On March 17, Father Eugene King, who hails originally from County Cavan, Ireland but who has lived in Canada for many years, gave a talk about Ireland that blended literature, history, politics, philosophy and faith.
King said the Great Famine of 1845-48 marked the Irish psyche in the same profound way the Holocaust affected people of Jewish faith. He also pointed to more recent scars, such as those left by the 1922-23 civil war that contested the partition of Ireland, or the Troubles that were the scourge of Northern Ireland from 1968 till the Good Friday agreement in 1998.
King paid tribute to those individuals who managed to rise above the fray and bring about peace where strife seemed destined to last forever. He mentioned in particular the role of retired Canadian soldier and diplomat Jean De Chastelain in making the Good Friday agreement a reality by negotiating the decommission of stockpiles of arms.
In paying this tribute, King mused that a new beatitude should be added: Blessed by those who practice non-violence. He acknowledged, however, that non-violence is not simple nor is the interpretation of history in Ireland or any other country.
