The simple piety and extraordinary fervour with which all classes of people followed the Mass deeply impressed me. Here there was no mere lip-service, but a true " raising of the mind and heart to God."
I wished over and over again that I could witness in our churches in this country onetenth of the concentration and devotion which was apparent in the Irish churches. It would appear to me to be far more desirable that individual prayer should be encouraged than that we should be endeavmiring to imitate our non-Catholic brethren in their, perhaps, more highly organised forms of worship.
Is it necessary to remind Mr. Donovan that rural Ireland is still, as in the past, supplying a constant stream of aspirants to the priesthood? Surely this is not the result of " a low standard of Christianity "?
As to the congregation kneeling outside the doors of the churches, I have been compelled to form part of this congregation on more than one occasion, not as a " scandalous matter of form " but because there was no more room inside the church and my experience has been that the outside congregation. was just as reverent as the inside one.
I am afraid that Mr. Donovan has been extremely unfortunate in his experiences and I can assure him that I and several English friends of mine look forward to our visits to rural Ireland as spiritual refreshers.
K. O'LOUGHLIN.
15, Ravenscraig Road, New Southgate, London, NA.,