‘Happy Christmas.’ Why in God’s name should that cause offence?

THE most surprising statistic of the last few days, for my money, came from the priests of St Teresa’s Church, Clarendon Street, in Dublin.

At Sunday’s 11.30 Mass, it was announced that the previous week’s collection for the St Vincent de Paul Society had raised over €25,000. People in the congregation glanced at each other - surprised, yet not surprised. There was nothing self-congratulatory in the air. But perhaps a sense of satisfaction that a good deed had been done.

The same deed has been done in many other parishes and faith communities all over Ireland. Dalkey parish gathered €26,000 in a similar collection. Perhaps it is unfair to single out the wealthier communities. In other places the amounts raised may have been smaller but the donations, as a proportion of people’s incomes, may have been larger. Those who have less often give more, the received wisdom goes.