Father Ted...

[Carthusianish]

I have not seen much of it but if it is parody, that is likely to split crowds between love and hate. Especially some of the serious-types that frequent the forums here

 

[hawkeye]

As a slight aside, hawkeye, I think you may be right about the link between Fr D’Arcy and Fr Ted… I have seen several interviews with Fr Brian D’Arcy, who is a Passionist Priest, and I have been most unimpressed- apart from his liberal views, it always seems that he is unhappy as a priest & he seems bitter about the strict lifestyle the Passionists had when he joined them.

He’s certainly not a voice we need to hear in Ireland, especially in the current climate with few vocations in Ireland - we need the voice of orthodoxy!! Sorry for taking this a few miles off topic…

He’s not a voice I agree with, I rarely ever attend the Passionist Monastery known as the Grann, or Saint Gabriel’s retreat, in my view it’s been run down.

But up above in the box I posted, Dermot Morgan it says played Fr Trendy, a Priest hooked on modern communications, well he (Fr Brian D’Arcy) is always popping up somewhere, the newspapers, TV, and has his own radio slot.

He has done a lot of work for charity, but he is always sniping at the CC, or side-swiping, and I find that not appropriate, it may please some, but not me, I’ll stick with the Magisterium.

The Passionist Order is really sinking here and elsewhere, I do wonder if God could Bless it with vocations with insiders in blatant opposition to the Chair of Peter.

 

[NPC]

He has done a lot of work for charity, but he is always sniping at the CC, or side-swiping, and I find that not appropriate, it may please some, but not me, I’ll stick with the Magisterium.

The Passionist Order is really sinking here and elsewhere, I do wonder if God could Bless it with vocations with insiders in blatant opposition to the Chair of Peter.

-Agreed. Charity work and other good deeds are admirable of course, but I think when a priest so openly argues against the Magisterium - and uses the media at every opportunity to do so - the overall image I get of such a person is a negative one. Unfortunately, this view often transfers to the order in general.

I seriously doubt that the Passionists in Ireland will be blessed with many vocations if we only see its liberal side in the form of priests such as Fr D’Arcy. Of course all the main orders have some ‘liberal’ priests but very few of these priests are so vocal that their views actually override the core mission of the order. As I have said before, I think we need orthodoxy in Ireland so people can see the Catholic Faith as it really is. I don’t have statistics for vocations in Ireland, but I remember a newspaper report about 2 years ago which showed that it seems to be the more traditional orders such as the Dominicans and Benedictines which are ‘bucking’ the trend of low vocations.

 

[hawkeye]

-Agreed. Charity work and other good deeds are admirable of course, but I think when a priest so openly argues against the Magisterium - and uses the media at every opportunity to do so - the overall image I get of such a person is a negative one. Unfortunately, this view often transfers to the order in general.

I seriously doubt that the Passionists in Ireland will be blessed with many vocations if we only see its liberal side in the form of priests such as Fr D’Arcy. Of course all the main orders have some ‘liberal’ priests but very few of these priests are so vocal that their views actually override the core mission of the order. As I have said before, I think we need orthodoxy in Ireland so people can see the Catholic Faith as it really is. I don’t have statistics for vocations in Ireland, but I remember a newspaper report about 2 years ago which showed that it seems to be the more traditional orders such as the Dominicans and Benedictines which are ‘bucking’ the trend of low vocations.

Agreed, anyway I know the Passionists take a vow of poverty, maybe they should include the vow of silence.

 

[ora_pro_nobis]

I’m a huge fan of Fr Ted.
My favourite character is Bishop Brennan (don’t call me Len, I’m a bishop!), the fearsome bishop who hates Fr Ted and his colleagues and has a terrible fear of rabbits.

 

[Paulist]

I am disheartened to see so many people enjoy the show. It appeals to the base, hedonistic nature of humankind. Father Ted is flat out defamatory. This isn’t humour; it isn’t even sarcasm; it is contempt of the tenets of Catholicism and Christ’s representatives here on earth.

If we are all members of the body of Christ, is this the way we want to treat our body? This is abusive. What does it say about our self esteem as Christians if we internalize, condone and perpetuate this kind of abuse? Do we not have the capacity to recognize evil when we see it? How would we feel if a stranger came up to Communion, took the host and defiled it?

Can we not stand up for what’s just? “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”