Feast of the Assumption should remain a holy day, not a holiday

Posted on Thursday, August 18, 2011 at 09:18 AM

Larger Text

E-mail

19 Comments

RSS

Archives

MLA John Dallat

A member of the Northern Ireland Assembly has called for August 15 to be made a national holiday, north and south. SDLP member John Dallat feels that making August 15, the Feast of the Assumption, a national holiday would be an "opportunity for everyone to become involved in a celebration of the special relationship the Mother of God holds in the lives of Irish people."

By no means would I ridicule Dallat for his devotion or question his religious views. I went to Mass on the 15th myself.

It's just, well, I don't know, but when I read his comments this morning I was taken aback. I felt like I'd been transported back in time.

Only yesterday we had the news that the diocese of Dublin may be on the brink of a complete financial collapse thanks to the fact that attendance at Mass and the collections have declined significantly. The seemingly endless reports into the Church scandals haven't helped, but I'm not so sure the Irish people have much of a "special relationship" with Jesus' mother these days.

That such a special relationship did exist seems pretty obvious to me. All over the country, in urban and rural areas, you can see Marian shrines. These shrines were erected during the Marian Year of 1954 (I believe). Many are in the middle of public housing estates, presumably built on government owned land. There's no way that would happen today.

"The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there," according to L.P. Barthartley. That certainly seems true in Ireland where the obvious signs of an extremely devout people stand in stark contrast to the agnosticism, cynicism even, of so many Irish people, particularly those under 50.

This is why I was startled by Dallat's proposal. It's as if he was talking about a "foreign country" where "they do things differently" because there's simply no chance that Ireland is going to adopt August 15 as a national holiday.

I expect Dallat will get virtually no support, other than from a few Catholic die-hards and those cynical enough to exploit the beliefs of the faithful in order to get themselves another day off in the summer. I do, however, admire his courage because he is bound to attract a lot of personal and very negative attention, almost all of it from people who were baptized Catholic.

I'm not inclined to support Dallat myself. I can't help wondering why we should make August 15 a holiday now, when it wasn't a holiday in the 30s, 40s and 50s when it would have been more appropriate. If it was good enough then for people to have to work on the feast day, it's good enough today.

E-mail

19 comments

Previous Page 2 of 2 pages

GeorgeDillon | Aug 19, 2011, 04:12 AM EDT

Kilsally: If we want bible-thumping Protestant fundamentalists there are lots more who do it better than you. Irish Catholicism has many faults, but I'll take it any day over Bible bums like you. Your spiritual ancestors--Cromwell and his pals--attempted genocide on the Irish people. In more recent decades your fundamentalisst buddies in UVF, UDA etc. committed unspeakable atrocities on Catholic men they just picked up of the streets of Belfast and dragged to their torture and slaughter chambers.

Report abuse

Kilsally | Aug 18, 2011, 01:30 PM EDT

Marian Shrines are where in the Bible? 2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before me. 6 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 7 you shall have no other gods before me. 4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me,

Report abuse

TheYank | Aug 18, 2011, 11:34 AM EDT

jamieLM,

You certainly won't be called a heretic by me. My theological training is pretty scant.

For what it's worth, I don't think John Dallat would argue with you either. I think he just figures that Aug 15 is an important holy day and due to the connection between the Irish people and Mary it should also be a national holiday. It is in many European countries, but that has more to do with the levels of devotion in the past than today.

Report abuse

jamieLM | Aug 18, 2011, 11:30 AM EDT

At the risk of being called a heretic, I don't believe anyone knows when the Assumption took place. To me, this is no more the correct date than any other date that could've been chosen. LONG, LONG after the event, a Pope declared it to be Aug. 15. On what basis, I have no idea, but it's just as good a date as any other one. I don't think Jesus was born on Dec. 25, either. He was more likely born in the spring, according to historians, Biblical scholars, and scientists. To me, it's the events, not the dates, that are important. My focus is on God and Jesus and my faith rests on the Nicene and Apostle's Creeds.

Report abuse

Previous Page 2 of 2 pages