The significant number of evangelical Catholics in Northern Ireland stands out in a recent survey conducted for the Evangelical Alliance in Northern Ireland (EANI), with 38 per cent of practising Catholics describing themselves as such.
The survey by Savanta ComRes represents the most comprehensive survey of religious identification, practice and viewpoints across Northern Ireland in two decades, notes national broadcaster RTÉ.
The survey also “confirmed Northern Ireland’s unusually high levels of religious practice” compared to the Republic of Ireland.
The results are surprising given that evangelicalism in Northern Ireland came to be associated with Protestantism, especially given the late preacher-politician Rev Ian Paisley casting “ a long shadow over this island’s popular imagination as the embodiment of evangelicalism in Northern Ireland”, RTÉ says.
It notes that as founder of the Free Presbyterian Church and the Democratic Unionist Party, Paisley’s fusion of religion and politics was stark and apocalyptic, with Catholicism cast as an eternal enemy,
Paisley frequently referred to Ulster as “the last bastion of evangelical Protestantism in Western Europe”.
While the Savanta survey indicates that a higher proportion of Protestants in Northern Ireland identify themselves as evangelicals (47 per cent), RTÉ says that the proportion of Catholics who self-identified similarly indicates that the religious situation in Northern Ireland, especially when it comes to evangelicalism, “is much more varied and complex than Paisley’s rhetoric implied”.
Paddy Monaghan of the Evangelical Catholic Initiative welcomed the findings: “Many Catholic respondents may understand the word ‘evangelical’ to mean that they have come into a personal relationship with Jesus.”
This, he notes, can come “through the various renewal movements in the Church” with people identifying as evangelical “in that they have received the gospel, accepted Jesus as personal Lord and Saviour and manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit”.
At the same time, he highlights, “they would also have a love and respect for Scripture as the Word of God.”
EANI has provided testimonies from a number of evangelical Catholics. Ciara Cunningham, who was raised Catholic in Belfast, remarks: “Growing up I learned about God but didn’t really know him personally. I still prayed but it was prayers of petition, and I hadn’t read the Bible very often. When I was 17, two parishes came together and I joined with some 50 other young people to do a 10-week Youth Alpha course. This was where I encountered the person of Jesus which changed my life.
“I experienced Jesus’ love for me in a wonderfully personal way. Faith was now something I had chosen for myself instead of being part of a childhood routine. I received a new thirst to read the Bible and to pray using the Bible. I also found a sense of belonging in knowing Jesus – this was of great help when I felt rejected by some on account of my faith. Since then, I sought more opportunities to grow in a personal relationship with Jesus.”
Fergus McMorrow of Divine Healing Ministries says: “I grew up in Belfast during the ‘Troubles’ in a traditional Catholic family. It was during A levels that I began to read a small Gideon’s Bible in my bedroom and encountered the presence of God. I began studying to be a Catholic priest but halfway through seminary I took time out as I wasn’t sure if this was what the Lord was asking of me. I began attending an evangelical church in Belfast as well as a Catholic charismatic prayer group.
“The Christian Renewal Centre in Rostrevor and the ministry of people like Rev. Cecil Kerr and Dennis Wrigley of the Maranatha Community had a big impact on my life. I recognised a deep brokenness in my early 30s and was led to fully surrender to the Lord, trusting in Christ Jesus as my only Saviour and Lord as I sat in my small Renault car.
“The love of the Father and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit became like rivers of living water flowing from within. The Scriptures became more alive than ever, and I received an assurance ‘by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not of your own doing’ (Ephesians 2:8).”
Father James O’Reilly, who serves as parish administrator in Duneane, County Antrim, says: “I grew up in a beautiful yet nominal Catholic family. I was mad about football, mainly Liverpool, but didn’t know the Lord. My life changed forever when I joined Youth initiatives.
“The Christian staff made an impact on my life and [understanding of how] God was working. A year later as a seventeen-year-old I had an encounter with the Love of Jesus. From that moment I knew I would never be the same again.” He notes that he became an avid scripture reader before being ordained a priest in 2016.
The survey also found that evangelical Catholics continue to differ from the general population in their opposition to abortion and same sex marriage, RTÉ notes.
The nuances of religion and religious life across the island of Ireland arguably came to the fore during the recent important referendums held in the Republic of Ireland, in which the progressive policies of the government were defeated by a resounding vote in favour of maintaining the traditional wording of the Constitution when it comes to the role of women and family life in Irish society.
“Evangelical Catholics do not proclaim an isolated personal or private interpretation of the Gospel but are conscious, respectful and fervent to present the truth of the Gospel in tune with the mission of the Catholic Church in the world,” says Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh.
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