Peace Holding in Northern Ireland 25 Years After The 1998 Signing of the Good Friday Agreement

“The Troubles” of Northern Ireland — a dispute between Catholic nationalists and Protestant loyalists — roiled violently for three decades until the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. 

April 10, 2023, marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of this historic accord, which closed the conflict with a stalemate between paramilitary groups of both sides, who agreed to disarm. There has been some occasional violence since then, with blame placed on splinter paramilitaries. 

Still, the Good Friday Agreement is largely seen as a success. The days when Libyan and Colombian gunrunners happily armed the paramilitaries seem to be a quarter-century in the past — because they are. 

“Nationalist Catholics living in Portadown are a lot less fearful for their physical safety,” said James Cullen, a lawyer in Queens, who is from Portadown in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. 

But it took the deaths of 3,500 people on both sides before the agreement was reached. 

Cullen’s Catholic family watched it all go down while operating a pub in Portadown. The Troubles were underway by his sixth birthday in 1969, and his neighborhood was not spared. 

Age-Old Animosities 

The Troubles were an inflammation of long-simmering resentments between nationalist Catholics and unionist Protestants. However, bloody skirmishes between Catholics and Protestants date back hundreds of years. 

Take, for example, the Irish Rebellion of 1641, when Catholics, complaining of discrimination and land confiscations, took up arms against the Kingdom of England and Irish Protestant royalists. 

History shows that Portadown was the scene of a massacre of English Protestant settlers at the hands of Catholic rebels. The English, under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell, ultimately defeated the rebellion. 

Protestant landowners consolidated their holdings in Northern Ireland. In 1921, the United Kingdom divided Ireland into two self-governing polities — one for the North and one for the South. 

Two years later, the people in the south, predominantly Catholic, achieved a sovereign nation with the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. 

But Northern Ireland remained part of the UK. Subsequently, nationalist Catholics living there found themselves in a very pronounced minority. 

Cullen said during his youth, Portadown was 80% Protestant and 20% Catholic. “It’s about 75-25 now,” he said. 

Civil Rights, Not Theology 

Fred Cocozzelli, a political science professor at St. John’s University, said tensions between denominations in Northern Ireland during the 1960s did not fester over theology. 

Instead, he explained, Catholics felt discriminated against by the Protestant government on issues related to housing, employment, and other civil liberties. 

“It was rough living conditions for folks in Northern Ireland,” Cocozzelli said. Catholics were, in many ways, excluded. And Catholics were beginning to speak out for greater rights. 

“In the United States, we had a civil rights movement that was focused on the rights of African Americans in the South. Some of that language was brought to the United Kingdom, which had its own sort of issues with minorities from what had been the colonies. 

“So all this is happening. And in Northern Ireland, it was seen as a civil rights movement for Catholics.” 

But this pro-Catholic challenge of the status quo was not met with open arms, Cocozzelli said. 

While some protestors resolved to maintain peaceful civil disobedience, others chose violence. The Irish Republican Army and other paramilitary groups took up the cause with riots, shootouts, and bombings. 

Protestant loyalists countered with their own groups. 

Great Resentment of the British 

The British Army rolled into the cities and towns of Northern Ireland to help the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) keep the peace. “There (was) great resentment of the British Army being on the street,” Cullen said. 

He described Portadown as “a citadel of loyalism” and “one of the most loyalist-unionist cities in the whole of Northern Ireland.” 

He said members of the loyalist “Orange Order” would march with banners into Catholic neighborhoods to celebrate their cultural origins, but Catholics interpreted it as rowdy intimidation. 

Cullen received a Catholic education from the Christian Brothers. He recalled how his school bus frequently got pelted with rocks thrown by loyalist thugs. He and his classmates brought their own rocks onto the bus and flung them in return — that is, until a British soldier came aboard to investigate. 

“He would say, ‘What’s going on here?’ ” Cullen said. “But no one would say a word. We were just kids. The oldest on the bus would have been 13, and I was just 11 or 12. But no one would even acknowledge his presence. 

“Absolute silence.” 

War Weary 

Cullen left home at 18, studied law in London, and then came to the U.S. He now practices law from an office in Forest Hills. But he visited home often and paid close attention to the peace process leading to the Good Friday Agreement. 

Cocozzelli, who specializes in conflict resolution, said American politicians had long favored a peaceful resolution to the Troubles. First, many of them had Irish ancestors, as did their constituents. But they had more reasons. 

Weapons used in the conflict, such as the Soviet-designed AK-47, were sourced from other parts of the world, like Africa and South America, where gunrunners ruthlessly competed for the business, leading to more chaos and violence in those places, Cocozzelli said. 

In 1995, then-President Bill Clinton visited Northern Ireland, which set the stage for the acceptance of a special envoy from the U.S. to help facilitate the peace talks. That job came to U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, D-Maine, who was very effective, Cocozzelli said. 

There was urgency because violence continued despite ceasefires. 

“About a year before the Good Friday Agreement,” Cullen recalled, “there was a young guy called Robert Hamill. And he was walking on the street literally a few steps from where I grew up — literally 100 yards from my doorstep.” 

A gang of Protestant loyalists pounced in full view of RUC police officers in a parked Land Rover. 

“They kicked him into a coma, and he subsequently died,” Cullen said. “But the officers did nothing to stop the attack.” 

Ultimately, he said, people on both sides became tired of the violence. 

“I think there was a war-weariness,” Cullen explained. “Because there’s very few people that didn’t know someone, or who was close within one or two degrees of separation, that either was jailed or killed or had some type of tragedy related to the Troubles. 

“My father had a close call, and one of my good friends in school — his two brothers were jailed for IRA activities. My cousin’s boyfriend was killed in Belfast.” 

Grateful for the Peace 

People on both sides of the conflict admit to lingering animosities. Also, Britain’s exit from the European Union has raised questions about Northern Ireland’s borders; some worry that could raise questions for the peace agreement. 

Still, Cullen said, he is grateful for the peace. Gone are the days when 

nationalist Catholic teenagers would risk the wrath of loyalist Protestant peers if they were spotted outside their neighborhoods wearing jerseys and t-shirts with the logo of the Gaelic Athletic Association. 

The GAA is the Dublin-based athletic association with teams competing in various sports, including Gaelic football and hurling. But the GAA is unabashedly aligned with Irish nationalism — an Ireland independent of the United Kingdom. The Protestant loyalists of Northern Ireland oppose that. 

Nowadays, that logo-wearing is freely done, Cullen said. 

“Growing up there, if you wore anything with the Celtic Soccer Club emblem or GAA, it would be madness,” he said. “You would just be asking to be attacked. 

“But now, it boggles the mind to see those shirts in the center of Portadown.” 

Notre Dame Expected to Reopen in 2024

Restoring an icon is no easy matter.

Just ask the crews that have worked tirelessly and meticulously to restore Notre Dame, after a devastating fire destroyed much of the famous cathedral.

Fortunately, the hard work is paying off as it prepares to reopen next year. 

It’s been four years since the spire of Notre Dame came crashing through the cathedral roof as flames engulfed the building. 

The shock and dismay of the events have now turned to confidence that the spire and the cathedral will rise again and soon, according to General Jean-Louis Georgelin, the French Army General put in charge of the cathedral’s restoration by President Emmanuel Macron.

“The presidents say we will rebuild this cathedral in five years, is the words from the head of the state of France,” Georgelin said. “And the reputation of France is at stake.”

Catholic News Headlines for Friday 04/07/2023

 

Bishop Robert Brennan led a group of Catholics across the Brooklyn Bridge in a special Way of the Cross procession.

The Vatican says Pope Francis will not preside over the late-night way of the cross event at The Colosseum because of the cold weather in Rome.

We’ll look back at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in the Diocese of Brooklyn.

Bishop Brennan: Holy Thursday Reminds Us of Jesus’ Call To Serve Others

In a gesture meant to bring an important part of the Last Supper to life, Bishop Robert Brennan knelt at the altar of the Cathedral Basilica of St. James to wash the feet of 12 people during Holy Thursday Mass on April 6.

The moment recalled a poignant moment of the Last Supper — when Jesus washed the feet of the 12 disciples. In fact, the Holy Thursday Mass is often referred to as the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.

The people who came up to the cathedral’s altar to get their feet washed by Bishop Brennan are all parishioners of St. James.

By taking part in the ritual, Romilla Karnati was carrying on a family tradition that started with her grandfather in her native India.

“I had messaged my parents and my family back home in India. I am carrying the pride of my family. My grandfather was asked at our parish in India almost every year, so I’ve been thinking about him, and I’m very happy that I can continue this tradition,” she said.

But Karnati was also happy for another reason: the decision by Pope Francis in 2013 to start including women in the foot-washing portion of the Holy Thursday Mass. “I’m grateful for that because this has given us as women an opportunity to participate in the service more and to be one of the 12 chosen to have our feet washed,” she said.

By washing the feet of the disciples, Jesus humbled himself in the service of others, said Edgar Ochoa, who added that he spent this season of Lent trying to do the same. He viewed the foot washing as “a physical manifestation of that” and said, “hopefully, we can continue that throughout the year.”

Another parishioner, Tim Dieterichs, called the foot washing a beautiful part of the Mass. “It’s indicative of Jesus Christ as the servant. We obviously serve Him and try to live our lives according to His grace. And it’s a nice reminder that he came for us,” he said.

Bishop Brennan said that the Mass was also a reminder of Jesus’ deep love for his disciples.

“What did Jesus want more than anything on the night before he died? He wanted to be with His friends,” he explained. “He would love them to the end and show them the depth of His love.”

Father Bryan Patterson, rector of the Cathedral Basilica of St. James, said Bishop Brennan was setting an example by kneeling during the foot-washing ritual.

“Look at the symbolism,” he said. “The bishop is lower than the person whose feet he’s washing.”

Holy Thursday is the first event of the Easter triduum, which includes the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday and culminates on Easter Sunday.

Easter 2023 is taking place during the National Eucharistic Revival, a year-long celebration started by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops with participation from dioceses all over the country. The revival is meant to remind Catholics that Communion is not a symbol but that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.

In the Diocese of Brooklyn, there was a Lenten Pilgrimage in which the faithful were encouraged to visit a different church each day to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. Participants were given passports which were stamped at each stop.

“We are celebrating the gift of the Eucharist. During Lent with our diocesan pilgrimage, we’ve been kneeling to be with Jesus and to pray,” Bishop Brennan said.

Bishop Brennan recalled that as a boy growing up on Long Island, the Holy Thursday Mass had a special meaning for him. “When I was a kid, my brother and I were altar servers. This was a big night for us. We love to serve on this night with the procession and the incense. It was one of the more interesting Masses to serve as an altar server,” he said.

In addition to the foot-washing ritual, the Mass offered other faithful  moments. At one point, Bishop Brennan covered the Blessed Sacrament with a humeral veil and carried it around the cathedral leading a procession of clergy, seminarians, and altar servers.

After the procession, the Blessed Sacrament was placed in the tabernacle on the altar of repose so that people could approach the altar at the conclusion of the Mass to pray.

Way of the Cross Good Friday Procession Shows the Flesh is Not Weak

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — The Way of the Cross procession over the Brooklyn Bridge on Good Friday, April 7, gave several hundred participants that chance to walk with Jesus and offer profound gratitude for his sacrifice more than 2,000 years ago. 

Bishop Robert Brennan led the trek from the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn to the Brooklyn Bridge and across to Lower Manhattan. It ended at St. Andrew’s Church on Cardinal Hayes Place. 

The Passion of Jesus is the intense anxiety and torture Jesus suffered before dying on the cross. All four Gospels recount the agony. 

Matthew 26:40-41 notes how lonely Jesus felt knowing one disciple, Judas, would betray him, and another, Peter, would deny knowing him, and others would fall asleep while he wanted their company. 

“When he returned to his disciples, he found them asleep. He said to Peter, ‘So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak’ ” (Matthew 26:40-41). 

“To make this spiritual journey with Jesus, we remember His passion,” Bishop Brennan said. “We walk with him along the way to Calvary. We recall how he took on our own sufferings. We look him in the face, we remember his sufferings. We remember that it was all done for love — the love that Jesus gave us.”

Friday was Patrick Martinez’s 25th Way of the Cross procession. 

“I feel like I’m in church,” said Martinez, a member of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Bedford-Stuyvesant. “So I stay quiet, praying and singing along the way. I feel a whole lot of connection.” 

Martinez recommended the procession to everyone. He invited his daughter and his sister, but they could not make it. 

“Well, each to his own,” he said. “The mind is willing but the flesh is weak.”

The marchers observed the Stations of the Cross along the way. During one stop at City Hall Park, Bishop Brennan discussed how despite his disciples disappointing him, Jesus still forgave and restored them to the ministry of forming the first Church. 

“And we know the rest of the story,” he said. “Jesus’ first words to Peter, after the resurrection, were words of shalom — ‘Peace, my very good friend. Peace, my trusted friend.’ 

“Once again, Jesus lifts him up.”

Cardinal Timothy Dolan attended the brief service in the Cathedral Basilica before the procession started. He recalled the “bad company” of individuals Jesus encountered, including the men who tortured him, the legal experts, snickering bystanders, and a mocking thief on his left. 

“And, of course, the choreographer of all this is Satan, who is tap dancing so vigorously, so energetically,” Cardinal Dolan said. “But I’m also confident we are in very good company as well, folks. Very good company.” 

He mentioned those who showed Jesus kindness on the road to Calvary — people like Veronica, who wiped his face with her veil, and Simon of Cyrene, who helped carry his cross. 

Joining them, Cardinal Dolan said, was “our sorrowful Mother Mary,” the disciple John, the good thief, and the centurion who would whisper, “Truly this man was the son of God.” Also, there was Joseph of Arimathea who would lend Jesus his tomb, but Jesus wasn’t “gonna need it for very long,” the cardinal said. 

“And then there is Jesus himself — goodness incarnate,” he said. “They tell us that people suffering are most afraid of being alone. But Jesus is not alone as we walk with him.” 

The Way of the Cross procession is sponsored by Communion and Liberation, a Catholic lay movement founded in the 1950s by Father Luigi Giussani near Milan, Italy. 

The first Way of the Cross procession over the Brooklyn Bridge was in 1996. The pandemic forced a two-year hiatus in 2020 and 2021. But it returned last year, with Bishop Brennan leading it for the first time. 

“I grew up not far from here … and I always saw this particular walk from afar as something very interesting,” he recalled. “I never dreamed that I’d be making the walk myself. So it’s very, very meaningful.”

Recapping the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Lenten Pilgrimage

Catholics in the Diocese Of Brooklyn have been preparing for Easter by going on a widespread Lenten Pilgrimage.

The journey began back on Ash Wednesday from the Cathedral Basilica of St. James In Brooklyn.

It then spread all over the diocese as people traveled with their passports in hand and made special stops at different churches across Brooklyn and Queens. 

Bishop Robert Brennan joined pilgrims for a majority of the journey visiting more than 30 churches along the way. 

 

Catholic News Headlines for Thursday 04/06/2023

Bishop Robert Brennan will celebrate the Mass of The Lord’s Supper tonight at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James, where he will re-enact the washing of the feet.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis is also presiding over Holy Thursday Mass but in a juvenile prison, just as he did when he was first elected pope.

Prayers are going out for an NYPD officer who was shot while on duty yesterday in Jamaica, Queens.

Pope’s Holy Thursday Agenda Took Him From St. Peter’s Basilica to a Local Prison

At the Vatican, Pope Francis had a jam-packed Holy Thursday beginning with the Chrism Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and ending with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at a local prison.

To celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Pope Francis traveled to the Casal Del Marmo Juvenile Prison on the outskirts of Rome, where he washed the feet of the young inmates.

The Holy Father also had some words of encouragement for them, telling them to be open to Jesus and not to be afraid to share their struggles with him.

“Each of us can say but if the pope knew the things I have inside,” Pope Francis said. “Jesus knows them and loves us as we are and washes our feet. Jesus is never afraid of our weaknesses.”

The Pope explained that the washing of the feet was a sign both for the apostles and the church today. He reminded the inmates that no matter what they’ve done Jesus will never leave them.

The Inspector General Of Italy’s Prison Chaplains says he was personally moved by the pope’s visit to this prison and says it shows the Holy Father’s closeness to those who are often rejected by society. 

At Chrism Mass, Bishop Brennan Urges Priests to Get Even Closer to Jesus

Bishop Robert Brennan delivered a strong message of faith to hundreds of priests at the annual Chrism Mass on Tuesday, April 4, calling on the assembled clergy to become even closer to Jesus Christ than they are now and to urge all Catholics to do the same.

“For the majority of Christians, Jesus is a personality, not a person,” Bishop Brennan said, adding that there is a “crisis of faith” in the world.

In his homily, Bishop Brennan told priests that the duty of proclaiming the Gospel also calls on them to have the ability to see Jesus as a real person. “If we don’t see Jesus as a real person, how can we speak of his presence? Jesus calls on us not only to preach the content of the Gospel but to preach it as he did,” he said.

The Mass, which took place at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, is a long-cherished tradition of the Catholic Church in which a bishop consecrates the chrism oil and blesses the other sacred oils that are used for baptisms, confirmations, anointing of the sick, and other rituals in churches throughout the year.

A highlight of the Mass came when Bishop Brennan breathed into the vessel containing the chrism oil, a gesture that reminds all that the Holy Spirit is coming down to consecrate the oil.

But the chrism Mass, which takes place during Holy Week, has also traditionally served as a vehicle for a bishop to deliver a yearly message of encouragement to his priests.

Hundreds of priests, deacons, auxiliary bishops, women and men religious, and laypeople filled the pews at the co-cathedral Tuesday night to hear Bishop Brennan’s message.

He said the priests of the diocese inspire him every day. “I come to you in profound gratitude, inspired by your love of Jesus and your desire to serve,” he said.

“We have many challenges together but many joys,” added Bishop Brennan, who asked the priests to pray for him.

In another tradition of the chrism Mass, all of the priests renewed their vows of obedience to the bishop — the same vows they made at their ordinations.

It was a big moment for many of the clergy members, who said it gave them a chance to reflect on their lives.

“I am looking forward to renewing my vows,” said Father Rony Mendes, parochial vicar for St. Sebastian Church in Woodside, as he awaited the start of the Mass. “I was ordained 18 years ago, and I still remember reciting my vows at my ordination. I was excited and a little nervous, but deep down, I felt at peace.”

Father Mendes also recalled the first time as a young priest he was handed bottles of chrism oil from Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, the bishop of Diocese of Brooklyn at the time, following a chrism Mass. “It was quite a big moment for me to receive these oils that are an important part of our faith,” he explained.

The Mass also served as a salute to jubilarians — priests marking milestone anniversaries of their ordinations. There were priests at the co-cathedral celebrating their 65, 60, 50th, and 25th anniversaries.

For Father Sebastian Andro, administrator of the Basilica of Regina Pacis, this year marks his 25th anniversary as a priest.

He vividly remembers the day of his ordination in 1998. “I felt the Holy Spirit at work,” he said. He also recalled how happy his family and friends were for him. “There was a lot of joy that day. It was a real celebration for all of us,” he said.

When asked what advice he has for young men just entering the priesthood, Father Andro summed up his answer in one word: service.

“I would tell them to always put service at the head of everything — service to God, service to the people,”  he explained. “If you do that, you can’t go wrong,”

Sojourners Report Transformative Joy at Wrap of 2023 Diocesan Lenten Pilgrimage

Dennie Foster did not plan to journey the 2023 Diocesan Lenten Pilgrimage, but she changed her mind after stumbling onto it halfway through Lent.

The pilgrimage involved stops at 42 parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn for eucharistic adoration during the holy season leading up to Easter Sunday. At each stop, the “pilgrims” received “passports,” a purple-covered booklet that was stamped at each parish they visited.

Foster’s parish, St. Teresa of Avila-St. Anthony of Padua, South Ozone Park, hosted one of the two stops scheduled for March 10. She is her parish’s director of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.

So joining in that particular eucharistic adoration — the act of silent prayer of praise in the presence of the body of Christ — was convenient for Foster, but it also turned out to be life-changing.

“That day, something just changed for me, sitting there with the Lord for so long,” she said on Wednesday, April 5. “And then I was like, ‘You know what? I feel so different. I think I’m gonna use this passport and see other churches.’ And that’s when it started. Today makes 21.”

Foster was one of about 50 pilgrims and parishioners who, on April 5, attended Mass and adoration at the final pilgrimage parish stop — Holy Cross Parish in Maspeth.

Bishop Robert Brennan celebrated Mass there, with Auxiliary Bishop Witold Mroziewski, the pastor at Holy Cross, concelebrating. Students in grades 5-8 from nearby St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy also attended.

The pilgrimage had begun on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22, at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Downtown Brooklyn. Bishop Brennan suggested it as part of the ongoing National Eucharistic Revival to reinvigorate the faith in the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

“Honestly, I never did that much sitting with the Lord,” Foster said. “Now I am absolutely in it because it’s something that has changed so much about me. I really know now that Jesus is there in the Eucharist, and I felt that way just sitting there — sitting with Jesus. Now, I can see he’s really the center of my heart.”

Madeline Flood, a member of St. Mary Mother of Jesus in southwest Brooklyn, managed to make each stop. Her visit to Holy Cross was brief because she was on a break from her job as a deliverer for an auto parts retailer.

When asked for a comment, Flood cheerfully agreed but asked, “Do you mind if I say hello to Jesus first?”

Flood hurried up the main aisle and then lay on the floor for a few moments in front of the altar, which supported the Eucharist in an ornate monstrance.

“I’ve learned to surrender to God,” she said after returning to the back of the church. “It has been a long, winding road. But for a long time, it was, ‘Let’s do it my way.’

“But I think being on this pilgrimage, and seeing all the different kinds of churches, and meeting all the different kinds of people, I’ve learned to surrender my way to His way.”

Bishop Brennan also suggested the pilgrimage to address goals expressed in the synod process, such as more of an emphasis on youth and young adults and adult faith formation.

Two sixth graders at St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Academy discussed the powerful presence of the Lord during the stop at Holy Cross Parish.

“It was more in-depth,” said Matthew Wylez, whose family attends Holy Cross. “You could feel it a lot more.”

Classmate Nathaly Tovas agreed and added that the presence of the Lord helped prepare her heart for Easter Sunday.

“I feel like it was more important than most of the other Masses,” she said. “It was much more medicating — focusing on everything that is going to happen.”

At the close of the Mass, Bishop Brennan praised the pilgrims.

“This has been an extraordinary Lent, and you made that happen,” he said. “Your prayer, your fidelity, and your perseverance have been a blessing for the whole Church. And again, I repeat my thanks to all the parishes that hosted, to all the pastors and administrators who have accommodated and have done the work.

“As we enter into the solemn days, we step a little closer to Jesus. Listen to Him a little more carefully, and try to be more aware of how much He loves us so that on Easter Sunday, we can sing with joy that Jesus has risen.”

In turn, Joseph Guirrier, a member of St. Therese of Lisieux Parish in Brooklyn’s “Little Haiti” neighborhood, praised Bishop Brennan for making it part of “his job” to lead the pilgrims.

Guirrier said he made all but one stop because of a medical appointment, and he insisted that participating in the pilgrimage had transformed him.

“This is one of the best things that happened to me in my life because I see things,” Guirrier exclaimed.

He noted that he had long known the power of adoration. “But now,” he said, “I understand more.”