Cliches and caricatures are part of our way of coping with reality. The summary and perspective they offer can provide a handle for new situations and experiences we encounter. They work precisely because they capture a key dimension of a reality. As a consequence, they are reductive and of necessity are both true and untrue. In the crisis in which the Catholic Church in Ireland finds itself, we risk taking refuge in cliches and in caricatures of our faith. When we lose track of our faith we risk missing the wood for the trees. When we lose track of our faith, we risk replacing the Bread of Life by consecrated hosts, replacing repentance by confession, prayer by piety, theology by apologetics, and history by nostalgia.