29 July 2018 - The Irish Institute for Pastoral Studies MIC presents "The Future of the Irish parish: Lessons from around the world"

On this weeks programme Fr Eamonn Fitzgibbon, director of the Irish Institute for Pastoral Studies (IIPS) at Mary Immaculate College (MIC) joins John and Shane on the programme to discuss upcoming conference which will take as its theme "The Future of the Irish parish: Lessons from around the world"". 

We have our regular reflection on the Sunday gospel as well as a quick run through the liturgical odds and ends and some local notices.

You can listen to the full podcast of the programme HERE.

"The Future of the Irish parish: Lessons from around the world" (28th & 29th August 2018) - IIPS -MIC St Patrick's Campus, Thurles 

The Irish Institute for Pastoral Studies at Mary Immaculate College is a new part of MIC which is based on the campus of St Patrick's College in Thurles. It is intended that Thurles will serve as a centre for theological, pastoral and spiritual renewal in the entire region.

Fr Eamonn Fitzgibbon joined the SS102fm team on this weeks programme to introduce the IIPS-MIC to WL102fm listeners and also to promote an upcoming exciting conference to be held at IIPS-MIC in August immediately after the WMoF2018 in Dublin.

The conference has as its theme "The Future of the Irish parish: Lessons from around the world" which brings together sharing's and experiences from all corners of the globe about the changing nature and meaning of parish life both within the church but also as an external manifestation of identity.

Parish life in Ireland both urban and rural has been under going massive change over the last number of years but is still a key part of Irish self identity and understanding. It is not for nothing that often the first question an Irish person asks another is not who are you, but rather where are you from?

With the forth coming decline in the number of priests in active ministry, the challenge has been for the Irish church to get to grips with how we understand and celebrate parishes as vibrant, living expressions of lived communities of faith with a model which is no longer so centred on the role and identity of the parish priest. 

The aim of the conference is to look to examples of this from around the world and to remind ourselves of the words of Pope Francis that "the parish is not an out-dated institution" (E.G.28, Pope Francis).

Speakers and topics at the conference are:

• Lessons from New Zealand, Launch Out: Lay Pastoral Leadership Roles, (Cardinal John Dew, Archdiocese of Wellington, New Zealand)
• Lessons from South Africa, The Parish as a Community of Communities (Bishop Michael Wüstenberg, Bishop Emeritus, Aliwal, South Africa)
• Lessons from Liverpool,  The Experience of Widnes as a Witness to Team Ministry (Rev. Matthew Nunes Episcopal Vicar for Formation, Archdiocese of Liverpool)
• Lessons from Canada,  Rites and Responsibilities: The Role of the Clergy and the Laity in the Catholic Church, (Dr Margaret Lavin, Professor Emeritus at Regis College, Toronto)
• Applying the Learnings, Facilitated by Martin Kennedy and Dr Jessie Rogers.

You can visit the website of the Irish Institute for Pastoral Studies HERE.

Register for the conference 28th and 29th August HERE which also includes the full schedule and back ground information on each of the presenters and facilitators.

You can listen to Fr Eamonn's interview excerpted from the main programme podcast HERE.

Gospel - John 6:1-15

John 6:1-15, 24-35 by Kathleen Rushton
Source

Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed him,because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick. 

Jesus went up on the mountain,and there he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him,he said to Philip,"Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" He said this to test him,because he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him,"Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little."  

One of his disciples,Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him,"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;but what good are these for so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people recline." Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.  

Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks,and distributed them to those who were reclining,and also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he said to his disciples,"Gather the fragments left over,so that nothing will be wasted."  

So they collected them,and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said,"This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world."  

Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.

Reflections on this weeks gospel:

Word on Fire
English Dominicans
Centre for Liturgy

Liturgical odds & ends

Liturgy of the Hours - psalter week 1

Saints of the week

July 30th - St Peter Chrysologus
July 31st - St Ignatius Loyola
August 1st - St Alphonsus Liguoiri
August 2nd - Our Lady of the Angels also the Indulgence of St Mary of the Portiuncula
August 3rd - St Senarch of Clonard (First Friday)
August 4th - St John Vianney (First Saturday)

Pope's Intentions 
The Treasure of Families
That any far-reaching decisions of economists and politicians may protect the family as one of the treasures of humanity.