ABSTRACT
The Vincentian parish mission was a product of the Tridentine church. Assailed by Renaissance humanism, scientific discovery and the spread of protestantism, the Roman church turned inwards. It became obsessed with securing the absolute allegiance of its nominal adherents. The domestic and communal nature of medieval religion was firmly discouraged as presenting dangerous opportunities for the fostering of illicit ideas and activities. For though Paul Cullen was the major influence in what could be called the Irish counter-reformation of the nineteenth century, his reputation has tended to overshadow the role played by other individuals and groups. This chapter explores the role of religion at a critical juncture in the development of modern Irish society by examining the work of one of the most significant groups on the Roman Catholic side of the widening divide. Relations between catholics and protestants deteriorated rapidly after the mission.
