E D I TO R I A L UP FRONT GERARD MOLONEY CSsR
TIME TO SAY A SAD FAREWELL
S
adly, the time has come to say goodbye. After almost nine decades of publication, this is the last issue of Reality. The writing had been on the wall for some time. Circulation had been falling; promoters were retiring or dying; finding replacements for them was almost impossible; postage and fulfilment costs continued to increase. The covid-19 crisis made the situation even more precarious. Still, it is with profound sadness that we made the painful decision to close. In many ways, Reality’s fate reflects the state of the church in Ireland today. The picture is bleak. Church attendance, even outside the towns and cities, has declined precipitously; priests are ageing, vocations have dried up, religious orders are closing houses and pulling back from more and more areas of ministry. It is a similar story regarding the religious press. When I started as editor 30 years ago, the Religious Press Association had more than 40 member publications, ranging from national newspapers and magazines to inhouse periodicals. Most major religious congregations and dioceses had a magazine or journal. Production standards varied, as did circulation figures and frequency of publication, but the Association appeared robust. The future seemed bright. Today the Religious Press Association is moribund and its few remaining members face similar challenges to those which confronted Reality; challenges which, of course, also face the secular press. As we look back over the 86 years of Reality’s existence, we do so with considerable pride. It has been quite a ride. At the launch of what was then called The Redemptorist Record in November 1936, its editor, Fr Tom Murphy, was clear as to its purpose: to communicate the Good News of
Christ the Redeemer in a world that was at that time confronting the twin challenges of communism and fascism; to continue the writing tradition passed on to his followers by St Alphonsus, and to promote the Irish Redemptorists’ missionary work. Thirty years later, in October 1966, The Redemptorist Record became Reality magazine. One reason for the change of title was so that its readers would not think it was the official mouthpiece of the Irish Redemptorists or reflected the views of all Irish Redemptorists. But a second, more important reason was in response to the tremendous changes that had taken place in the Catholic Church as a result of the Second Vatican Council. The new reality that existed in the church was now reflected in the pages of the new Reality. It was an exciting time, and its then editor, Fr Michael O’Connor, still happily with us (see his fascinating account of his time at the editor’s desk on page 15), set out to make this magazine a forum that promoted the renewal and reform that were at the heart of the Council. Indeed, the quality of contributors and contributions to the magazine during those years is striking. Associate Editors like Louis McRedmond, Maeve Binchy, John Horgan, Miriam Hederman, and Michael Viney ensured Reality was topical, intelligent, and lively. The magazine played a significant role in bringing the vision and promise of Vatican II to the Irish faithful, even while the editor had to contend not just with one archdiocesan-appointed censor but with three! John Charles McQuaid may not have been a devoted reader of this magazine, but he certainly kept an eye on it and was no fan. Decades after John Charles’ departure, Reality’s mission to inform, inspire and
challenge its readers continued to ruffle episcopal feathers, as Fr Tony Flannery’s confrontation with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith so poignantly highlights. It was clear that some in church authority did not want Reality to address the reality facing the church in the modern world. As we sign off for the last time, all of us in Redemptorist Communications and in the Irish Redemptorist Province wish to thank our readers and promoters for your steadfast support and loyalty over the years. We also thank our office staff, editors, designers, and writers. You will be forever in our prayers. Even as we say goodbye, it is clear that we need a robust religious press in Ireland now more than ever. We need an intelligent Catholic media to champion the Catholic perspective and to which Catholics can turn for support, information, and guidance. We hope to use the opportunities provided by the world wide web and social media to continue to do our bit.
PS. In our October 2022 issue, Brother John Long’s name was inadvertently omitted from the list of Redemptorists buried in Esker cemetery. We apologise to his family for this oversight.
Gerard Molonry CSsR Acting Editor
10 REALITY DECEMBER 2022 Reality-Dec-2022-v3.indd 10
18/11/2022 10:22