On Saturday 25th May, feast of the Venerable Bede, the young adults of Comhaltas Chríost Rí gathered at St. John’s for a combined study day and outing in Dun Laoghaire. The day began with 11am Mass followed by lunch in the hall adjacent to the church. Fr. Ockerse then led a study session on Frank Sheed’s classic text "Theology and Sanity". The group then departed St. John’s towards the Dublin Mountains, where we climbed Ticknock. The entirety of Dublin could be seen on this clear Saturday afternoon.
Following our descent, we prayed the Rosary in our respective cars as we drove towards St. John’s again where Comhaltas member Brian Ó Caithnia gave a talk on the newly published book "By Man Shall His Blood be Shed: A Catholic Defence of Capital Punishment." In this topical lecture, Brian provided a commentary on the writings of Aquinas, the Church Fathers and natural law theorists on the one hand, and practical evidence from its implementation in the United States on the other. The key passage from Scripture is when God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "For your lifeblood I will surely require reckoning; of every beast I will require it and of man; of every man's brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image." (Genesis 9:1, 5-6)
We concluded the day with a BBQ on the grounds of St. John’s. The culinary team prepared sausages, burgers, salads and desserts for the weary hikers! The BBQ was held as a special farewell gathering for Fr. Griego, the Superior of the Society of St. Pius X in Ireland, who has been given a new position as Vice-Rector to the seminary in Dillwyn, Virginia.
Chronicle by Brian O'Caithnia