Fishermen

Obedience took all my drive from me

You’re in the army now

Do as you’re told

The system did not encourage you to flourish

It formed you fervently

Into its own small mould

 

They are at it still

The thought police are out

You can’t think that

It’s not what we’re about

That clerical dress it gives a clue

We are all the same

There is no you

Just father this and father that

Behave

 

The system sabotages human life

It strangled me

I disappeared all right

The damage was done early

Take the boy from home

He’s a willing lad

We’ll fatten him up for Rome

 

Jesus called disciples from grown men

And treated them as such those fishermen

Knew their characters

Encouraged them to be

All that was in them

Then come and follow me

 

Brian Fahy

5 February 2022

 

+ Swirling thoughts come together to prompt the above. Tony Flannery CSsR is getting some support now to protest against the ban on his priestly ministry imposed by The Holy Office in Rome. Defending the Faith seems more like ‘thought police’.

 

I came across Patricia Lockwood, American writer, whose father is a catholic priest of an extremely right wing flavour.

 

Tony Doyle, priest, has recently spoken about how today’s young priests are so right-wing it scares him.

 

My own long journey into and out of priesthood and religious life began because the catholic system encouraged young boys away from the influence of home and family in order to mould them into clerical units.

 

Brian Fahy.