Pilgrimage? No just got wet a lot

It was interesting that we were brought up as Roman Catholics. Actually for a number of years we thought everyone was. There was no real discussion of any other religions, except my mother’s occasional ingracious sneer, ‘Bunch of heathens’.

I didn’t understand exactly whom she was referring to, but can only assume, it was anyone who wasn’t Roman Catholic. Or liked music other than Elvis (just kidding Mrs Dwyer/Mills).  Actually the phrase,‘Bunch of heathens’, was used very regularly by my mother to describe a lot of things which were not on par with her ‘English’ heritage. After living her first 16 years in the United Kingdom, she left, to arrive in New Zealand, where, apart from a few years in Australia, she has lived for over half a cent…. (whoops, nearly let that slip out). She has lived for the greatest majority of her life in New Zealand. Yet she has always retained the ‘quintessential Englishness’. And yes, it definitely exists. We grew up with it. (Much more on that in later blogs)

So, we were discussing, Religion. It suits some, angers others and is forced upon so many, who are really, in most cases I have encountered, not interested (a bit like politics really). They don’t want to deny others the right to their religion, they just don’t want that particular persons rules of religion forced upon them. Unfortunately ours was. We were placed full-square into the Roman Catholic traditions and by method of repeated absorption, extremely, constantly repeated, we were expected to become just that. A good, solid, Roman ‘Pope honouring’, Commandment respecting, church going, bible reading, and so on, and so on, and, a Catholic. Since then, having read major parts of the bible, and currently reading it in combination with several other religious works of various faiths, I find many similarities. Love one another, be kind, be truthful and do not harm. But what we see in the world today must be what happens when these are interpreted by self serving religious advisors (in some religions), then those concepts appear to become abused and confused.

But back then we were young, impressionable and malleable (sort of) The regular early morning Sunday mass attendance to be done in all weather, and Dunedin had all weather, particularly in the winter. Freezing mornings, freezing rain, freezing snow, freezing sleet, freezing hail, sometimes I think the sun was just freezing. But we would be roused from our sleeps with instructions to dress tidily (Sunday best) and of course, accordingly. Then out into the cold morning and a walk (or wet trudge) to the church, which was just over 2km’s away (I know it was, I measured it on google earth® just now). I believe I have already mentioned that we did not own a car. The buses did not run Sunday mornings and so, we walked, each way, 4km’s. The Dwyer clan on their way to church, passing all the non-believers and ‘heathens’.

(continued tomorrow)