Fr Darren Brennan opened the doors of St Paul’s Parish Centre in Belfast and welcomed parishioners and community members to ask questions about the faith as part of a lay initiative for the Belfast Rosary Festival, which took place last week.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Fr Brennan shared that around 50-60 people attended the ‘Ask A Catholic Priest’ event on October 6, in which he received an overwhelming amount of questions, ranging from topics such as Old Testament versus New Testament, why animals must suffer for our sin and devotion to Our Lady.
Fr Brennan explained that events such as the one hosted as part of the annual rosary festival offer a unique perspective for clergy. “It was a bit of an eye-opener: sometimes we priests assume people have the confidence to come up and ask us anything they want”, but seeing how many people felt self-conscious in asking their questions on the day, he realised “how good it is to create these spaces where people feel confident and welcome to ask questions.”
The parish priest also praised the participation of the laity, including the Legion of Mary and Knights of Columbanus, and emphasised their contribution to the organisation of the event, remarking that it was “pulled together with the intent of injecting enthusiasm and vitality into the Church.”
“It was a great example of when the laity come together and take up the leadership role,” said Fr Brennan.
