Sir, - Issues concerning the sacrament of the Eucharist have been handled rather ineptly by a school chaplain, Father Hughes, at a recent school graduation Mass in Dublin (The Irish Times, June 1st). By reminding the students present that it was advisable not to receive the Eucharist if they were not regular mass-goers, is he not intervening unnecessarily in their personal relationship with Christ?
Cardinal Desmond Connell may well support Father Hughes by stating he is implementing the "discipline of the catechism", but does a discipline always have to be implemented verbatim? Perhaps the spirit of the law, rather than the law itself, is more important. Could Father Hughes not simply have reminded the students that if they didn't wish to receive the Eucharist, they were welcome to come forward for a blessing, making no reference to regularity of Mass-going. Such a statement would better facilitate self-questioning on the part of students, a most important ingredient for all Christians in their growth of a personal and spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ. - Yours, etc.,
John O'Callaghan, Kilcummin, Killarney, Co Kerry.