Priest says Ireland losing its faith, needs to be evangelized anew

Published: 2008-03-06

DETROIT (CNS) -- Just as St. Patrick evangelized Ireland in the fifth century, an Irish priest studying in Detroit says the Irish of the 21st century now need the new evangelization called for by the late Pope John Paul II. "I'll be finishing up here in April, and I've pledged to God I'll go back and evangelize for the rest of my days," said Vincentian Father Patrick Collins, who is at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit working toward a licentiate in sacred theology with a specialization in the new evangelization. He wants to not only be a part of that effort himself, but to train other Irish priests to be a part of it. "If we don't get with the new evangelism, we could lose in a generation what it took 1,500 years to build and maintain," Father Collins warned Feb. 28 in an interview with The Michigan Catholic, Detroit's archdiocesan newspaper. Since 2004, the seminary has offered the licentiate specialization in pastoral theology.

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