever thought about the fact that they would one day have children. They seemed to have a crisis of imagination in this regard.

I think this is a serious blind spot with obvious causes: the procreative aspect of sex is now seen by the majority to be insignicant and optional. Also, an upbringing in a self-indulgent society will hardly provides our young people with the imaginative framework for a dream which involves self-sacrifice.

Clearly, we need to inspire our young people with family ideals: this video is a step in the right direction. It acknowledges the trials of having children, but praises it, warts and all: 'You make us crazy... with happiness'.