Tom O'Gorman, RIP

http://brandsmareview.wordpress.com/

Amici & Amicae,

When I announce the death of a Brandsma Review writer, regardless of the volume of their contribution, my expectation is that I will talk about some worthy old gentleman or lady who lived a full life and had long since been prepared for its final end.  This was the case with the late Louis Power or the late Father George Duggan SM, who died shortly before his 100th birthday and shortly after he filed his last article for the Review which was published posthumously.  For all that, I am concerned for the safety of another long serving contributor, Niall Brady, who is about to leave a tour of duty in Afghanistan with the United States Army these coming days and I would ask all to keep Niall and his family in your prayers

This time, the deceased writer was not an old man, but someone far younger than me.  I speak of the late Tom O'Gorman, researcher for the Iona Institute (http://www.ionainstitute.ie/ ) who wrote the piece about same sex marriage in our July-August edition (see: http://brandsmareview.wordpress.com/2013/07/01/issue-127-july-august-2013/ ).  Tom was a gentleman and a Christian, a man who offered much in the past and who had the potential to offer more in the future, were he not murdered in such a foul manner in his own home in Castleknock in the Dublin suburbs last night.  His name will be inscribed on the list of the Brandsma Review dead, but I will arrange for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to be offered for the repose of his soul forthwith.

On behalf of Sabine, the boys and myself and the entire team behind the Brandsma Review extend our sympathies to the family and friends of Tom and to his colleagues in the Iona Institute at this shocking time.

Anima eius et animae omnium fidelium defunctorum per Dei misericordiam requiescant in pace

In Domino & Domina,

Peadar Laighléis,

Editor

St John of Nepomuk, Martyr for the Seal of the Confessional

In central Europe, one often encounters this saint presiding over bridges:

St John Nepomuk, Martyr (1345-1393)

St John Nepomuk was confessor to the Queen of Bohemia of the day, which was fine until Wenceslaus IV wanted to know what she was confessing. St John refused to tell under torture, so he was thrown into the Vltava from Charles Bridge in Prague where he drowned.  His statue stands on Charles Bridge and many other bridges in Bavaria, Austria, Bohemia, Northern Italy, Poland and Lithuania.  Sometimes he is depicted with his finger on his lips.  He is the first known martyr regarding the Seal of the Confessional.

Most western nations uphold the freedom of religion and the inviolability of the Seal is a keystone of religious freedom for Catholics and Orthodox.  Irish jurisprudence extended this privilege to any pastoral business between priests, ministers, rabbis and other religious official with members of their denominations.  This prevailed until a particularly sorry set of individuals came to power in Ireland and decided they knew better than decades of court decisions and deliberation on human rights.

The less said, the better.  Next election, use your vote wisely.