Chai Brady
At a time when the voice of Faith in Irish public life can often seem faint, the Irish Society for Christian Civilisation (ISCC) is determined to make it heard. Rooted in devotion to the Rosary and fidelity to the teachings of the Church, this lay-led organisation is confronting what it calls a “moral crisis shaking the remnants of Christendom”.
At its helm is Rory O’Hanlon, who told The Irish Catholic: “Irish Society for Christian Civilisation is an organisation of lay Catholic Irishmen and Irishwomen concerned with the moral crisis shaking the remnants of Christendom. We strive to peacefully defend hierarchy and the values of tradition, family and property; and to highlight the mission of the Church as the teacher of virtue, the fountain of grace and the irreconcilable enemy of error and sin.”
A key part of this mission is the promotion of the Rosary, which is at the heart of Catholic devotion. “The Rosary is a great means of salvation and sanctification,” Mr O’Hanlon states. “One of the great promises associated with the Rosary is that: ‘You shall obtain everything you ask through the recitation of the Rosary’. What better benefit could we ask than the good of the Church and the preservation and restoration of Christian civilisation?”
Our Lady warned of the spreading of the errors of Russia, and of wars, and the annihilation of nations. And in each of the six apparitions in Fatima, she told us to pray the Rosary every day”
Mr O’Hanlon stresses that the Rosary has a dual significance, both spiritual and societal, saying that the message of Fatima “concerns itself mainly with the salvation of souls, but also focuses on the problems of temporal society”.
“For example, Our Lady warned of the spreading of the errors of Russia, and of wars, and the annihilation of nations. And in each of the six apparitions in Fatima, she told us to pray the Rosary every day,” he says, adding that the Rosary will contribute to both the salvation of souls and the restoration of Christian civilisation.
For Mr O’Hanlon, the Rosary has played a personal role in his own life. “I was brought up with the Rosary frequently recited in my family, and thanks to the influence of many good friends and mentors I was encouraged to pray it every day. Later a friend advised me to pray 15 decades per day instead of just five. I thought it would be impossible, but after trying it for a while, it somehow was no more difficult than praying only five decades.”
His involvement in the ISCC began when he was a university student when a friend lent him the book Revolution and Counter-revolution, by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, which highlighted the importance of the mission of the Church. “The love that the author expressed for the Church really inspired me,” he recalls.
Brazil
That inspiration led him to Brazil, where he met Prof. Corrêa de Oliveira. “He encouraged me to dedicate myself to defending the Church and Christian civilisation. And he was a man who led by example, both in his life of devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, to Our Lady and to the Papacy, and in his actions in defence of the Faith,” Mr O’Hanlon says.
The challenges faced by the ISCC in modern Ireland are significant, particularly given the growing secularisation of society. “As some of your readers have surely seen on our YouTube channel, it is challenging for sure. We are often confronted with hostility towards Church teaching and towards Catholics. That hostility comes from the state, from the mainstream media, and even from some sectors of the public.”
However, Mr O’Hanlon remains hopeful: “On the other hand we see a huge surge in enthusiasm for the Faith, especially in the younger generations. This surge of faith must be as unsettling for those hostile to the Church as it is uplifting for the faithful. We can also take courage from the promise of Our Lord that He would be with His Church to the end of time. And the message of Fatima encourages us with the words of Our Lady: ‘In the end My Immaculate Heart will triumph!’”
We were teaching about the virtue of purity and Catholic manliness that uproar about our Call to Chivalry Summer Camp was triggered. I think it is a badge of honour to be feared for teaching this”
One of the ISCC’s most publicised initiatives has been its ‘Call to Chivalry’ summer camps, which sparked media controversy. The idea of fostering Catholic manliness among boys was met with resistance from some quarters. “Yes, even some government ministers have denounced the supposed toxic masculinity of Irish men,” Mr O’Hanlon says, “Catholic men are called to practice the manly virtues like courage, to stand up to the enemies of the Church, and even to risk our lives for the Church and for the good of souls. And I think that the enemies of the Church fear those virtues, and don’t want them to be taught to the youth.
“It was specifically because we were teaching about the virtue of purity and Catholic manliness that uproar about our Call to Chivalry Summer Camp was triggered. I think it is a badge of honour to be feared for teaching this.”
Battle
For O’Hanlon, the controversy is part of a larger cultural battle, saying: “Behind that uproar about our camp is a cultural war. It is a war in which everyone must choose to be with Christ or against him. The commandments and the teachings of the Church require us to live in a way that can be difficult. We are asked to go against our inclinations – to live chastely, to always tell the truth, to forgive our enemies, and the like. And if people find any of that too hard to practice, they might resent the Church. And to make matters worse, some of our adversaries know how to exploit that resentment, and to make it boil over.”
The ISCC also promotes good male role models, particularly in response to the contemporary crisis of masculinity. Mr O’Hanlon gives the example of one, the 14-year-old Mexican boy, St Jose Sanchez del Rio, who defended the Faith in the Cristero war. “He died a torturous death, while his cynical Godfather tried to get him to abandon the Faith. He died crying ‘Long live Christ the King’”, he says.
It brings the Faith directly into the public street, like re-conquering the public spaces for God and Our Lady”
Another role model O’Hanlon highlights is St Thomas More who “stood by the truth, defended the Faith and specifically marriage, renouncing the highest office in the land, and ultimately his life”. And then, of course, there is St Peter.
Looking ahead, O’Hanlon is eagerly anticipating the upcoming Rosary Rally Crusade in May, saying: “I especially look forward to hearing the reactions from the public from all over the island. Some groups are small, with just two people in a small village, or more than 250 people in several rallies. It is a great opportunity to see that the Faith is not dead in Ireland – far from it, in fact. It brings the Faith directly into the public street, like re-conquering the public spaces for God and Our Lady. I believe that we are close to reaching our goal of organising 575 public Rosary rallies for May 10.”
The ISCC remains committed to its mission, despite the many obstacles in its path. Mr O’Hanlon and his colleagues are determined to stand firm in their Faith, and to help inspire a new generation of Catholics.