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Listen to thisMany of you may have heard of the imaginary Celtic Tiger that was supposed to have roamed Ireland over the past number of years. Just so readers put things in perspective, let me inform them of the following sober facts: Ireland now has the highest levels of poverty in the western world with the exception of our friends in the United States of America. The richest 10% of the Irish population is eleven times wealthier than the poorest 10%. Approximately 15.3% of Irish people live in poverty with 25% of Irish children living in poverty. According to 1998 data, another interesting statistic is that 23% of the Irish population is functionally illiterate despite the fact that we are known as the Isle of Saints and Scholars. What are we to make of this?
For many decades the Catholic Church provided Child and Youth Care services when the State stood idly by. Despite the much-publicised physical and sexual abuse that was perpetrated on hundreds, if not thousands, of children and youth in their care, the Irish relied on our clergy. Even today, a high percentage of male Child and Youth Care workers I meet, who are over the age of forty, are either ex-Priests or men who are training to be Priests. I read now on an almost weekly basis of Priests who claim that they are embarrassed to be Priests and are afraid to be seen near children such is the climate of public fear around potential molestation.
But don’t just listen to me on this one. Only twelve students are to be ordained as Priests this year from the famous St Patrick’s College, Maynooth. Looking at one Diocese in County Clare, 60% of the serving Priests are over the age of fifty with the diocese losing six priests through death or retirement in the past twelve months alone.
What has all this to do with Child and Youth Care? you might ask. Often, in the absence of parents, Priests ran youth clubs and sporting programmes in which young people were afforded an opportunity to excel in something they enjoyed. Now, it seems the gauntlet will be thrown down to parents as there simply aren’t enough Priests to go around. And there is a profound sadness in this.
There is no doubt that many in Irish society have turned their back on the Ireland of old, the Ireland of the thousand welcomes “Catholic Ireland where people danced at the crossroads and huddled into massive dancehalls have all been replaced now by coffee bars, nightclubs and Salsa bars. Mobile phones are our new form of youth communication and the Internet is the new youth confessional. Why go to confession and pour your heart out to a Priest (if you can find one) when you can talk in real time with other youth in several countries at the same time.
I see from today’s paper that another Seminary is due to close its doors this year. It is now trendy to mock the church and, particularly, Catholic Priests. I wonder in a decade or so how many men will be working in front-line Child and Youth Care. I wonder who will replace the Priests and Nuns. I wonder will we feel that we bit off our collective noses to spite our faces?
