An Adult Faith

In the last few decades, the expression ‘adult faith’ fede adulta, ‘grown up faith’ has become a widespread slogan. It is often used in relation to the attitudes of those who no longer pay attention to what the Church and her Pastors say — which is to say, those who choose on their own what to believe or not to believe in a sort of ‘do-it-yourself’ faith. Expressing oneself against the Magisterium of the Church is presented as a sort of ‘courage’, whereas in fact not much courage is needed because one can be certain of receiving public praise.

Instead, courage is needed to adhere to the Church’s faith, even if it contradicts the ‘order’ of today’s world. Paul calls this non-conformism an ‘adult faith’. For him, following the prevailing winds and currents of the time is childish.
For this reason, it is part of an adult faith to dedicate oneself to the inviolability of life from its beginning, thus radically opposing the principle of violence, in defense precisely of the most defenseless.
It is part of an adult faith to recognize the lifelong marriage between one man and one woman in accordance with the Creator’s order, re-established again by Christ. An adult faith does not follow any current here and there. It stands against the winds of fashion.
Benedict XVI

Homily – First Vespers of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
June 28, 2009

New Latin Mass in Kilkenny

The Bishop of Ossory, Most Rev Séamus Freeman SAC has allowed a Sunday Latin Mass in the Extraordinary Form in his diocese.

The Mass will take place every Sunday at 5pm in St Patrick’s Church in Kilkenny City, beginning on July 5.

The celebrant will be Father Thomas O’Toole, a priest of the Ossory Diocese.

This permission comes after nearly 18 months of petitioning and negotiating with a broadly-based group of lay faithful from various areas of the Ossory diocese.

Ossory was one of four dioceses in Ireland never to have allowed the traditional Latin Mass prior to Benedict XVI’s apostolic letter Summorum Pontificum.

Since then, only one Mass has been celebrated in Ossory in February last year.

At present only one Irish diocese, Clonfert, has never made provision for the traditional Mass.