Surely some Irish eyes were smiling in Wisconsin today, when the Prime of Ireland popped by a local Irish Fest to offer some encouraging words on how the faith is doing back on the Emerald Isle:

Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh, the Primate of All Ireland, told an American audience that although the Catholic Church has seen a decline in practice in Ireland, there are signs of hope for a religious revival.

“It may be smaller Church in future but it may also be a more authentic one,” the archbishop said, continuing that “ironically, a smaller but more authentic Church may have more influence, more impact because of the integrity of its witness.”

Archbishop Brady spoke in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 17 to a crowd at the Irish Fest. He told the audience that Ireland has seen a dramatic overall change, with traditional authorities such as government and the Church on the wane, and the media playing an ever more powerful role. The archbishop said that he was troubled by a lack of cohesion in society, by family breakdown, and by a “shift to superficiality in Irish culture.”

However, the Irish prelate observed that the trend toward secularism in Ireland appears exhausted, with many people rediscovering their need to spiritual sustenance.

No word on whether the archbishop tried any of Milwaukee’s legendary beer — green or otherwise.