http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XZmA_0M40h8<\/a><\/p>\nOne of the great things about returning to America as a Catholic is that I now share in all the different Catholic ethnic groups. I\u2019ve loved learning about the Maronites and learning to celebrate the Maronite Divine Liturgy.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A few months ago I was asked to be chaplain to our local Ancient Order of Hibernians. Living in England for twenty five years I was loaded with some anti-Irish prejudice. Tonight that was all wiped. A few of the fellows from the AOH invited me to join them for a concert of Celtic Thunder. I\u2019d never heard of them and didn\u2019t know if I was getting in for Irish dancing or what.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
It was a great show in Greenville\u2019s Bi-Lo Center. I know it was a show, but it really seemed to capture the indomitable spirit of the Irish. There was wit, beautiful singing, drums, fiddles, dancing and an irrepressible <\/span>joie de vivre.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\nI was also pondering on the way home at how the Catholic countries have managed to retain a joy and poignant lust for life in their cultures which the Protestant Northern European Puritanical countries lost.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
At the Reformation out went the fiddles and dancing and singing and festivals and drama and joy. In came the dour, serious, bare and spiritless austerity.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
People used to tell me it was just because Italy, Spain and France were warm climates. I doubt it. Medieval, Catholic England had plenty of jollity. It went out when Mao Tse Tudor took over.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Anyhow, I\u2019m on an Irish gig at the moment. I want to read the history of Ireland and come St Patrick\u2019s Day I\u2019ll be wearing the green as an honorary Irishman (if they\u2019ll have me)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of the great things about returning to America as a Catholic is that I now share in all the different Catholic ethnic groups. I\u2019ve loved learning about the Maronites and learning to celebrate the Maronite Divine Liturgy. A few months ago I was asked to be chaplain to our local Ancient Order of Hibernians. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":557,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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