Blessing the Roads

Chloris

Mayo will this weekend bless the county’s roads in a novel ceremony aimed at reducing the number of people who die in traffic accidents each year. A special ‘Blessing of the Roads Ceremony’ will take place during Masses and Services throughout the county on Easter Sunday as religious leaders back the campaign to make the roads safer.
The ceremony, which will place at all Catholic and Church of Ireland churches on Sunday next, is the brainchild of Noel Gibbons, Road Safety Officer of Mayo County Council.
“The Blessing of the Roads Ceremony takes places in parts of Australia each year to raise local awareness of road safety, and we are bringing it to Mayo this year,” said Mr Gibbons, who added that 15 people were killed on Mayo’s roads last year. The total so far this year is two.
He added: “The community makes improved road safety a goal in an effort to ensure that the grief associated with loss of life, or serious injury, does not come to them.
“This is the first year we have done the Blessing of the Roads Ceremony in Co. Mayo and we have got a very enthusiastic response. There are still too many drivers under the impression that an accident won’t happen to them.
“The trauma of road crashes to families and communities is devastating. A major focus of the campaign is to promote the issue of driver fatigue, drink-driving and speeding, as well as praying for the safety of not only all road users, but our Gardai and emergency services.”
Tuam archdiocese spokesperson Fr Fintan Monaghan said the church was “fully behind the campaign. We all need to play our part to reduce the number of road deaths.”


http://www.roadsafetymayo.ie/RoadsafetyCampaigns/

Chucken

Yes?

Littlehorny

Harmless enough idea i suppose but it just reminds me of the Father Ted episode where Dougal is stuck on a milk float and its rigged with a bomb and the only idea the priests can come up to save him is to have a mass

5uspect

I demand a double blind controlled trial.

gawker

That's nice of them.If the Church spent more time blessing roads and less time meddling with people's lives and rights this forum would be a lot less busy!

ShooterSF

Im not too keen on the idea that the person in charge of road safety in Mayo thinks this counts as doing something. Anyway why would the church care? Surely how long you live in this world is rather meaningless to someone who sees it as a test for where you get to spend eternity. I don't get their concern over deaths. Strange!

Galwayguy35

ShooterSF wrote: »

Im not too keen on the idea that the person in charge of road safety in Mayo thinks this counts as doing something. Anyway why would the church care? Surely how long you live in this world is rather meaningless to someone who sees it as a test for where you get to spend eternity. I don't get their concern over deaths. Strange!

Strange post, so are you saying that because a person is Christian they shouldn't give a damn if people loose their lives on the road?

Chloris

Christians seem to mostly believe in Predestination. It's weird that they would be so presumptuous as to question God's plan for those who died on the road. I'm outraged by the audacity of suggesting that giving something an earthy blessing will make any difference in the eyes of the Divine.

Good to know that the RSA are reassured by this. I wonder if they had to contribute any of their budget to it for the incense or holy water?!

housetypeb

Is it true that the potholes were miraculously cured?
If so,I have a few relatives that would gladly go and pray to the road where they were.

iguana

ShooterSF wrote: »

Im not too keen on the idea that the person in charge of road safety in Mayo thinks this counts as doing something.

That's kind of the crux of it isn't it? If the priests had this idea, got any necessary permissions and went off and did it, it would be fine. But if this is a case of the person whose job it is to promote road safety in the county, deciding to do this as part of his job, then that's pretty screwy.

Kivaro

Fabulous.

Blessing and 'praying' for roads by the church has done fabulously in the past, hasn't it.

As a member of the Human Race, I am utterly embarrassed by these actions.

If there are any space aliens following these events and reading our posts (which may account for all the "guest" viewers on these forums), please know that we are all not that gullible.
Thanks! (and bring a faster Internet with you on your next visit .....)

Turtwig

This happened last April. . .

Chloris

Statistically speaking, there has been a decrease in road traffic accidents since then. Alleluia!

5uspect

Just in Mayo?

im invisible

Its not easter again is it? That year flew

Chloris

Nationwide but also in Mayo:

Compare the Mayo statistics here from 2010 the claim that they reduced deaths 50% in 2011.

I don't know whether it's a miraculous gift from God or the result of increasingly severe penalties discouraging drivers from acting irresponsibly, but something is working..!

Jimoslimos

Chloris wrote: »

Statistically speaking, there has been a decrease in road traffic accidents since then. Alleluia!

Correlation does not equal causation!

badspealler

Bless the cars, silly; not the roads...

That way, even if the car goes abroad (un-blessed roads), the blessing still stands, so it need fear nothing from heathen, paganistic, atheistic, un-blessed roads throughout the world.

Surely that's a no brainer, even for a religious person? :rolleyes:

[And if they start doing that, Scotty, beam me the f()* off this rock...] :eek:

TheChizler

Chloris wrote: »

"There are still too many drivers under the impression that an accident won’t happen to them."

But they've blessed the roads so now drivers have a reason to believe that an accident wont happen to them! Does the protection end once you leave the county bounds?

Other than that I can see no flaw in this. <_< >_>

Chloris

The reasonableness of the individuals posting here is a joy to see. I'm getting Crilly in to bless the thread.

ShooterSF

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

Strange post, so are you saying that because a person is Christian they shouldn't give a damn if people loose their lives on the road?

It shouldnt be of great concern unless they feel that people are more likely to be "saved" the longer they live but my guess there is it's probably the opposite. I know it's human nature to care but why the church feels its important I don't get. It's their teachings that suggest the one area where this life is practically irrelevant is in it's length, given that eternity awaits after. What's 40 or 50 years next to eternity? A speck (if that).

MadsL

robindch

Chloris wrote: »

A special ‘Blessing of the Roads Ceremony’ will take place during Masses and Services throughout the county on Easter Sunday as religious leaders back the campaign to make the roads safer.

Roads don't kill people; people on roads kill people.

kylith

I loved that whatever news report I read on it called it 'novel'. That's the best we can hope for; religion to be seen as more and more quaint and old fashioned until church attendances dwindle away to nothing, like the fad for fancy paper when I was little; we never decided to stop collecting it, but at some point we did stop, and almost without noticing.

recedite

badspealler wrote: »

Bless the cars, silly; not the roads...

That way, even if the car goes abroad (un-blessed roads), the blessing still stands, so it need fear nothing from heathen, paganistic, atheistic, un-blessed roads throughout the world.

Surely that's a no brainer, even for a religious person? :rolleyes:

Not really, because all the roads on this island are connected. So by blessing the roads in Mayo, they are protecting the entire country and all the cars in it from harm. Owners of quads and other off-road vehicles would still need to get holy water sprinkled individually on their machines though.

There's a dog living near me who must be a holy dog because I often see him sprinkling car tyres, especially whenever a stranger parks on the road. Probably a re-incarnated priest.

Chuck Stone

Will the people of Mayo now be able to drive as if on a divine wind?

Dades

iguana wrote: »

That's kind of the crux of it isn't it? If the priests had this idea, got any necessary permissions and went off and did it, it would be fine. But if this is a case of the person whose job it is to promote road safety in the county, deciding to do this as part of his job, then that's pretty screwy.

I don't really see a problem. It's not as if they blew half their road safety budget on this.

It costs nothing to get some local priests and altar boys out splashing water on the road, but drums up a bit of media attention for the cause. Sure, it's a all a bit daft but IMO it's a great way of getting the problem of road deaths in people's minds.

ShooterSF

Dades wrote: »

I don't really see a problem. It's not as if they blew half their road safety budget on this.

It costs nothing to get some local priests and altar boys out splashing water on the road, but drums up a bit of media attention for the cause. Sure, it's a all a bit daft but IMO it's a great way of getting the problem of road deaths in people's minds.

But it is a problem if he actually believes it helps and looks to supernatural intervention in place of coming up with real solutions.

Dades

ShooterSF wrote: »

But it is a problem if he actually believes it helps and looks to supernatural intervention in place of coming up with real solutions.

I genuinely may have missed it - but is there some evidence to say this is being used instead of other measures, rather than in conjunction with whatever other alternative awareness programs they run?

Newaglish

I just don't get why God would kill people on the roads unless someone takes the time to bless them. Shouldn't the minimum amount of people be killed in tragic road accidents, as a rule?

goose2005

Newaglish wrote: »

I just don't get why God would kill people on the roads unless someone takes the time to bless them. Shouldn't the minimum amount of people be killed in tragic road accidents, as a rule?

God moves in mysterious ways, just like a drunk driver.

NotForResale

what if its the wrong god? this might make it worse!

aidan24326

Cue a major reduction in Mayo road deaths and a solid proof that prayer works. The A&A forum will be defunct within a few months.

ShooterSF

Dades wrote: »

I genuinely may have missed it - but is there some evidence to say this is being used instead of other measures, rather than in conjunction with whatever other alternative awareness programs they run?

No sorry pure hypothetical situation I was suggesting but it's not hard to imagine that people who believe deities can and do interfere in deaths would honestly believe this is the best course of action.

TheChizler

Hopefully people don't think there's an extra level of safety now in place and drive like idiots or something...