June-mag

PIONEERPIONEER
VOLUME LXVI NO.6 JUNE 2014 E1.55
ORLA O'CONNELL
A FRESH FACE and A FRESH APPROACH

June 2014
Volume LXVI Number 6
The Official Publication of the
Pioneer Total Abstinence Association
of the Sacred Heart
Telephone: 01 874 94 64
Fax: 01 874 84 85
Email: pioneer@jesuit.ie
Website: www.pioneerassociation.ie
Founded at the
Church of St Francis Xavier, Dublin
by Fr James A. Cullen, SJ
on 28 DECEMBER 1898
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Nihil Obstat
Fr Alan Mowbray SJ
Censor Deputatus
Imprimi Potest
+ Diarmuid,
Archbishop of Dublin
Primate of Ireland
Editor:
Fr Bernard J. McGuckian, SJ
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Pioneer Total Abstinence
Association of the Sacred Heart
Cover:
Orla O'Connell, our recently appointed
Office Manager, brings a fresh
approach to our Pioneer apostolate.
The Sacred Heart devotion which she
learned in Mount Anville, during her
secondary education, will stand to her
in her new role. See pages 16 and 17.
First Prize: €1200
Name: Paddy Mulryan, Glinsk, Co Galway.....................Card: 18; Line: 2
Second Prize: €400
Name: Mary O’Mahony, Castleisland, Co Kerry................Card: 9; Line: 7
Third Prize: €200
Name: Catherine Moroney, Blessington, Co Wicklow.......Card: 10; Line: 1
Fourth Prize: €100
Name: C/O Jim Halligan, Carrickmacross Pioneer Centre
Co Monaghan.....................................................Card: 26; Line: 9
PTAA Private Members’Draw Results
Wednesday, 16 April, 2014
Thank you to all the promoters and subscribers of the
Private Members’Draw for 2013/2014.
Six Promoters’ Prizes of €40 Each
Name: Noel Boyle, Mervue, Co Galway....................................................Card No. 88
Name: Anne Henehan, Kiltoom, Athlone, Co Roscommon.......................Card No. 49
Name: Sean O’Kane, Cookstown, Co Tyrone...........................................Card No. 53
Name: Martin McCarthy, Sutton, Dublin.................................................Card No. 62
Name: Lawrence MaGee, Enniskillen Co Fermanagh.............................Card No. 58
Name: Noel Boyle, Mervue, Co Galway................................................... Card No.81
'Life is very
interesting... in
the end, some
of your greatest
pains, become
your greatest
strengths.'
Drew Barrymore,
speaking about
overcoming
addiction

4 Skimming The Cream
Alan Mowbray SJ
6 The LateVocation
Esther Anne Guckian
8 UCD Students and the PTAA
10 Two Ordinary Lads
Shane Redmond
12 Cowboys on the Range
Des Cryan
14 An Unlikely Saint: Edith Stein
Patrick P Rowan
16 A New Face in the
Pioneer Office
18 Wise Owl Things
19 Sound Bytes
20 Caught On The ’Net
22 High Musical Standards on
Harrington Street
Sarah Mac Donald
24 Who Is Jesus Christ In Me?
James Kelly SJ
26 Cookery
27 Obituaries and Crossword
28 Pioneers: Here,There
and Everywhere
PIONEER OFFERING
“For Thy greater glory and
consolation, O Sacred Heart of
Jesus, for Thy sake to give good
example, to practise self-denial,
to make reparation to Thee for
the sins of intemperance, and
for the conversion of excessive
drinkers, I will abstain for life
from all intoxicating drink.”
CONTENTS
Forover1000yearstheonlyfeastsofOurLordcelebratedintheCatholic
Church were those commemorating identifiable mysteries in his life.
The Resurrection, the greatest of these mysteries, was celebrated every
Sunday of the year. Other days were set aside to celebrate such events
as his Incarnation, Birth, Presentation in the Temple, Baptism in the
Jordan, Transfiguration, Crucifixion and one post-Resurrection event,
his Ascension.
A change came in 1264 when Pope Urban IV instituted the Feast
of Corpus Christi. In taking this step he had to overcome no little
oppositionasheseemedtobeintroducinganoveltythatwasnotbased
in Christian tradition. He was convinced, however, of the authenticity of
a series of visions of a Belgian nun, Juliana of Liege. To her, the Lord
had revealed his desire for a yearly liturgical feast in honour of his Body
and Blood but without the connotation of suffering that accompanied
the dolorous events of Holy Thursday and Good Friday. The emphasis
in this new feast was to be on the dining table, not the slaughter house
where the innocent Lamb of God had been sacrificed. One of the most
popular feasts in the Liturgical Calendar for the last 750 years, it was the
first of what theologians call the“Idea”Feasts.
In 1856, Pope Pius IX established the Feast of the Sacred Heart. The
request for it had come from the Lord to St Margaret Mary Alacoque
nearly two centuries earlier in Paray-le–Monial, France. It was to be
a Feast in reparation, not for sins in general, but specifically for sins
against the Eucharist. To make this clear, the Feast was to be celebrated
each year on the Friday, eight days after the Feast of Corpus Christi.This
year it is celebrated on Friday, June 27th. In preceding centuries love for
the Lord in the Eucharist had gone cold, with many baptised Christians
ceasing to believe in the Real Presence of the Risen Lord in the Blessed
Sacrament. This situation is still with us.
A third feast, Christ the Universal King, was introduced by Pius XI
in 1925 and celebrated on the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. The
establishment of this feast came largely from the efforts of a French
lay-woman, Marthe de Noaillat (1865-1926) who was based in Paray-le-
Monial. She wanted Jesus to be recognised as not only the Heart of the
human race but indeed its Head. She and her co-workers wished to see
the claims of Jesus to Kingship, clearly revealed in his words to Pilate in
St John’s Gospel, given liturgical expression.
The Feast of Divine Mercy, the fourth in the series, is attributable to
20th century revelations to yet another woman, St Faustina Kowalska
of Kracow. It was established by her fellow Pole, Saint John Paul II and is
celebrated annually on the First Sunday after Easter.
Will the future bring any new feasts?
Bernard J McGuckian SJ, Editor
“Promoting Sobriety for a Better Society”
THE FOUR NEW FEASTS
Page 14: Edith Stein

4 Pioneer, June 2014
I am sure you are aware how often Jesus challenged the
leaders of His time over their life-style and the rules they
imposed on the people. Jesus invited them to go deeper
into the meaning of their rules.
He always challenged them when they tried to trip
Him up over healing a blind man on their holy day.
They held a rule that all must rest on that day, that is do
nothing. He acted out of kindness. Surely compassion
came first, He would say.
Obeying rules can give us a sense of security but
security is not a substitute for Faith. Security takes no
risks. It has its place, but it is not Faith. The meaning and
purpose of rules cannot lose sight of the fact that an
authentic rule is based on justice.
DOWN TO BASICS
By obeying rules, the people of the Old Testament had
been told they would be guaranteed entry into the
Temple. To be excluded from the Temple was the height
of rejection. Now this rule was being questioned by
Jesus who said that real values went deeper than their
superficial rules. Their rules allowed them to hate their
enemies and love their friends. He called on them to
love their enemies. What a turn around!
Jesus went further; His Way was the path to the
Kingdom of God. To the leaders’ consternation, Jesus
asked them to leave their gifts on the altar and be
reconciled with their sister or brother first, and then
offer their gifts at the altar.
SKIMMING THE CREAMALAN MOWBRAY, SJ discusses how Jesus questioned the rules of the Old Testament,
asking for real values to replace superficial rules, and calling on worshippers to
love their enemies as they love their friends

Pioneer, June 2014 5
LIKE DUCKS TO WATER
If we follow the values that our peer
group live by, then we are simply
conforming! We won’t question the
rights and wrongs of these values,
but just take to them like ducks to
water!
For example, we are into cyber
bullying because ‘they’, the peer
group, are all into it. It’s fun and it does
not matter who we destroy. Anyway, it gives
us credit with our peers and, of course, power
over others. We could, on the other hand, ask whether
the values of the peer group link up with the Christian
values we believe in.
Questioning the values we want to live by is a good
step towards standing on our own feet. However, if we
prefer to sidestep the rule and just act on what suits us,
then we have thrown in the towel. We like to play fast
and loose with the rules. We are a mature nation today.
We made a decision to join a community of nations.
BEND OR BREAK
So, either we choose to bend the rules so that they suit
our interests or we sidestep the rules and get upset
when the law intervenes to correct our behaviour.
Anyway, who is looking at a red set of traffic lights at
8a.m. with no cars around and waiting for the green?We
see an opportunity to hop, skip and jump, but not our
neighbours in Berlin! They wait for the green. Counting
the same fold of sheep a few times over helps our
finances but does not enhance our reputation in the EU.
Looking back at the bank crisis, there were few signs of
people seeking justice for others. Others simply did not
matter.
We got a rude shock when the troika took to running
our finances after boom and bust. We had no answer
since we had signed up to the European Union.
THE REVERSE SIDE
“You are happy when you hunger and thirst for what is
right.” This is one of the core values that Jesus lived by
and asked the early Christians to follow. Some sayings
of Jesus are not easy to make sense of straightaway,
and one approach is to look at what the opposite value
might look like. I suggest we try this way of grasping the
meaning of‘what is right.’
It runs a bit like this: “I will be happy when I’m doing
what I want to do, when I am being what I want to be
and getting what I want. I will only be satisfied when
my interests are served. My aim is about fulfilling my
desires. I don’t notice that others don’t matter to me
or that I walk over them. I have become a bit ruthless,
maybe, but dog eat dog…”
Now let’s return to the Christian value of hungering
for justice: It is likely that we get a shock when we see
more clearly what the Lord was driving at. Hungering for
justice looks beyond our self-interest.
Justice means a balance that takes in
the rights of others as well as ours.
We are called to take into account
the needs of our neighbour. It is a
growth that starts with family, the
community of faith and school. As
we grow and develop, our horizon
takes in the workplace, the country,
indeed the planet.
A GIVING COMMUNITY
The generosity of so many Irish people to the St Vincent
de Paul and towards crisis points all over the world is a
striking example of hungering for justice.
The remarkable number of young adults who gave
their time and energy to people in need in Africa and
around the planet is outstanding. They are following in
the footsteps of many Irish missionaries. This openness
to many others in need stretches back to the early
Christian days in Ireland. It is no wonder that the Irish
are known as a giving community.
It is clear who fits into the category of those who
hunger for justice. They have an eye for others, not just
for their own interests. It is clear who hungers and thirsts
for justice!
However, those who feed off the generous giving
of people and live off it for themselves, or who make
profits off the backs of the powerless – could it be that
they are caught up in the addiction of greed?
It is a
growth that
starts with family,
the community
of faith and
school
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Back in the early 80’s, it almost seemed like a ‘rite of
passage’ to be introduced at the time to the friendly
brown Bottle of Stag or Satzenbraugh. Like many people
of my own age, I succumbed to the relentless pressure –
then I became part of the in-crowd and as I parted with
my 60p, I bought myself confidence, fun, humour and
the door into the ‘all grown up adult status’. There were
no‘shots’then and we still associated the‘game of kings’
with a harmless game of playing cards, from the family of
poker, rather than the modern game of‘Kings’where the
card is selected and the person downs a selected shot
chosen and paid for the person maybe even unknown
to you on either side of you.
Roll on the years and every celebration was
moderately marked with some quality of drink, and
as time moved on, champagne became the drink of
choice to mark an auspicious occasion. While I always
associated myself with being a social drinker, I realised
that I had connected the idea of having a drink with
enjoying myself more and having more fun.
On a summer’s days in 2010, playing a game of golf
with my golf partner, she announced to me that she
had become a Pioneer. ‘A Pioneer,’ I said, ‘I don’t believe
it. Why would you do that? She explained that she
did it as an ‘intention’ for her cousin who had a poor
relationship with alcohol and described to me the
impact that drinking had on her cousin, her marriage
and her children. Well I was stunned. I always associated
Pioneers with being serious, sombre people and none
of these titles matched my partner’s personality. I so
enjoyed being her golf partner for the fun, mischief and
humour she brought to the game. I got it wrong again!
THE LATE VOCATION
ESTHER ANNE GUCKIAN describes the events that led to her taking a
vow of abstinence from alcohol, and how this eventually inspired her to
become a full member of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association

7Pioneer, June 2014
Bequest
Please remember the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association
of the Sacred Heart in your will.
x“I give and bequeath to the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred
Heart, 27 Upper Sherrard Street, Dublin 1, Ireland the sum of E__________ for the
general charitable purposes in Ireland of the said Association. The receipt of the said
Association shall be sufficient evidence of payment of the said sum.”
Charity Reg No. CHY2824
Well, in the design of things, I met a friend of mine
who shared with me that her husband was a closet
drinker and her worry was that he would kill someone
when he was out in the car. She had discussed this with
him and he agreed to give it one more attempt at giving
it up. This was enough for me, the universe had
aligned and I told her that I would abstain
from alcohol as an intention for him
and that this model had worked in
the past.
So I enjoyed my last Bombay
Gin and Tonic with my good
friend Sarah on 24/08/2010.
That day I decided to draw
line under it and that I would
give it a shot until Christmas.
What happened in between
times was most interesting. On
our usual social gatherings, friends
would ask: 'Are you sick? Are you on
antibiotics? Go on, have one now and it
will do you no harm'. I got presented with the
peer pressure that teenagers experience when out at
night. I was finding it tough, and I had nothing to prove;
I can only imagine what this is like for teenagers.
Time rolled on and days fell into weeks and weeks
fell into months. My friend’s husband John was doing
extremely well. John’s wife called me on Christmas night
of 2010. She said she never experienced a Christmas Day
like it since John started drinking. As a family, they had a
wonderful day, full of harmony, love, ease and freedom,
and she thanked me for my intention for them. Great
news! Then I thought, ‘job done. Now I can back to
having an Irish coffee to celebrate the season.'
Well this never happened. On a return trip from
London via Belfast airport on a dreary January day, as
I approached the Ballygawley roundabout, I noticed
all the traffic management signs. This of course was to
manage the funeral cortège of Michaela McAreavey
RIP. Another nudge, I thought. As a family we always
had great admiration for Mickey Harte and our son
was inspired by how Mickey shared football goals
with his daughter in his book, Kicking down
Heavens Door. Then I thought, she
had everything; great personality,
huge circle of friends, was a
clear thinker, good education
matched with good looks,
and, she was a Pioneer. That
was it for me. I decided
to become a Pioneer in
memory of Michaela.
My first action was to sign
up to become a probationer
for a year. I wrote to Mickey and
explained that I had chosen to
become a Pioneer in her memory
and that way her memory would live
on. In January 2012 I was accepted as a full
Pioneer and I have never looked back since. I am
proud to say that I have made some very good choices
and taken some big risks in my life, and this counts up
there as one of the best choices I have ever made. Yes, I
am the designated driver. I now wear my pin with pride,
as a stand for temperance. I do not judge drinkers and
alcohol is a gift, and every gift comes from God, and it
can bring us joy like anything can when used and not
abused. I also know three people personally whom I
have inspired and they have followed in my footsteps.
Do I miss it? At the beginning, yes, for the sake of
habit only. I enjoy the most interesting conversations
with people about their drinking habits. Socially, I enjoy
myself more. Friends say I am great fun to be withon a
night out and that I am an inspiration to them.
I now wear
my pin with
pride, as a
stand for
temperance

At the start of January we enrolled in a module called
‘service learning’, whereby we would be working with
a charity for the next 12 weeks of college. We were
given the option of various charities to choose from,
and the five of us came together to work alongside the
Pioneer Association. My name is Aoife, and I am a final
year Commerce student specialising in accounting and
finance, much like my friend Emma, who is in the same
degree/speciality. Jonathan is also in his final year of
Commerce, however he is specialising in marketing. We
have Phil in Commerce also, as he is in first year of the
degree. Finally, Anna completes our team. She comes
from a slightly different background, as she comes to the
end of her politics degree.
Initially, we didn’t realise how short these 12 weeks
would be until we started the project. Our main point of
contact in the Association was Orla O’Connell, although
we got the opportunity to meet Ray O’Connor later on.
As soon as we met Orla, we all really clicked with her.
She was extremely enthusiastic, eager and helpful with
everything. She put us at ease immediately. By the end
of the 4th week, we had outlined what we were going
to do and our general plan of action, which we relayed
to Orla.
Updating the School Programme
One of our main tasks was to revise the schools
programme.AsmostofyouknowthePioneerAssociation
sends speakers into both primary and secondary
schools to spread their message. Even ourselves, we
can remember way back, when the Pioneers came to
visit us in school! One of the things we sought to do was
design a presentation to accompany the talks given in
schools. However, doing this posed a bit of a challenge.
We had all designed presentations before for different
projects so we were quite confident in terms of the
design, however we were unsure about the content. We
were a bit nervous – what would grab school children’s
attention? What content was appropriate to convey the
Pioneer message?
We got back onto Orla who suggested we go to one
of the Pioneer talks in Mount Anville Secondary School.
We didn’t really know what to expect, some of us had
been at Pioneer talks, but that was quite a while back.
There was such a sense of nostalgia for us to be back
in a secondary school, and we felt like we were kids
again! This was the first time we met Ray, who would be
giving the talk. Although we were all a bit shy he was
UCD Students and the PTAA
A group of University College Dublin students describe their experience working
on a youth project with the Pioneers

9Pioneer, June 2014
really chatty and brought us all out of our shell. We were
brought into the atrium of Mount Anville which was
a really big bright room, and was perfect for the talk.
There were about ninety girls in the Atrium, and Ray had
to face all of them with just a white board.
Youth Openness to the Pioneer Message
It was amazing to see how Ray presented so effortlessly.
He was very interactive with the students. We think he
really surprised the girls as he was someone you could
really connect with instantly. He used a lot of analogies
and humour in order to keep the girls' attention, and
you could see their interest. We also engaged quite well
with the talk and could feel ourselves being drawn in.
He was able to explain the Pioneer message in terms
and concepts which we ourselves could relate to. This
talk was really well worth going to as it gave us a deep
insight into what the Pioneers are really like, as opposed
to what an outsiders perspective might be – beforehand
we had found it difficult to really get a feel for this. We
found the talk really motivational as well. We asked the
girls for feedback after the talk to find out what they
liked and what they would like to see in future. Needless
to say we got great positive feedback!
“I don’t drink at all. I’m pressured to drink, but it
doesn’t really interest me so I just don’t drink. It was nice
to see the younger group with the speaker and to know
its okay not to drink. Peer pressure is incredible around
drinking.”
“I liked the idea that having a drink isn’t bad in itself,
it’s just when it’s abused that it’s wrong. I agree with
that, but most talks are all about, 'if you drink this will
happen, or that will happen and drink is evil, etc.' This
talk made more sense.”
It was great to see Ray made such a connection and
impact with the girls. We asked them afterwards what
they would like to see. The use of humour and media
was a suggestion which we really liked. Ray suggested a
specificcomicclipfromDesBishop’s‘UndertheInfluence’
documentary which we are going to incorporate into
the Presentation. After the day in Mount Anville we had
a clear idea of how we wanted to make the presentation.
We chose to use a presentation tool called Prezi, which
is really interactive and visually appealing. Although
we didn’t want to overdo it, we wanted the Prezi to
complement what Ray was saying and the message he
was trying to get across. We designed the presentation
to make the talk more visual and interactive, and ensure
we did not take away from Ray, the real focus of the talk.
Overall, it was a great day! We really enjoyed the talk,
meeting Ray and getting a more tangible understanding
of our charity. It really motivated us for the rest of the
project, and to help further the Pioneer Association. We
really owe it to Ray and Orla, who were so helpful over
our entire project and really helped us when we needed
it. To us this wasn’t like completing an assignment like
the rest of our modules, but it was a fun ‘hands on’
experience which we all really enjoyed.

T
he recent spate of scandals in the Catholic Church
has created a great sense of sadness for the many
fine dedicated men and women in the religious
life, people whose unselfish personal vocation to serve
Christ as a priest, sister or brother has been blemished
by a few bad apples.
Reflecting lately on this brought my mind back to the
time when two of my friends declared they would like to
become priests. They were both just ordinary lads like
the rest of us – working, dancing and enjoying life to the
full.
Jim Bradley was a woodworker in one of the local
furniture factories. Joe Caldwell was a motor mechanic
in a local garage. I knew them both well. Jim was a
prominent member of the wind section of St. Mary’s
Brass Band in Navan, during my own undistinguished
period of service in the percussion section.
I worked with Joe Caldwell in my days in the motor
trade. He instructed me in the arts of puncture repair
and ‘ on the blink’ exhaust pipes replacement. Jim, who
was the quieter of the two, was very interested in sport
and was a dedicated follower of the Royal County’s
football team.
Joe was keenly involved in local drama and very
often rehearsed his lines with artistic flair, lying on his
back underneath a car in the workshop. He had a strong
singing voice too, and could be heard in full flow, on the
street outside, a distance from the motor shop.
Jim and Joe were not close friends at the time, but
they would have known each other growing up in
Navan, Co. Meath. They both left school when they were
about fourteen years old, to become apprentices in their
respective trades. It was not until they had reached their
mid-twenties that they both decided to become priests.
Their decision to set out for the priesthood when
they were older than most clerical students then was
courageous, because the required study demanded
enormous sacrifices and self-discipline on their parts
at the beginning, while still working at their particular
trades and later, when they both entered the seminary
in England.
They earned admiration and great support from their
families, friends and workmates in the town. Jim joined
the Society of the Divine Saviour (SDS) in England, where
he was ordained a priest in 1961, and Joe followed
the same pathway a short time later. They went their
separate ways after their ordination as priests.
Jim remained in England, where he taught
mathematics in the Junior Seminary and at the Catholic
High School, Chester for twenty years, and also became
TWO ORDINARY LADSBy Shane Redmond
Shane Redmond (right) with Peter McDermott and Rev Fr Jim Bradley SDS

11Pioneer, June 2014
a noted sports writer and commentator. In addition, he
qualified as an FA Soccer Coach, and managed England’s
International Catholic Schoolboys’Soccer Team.
Subsequently, he returned to Ireland and was a
pastor both in Sallynoggin and Clontarf in the Dublin
Archdiocese for some years. During that time he was
author of four books called, ‘Only on Sunday’, ‘Anyday’,
‘Biddy,’and‘Short and Simple’, and also wrote extensively
for magazines and periodicals.
Shortly afterwards, Fr. Jim was elected Provincial
Superior of the British/Irish Province of the Society of the
Divine Saviour ( SDS ) and he is now working as a pastor
in St. Bruno’s Catholic Church in Whittier, California, just
outside Los Angeles.
Joe, on the other hand, volunteered for the missions,
initially in Australia, where I am reliably informed he was
asked to give the Australian bishops annual retreat there
on three occasions. He later moved continent to East
Africa to an area suffering severely from foreign debt
burden and widespread austerity.
His workmates and friends of all denominations back
home in Navan, Co. Meath, who all respected Fr. Joe’s
great faith, courage and generosity of spirit, established
a fund to help him alleviate the sufferings in his beloved
East Africa. I was very glad to be associated with the
fund by organising an annual concert in the former Lyric
Cinema in Navan, featuring leading Irish entertainers,
which was always a sell-out, weeks in advance.
As a result of ill-health, Fr. Joe returned to England
after many years of unselfish labour as a missionary
in East Africa and sadly passed on to his eternal home
shortly afterwards in 1989, aged just fifty- five years.
These men were ‘ordinary’ men who have made
an extraordinary difference to the Church and to
many, many people with whom they came in contact.
The Church in Ireland, and especially in the cities, is
experiencing a serious decline in the number of priests.
The crisis is evident in the reduction of Masses on
Sundays and other services to which we older people
were accustomed.
One questions why this is so. Have the wonders of
technology and the ‘watering’ down of values of the
past prevented men and women from even considering
a vocation? We will not change the present nor stem
the advance of science, nor will we stop the removal of
values we all held dear ,but the Church needs someone,
somewhere to remind people everywhere that God is
still calling men and women to dedicate their lives to
Him and His Church. Perhaps, the present Holy Father,
Pope Francis is the person to do it.

The American cowboy, that mythical icon, first came
to the nation’s attention in the 1860s, immediately
following the Civil War. The open-range cowboy, or
plainsman,wasn’teasilyforgotten.Indeed,heleftbehind
him a legacy that grew to the 1890s to the proportion of
a national myth presented in films, television
and in print over many decades. The
cowboy came to resemble, at its best,
a figure in a national morality play.
This was no better illustrated than
in the iconic movie, High Noon,
in which the leading actor,
Gary Cooper, starred opposite
the actress, incidentally of
Irish descent, Grace Kelly. He
represented in graphic form the
marshal in an American town,
who, when confronted with the
impending threat from a group of
evil-minded individuals, found himself
totally deserted in the town and was left to
confront alone the impending threat.
Looking back over the years, by the 1870s the dime
novels began to widely figure the cowboy, and in the
1880s he had become an indispensable part of the
great American fantasy known as Buffalo Bill’s Wild West
Show. Thus, there was a cowboy myth before American
novelists such as Zane Grey came to feature the reality
and certainly before movie heroes, Gary Cooper and
John Wayne, became so highly regarded by modern
audiences.
The cowboy that gave rise to the legend, in fact,
was part of a system of ranching that only
lasted from about 1865 to 1895. The
post Civil War designation of the
Army to control the Plains Indians,
those original inhabitants of the
territory, opened vast new areas
of the West to grazing.
The grasslands of Eastern
Colorado, Northern Kansas,
Nebraska, Wyoming, Dakota
and Montana first knew cattle in
the1850s,whenOregontravellers
and gold seekers first brought
small herds on to them. By 1885, the
range and ranch cattle of the United
States covered more than 3.5 million square
kilometres or 44 per cent of the nation’s territory, but
the bottom fell out of it in 1885. The following winter
turned out to be the worst in living memory, with cattle
dying by the hundreds of thousands.
Homesteaders began to take over much of the open
range. They used barbed wire to fence off their claims
By 1885, the
range and ranch
cattle of the United
States covered more
than 3.5 million square
kilometres or 44 per
cent of the nation’s
territory
Cowboys
on the
Range

and prevent free movement of cattle. The rail began to
spread over the Far West, giving employment, of course,
to countless Irish workers, and this eliminated the need
for long trail drives.
During the cattle boom there were more than fifty
thousand cowboys in the United States. In the myth the
cowboy was always white and frequently a Southener,
a young man gone West to escape the aftermath of the
Civil War. In reality, he was often black or brown. In Texas
before the Civil War many of the population were slaves.
Most of the cowboys, in fact, came from that State. With
regard to the native American Indian, by treaty, certain
tribes had been guaranteed the use of the land forever,
and they, on the basis of that, tried to collect tolls for the
use of their land but seemingly met with little success.
This, of course, highlighted the type of injustice the
native Indians encountered, which brought into focus
the falsehood which the typical later projection of the
media image conveyed. The media, in a way now almost
unknown, had the unique feature in respect of a tiny
minority of performers of succeeding in taking out of a
workday context to put on stage and radio a portrayal of
typical cowboy humour.
In a word then, the myth of the all-round type cowboy
which was so propagated, not alone gave the world an
image of man at his best and most admirable, but was
completed by showing how truly human he also was.
Congregation of
Alexian Brothers
The Alexian Brothers, as followers of Jesus the
Healer, dedicate their lives to serving the sick and
those on the margins of society. They do this with the
support of prayer and community life.
Is Jesus Calling You?
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Website: www.alexianbrothers.ie
Contact: stalexius@eircom.net
Phone: 094 937 6996
DES CRYAN
BY

In her early life, she was a member of a strict Jewish
family, yet she is now a canonised saint in the Catholic
Church. Originally Edith Stein, her full title now is St.
Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Pope John Paul, at her
beatification, said, “We bow down before the testimony
of the life and death of Edith Stein, an outstanding
daughter of Israel, and at the same time a daughter of
the Carmelite Order.”
Edith Stein was born in Breslau in Germany on October
12, 1891.This was the day when Jews celebrate the Feast
of Atonement orYom Kippur, the most important Jewish
festival of the year. There were ten other children in
the family, but several of them died early in life. Edith’s
father had a timber business, but in 1893, he was struck
down by a fatal stroke. Her mother was a very devout
person and a good organiser so when her husband died,
she took over the business and was able to continue
providing for the family.
EdithwasabrilliantstudentandenteredtheUniversity
of Breslau where she studied German and history, but
her real ambition was to study philosophy, so when she
finished her time in Breslau, she went to the University
of Gottingen. Here, she came under instruction of
Edmund Husserl. When he transferred to the University
of Freiburg, she moved with him. For a time during
the First World War she acted as a nurse working with
patients suffering from typhus. In 1916, she returned to
university and was awarded a doctorate in philosophy.
Her doctorate dissertation was, ‘On the Problem of
Empathy.’ Professor Husserl was so impressed with her
that he made her his Assistant. She was also a member
of the faculty of philosophy in the university.
At the age of twelve Edith had lost her faith in God,
but, as an adult, she was very impressed by the obvious
faith of some of the Catholics she met. She was amazed
to see a homemaker deep in prayer in a church during a
weekday morning while she knew that other members
of Christian Churches only attended their church during
religious events. She was also very impressed with the
faith of a Protestant widow whose husband had been
PATRICK P ROWAN on Edith Stein, who was born in 1891 into the Jewish faith, then received into the
Catholic Church in 1922, and was beatified by Pope John Paul in 1987
An Unlikely Saint

killed in action in 1917. 'This was my first encounter
with the Cross and the divine powers it imparts to
those who bear it. It was the moment when my unbelief
collapsed and Christ began to shine His light on me,' she
wrote. During a holiday from the university she read
the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila. This was to be
a deciding factor In her future belief. It is interesting to
note that St. Teresa of Avila also had Jewish blood. Her
paternal grandfather was a convert from the Jewish
faith.
When Stein was at school and during her first year
in university she was a radical suffragette but later she
took a less doctrinaire approach to the subject. Professor
Husserl recommended her for a professorship, but these
higher university posts were not available for women.
Later she was to be denied a professorship because she
was Jewish.
In 1922 Stein was received into the Catholic Church.
She wanted to join a Carmelite convent immediately,
but was persuaded against it, as it would cause too
much upset in her family. In the same year she left her
Assistantship with Husserl in the university and went
to teach in a Dominican school in Speyer, in Germany,
where she was to work for the next ten years. While
there, she spent time studying Catholic philosophy and
she translated Thomas Aquinas’ ‘De Veritate’ (On Truth)
into German. She also wrote extensively on womens’
rights and praised the way that women had improved
their standing in the workplace, and in acquiring the
right to vote. She soon became known in Germany as
a leading advocate of womens’ rights. In 1932 she was
appointed lecturer in an institute in Munster, but things
were changing in Germany. Anti-semitic legislation was
passed by the Nazi government and Edith had to resign
from her job. Consequently, she saw first-hand how this
legislation was having a serious impact on the lives of
Jews living in Germany.
Edith entered the Discalced Carmelite monastery in
Cologne in 1934 and took the name Teresa Benedicta of
the Cross. From November 1938, anti-Semitism became
rampant in Germany so her superiors soon realised that
because of her Jewish birth, Edith was at risk in Germany.
They felt she would be safer in Holland, so they had her
smuggled across the border to the Carmelite monastery
in Echt in Holland. There, she wrote a treatise on St. John
of the Cross.
Then came World War II and on May 10, 1940 the
Germans invaded Holland. Despite getting help from
the British and French armies, Holland was soon
overrun and on May 14 the Dutch had to capitulate.
Stein appeared to be safe in the convent, but on May
20, 1942 the Dutch Bishops’ Conference had a public
statement read out in all the churches condemning Nazi
racism.The German army command in Holland was very
annoyed and decided on retaliation, so on July 26, 1942,
the Reichskommissar of Holland ordered that all Jewish
converts who had previously been left alone were to
be arrested. Stein and her sister, Rosa, who was also a
convert and a Carmelite nun were rounded up by the
Germans on August 2, 1942. “Come”, Edith said to her
sister.“We are going for our people.”
The two nuns, with a few hundred other Catholic Jews
were packed into railway carriages and were brought
to a holiday camp. A few days later, they were brought
on a long journey across Germany to the concentration
camps.
When Stein
went to school
and during her first
year in university she
was a radical suffragette
but later she took a
less doctrinaire
approach

PIONEER: Welcome to the Pioneer Office, Orla. You
are the fourth lay person and the second woman to
undertake the management of Central Office. You
are following in the footsteps of Maureen Manning,
once described by Fr Dargan as the “sweetheart of the
Association”, the late and much loved Padraic Naughton,
may he rest in peace, and his successor, Padraig Brady,
who worked so hard to set the Association on a sound
financial footing and was faced with the complexities of
the new legislation on Child Protection.
Can you tell us a little bit about your background?
ORLA: I am a Dubliner. My school was the Convent of
the Sacred Heart, Mount Anville. Later I did a degree in
Business Studies, a Diploma in Personnel Management
and also a Higher Diploma in Employment Law. After
graduation my main work was in Human Resources. I
was a HR manager in a number of companies, both in
Ireland and abroad. I worked for Companies such as
Synopsys International Limited, PKS/Orygen Systems
Intergration Limited as well as for IBM. I also worked as
a HR Consultant for a number of small to medium sized
companies.
PIONEER:AlreadyinyourshorttimewiththeAssociation
you have begun to liaise with people in different
areas such as journalists, students, young film-makers,
teachers etc. How important do you regard networking?
ORLA:Iseeitasessentialinourmodern,changingworld.
There are many people out there who are sympathetic
to the Pioneer ideals. We are happy to work along with
ORLA O'CONNELL has joined our team in recent months. She kindly agreed to talk to us about her
impressions and hopes for the future of the Pioneer Association
A New Face
in the
Pioneer Office

them. Networking is the best way to get results. In what
I consider today’s highly “legislative world”, many new
approaches are required of us. Like everyone else we
here in the Pioneer Office have to acquire new skills to
cope with the new developments going on in the world
around us.
PIONEER: Are there any areas of the Pioneer work that
have stood out for you since you came to the Office?
ORLA: What really impresses me is the extent of the
contribution provided freely on a voluntary basis by so
manymembersandofficersintheAssociationworldwide.
The highlight for me was the International Gathering
Conference hosted by the PTAA last September in All
Hallows. It was different from previous Pioneer events
in that a significant number of participants were non-
Pioneers but supportive of Pioneer ideals. A number of
these worked professionally in prevention of addiction.
A 6-CD set comprising all the talks at the Conference is
available here at Central Office for 40.50 euro including
P+P. So many of the participants who came were non-
Pioneers but supportive of the Pioneer ideals.
I am looking forward to the Annual Pioneer and
Venerable Matt Talbot Pilgrimage to Our Lady’s Shrine
at Knock on Sunday, 20th July, 2014. We are privileged
to have the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Charles Brown as
our Principal Celebrant and Homilist. We hope to see as
many Pioneers and friends there as possible.
PIONEER: How are things progressing in our work with
young people?
ORLA: Ray O’Connor is to be commended for his work
in this area. He is heading up our efforts to make contact
with“TransitionalYear”students in our schools in Ireland.
We have made it possible for some secondary students
to spend a day working with Fr Peter McVerry, the Jesuit
priest famous for his work among young people in
difficult circumstances.
PIONEER: What initiatives are you taking in the
electronic media ?
ORLA: We are now on Facebook and we have started
a Twitter page. We are thrilled to have lots of followers!
Please check it out to see all the news and posts and
take the opportunity to “like us” ( If you do not know
what “liking us” means, just ask some young person!)
You can find us at:- http://www.facebook.com/
PioneerTotalAbstinenceAssociation or www.twitter.com
PIONEER: What about relaxation, Orla?
ORLA: I love hill walking, music, drama and have
managed a fair bit of travel around the world.
Orla manages to make her way to the best places!

LAUGH-A-MINUTE
Q. Where did the
policeman live?
A. Nine nine nine Let’s-Be
Avenue.
Q. Why did Tiny Tom throw the
butter out of the window?
A. He wanted to see a butterfly.
Q. What’s black and white
and red all over?
A. A sun-burnt penguin.
Q. Why did the tap run?
A. It saw the kitchen sink.
DOCTOR!
DOCTOR!
A woman who had not been
feeling well went to see the
doctor. Her husband was
waiting for her outside. When
she eventually came out
of the doctor’s surgery,
he said, “Well, what’s
the diagnosis?” “
The doctor says I am
underweight, “ she
replied. “ Okay,” said
the anxious husband.
“I’ll get you a plum.
If you swallow it
whole you’ll put on
a stone!”
Wise Owl Things
… WORDS OF FOUR OR MORE
LETTERS CAN YOU MAKE FROM
THE WORD
SUMMERTIME
HOWMANY... 1. A silver anniversary is twenty years
2. Madrid is situated in Italy.
3. Claustrophobia is a fear
of enclosed spaces.
4. Cerise is a shade of brown.
TRUEORFALSE
GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
1. What is a group of cattle called?
4. What is the capital of Finland?
2. What is an excessive fear of fire called?
3. How many years in a bicentenary?
ANSWERS:1.Aherd.2.Pyrophobia.3.Twohundred.4.Helsinki.
ANSWERS:1.False,itistwenty-five.2.False,MadridisinSpain. 3.True.4.False,itisashadeofpink.

Sound BytesSound Bytes
Be steady and well-ordered in your life so that you
can be fierce and original in your work.
Gustave Flaubert
Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching,
and has taught me to understand what your heart
used to be. I have been bent and broken, but – I hope
– into a better shape. Charles Dickens
The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to
the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for
newer and richer experience. Eleanor Roosevelt
There is a saying in Tibetan, 'Tragedy should be
utilized as a source of strength.'
No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful
experience is, if we lose our hope, that's our real
disaster. Dalai Lama XIV
The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be
honest and truthful; to make the most of what we
have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have
courage when things go wrong.
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Do you not see how necessary a world of pains and
troubles is to school an intelligence and make it a
soul? John Keats
It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the
giving, but like morning light it scattered the night
and made the day worth living. F Scott Fitzgerald
You can search throughout the entire universe for
someone who is more deserving of your love and
affection than you are yourself, and that person is
not to be found anywhere. You, yourself, as much as
anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and
affection. Gautama Buddha
To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for
yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.
W Somerset Maugham
To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are
already 3-parts dead. Bertrand Russell
Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do
not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new
friend, a new love, a new country. Anaïs Nin
Many people die at twenty five and aren't buried until
they are seventy five. Benjamin Franklin
A man with outward courage dares to die; a man with
inner courage dares to live. Laozi
It isn't what you have or who you are or where you
are or what you are doing that makes you happy or
unhappy. It is what you think about it.
Dale Carnegie
We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives,
who thinks most, feels noblest, acts the best.
Philip James Bailey
The future is something which everyone reaches at
the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does,
whoever he is. C S Lewis

The Pioneer website www.pioneerassociation.ie and Facebook are gaining momentum. Here are
a sample of some of the queries and comments we have received in Central Office from Pioneers
all over the world. Readers are welcome to log on and join in the chat
CAUGHT ON THE ’NET
Pioneer I Home I
Hi Pioneers, I joined the Pioneer Association a couple
of years ago, after having already been sober for a few
years.
At present, I am the editor of Oremus, Westminster
Cathedral's monthly magazine.
I enjoy receiving your emails with pdf articles from the
Pioneer magazine, and wonder if it would be ok to use
one in our magazine sometime.
We published an article on Cardinal Manning, the
second Archbishop of Westminster and great promoter
of total abstinence – he even got an indulgence from
Pius IX for any Irish Catholic who avoided alcohol during
the Vigil, Feast and the day following St Patrick's Day.
Hundreds of thousands of men and women took the
pledge through his apostolate. Bearing this in mind, I
thought it might be good to highlight the work of the
Pioneers – as men and women who share in his broad
vision – in the same edition
I would be very grateful for any help you could offer.
Wishing you every blessing.
In the Sacred Heart,
Dylan
Oremus
The Magazine of Westminster Cathedral
Clergy House, 42 Francis Street
London SW1P 1QW
Ed: Thanks for your kind words about the Pioneer
magazine. The Pioneers are still a vibrant part of
the Church in London. Long may that continue.
Dear Pioneers, I would love to join the Pioneer
Association. You see, I'm a seminarian with the
Archdiocese of NY. Before that, I was a religious for
seven years. I recently returned to the world to enter my
home diocese, so money is extremely tight. However, I
would very much like to join the Pioneer Association as a
permanent member! (Before entering religious life, I was
a member of the Legion of Mary for 6 years, so I'm quite
familiar with the Pioneer Association!)
Would it be possible I can still join?Your help would be
greatly appreciated!
God Bless you in all you do for Him!
Ad Iesum per Mariam,
Br. Andrew
Ed: The only money required to become a member
of the Pioneer Association is the price of a small
emblem of the Sacred Heart and a simple certificate
of membership.This costs less than the price of one
alcoholic drink. Just forgo one drink and you have
all the money needed to become a member.You are
welcome to join online.
Dear Pioneer, When I was making my Confirmation 33
years ago I remember taking the pledge. I subsequently
joined the Pioneers and was a member until I was 25. Do
you have a Pioneer group that encourages kids, making
their confirmation, to take a pledge until they are 18? If
you do can you send me on the info and I will talk to the
parish catechists and the parents.
Thank and regards, Tom G, Dublin
Ed:TheYoung Pioneer branch is alive and well. Each
year thousands of young people join, often around
the time of Confirmation. They promise to abstain
from alcohol until at least 18 and to stay away from
illicit drugs for life.
Hello Pioneers, Thank you for registering our centre and
all the information that was provided to us in the mail.
Please find attached a photo and other information
advertised recently in the Catholic Weekly, Church

Bulletin prior to our Annual Mass. We had eight new
members join which is great news.
Sincerely,
Dilli Ching
New South Wales
Australia
Ed: Keep up the good work down under. Bishop
David Cremin, and Retired Auxiliary Bishop of
Sydney was a great Pioneer. He was always most
supportive of our efforts to promote the Pioneers
in Australia.
I joined the Pioneers a few years ago but don't know if
my membership is current.Would you please investigate
that and let me know the results.
Blessings,
J. M. Barrens, USA
Ed: Once a Pioneer, always a Pioneer, as long as you
keep the pledge!
I would like to pass on the following comment in
connection with Raymond's column in Pioneer, and
thank him for the inspiration.
IwasinterestedtoreadJimB's(fromTexas)referenceto
his being a member of theThird Order of Carmelites. I am
a secular member of the Discalced Carmelites in the UK.
I feel the connection between the reparation of Pioneer
members and that of the spirtiuality of Carmelites is an
important link . Reparation and suffering are indeed at
the heart of the Carmelite tradition and the reparation
for the sins of intemperance of Pioneer members to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus is no less profound in essence I am
also encouraged to share this with some of our group.
Betty (Watford England)
Ed: Our spirituality and yours dovetail perfectly.
Good Morning, I belong to the Legion of Mary and to the
Confraternity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Do you have any material in Spanish? My groups are
mainly Spanish speaking.
With kindest regards,
Marcia Gerardino
Yonkers, New York, USA
Ed: We have sent a promotional leaflet in Spanish
to assist you in your efforts to promote the Pioneer
Association within your community. Thank you for
your willingness and generosity to promote this
work.

Anyone who has ever attended the Easter ceremonies
in Dublin’s St Kevin’s Church on Harrington Street can’t
fail to have been overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of
the sacred music they encountered. During Holy Week
2014, they planned Allegri’s Miserere at Palm Sunday
Vespers and at Good Friday services, Victoria’s Tenebrae
Responses and Palestrina’s Missa Tu es Petrus. On Easter
Sunday, Mozart’s Credo Mass with the Piccolo Lasso
singers was accompanied by the Orlando Chamber
Orchestra. Perhaps this is why people with no Latin
become enchanted by the Latin Mass. It is the music
which draws them in and keeps them coming back.
St Kevin’s is fortunate to have the Lassus Scholars and
its junior ensemble, the Piccolo Lasso, as resident choirs.
Though the church is known as the venue to go to for
the celebration of the Tridentine Rite in the capital, the
choirs are in fact independent and non-denominational.
As their publicity highlights, they sing a varied and
versatile repertoire and perform as easily in the Anglican
tradition at Christ Church and St. Patrick’s Cathedrals, as
they do in the ancient Tridentine Rite.
While most people are familiar with the Palestrina
choir in Dublin’s Pro Cathedral and its association with
the great 16th century Italian Renaissance composer
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, the Lassus Scholars
and their ‘piccolo heirs’ have, in less than twenty years,
steadily built up an esteemed and highly regarded
reputation both musically and professionally.Their list of
accolades and performances are long and distinguished.
Those hearing the Lassus Scholars perform for the first
SARAH MAC DONALD meets Ite O'Donovan, Ph.D, who has long experience of
bringing the best out of the musical talents of others
High Musical Standards
in Harrington Street
Martha Levey, Rossa Ruadh and Harry Leung - members of Piccolo Lasso. Insert: Ite O'Donovan conducts the orchestra and choir

time are often curious about the choir’s name. It is, of
course, a tribute to Palestrina’s Dutch contemporary,
Orlande de Lassus, who brought polyphony to new
heights. But that doesn’t mean that the Lassus Scholars
only sing his music. Masses and motets by other
Renaissance composers such as Victoria and Byrd, as
well as Palestrina, are part of the repertoire, but also
Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert, Saint-Saens
and Puccini, and other rarely performed masterpieces.
The creative inspiration and vision behind the Dublin
Choral Foundation, the umbrella body for the Lassus
choirs and orchestra, is Dr Ite O’Donovan. She was the
first woman ever appointed as director of the Palestrina
Choir back in 1982. A huge strike for women in the
church and women in music. By 1995, she had brought
the choir to new heights and was looking for a different
challenge. In 1996, the Lassus choirs were born. It now
has a core group of about 16, but that can expand to
18 or 20 depending on what music is being sung. There
are also general members who can swell the numbers to
25.The difference is the level of commitment as the core
group meet twice a week while general members meet
just once a week.
Ite O’Donovan has taught in the College of Music in
Dublin and has a Master’s in Renaissance Music from
Queen’s University, Belfast and has just been awarded
a Ph.D in musicology from University College Dublin.
Quietly driven, she fosters the musical talents of others
but doesn’t let her own gifts go to waste under some
bushel. Standing in the practice hall surrounded by a
group of the youngest choir members – what she terms
the ‘initials’, Ite O’Donovan manages to maintain short
attention spans, hold in check any incipient unruliness
and get the children, some a young as three, to sing a
melody. Hats off! Speaking afterwards to the Pioneer
Magazine, she says she got a better music education as
a child at school than children are getting today. Every
school kid, when the 58-year-old was in the primary
cycle, knew their‘tonic sol-fa’or‘do, re, mi, fa, sol…’Now
she laments, a primary school teacher doesn’t even have
to be able to sing. “When I was in school there was a
sense of making music. Now, there is an awful lot of just
putting on music in a recording and children singing
along with it – right up to the Leaving Cert.”She believes
passionately in the“whole idea of music as an art and as
a science which intellectually challenges kids: can you
twist your brain around that? Do you understand what
a diminished fifth is or what the difference is between
a diminished fifth and an augmented fourth?” These
are the kinds of questions these 10 and 11 year olds are
grappling with.“It is a science and a discipline.The study
of music is such a help to everything else they do.”
Some of the parents of the children in the Piccolo
Lasso choir agree. These range in age from 8 to
13. Niamh Leung’s son Harry (11) says Ite gets the
children to “concentrate on the now and shut down on
everything else. Never mind what they are going to eat
later, she manages to make them focus on the music. I
think this helps them in other areas. They are all good
students and are doing well in school. She encourages
them to reach a standard of excellence.” Eight-year-old
Katie McDonnell’s mother, Lisa, is delighted with the
methodology Ite employs. “If I compare how I learnt
music as a child, in terms of the theory, it seemed quite
complex. But Ite manages to introduce everything bit
by bit and the kids seem to learn about the notes and
rhythms without realising. It works and yet it doesn’t
seem complicated.”
For the children themselves, it is all positive. James
McGowan (12) is a Head Chorister who joined Piccolo
Lasso six years ago. His sister Kate (11) joined at the
same time. “I remember starting off very shy, so it has
really enhanced my courage, I am more confident
about standing up and speaking and singing in front
of people because of everything we do here. I’ve made
lots of new friends in the choir,” he states matter-of-
factly. Kate enthuses about the“lovely places”they have
travelled to with the choir, such as Italy and particularly
Rome. Another member, Barry Grenham, explains that
his music talents are not appreciated in school. “People
in my class don’t think it is cool to be able to sing very
high. They just think it is all weird. But everybody here
acknowledges that you can sing high.” He says he
feels affirmed. Plus there are additional bonuses from
the choir’s involvement in other interesting events.
Annemarie Grenham says Barry would never have sung
in an opera, would never have been part of a dance
production, would never have got to Florence, and
would probably never have been on TV only for Piccolo
Lasso. Barry chips in that he’s been on television several
times now, including for Ireland AM’s Christmas special
to sing carols.
What may surprise any adult on meeting members
of the Piccolo Lasso for the first time is the maturity
and self assuredness of members like Head Choristers
James and Amy as well as Senior Head Chorister Max
and Donnacha. It is obvious Ite has chosen wisely in
bestowing responsibility. But she is facing a major
headache over her two most senior members. Max and
Donnacha’s voices will break soon which means they
will have to leave the choir. A process of attrition thanks
to nature running its course. “The choir boys’ voices are
breaking much earlier than when I started teaching the
Palestrina choir,”she explains and suggests that this may
be due to nutrition. “My average age break when I was
with the Palestrina was 13 to 14. But my experience with
Piccolo Lasso has been that the voices either go when
they hit about first year which is about 12 or even a little
younger.”So she can never rest on her laurels as she bids
farewell to another generation and sets about training
their successors to take up the baton. She hopes that
one day those same boy sopranos will return to the
adult Lassus Scholars and rekindle their love of singing
… encore!

Who is Jesus Christ for me? This is a question some may
answer straightaway – saying that he is all for them. And
yet, if they look at their lives, they have to recognise that
many other things mean a great deal to them too. They
have a host of practical issues to attend to daily. But
they would like to think that Jesus is always with them
– at least being in the background. They ever desire that
he continue being interested in them, while showing
a kindly eye and spiritually offering a helpful hand.
They try not to offend him, but they do not pay much
conscious attention to him.
Those in this situation and others also may sometimes
think that it is time to take stock and to ask themselves,
‘who is Jesus for me?’ So many of us may rightly have
the sense that we are careless in his regard. We may
frequently pass by churches and fail to pop in and greet
him – even briefly, in the Blessed Sacrament.We may not
pray to him enough.
We may get the sense, now and again, that we are
missing much by not taking more notice of him. For the
more we linger with him, the more we are rewarded,
even away beyond what we grasp. The oftener we think
of him, the more he impresses himself on us. The longer
we remain open to his influence, the more alive and even
overwhelming his mystery becomes for us. The greater
the effort we make to get to know him, the profounder
we are convinced of his wisdom and goodness. Of
course he is ever a mystery beyond us.
Too Vast
When we consider all the writings that there are about
Jesus, and how his life has been studied from his birth
to his death – but beyond this to his resurrection and
ascension and to even before he was born – we are
struck by the appeal that he has had and has still. And yet
despite his universal sway, he is yet a particular friend to
each person. So it is good for all of us to reflect on what
aspect of him most appeals to each of us, whether from
our reading or from personal experience.
His Importance
It is often rightly said that we can’t know God adequately,
if we don’t know Jesus Christ. This is plain enough, since
Jesus is God. The Father has revealed himself to us in
his Son. The latter is the total revelation of the Father.
Without all that Christ has made known to us, we are
James Kelly SJ
Who Is Jesus Christ For Me?
SALVA

deprived of a rich vision and deep enlightenment about
the source of everything. Our outlook on everything
then cannot be balanced. We can neither view other
people fittingly, nor can we see our world properly
either – nor its demands on us.
Jesus has revealed all that we should know about the
Father and that we can take.
Hiswordsarenotmerelysounds,whichhavemeaning,
giving us knowledge, but they are a force as well. When
we hear and grasp them, they become active in us. They
change us and make us ever more like God.
By listening carefully to Jesus and what he tells
us, we are being directed to the source of all. We are
being moved even beyond just him – to his mysterious
relationship with the Father – to the depths and fullness
of the Trinity. We are entering into the sphere of God in
all its profundity and brilliance. Meeting Jesus brings us
to the heart of God.
Unique
In our ordinary moments, when we think of Jesus, we are
pondering on someone who was very special – for he
was both God and man. And yet while he was on earth,
people saw only a man, though at times they witnessed
his extraordinary power. They also heard words that had
a divine content. How anyone could be both divine and
human at the same time is beyond our full grasp. This
is all the more puzzling, since there is only one person
there.
Clearly we have to hold that to some extent Jesus,
while on earth, was not bringing to the fore one side of
his existence, but was in some way setting it aside. We
may wonder what his inner life was like – and how he
was conscious of being divine and human. As he lived
his human life, he must have been aware that at most
he was only partially making known his divine side.
Yet he was very special, and had unique knowledge of
his Father and the mission he had given him. How he
attained such awareness is a difficult question. However
the key to answering this is to see the role of the Holy
Spirit in his life. Jesus was always enlightened and
guided by the Spirit. This latter ever kept the proper
balance and union in him – between these seemingly
different realities.
A Saviour
The aspect of Jesus that may be most comforting to us
is that he is our Saviour. Despite all the ups and downs
that we experience, and our own weaknesses, we long
for and hope for salvation. We know that we cannot
achieve this alone by ourselves. Yet we are aware that
Jesus came on earth to save us, and that he died for us.
We ask him to achieve this fully for us. When we look
backwards, we may see a host of errors that we have
made, but we know that his might and goodness can
still rectify all and rescue us.
Devotion to Christ the Saviour is something important
for all of us to have. What matters more than salvation?
ATION

Bringing Home the Bread
CookeryCookery Nothing smells as good in the
kitchen as that of homemade
bread. It is somewhat of a skill
to make the perfect loaf, so
keep practising. To make brown
bread, simply substitute the
plain flour for equal measures
of white and wholemeal flour.
Bread is a good source of protein
and complex carbohydrates. It
is high in niacin, riboflavin and
other B complex vitamins.Whole
grain bread is rich in fibre. –Terry
Jones
BASIC WHITE BREAD
Ingredients:
Half kilo plain flour
50g margarine
15g fresh yeast
Half pint tepid milk or water
METHOD: Sieve together the flour and salt into a
bowl. Rub in the margarine. Blend the yeast into the
tepid milk/water. Pour the liquid into the flour mixture
and work to form firm dough. Add extra milk or flour
if necessary. Turn the dough onto a floured board and
knead for approximately ten minutes until it is firm and
has an elastic consistency. Place into a bowl. Cover the
bowl with a damp cloth. Leave the dough long enough
so that it rises to double its size.
Turn the risen dough onto a floured surface again
and knead again to get rid of any air bubbles that might
have formed inside. Put the dough into a lightly greased
loaf tin so that the tin is half filled. Leave to prove for
about twenty minutes in a warm place. Brush the top
of the dough with milk or water. Place in the centre of a
pre-heated oven at 450F/230C Gas Mark 7 for about ten
minutes. Lower the heat slightly and leave the bread for
a further forty minutes.Turn onto a wire rack to cool.Tap
the underside of the bread. If it is cooked through, the
bread will sound hollow.
MALT BREAD
Ingredients:
350g wholemeal flour
25g margarine
25g sultanas
156g yeast
15ml golden syrup
3ml salt
25g currants
25g candied peel
150 tepid milk
15 ml malt extract.
METHOD: Sieve the flour and salt into a warm bowl.
Rub in the margarine. Add the fruit and peel. Blend
the yeast with the warm milk and add to the mixture.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for five
minutes until the dough has elasticity. Turn into a
bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Leave to rise to
double its size. Knead for a further few minutes when
the dough has risen. Put the mixture into a loaf tin.
Bake in a very hot oven at 450F/230C Gas Mark
8 for a few minutes before reducing the heat
slightly. When baked through, remove
from the oven and leave to cool.
TIP
To freeze the bread, place in a
polythene bag, seal and freeze. Make
sure that the unwrapped bread is at
room temperature for at least four
hours.

ACROSS:
1. The star of the keyboard? (8)
5. Hunger for this tree? (4)
9. Desk (5)
10. Set Free (7)
11. A graceful fairy (4)
12. Genuine (7)
14. Shabby (6)
15. Notwithstanding (6)
19. Operate (7)
22. Line (4)
14. Stunning (7)
25. Unhealthy (5)
26. Sword used in fencing (4)
27. Cruelly (8)
DOWN:
1. Highest male voice (4)
2. Montage (7)
3. A rare, heavy metallic element, symbol
Re (7)
4. Emphasise (6)
6. Silly (5)
7. Features (8)
8. Tribe (4)
13. Exact (7)
16. Litigation (7)
17. Full of anxiety or yearning (7)
18. Scrounger (6)
20. Likeness (5)
21. Tropical wading bird native to warm
climates (4)
23. Remain (4)
PIONEER X-WORDPIONEER X-WORD
NAME:....................................................................................................................................................................................
ADDRESS:.............................................................................................................................................................................
JUNE OBITUARIES
The holy sacrifice of the Mass
has been offered and your
prayers are requested for the happy
repose of the souls of:
Brendan O’Keeney junior, Tullid, Killybegs,
Co Donegal.
Joseph Cunningham, Fibregas, Killybegs,
Co Donegal.
Maureen McCauley, Realt na Mara, Donegal
Road, Killybegs, Co Donegal.
Christy Duggan, Newmarket-on-Fergus,
Co Clare.
William Fitzgerald, Newmarket-on-Fergus,
Co Clare.
Joseph Hayes, Newmarket-on-Fergus,
Co Clare.
Mary O’Leary, Macroom, Co Cork. (Golden
Jub )
Liam Casey, Dunshaughlin, Co Meath
(Golden Jub )
Eileen Delaney, Dunshaughlin, Co Meath.
(Golden Jub )
Martin Williams, Clonmel, Co Tipperary.
(Pioneer )
Eithne Hedrington, Dunshaughlin,
Co Meath. (Golden Jub )
Joan Phelan, Tramore, Co Waterford.
(Golden Jub )
Joan Seerey, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford.
(Fr. Cullen recipient )
Paddy Fox, Carrick on Shannon, Co. Leitrim.
(Golden Jub )
Mgr Gerard Brennan, Paisley, Scotland.
(Diamond Jub )
Canon Kieran O’Farrell. Motherwell,
Scotland. (Diamond Jub )
Chris Hyland, Killasser, Co. Mayo. (Golden
Jub )
Lena Rowley, Killasser, Co. Mayo. (Golden
Jub )
Kathleen Robinson, Clonoe, Co. Tyrone.
(Golden Jub )
Dan Mc Cann, Clonoe, Co. Tyrone. (Diamond
Jub )
Molly Devlin. Clonoe, Co. Tyrone. (Diamond
Jub )
Maria O’Neill. Clonoe, Co. Tyrone. (Golden
Jub )
Winners of Crossword No. 735
Sr Helen, Ferbane, Co Offaly
GP Jackson, Belfast
A Dowling, Crettyard, Carlow.
THREE PRIZES OF E40 EACH
are offered for the first three correct solutions opened.
All entries must be submitted before 21st of this month.
The Editor’s decision on all matters concerning the competition is final.
Do not send correspondence on any other subject with your entry,
which should be addressed to:
PIONEER CROSSWORD No. 737
27 Upper Sherrard Street, Dublin 1
Solutions to Crossword No. 735
ACROSS: 1. Potter; 4. Barges; 9. Ranks; 10. Refrain; 11. Needles; 12. Overt; 13. Numbs;
15. Steed; 20. Tiara; 22. Regular; 24. Amended; 25. Pepys; 26. Nature; 27. Wyvern.
DOWN: 1. Parent; 2. Tonneau; 3. Easel; 5. Affront; 6. Grace; 7. Sonata; 8. Frost;
14. Boarder; 16. Ellipse; 17. Strain; 18. Pride; 19. Prison; 21. Adept; 23. Guppy.

Pioneers: Here,
MONAGHAN: Dr Joseph Duffy, retired Bishop of Clogher, joins the Pioneers in the Saint Macartan's Cathedral, Monaghan Town,
for the presentation of Silver, Gold Jubilarian and Father Cullen medals
MEATH: Gaelscoil na Bóinne sixth class, 2013-2014,
receiving their Pioneer pins from Mr. P.J. Lavin, Trim Co.
Meath
MEATH: Knockcroghery PTAA presentation. Back Row left
to right, Canon Lavin, J.J. Weir, P.J Glennon, Kathleen Morris,
Mary and Paddy. Front row, l to r, Marie Conroy, Sheila
Creavin, Pat Grady, Annie Miley, Nora Kelly and Paddy Beirne,
Seamus Feeney and Geraldine Greene
CARLOW: Carlow Pioneer Centre's under 13 and under 18 Quiz teams go forward to represent Leinster in the All Ireland Quiz Finals

There and Everywhere
Message from His Excellency the Bishop of Oruro
Bishop Cristobal Bialasik
For we who are alive, Praise your name, Lord. (Tb 13.3)
I thank God for the firm and active presence of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart in
Oruro, the same, that eighteen years ago emerged in our Diocese as first in our entire Latin American continent.
Pope Pius X in his Encyclical on devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus said that this devotion is “the sum of all
religion, and with it the rule of perfect life, that best leads souls to know [Christ] intimately and drives the heart
to love him most vehemently and to imitate him more accurately”(Miserentissimus Redemptor). And in the same
encyclical the Pope also said:“The Lord gives to his Church new remedies according to the needs of each time.”
The Pioneers with prayer and renunciation of alcohol consumption are providing society spiritual remedies for one
of the greatest spiritual ills, as are alcoholism and drug abuse.
The associative charism of the Pioneers emerged at the end of the 19th century in Ireland inspiring great devotion
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, seeking the promotion of sobriety to achieve peace and harmony in the household and
to make that country free of the abuse of alcoholic beverages, is for us very relevant today when the fundamental
values of the family, as a vital unit of society, are attacked in many ways.We cannot, therefore, allow alcoholism and
drugs to wreck the family home. As human being created in the image and likeness of God we must ensure and
take care permanently that the family, which is the sanctuary of our society, grows in values.
The Great Blessed Pope John Paul was impacted by the exemplary life of MattTalbot, the Irishman who, an alcoholic,
went on to be an exemplary active member of the Church, dying later in holiness. This exemplary life of one of the
notable members of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association is a model for all the Pioneers imitating his self-
denial, his life of pity and faith, and above all his love and service to the poor and most abandoned many of them
tapped by the excessive consumption of alcohol.
I thank the Pioneers of Oruro for their commitment to the local church, for their pastoral zeal which encourages
them to carry the Pioneer Association to other countries outside Bolivia. May the words of St. Peter:“brethren strive
more and more to claim the call of God who has chosen you. If you do so, you will never fail.”(2 p 1, 10), encouraging
them much more in their daily work of forming healthy family homes with no alcohol and no violence.
On the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the National Awards of Sobriety this next December 10, as Shepherd
and Bishop of our Diocese, I bless them whole heartily.
Mons. Krzysztof J. Bialasik, SVD
Bishop of the Diocese of Oruro

Dear EWTN, Thank you for your programming on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
It is very beautiful and spiritual. – Lori, USA
Fr Bernard does a wonderful job explaining how this devotion came about, and it is so nice to see
Paray-le-Monial where the apparitions took place. – Marianne, USA
Thank you for this very interesting series on the Sacred Heart with Fr Bernard.
I’m learning so much about the visionary and others involved in the origin of this devotion.
This is one program I look forward to watching.
I do hope this will be available on DVD after its initial run. – Oscar, Texas
Thank you, Father, for your priesthood and thank you, EWTN for this episode.
God used it at the precise time of personal crisis to answer prayer! – Denise, USA
I’m taking the opportunity, after watching the new program on the Sacred Heart, to share.
The program was inspiring, educational and it was practical that the priest gave his testimony:
such a profound journey he had too. – Belinda, California
Fr Bernard
McGuckian SJ
€25+p&p
Set of
4 discs
*5.5 hours*
Copies can be ordered from the Pioneer Association
Tel: 00.353.1.8749464 www.pioneerassociation.ie

To the Seller of Each Winning Ticket: €40.00
Tickets are €2 each or
€10 for a book of 6 tickets (1 free tickets)
Please return counterfoils and remittances to
Fr B McGuckian, SJ, 27 Upper Sherrard Street, Dublin 1, no later than Thursday, 26 June 2014
The drawing of wining tickets will take place on Friday, 27 June 2014 at Central Office
Tickets are available from your local Pioneer Centre or Central Office on 01 874 94 64
We are most grateful for your continuous support in all of our fundraising efforts
Bernard McGuckian, SJ,
Editor
PIONEER
ANNUAL
MEMBERS'
RAFFLE
2014
We are giving away
CASH PRISES to three
lucky winners of the
Annual Raffle 2014
* FIRST PRIZE: €2500
*SECOND PRIZE: €500
* THIRD PRIZE: €250

PIONEER TOTAL ABSTINENCE ASSOCIATION
Clontarf Golf Club
Friday 4th July 2014
MAJOR SPONSORS WILL BE INCLUDED IN ALL ADVERTISEMENTS CONNECTED WITH THE GOLF CLASSIC
Hole Sponsorship may Advertise on tees. Prize Sponsorship will be given prominence on display board
Team: ................................................................Captain: ......................................................... Telephone;.................................................
Name: 1 ______________ 2 ___________________ 3 _________________ 4_________________
Club 1 ______________ 2 ___________________ 3 _________________ 4_________________
Handicap 1 ______________ 2 ___________________ 3 _________________ 4_________________
SIGNED: ..............................................................................DATED: _________________ Maximum Handicap: Men: 24; Ladies: 36
ENTRY FEE: E400. NB: CLONTARF GOLF CLUB OPERATE A STRICT DRESS CODE. I.E. NO DENIMS NO SHORTS, NO COLLARLESS SHIRTS
ENTRY FORM
Contact Raymond O’Connor: 01 874 9464 or send entry form below to: Pioneer Association Golf Classic, 27 Upper Sherrard Street, Dublin 1
Tee Reserved: 1pm – 3pm. Best two scores for 18 holes
Prizes: 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Longest Drive, Nearest Pin
Sponsorship: Major Sponsors, Hole Sponsorship, Prize Sponsorship

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