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4 GLENSTAL NEWSLETTER Spring 2012
A Review of Barbara Sweetman FitzGerald’s book ichael Sweetman (Glenstal 49The Widest Circle blown away many of the cobwebs.
M
53) was among those leading Irish businessmen who lost their lives in June 1972, when their plane from Heathrow to Brussels crashed shortly after take-off. His seventy-fifth birthday would have been in 2010; and it was this poignant date that inspired his widow, Barbara Sweetman FitzGerald, to assemble and publish this ensemble of personal and political essays in his memory. The scope is broad and varied: touching tributes from his six children; recollections of school and university by Denis Corboy (46-52), a staunch friend and political ally; a swathe of articles by contemporary thinkers on the Ireland Michael knew, and might have known had he lived; finally – and this is where my own wonder grew – a selection of Michael’s own writings. These are prescient in quite an astonishing way, particularly on Northern Ireland, the EU, and Education. They have not dated; we
Recent Publications Peter Gahan, Ed. Shaw and the Irish Literary Tradition (Penn State, 2010) Barbara Sweetman Fitzgerald, Ed. The Widest Circle: Remembering Michael Sweetman (A. & A. Farmar, 2011) * Seán Ó Duinn OSB In Search of the Awesome Mystery: Lore of Megalithic Celtic & Christian Ireland (Columba Press, 2011) * Basil Forde OSB The Sound of Stillness: Turning Darkness into Light. Martin Tierney (†) A Classicist’s Outlook: Michael Tierney, A Life and Essays Yann Fouéré La Maison in Connemara: The History of a Breton, Trans. by his daughter, Rozenn Fouéré Barrett (Oldchapel Press Oughterard, 2011) * Placid Murray OSB The Rule of St Benedict: A New Translation (Intype, 2012) * Colmán Ó Clabaigh OSB The Friars in Ireland, 1224-1540 (Four Courts Press, 2012) Titles marked * are available from the Glenstal Abbey Shop. Also available from the Glenstal Abbey Shop: Several CD recordings of Organ Music by Andrew Cyprian Love OSB, and a first CD of Organ Music by Columba McCann OSB.
Michael Sweetman
have. In 1971 – incredible that this was written fifty years ago – he said in an address focussed on Education, Ecumenism, and Democracy, and I quote: “A lot has changed since then. A great blast of common sense has
For the Christian churches the question now is not what kind of Christians are people going to be, but whether they are going to be Christians at all. But we must recognise than in Ireland at least, whether people profess to be Christians or not, they continue to share with Christians a great deal of common value and attitude, at least in regard to how one should live and conduct society. There is enough practical agreement between everybody who lives in Ireland to make it possible for people of different religious or philosophical views to share a common curriculum for virtually all subjects and to follow it in the same school. This is already happening in the vocational schools, and to a limited extent in some other secondary schools which have broken free from strict sectarianism.” So be it. I hope we can be numbered among these latter establishments. Abbot Celestine Cullen OSB
Day Boarders at Glenstal (extract from a letter: Br Martin, Headmaster to Parents) ast November, the monastic Chapter took the decision to make provision for the introduction of dayboarders into our school. After eighty years of full seven-day boarding, this is quite a big change.
L
What is meant by the term ‘dayboarder’? A lot more than simply coming to Glenstal for classes every day and going home afterwards. Dayboarders will arrive before 9.00 am in the morning, six days per week, and will remain here throughout the school day, participating not just in classes, but also in games and study, going home after supper in the evenings. Basically, they will do everything that seven-day boarders do, apart from sleeping and breakfasting here. Glenstal will remain a seven-day boarding, six-day teaching school. Also, the introduction of day-boarders will not involve having bigger classes. Preference will be given to seven-day applicants, and no more than one-
third of the intake in any year will be day-boarders. This is important, as it guarantees that the school won’t be ‘overrun’ by large numbers of day boarders. Such a change could alter the nature of the school and make the seven-day boarders feel like a lonely minority in the evenings and at weekends. We are strongly committed to protecting the integrity of the sevenday boarding experience for which so many continue to sign up, and we are committed, too, to the continuing presence and participation of the majority of our students at Sunday Mass in Glenstal each week. A small number of day-boarders – about six – will be introduced into First Year this coming September on a pilot basis. I hope that this and other decisions will help sustain and develop our school over the coming years and allow us all to build on the excellent tradition which we have inherited. Edited by Andrew Nugent osb Layout & Print by INTYPE Ltd.
www.myubique.com info@myubique.com
State of the Union
Tindiadventure 2012
f by State of the Union we mean the State of the Glenstal Old Boys Society, we are happy to report that it is Pretty Good. Coming events include both Ten Years Out and Twenty Years Out celebrations. The most proximate event is a dinner for the South-East Region (with elastic boundaries) in Clonmel on March 31st. If you are feeling left out, contact Noel O’Gorman extra-urgently. Meanwhile the Munster Region is hyper-active – and now extends as far as Athlone!
I
These regional or class year events seem to be more popular and more appropriate than more glitzy national celebrations – particularly in these straitened times. Also, a more relaxed athmosphere can be possible and, again, appropriate. Fr Andrew tells me that his leaving class 55 (Blackrock) meets ‘almost annually’ for lunch in Elm Park Golf Course. ‘Less of a big deal – and more enjoyable,’ sez he! When we talk about regions, we are certainly not forgetting the British Region which has provided us with some of the most lively encounters in recent years – thanks to the dynamism of the late and much regretted Eddie Barber, and also to the very much alive Ian Lynam. There is also a very active Australian membership who welcomed both Br Denis and myself on our recent visits. The AGM is another item that needs looking at. In recent years attendance at this event has been extremely poor. We must pay tribute to the faithful few who have enabled it to happen at all. Notionally, I am proposing an AGM in September of this year. Have you any ideas about it? Should we hold it in Glenstal, in Dublin (even in Elm Park – for lunch), in Cork, on the Aran Islands? Please communicate your ideas to Fr Andrew or to myself. Henry Blake, President.
Wedding Bells James Egan (1997) & Michelle Nolan Glenn How (2000) & Lucy Gibson
Timothy and Indians
T
here is no such entity as an “Indian” just as there are no such entities as “Europeans” or “Americans” except in purely geo-political terms. A subcontinent with 1.2 billion residents is bound to have variations in its popular makeup. Thus, India is a Parliamentary Republic comprising multiple ethnicities, castes, beliefs, languages and cultures. The Christian component of the population is 2.5%. In the South West State of Kerala, (pop. 30 million), the percentage is 20%. Having recently concluded my 10th visit to India since 2000 I must say that my experience has been confined to Kerala – specifically to the OSB monastery of St. Thomas in Kappadu. 25 years old next January, Kappadu is of the same gene-pool as Glenstal. It has a roving monastic population of around 60 (av. age under 40) and already has
made 5 foundations in the same state. The chief state language and that of the monasteries is Malayalam and the liturgy derives from the 2nd Century Chaldean Syro-Malabar Church, with which Rome is in Communion. The Syro-Malabar Church is quite local and relatively independent, electing its own bishops and Church Primate who is, recent tradition allows, then created a Cardinal by Rome. Continued overleaf
Golf Outing Friday July 20th CASTLE GOLF CLUB RATHFARNHAM D.14 Tee-up 13.30 to 14.45
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2 GLENSTAL NEWSLETTER Spring 2012
Tindiadventure 2012 Our monastery is characterised by the intensity of its prayer life, the great energy in its labour and the depth and honesty of its humour! It survives largely by the labour of its hands, with capital projects being generously assisted by donations from Europe. Monastic life is raw and redeeming, with few creature comforts. The state is a global supplier of fruits, spices, bananas, tea, coffee, nuts and rubber, all of which, except the last, richly inform the daily diet. The primary income comes from the cultivation of the cash-crops as listed above, and cow dung which is a very valuable source of fertilizer and domestic supplies of bio-gas. The primary expenditure is on the basics of living and the sponsorship of good works, amongst which is the project in the Monastery of the Mother of God at Maryland where the community offers hostel-shelter and the virtues of community life for a dozen students from the poorest of poor families, who attend the local school and receive nourish-
Spring 2012 GLENSTAL NEWSLETTER 3
Personally I earn my rice by assisting and encouraging all the monastic members in the challenge of spoken English. A common misapprehension on our side of the globe is that all Indians speak English. They don’t. Many speak an idiomatic form of English which I call Inglish, which is melodic, quaint and thereby arresting of one’s attention. Mixing and matching English and Inglish is a stimulating surgical task! If you can stomach the food, which I do with relish, endure the odd creepy-crawly, and engage with a powerful prayer/ liturgical life, then this experience of Indian Christian Monasticism is to be recommended. Timothy McGrath OSB
Fr Mark (Gerald) Tierney 1925-2011 From a homily preached by Abbot Bernard Lorent of Maredsous Abbey he word of God addressed to us today illustrates two important aspects of the life of our brother Mark. The first is transmission. Christ addresses his very first disciples and these in turn pass on his message immediately to others. They bear witness to their meeting with Christ and refuse to allow it remain hidden in their hearts; which means they have to communicate, they have to get across to others, what happened to them when their paths were crossed by Jesus. Fr Mark dedicated his life to such transmission. His work, his passion for history, was communication of the memory and witness of things past to generations of students who studied their history through his text books. Looking at the titles of his many works, he begins with the history of his locality, Murroe and Boher, and then opens out to the whole of Ireland before embracing Europe and the rest of the world. He turns his attention to religious history also in his studies of Irish monasticism and Benedictinism especially as this unfolded in Glenstal Abbey. His work proceeds into hagiography with the life of Columba Marmion, dealing as it does with his doctrine and his influence on the spirituality of the Church in the lives of so many priests and religious right up to the present day.
T
Fr Mark knew that it was possible to be a Benedictine without being a saint; of living a life worthy of publication which can be of benefit to future generations. I am thinking as a case in point of the biography he had completed before he died of Dom Maieul de Caigny who left Maredsous to become Abbot of Bahia in Brazil and who later founded the monastery of Mount Saint Benedict in Trinidad. We hope that this last work will see the light of day in time to celebrate the centenary of their foundation. Fr Mark carried out his work as historian to the very end of his life here at Maredsous. It was his way of bearing witness and handing on the tradition lest we forget; of living out those words of the apostle Philip: ‘Come and see!’ The other aspect of Fr Mark’s life, which the Gospel this morning indicates, is his vocation. Every conceivable vocation mirrors the exchange between Christ and Nathanael. Christ
Br Matthew (John) Corkery 1968-2012
ment and support of all kinds in the after-school hours (music, crafts, supervised homework, cooking, animal husbandry, cultivation and prayer): the proverbial drop in the ocean but impressive to encounter and humbling by association.
From a homily preached by Abbot Patrick Hederman ‘We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it.’ [Ephesians 2: 8-10]
B
r Matthew died so suddenly and so beautifully in his sleep on the last day of January, it was an unbelievable shock to us all. What to say to try to give some meaning and comfort, especially to his family left behind? As always, the Holy Spirit comes to our aid. These words from St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians were as though coming from Matthew himself. ‘We are God’s work of art.’ And God had finished his work. Matthew was forty-four last August, and had reached a level of understanding within himself which makes his passing so peacefully into heaven understandable in terms of his own life’s trajectory, however difficult or unacceptable that may seem to us. To understand the other side of the tapestry of life, as it were, where the strings are pulled, we have to allow ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Matthew was an admirer of Thomas Merton, the Trappist Mystic. Merton provided a gameplan which helped a whole generation of Twentieth Century searchers for God. Matthew died on Merton’s birthday, 31st January. Two quotations from his mentor can help us here: ‘Death is someone you see very clearly with eyes in the centre of your heart: eyes that see, not by reacting to light, but by reacting to a kind of chill from within the marrow of your own life.’
Fr Mark and friend, by Abbot John Periera, Trinidad chooses us first. We think we are in control of the situation because we have the privilege of always being sceptical: ‘Can anything good come out of anywhere?’ ‘Before ever Philip spoke to you, I saw you under the fig tree.’ Christ makes the first move. Before any approach is made to any of us, Christ’s loving gaze surrounds us. Fr Mark responded to God’s call by choosing monastic life. He placed his confidence in the wisdom of St Benedict who tells his monks that wherever they are they are seen by God, not as one who threatens but as one who loves. In prayer, then, let us unite ourselves with the one who was at the heart of Fr Mark’s vocation, Jesus Christ, whom he loved for himself, in his brothers and sisters, and in all his study and research. May Blessed Columba Marmion welcome him into the mystery of Christ which we now celebrate together.
was watching Cork in the All-Ireland Final, or Liverpool v. Manchester City, or Glenstal v. Rockwell, he was up there screaming at the television and punching the air. He had, on the other hand, a democratic and inclusive vision of rugby. He believed that this was a game which anyone could learn and which provided opportunities for the most unlikely candidates. That is why he was so hugely appreciative of the coaches here in the school. They have performed miracles he told us.
And: ‘In the last analysis, the individual person is responsible for living their own life and for “finding themselves.” If we persist in shifting this responsibility to somebody else, we fail to find out the meaning of our own existence.’ As ‘Director of Activity,’ Matthew hardly ever walked anywhere without running a few steps in between, just to keep himself ready for action. One sympathiser referred to his ‘uncomplicated deportment’ which is a nice way of putting it. A passionate sportsman, he believed in games as a wonderful way of being fully alive and he wanted to give that opportunity to as many as possible. For him, winning was not the most important thing – it was the only thing. Whether he
Let Us Remember John Tierney (1950-1955), Father of John Kevin (†) & Mark John Maher (1957-1960) John McLaughlin (1947-1950) Hugh Kennedy (1962-1967), Brother of Michael Gerald Tierney, Fr. Mark, (1938-1943), Brother of Fr. Philip Victor Benner (1954–1959), Brother of Leslie John Corkery, Br. Matthew (1981-1986), Brother of David Ellen Teresa Pollen, Mother of Peter Brian McElhinney, Father of Paul, Karl & Mark Sarah Alken, Wife of Gregory Penny Wray, Wife of Paddy Sleeman Pat Markey, Father of Bernard, Niall, Johnny, Paddy, Brian Clemens Graf von Matuschka, Father of Karl-Joseph & Phillipp Pam O’Brien, Mother of Jonathan and Paul Margaret Linnane, Mother of Howard Helen Kieran, Wife of Peter, Mother of Stephen Delphine Kelly, Wife of John M (†), Mother of Nick Sheila Deasy, Mother of Rickard, Ruaidhri, and Robin.
And so for the spiritual life: Matthew believed that it was a game which anyone could play, provided they had the right teacher. And for him, St Benedict was the right teacher who had written the best rule book. The Saturday before he went to heaven, Matthew was giving a conference to the Oblates: ‘Monastic Wisdom for Everyday Life’ which explained how the Rule of Benedict could be lived by anybody anywhere. ‘So I will always praise your name and day after day fulfil my vows’ he began his talk. These were his final words to us. When we found him lying asleep in the Lord in his own bed he looked so relaxed and at peace: a typical Matthew pose with his arm couched behind his head. It was as if these words which the monks say every night at Compline were on his lips: ‘I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety’ [Psalm 4:9]. May he rest now in peace forever.
Newsletter Spring 2010 If any of you keep the Newsletters lovingly, there are two items in the Spring 2010 edition that are worth revisiting. On page 2, we featured Andrew Legge (’94) as a film maker who deserves to be watched – literally and metaphorically. He has just made a new film – for RTE, he says hopefully. When I tell you that the new film treats of ‘Enda Kenny’s vision for The New Ireland,’ you will know what I mean by hopefully. This film can be accessed at: http://www.rte.ie/drama/featured/story land/videoleaks.html On page 4 of the same edition, Michael Nugent (’80) wrote an inspirational article about his work for the charity Habitat for Humanity in Zambia. This work consists in building as many houses as possible for people in one of the poorest – and what he describes as ‘one of the happiest places on earth.’ In December 2011, Michael was awarded the Linda Fuller Award for Exceptional Volunteer Service. The citation mentions that he has led four Global Village trips to Zambia, and that he ‘inspires and motivates everyone who meets him.’ Well done, Mike!
GLNL spring12 PRINT 1/3/12 8:37 PM Page 2
2 GLENSTAL NEWSLETTER Spring 2012
Tindiadventure 2012 Our monastery is characterised by the intensity of its prayer life, the great energy in its labour and the depth and honesty of its humour! It survives largely by the labour of its hands, with capital projects being generously assisted by donations from Europe. Monastic life is raw and redeeming, with few creature comforts. The state is a global supplier of fruits, spices, bananas, tea, coffee, nuts and rubber, all of which, except the last, richly inform the daily diet. The primary income comes from the cultivation of the cash-crops as listed above, and cow dung which is a very valuable source of fertilizer and domestic supplies of bio-gas. The primary expenditure is on the basics of living and the sponsorship of good works, amongst which is the project in the Monastery of the Mother of God at Maryland where the community offers hostel-shelter and the virtues of community life for a dozen students from the poorest of poor families, who attend the local school and receive nourish-
Spring 2012 GLENSTAL NEWSLETTER 3
Personally I earn my rice by assisting and encouraging all the monastic members in the challenge of spoken English. A common misapprehension on our side of the globe is that all Indians speak English. They don’t. Many speak an idiomatic form of English which I call Inglish, which is melodic, quaint and thereby arresting of one’s attention. Mixing and matching English and Inglish is a stimulating surgical task! If you can stomach the food, which I do with relish, endure the odd creepy-crawly, and engage with a powerful prayer/ liturgical life, then this experience of Indian Christian Monasticism is to be recommended. Timothy McGrath OSB
Fr Mark (Gerald) Tierney 1925-2011 From a homily preached by Abbot Bernard Lorent of Maredsous Abbey he word of God addressed to us today illustrates two important aspects of the life of our brother Mark. The first is transmission. Christ addresses his very first disciples and these in turn pass on his message immediately to others. They bear witness to their meeting with Christ and refuse to allow it remain hidden in their hearts; which means they have to communicate, they have to get across to others, what happened to them when their paths were crossed by Jesus. Fr Mark dedicated his life to such transmission. His work, his passion for history, was communication of the memory and witness of things past to generations of students who studied their history through his text books. Looking at the titles of his many works, he begins with the history of his locality, Murroe and Boher, and then opens out to the whole of Ireland before embracing Europe and the rest of the world. He turns his attention to religious history also in his studies of Irish monasticism and Benedictinism especially as this unfolded in Glenstal Abbey. His work proceeds into hagiography with the life of Columba Marmion, dealing as it does with his doctrine and his influence on the spirituality of the Church in the lives of so many priests and religious right up to the present day.
T
Fr Mark knew that it was possible to be a Benedictine without being a saint; of living a life worthy of publication which can be of benefit to future generations. I am thinking as a case in point of the biography he had completed before he died of Dom Maieul de Caigny who left Maredsous to become Abbot of Bahia in Brazil and who later founded the monastery of Mount Saint Benedict in Trinidad. We hope that this last work will see the light of day in time to celebrate the centenary of their foundation. Fr Mark carried out his work as historian to the very end of his life here at Maredsous. It was his way of bearing witness and handing on the tradition lest we forget; of living out those words of the apostle Philip: ‘Come and see!’ The other aspect of Fr Mark’s life, which the Gospel this morning indicates, is his vocation. Every conceivable vocation mirrors the exchange between Christ and Nathanael. Christ
Br Matthew (John) Corkery 1968-2012
ment and support of all kinds in the after-school hours (music, crafts, supervised homework, cooking, animal husbandry, cultivation and prayer): the proverbial drop in the ocean but impressive to encounter and humbling by association.
From a homily preached by Abbot Patrick Hederman ‘We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it.’ [Ephesians 2: 8-10]
B
r Matthew died so suddenly and so beautifully in his sleep on the last day of January, it was an unbelievable shock to us all. What to say to try to give some meaning and comfort, especially to his family left behind? As always, the Holy Spirit comes to our aid. These words from St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians were as though coming from Matthew himself. ‘We are God’s work of art.’ And God had finished his work. Matthew was forty-four last August, and had reached a level of understanding within himself which makes his passing so peacefully into heaven understandable in terms of his own life’s trajectory, however difficult or unacceptable that may seem to us. To understand the other side of the tapestry of life, as it were, where the strings are pulled, we have to allow ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Matthew was an admirer of Thomas Merton, the Trappist Mystic. Merton provided a gameplan which helped a whole generation of Twentieth Century searchers for God. Matthew died on Merton’s birthday, 31st January. Two quotations from his mentor can help us here: ‘Death is someone you see very clearly with eyes in the centre of your heart: eyes that see, not by reacting to light, but by reacting to a kind of chill from within the marrow of your own life.’
Fr Mark and friend, by Abbot John Periera, Trinidad chooses us first. We think we are in control of the situation because we have the privilege of always being sceptical: ‘Can anything good come out of anywhere?’ ‘Before ever Philip spoke to you, I saw you under the fig tree.’ Christ makes the first move. Before any approach is made to any of us, Christ’s loving gaze surrounds us. Fr Mark responded to God’s call by choosing monastic life. He placed his confidence in the wisdom of St Benedict who tells his monks that wherever they are they are seen by God, not as one who threatens but as one who loves. In prayer, then, let us unite ourselves with the one who was at the heart of Fr Mark’s vocation, Jesus Christ, whom he loved for himself, in his brothers and sisters, and in all his study and research. May Blessed Columba Marmion welcome him into the mystery of Christ which we now celebrate together.
was watching Cork in the All-Ireland Final, or Liverpool v. Manchester City, or Glenstal v. Rockwell, he was up there screaming at the television and punching the air. He had, on the other hand, a democratic and inclusive vision of rugby. He believed that this was a game which anyone could learn and which provided opportunities for the most unlikely candidates. That is why he was so hugely appreciative of the coaches here in the school. They have performed miracles he told us.
And: ‘In the last analysis, the individual person is responsible for living their own life and for “finding themselves.” If we persist in shifting this responsibility to somebody else, we fail to find out the meaning of our own existence.’ As ‘Director of Activity,’ Matthew hardly ever walked anywhere without running a few steps in between, just to keep himself ready for action. One sympathiser referred to his ‘uncomplicated deportment’ which is a nice way of putting it. A passionate sportsman, he believed in games as a wonderful way of being fully alive and he wanted to give that opportunity to as many as possible. For him, winning was not the most important thing – it was the only thing. Whether he
Let Us Remember John Tierney (1950-1955), Father of John Kevin (†) & Mark John Maher (1957-1960) John McLaughlin (1947-1950) Hugh Kennedy (1962-1967), Brother of Michael Gerald Tierney, Fr. Mark, (1938-1943), Brother of Fr. Philip Victor Benner (1954–1959), Brother of Leslie John Corkery, Br. Matthew (1981-1986), Brother of David Ellen Teresa Pollen, Mother of Peter Brian McElhinney, Father of Paul, Karl & Mark Sarah Alken, Wife of Gregory Penny Wray, Wife of Paddy Sleeman Pat Markey, Father of Bernard, Niall, Johnny, Paddy, Brian Clemens Graf von Matuschka, Father of Karl-Joseph & Phillipp Pam O’Brien, Mother of Jonathan and Paul Margaret Linnane, Mother of Howard Helen Kieran, Wife of Peter, Mother of Stephen Delphine Kelly, Wife of John M (†), Mother of Nick Sheila Deasy, Mother of Rickard, Ruaidhri, and Robin.
And so for the spiritual life: Matthew believed that it was a game which anyone could play, provided they had the right teacher. And for him, St Benedict was the right teacher who had written the best rule book. The Saturday before he went to heaven, Matthew was giving a conference to the Oblates: ‘Monastic Wisdom for Everyday Life’ which explained how the Rule of Benedict could be lived by anybody anywhere. ‘So I will always praise your name and day after day fulfil my vows’ he began his talk. These were his final words to us. When we found him lying asleep in the Lord in his own bed he looked so relaxed and at peace: a typical Matthew pose with his arm couched behind his head. It was as if these words which the monks say every night at Compline were on his lips: ‘I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety’ [Psalm 4:9]. May he rest now in peace forever.
Newsletter Spring 2010 If any of you keep the Newsletters lovingly, there are two items in the Spring 2010 edition that are worth revisiting. On page 2, we featured Andrew Legge (’94) as a film maker who deserves to be watched – literally and metaphorically. He has just made a new film – for RTE, he says hopefully. When I tell you that the new film treats of ‘Enda Kenny’s vision for The New Ireland,’ you will know what I mean by hopefully. This film can be accessed at: http://www.rte.ie/drama/featured/story land/videoleaks.html On page 4 of the same edition, Michael Nugent (’80) wrote an inspirational article about his work for the charity Habitat for Humanity in Zambia. This work consists in building as many houses as possible for people in one of the poorest – and what he describes as ‘one of the happiest places on earth.’ In December 2011, Michael was awarded the Linda Fuller Award for Exceptional Volunteer Service. The citation mentions that he has led four Global Village trips to Zambia, and that he ‘inspires and motivates everyone who meets him.’ Well done, Mike!
GLNL spring12 PRINT 1/3/12 8:37 PM Page 1
4 GLENSTAL NEWSLETTER Spring 2012
A Review of Barbara Sweetman FitzGerald’s book ichael Sweetman (Glenstal 49The Widest Circle blown away many of the cobwebs.
M
53) was among those leading Irish businessmen who lost their lives in June 1972, when their plane from Heathrow to Brussels crashed shortly after take-off. His seventy-fifth birthday would have been in 2010; and it was this poignant date that inspired his widow, Barbara Sweetman FitzGerald, to assemble and publish this ensemble of personal and political essays in his memory. The scope is broad and varied: touching tributes from his six children; recollections of school and university by Denis Corboy (46-52), a staunch friend and political ally; a swathe of articles by contemporary thinkers on the Ireland Michael knew, and might have known had he lived; finally – and this is where my own wonder grew – a selection of Michael’s own writings. These are prescient in quite an astonishing way, particularly on Northern Ireland, the EU, and Education. They have not dated; we
Recent Publications Peter Gahan, Ed. Shaw and the Irish Literary Tradition (Penn State, 2010) Barbara Sweetman Fitzgerald, Ed. The Widest Circle: Remembering Michael Sweetman (A. & A. Farmar, 2011) * Seán Ó Duinn OSB In Search of the Awesome Mystery: Lore of Megalithic Celtic & Christian Ireland (Columba Press, 2011) * Basil Forde OSB The Sound of Stillness: Turning Darkness into Light. Martin Tierney (†) A Classicist’s Outlook: Michael Tierney, A Life and Essays Yann Fouéré La Maison in Connemara: The History of a Breton, Trans. by his daughter, Rozenn Fouéré Barrett (Oldchapel Press Oughterard, 2011) * Placid Murray OSB The Rule of St Benedict: A New Translation (Intype, 2012) * Colmán Ó Clabaigh OSB The Friars in Ireland, 1224-1540 (Four Courts Press, 2012) Titles marked * are available from the Glenstal Abbey Shop. Also available from the Glenstal Abbey Shop: Several CD recordings of Organ Music by Andrew Cyprian Love OSB, and a first CD of Organ Music by Columba McCann OSB.
Michael Sweetman
have. In 1971 – incredible that this was written fifty years ago – he said in an address focussed on Education, Ecumenism, and Democracy, and I quote: “A lot has changed since then. A great blast of common sense has
For the Christian churches the question now is not what kind of Christians are people going to be, but whether they are going to be Christians at all. But we must recognise than in Ireland at least, whether people profess to be Christians or not, they continue to share with Christians a great deal of common value and attitude, at least in regard to how one should live and conduct society. There is enough practical agreement between everybody who lives in Ireland to make it possible for people of different religious or philosophical views to share a common curriculum for virtually all subjects and to follow it in the same school. This is already happening in the vocational schools, and to a limited extent in some other secondary schools which have broken free from strict sectarianism.” So be it. I hope we can be numbered among these latter establishments. Abbot Celestine Cullen OSB
Day Boarders at Glenstal (extract from a letter: Br Martin, Headmaster to Parents) ast November, the monastic Chapter took the decision to make provision for the introduction of dayboarders into our school. After eighty years of full seven-day boarding, this is quite a big change.
L
What is meant by the term ‘dayboarder’? A lot more than simply coming to Glenstal for classes every day and going home afterwards. Dayboarders will arrive before 9.00 am in the morning, six days per week, and will remain here throughout the school day, participating not just in classes, but also in games and study, going home after supper in the evenings. Basically, they will do everything that seven-day boarders do, apart from sleeping and breakfasting here. Glenstal will remain a seven-day boarding, six-day teaching school. Also, the introduction of day-boarders will not involve having bigger classes. Preference will be given to seven-day applicants, and no more than one-
third of the intake in any year will be day-boarders. This is important, as it guarantees that the school won’t be ‘overrun’ by large numbers of day boarders. Such a change could alter the nature of the school and make the seven-day boarders feel like a lonely minority in the evenings and at weekends. We are strongly committed to protecting the integrity of the sevenday boarding experience for which so many continue to sign up, and we are committed, too, to the continuing presence and participation of the majority of our students at Sunday Mass in Glenstal each week. A small number of day-boarders – about six – will be introduced into First Year this coming September on a pilot basis. I hope that this and other decisions will help sustain and develop our school over the coming years and allow us all to build on the excellent tradition which we have inherited. Edited by Andrew Nugent osb Layout & Print by INTYPE Ltd.
www.myubique.com info@myubique.com
State of the Union
Tindiadventure 2012
f by State of the Union we mean the State of the Glenstal Old Boys Society, we are happy to report that it is Pretty Good. Coming events include both Ten Years Out and Twenty Years Out celebrations. The most proximate event is a dinner for the South-East Region (with elastic boundaries) in Clonmel on March 31st. If you are feeling left out, contact Noel O’Gorman extra-urgently. Meanwhile the Munster Region is hyper-active – and now extends as far as Athlone!
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These regional or class year events seem to be more popular and more appropriate than more glitzy national celebrations – particularly in these straitened times. Also, a more relaxed athmosphere can be possible and, again, appropriate. Fr Andrew tells me that his leaving class 55 (Blackrock) meets ‘almost annually’ for lunch in Elm Park Golf Course. ‘Less of a big deal – and more enjoyable,’ sez he! When we talk about regions, we are certainly not forgetting the British Region which has provided us with some of the most lively encounters in recent years – thanks to the dynamism of the late and much regretted Eddie Barber, and also to the very much alive Ian Lynam. There is also a very active Australian membership who welcomed both Br Denis and myself on our recent visits. The AGM is another item that needs looking at. In recent years attendance at this event has been extremely poor. We must pay tribute to the faithful few who have enabled it to happen at all. Notionally, I am proposing an AGM in September of this year. Have you any ideas about it? Should we hold it in Glenstal, in Dublin (even in Elm Park – for lunch), in Cork, on the Aran Islands? Please communicate your ideas to Fr Andrew or to myself. Henry Blake, President.
Wedding Bells James Egan (1997) & Michelle Nolan Glenn How (2000) & Lucy Gibson
Timothy and Indians
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here is no such entity as an “Indian” just as there are no such entities as “Europeans” or “Americans” except in purely geo-political terms. A subcontinent with 1.2 billion residents is bound to have variations in its popular makeup. Thus, India is a Parliamentary Republic comprising multiple ethnicities, castes, beliefs, languages and cultures. The Christian component of the population is 2.5%. In the South West State of Kerala, (pop. 30 million), the percentage is 20%. Having recently concluded my 10th visit to India since 2000 I must say that my experience has been confined to Kerala – specifically to the OSB monastery of St. Thomas in Kappadu. 25 years old next January, Kappadu is of the same gene-pool as Glenstal. It has a roving monastic population of around 60 (av. age under 40) and already has
made 5 foundations in the same state. The chief state language and that of the monasteries is Malayalam and the liturgy derives from the 2nd Century Chaldean Syro-Malabar Church, with which Rome is in Communion. The Syro-Malabar Church is quite local and relatively independent, electing its own bishops and Church Primate who is, recent tradition allows, then created a Cardinal by Rome. Continued overleaf
Golf Outing Friday July 20th CASTLE GOLF CLUB RATHFARNHAM D.14 Tee-up 13.30 to 14.45