It is a great joy and a privilege to be here today.  It is lovely to be here on Mary’s Feast, for she is the Mother and Queen of all saints as we dedicate this lovely chapel to all the saints of Ireland, for the glory of God and the service of God’s people.  As I do so, my mind goes back to the origins of the Irish College and I think of the important part which the chapel has played in the lives of the students for almost four hundred (400) years.  I am delighted to think that of the nine figures, represented in the apse, three actually were students of the college, St Oliver Plunkett, Blessed Columba Marmion and Father Ragheed Ganni.  

It was once said of Dante’s Paradiso that it sings of the eternal happiness of man in vision, love and enjoyment united to his Creator.  I dare to say that, in this chapel, we find something of that same eternal happiness in the beatific vision, love and enjoyment of the saints, united to his Creator.  I congratulate most heartily all involved in producing the final outcome.  

I warmly congratulate the Rector, Mons Liam Bergin, who has planned and carried out this project of renovating the College chapel from the very beginning.  I also congratulate the other members of staff, Fr Albert, Fr Billy and Fr Chris who have ably assisted and abetted their leader in this glorious enterprise.  I want you to join with me in offering this Mass for Fr Albert’s parents, aunt and uncle who have died in the last six months, as we once again offer him our deepest sympathy on his great loss.

I rejoice with Fr Marko Ivan Rupnik on the excellence of his mosaics.  I also congratulate the artists of the Centro Aletti Rome and of Vetrate Giuliani on their outstanding contribution to the beauty and grandeur of this chapel.  I am just a little envious of you, the present staff and students, who have such a wondrously beautiful place in which to encounter the living God, the source and origin of all that is good and true and beautiful for meditation, contemplation and inspiration.

To help us consider the part played by the college chapel in the lives of various students I am going to call on four witnesses.  

Witness 1:
What part did the college chapel play in the life of Oliver Plunkett?  My mind goes back to 1669 – Oliver Plunkett has been appointed Archbishop of Armagh.   As he paid his last visit to Santo Spirito Hospital where he used to tend the sick and the dying, a saintly Polish priest, Jerome Mieskow, bade him farewell with these prophetic words,

“My Lord, you are now going to shed your blood for the Catholic faith.”  Oliver replied, “I am unworthy of such a favour but help me with your prayers that this desire of mine may be fulfilled.”

Surely his prayer-life as a seminarian, his uniting his suffering to Christ, played a role in the formulation of that desire in the Heart of our Martyr Primate to shed his blood for the Catholic faith?  St Oliver’s strong faith and his sacrificing of his life rather than give up his faith are values of perennial worth.  He did not run away or abandon his flock.  

The college chapel has been in many different places, Via degli Artisti, Via degli Ibernesi, Sant Agatha dei Gothi, Via Santi Quattro and in different shapes and sizes.  It was at Sant Agatha where Columba Marmion came in 1877 from Holy Cross College, Clonliffe, who is my second witness.

Witness 2:
No matter where, there was always an altar representing Christ the fixed point of time and space.  Blessed Columba Marmion took that lesson to heart, exalting the person of Christ and making Him the centre of the whole spiritual life.  Hence we have his writings,

Christ, The Life Of The Soul
Christ In His Mysteries
Christ The Ideal Of The Monk
Come to Christ All You Who Labour, and
Christ The Ideal Of The Priest

Witness 3:
My next witness does not have a name.  He represents the various generations of seminarians and priests who have prayed in this very Chapel.  Here they discerned what God was calling them to do.  Here they prepared to be shepherds, good shepherds, after the model of Christ, the Good Shepherd.  They first came here in 1926 when  the fledging Irish nation was just emerging from a War of Independence and a bloody civil war and was about to face an economic war.  There was a lot of hardship in prospect and plenty of reasons to despair and yet they did not despair.  They did not despair because they were sustained by the memory of their glorious history going all the way back to Luke Wadding and Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi, to Oliver Plunkett and John Brennan and they never lost hope.  The prayer life in this chapel surely contributed to that hope.

I have just come from Ireland.  It is an Ireland, as you know, where it will be especially difficult this year to see Christmas as a time of peace and joy.  Families are under pressure.  People have lost jobs, some have even lost houses.  The banks are being implored to show to others something of the compassion already shown to them.  We face years of hardship.

In that context, in a way, it is a welcome relief to be here to dedicate a Chapel to All the Saints of Ireland, with Christ the Good Shepherd as its wonderful centrepiece.  What a marvellous mosaic of the Good Shepherd.

Good Shepherds, that is exactly what we need in Ireland at this time, good shepherds, political and economic good shepherds and spiritual good shepherds. People with the ability to find and seek out “lost sheep”, hoist them on to their shoulders and carry them to safety.  Shepherds, with the vision to see a way forward and a sense of the common good.  But more importantly we need spiritual Good Shepherds, the kind of people who can say, with conviction, that despite the lack of even a glimmer of positive expectation, their hope remains strong.  Yes, that hope definitely remains strong because ultimately it is a hope that comes, not from ourselves, but from God, from a God who alone is good, almighty and loving.

That hope includes the expectation for a better future.  The recession won’t last forever – yes, we may face years of hardship but hope is the capacity to see God in the midst of trouble and to be co-workers with the Holy Spirit and others to find a way out of the trouble.  The others I have in mind are those brilliant, creative, dedicated, men and women, with a sense of the common good and the vision to find a way out of the morass.  From this vision can certainly come the strength to be steadfast and the tenacity to hold fast and the will to work to change the reality in which we find ourselves.  Hope above all means not succumbing to the prophets of doom and negativity who, when all is said and done, have nothing to offer.

Hope is the gift by which God provides us with, what we could never achieve on our own.  Precisely because it is a gift, we should ask for it, for everybody, not just for ourselves.

Right now, not only Ireland but the world needs Good Shepherds, the kind of Good Shepherd who can lead his flock into those places where the encounter with the living God takes place and where the salvation promised to all of us truly becomes a reality.  This lovely Chapel is just such a place where those who pray here are invited into the bosom of God, from whom all comes and to whom all returns.

I am told that the key to understanding this marvellously renovated Chapel is the belief that the prayer of the Christian community gathered here on earth is one and the same as that of the Communion of Saints in heaven.  The conviction that when the College community gathered for prayer, it joins with the glorified Lord, and our Lord and all the saints in praising God is fascinating.

Witness 4:
My final witness is Father Ragheed Ganni, who is featured on the extreme right of St Brigid.  He is depicted without a halo but holding the palms of martyrdom.  Born in 1973, Ragheed became an engineering graduate from the University of Mosul in Iraq.  He became a student of the Irish College in 1996, was ordained a priest in 2001 and celebrated his first Mass in this Chapel.

During his seven years as a student he spent many summers in Ireland, working in various places, especially the pilgrimage island of Lough Derg, Co Donegal in the diocese of Clogher.  Father Ragheed went back to his native Mosul.  He was appointed to a parish where he, and his family, received many death threats; his house and Church were often attacked.  Ragheed insisted on staying to make sure his people had the Eucharist and pastoral care.  On 3 June 2007, he, and three Sub-Deacons were murdered.  The relics of St Oliver, wrapped in Father Ragheed’s stole, will be placed in the altar.  They are put there to remind us that the life of grace is received from God, made man in Christ Jesus.

My mind also goes back to 1960 – 50 years ago when I myself first set foot in this chapel, as a student of First Theology.  To tell the truth, I sometimes feel a little bit like Oisin, back from Tir Na Nog – when I think of those far off distant Pre Vatican II days – of soutanes, sopranos and ferraiolas; of tonsured heads and cameratas and yet, yes many things have changed, but only superficially.  The underlying realities remain the same.  They are well captured and expressed in the motifs of this refurbished Chapel.

•    Jesus crucified,
•    John the Baptist beheaded,
•    Oliver Plunkett hung, drawn and quartered,
•    Ragheed Ganni shot dead with three sub deacons.  
•    Mary, the Mother of Jesus, whose soul was pierced with the sword of suffering.
•    St Patrick calumniated and harassed by his enemies.  
•    Columbanus, no stranger to conflict and opposition.  

    What sustained them all through their trials and tribulations?
    What have they in common?  

Their union with Jesus Christ.  

I am glad St Brigid gets such a prominent place, the Mary of the Gael and that her cloak is included at her feet.  It reminds us of her monastery at Kildare.  There she made her foundation where she was able to express her love of God in her hospitality to the stranger and her care for the poor.  That also is a vital part of the work of every Good Shepherd.

It is Mary’s Feast and she is there at the place of honour, at her son’s right hand, looking at Him and looking at us, pointing us towards Him in the time-honoured pose of prayer of intercession.  May she always be venerated in this place and may she always remind all of us to do whatever Jesus tells us.  Then all of us will be Good Shepherds, not only in word but in reality as well. Mary said to the Angel:  “Let what you said be done”.  It is not an easy prayer to make.  Jesus prayed it himself in Gethsemane. It raises issues of trust and surrender for all of us.  

I once heard it said that the most important piece of furniture in any Church is the presence of believers at prayer.  I invite you all then to spend a lot of time here.  Like the saints, fix your gaze on Christ. “In Jesus Christ who allowed his heart to be pierced – the true face of God is seen” as Pope Benedict told the young people in Cologne.  

In Jesus we contemplate beauty and splendour at source….the truth of God’s love in Christ encounters us, attracts us, delight us.  Tonight we give thanks and praise to God for the beauty and splendour to be seen here, leading us to contemplate Beauty itself.          AMEN

This I command – to love one another.  This Gospel and these words were spoken by Jesus.  He spoke them at the Last Supper.  On the night before He died He spoke them to his nearest and dearest.  They are precious.  They are a gift to all of us.  They have inspired me.  He just did not speak to them and leave it at that.  He accompanied with these other gifts.  Jesus gave them examples of what he was talking about.  He commanded them to love one another. He got up from the table, put on an apron and stooped down and washed their feet.  He knew that this was going to be a hard act to follow especially as he was going to lay down life for them, his friends, the next day on the cross on Calvary.

But Jesus is not unreasonable.  Because he knew that his command was going to be tough.  He was not going to ask something and not supply the wherewithal with which to deliver.  So he gave us two more gifts – His Body and Blood to be our food and drink, the priesthood, the sacrament of Holy Order to guarantee His Eucharistic presence.

It is my great privilege and joy to have been with Pope Benedict XVI in Scotland and England last weekend.   When I got back to Armagh yesterday evening, I remembered that this Mass of Thanksgiving, to mark the retirement of Mr Patrick McAleavey, was taking place here this morning.  I was also very pleased to find that Mr McCoy had kindly sent on the text – contained in this lovely booklet.   I was even more pleased when I discovered how carefully chosen, and so very appropriate, the texts which have been selected are for this very special occasion.

Mr McAleavey is retiring after forty (40) years outstanding service to this school – St. Patrick’s High School, Keady.  We are here to thank God for all those years but especially for the thirty (30) years as Principal.

I met someone of Mr McAleavey’s age – who is also retiring from teaching this year.  I wished him well on the new chapter of his life now beginning.  “Ah yes” he said, “Sure it is only a turning of the page in the Book of Life”.

So Mr McAleavey – whether you see it as a turning of the page or the beginning of a new chapter – we are here today to thank God for all that has been and to implore from God, graces and favours for all that will be.

We thank God for all that has been given to you and through you – to what Pope Benedict called ‘the noble task of education’.

It is a noble task because every pupil and every teacher and every parent is, in the words of the First Reading, ‘precious to God’.  God loves each one of us and give us honour.  For that reason we must not be afraid.  God is with all of you.  

In the words of Pope Benedict to young people in St. Mary’s Twickenham last Friday, ‘A good school provides a rounded education for the person and a good Catholic school, over and above this, should help all its students to become saints’.  And, dare I suggest that we are celebrating the efforts of Mr McAleavey, over forty years, here in St Patrick’s High School, Keady to make this not only a good school but to make it a good Catholic school – providing a rounded education for the whole person and for every pupil.

I read with great interest the comments on the gifts which Brian Watters, Deputy Head Boy will deliver in a few minutes.  Philip Nugent will carry a candle – a symbol of our Baptism.

Then we give thanks for Mr McAleavey’s parents – Patrick and Kathleen – who handed on their faith to their son.  We will pray for all parents that they will have strong faith to pass on, lasting values, courage to have boundaries for their children and compassionate hearts with which to love their children.

I have to confess that, for me, one of the joys of the Easter vigil in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh is to hear Mr McAleavey sing the famous responsorial psalm:  
Like the Dear that yearns for running streams,
So my soil is yearning for you my God.  

His years of service to the Cathedral Choir are even longer than those dedicated to St. Patrick’s High School as he has been a member of this choir for 50 years!  Those years show his keen appreciation of why we are here on this earth:
•    To give praise and glory to God in word and song,
•    In what we think and what we do

It was a great delight to read that he has untiringly endeavoured to instil in the student this spirit of being involved in your local community – and not just involvement in sporting activities but in every activity.  You see the God who saves us – will save us as members of a community.

Last Friday Pope Benedict inaugurated a Sports Foundation in St Mary’s University College, Twickenham.  Perhaps we have some graduates of St. Mary’s here.  He prays that all who would come there would give glory to God through their sporting activities as well as bringing enjoyment to themselves and others.

Then he addressed the students directly and said:  “It is not often that a Pope or indeed anyone else has the opportunity to speak to the students of all the Catholic schools of England, Wales and Scotland at the same time.  And since I have the chance now, there is something I very much want to say to you.  

I hope that among those of you listening to me today there are some of the future saints of the 21st century.  What God wants most of all for each one of you is that you should become holy.  He loves you much more than you could ever begin to imagine, and he wants the very best for you.  And by far the best thing for you is to grow in holiness.

Perhaps some of you have never thought about this before.  Perhaps some of you think being a saint is not for you.  Let me explain what I mean.  When we are young, we can usually think of people that we look up to, people we admire, people we want to be like.  It could be someone we meet in our daily lives that we hold in great esteem.  Or it could be someone famous.  We live in a celebrity culture, and young people are often encouraged to model themselves on figures from the world of sport or entertainment.  My question for you is this:
•    What are the qualities you see in others that you would most like to have yourselves?  
•    What kind of person would you really like to be?

When I invite you to become saints, I am asking you not to be content with second best.  I am asking you not to pursue one limited goal and ignore all the others.  Having money makes it possible to be generous and to do good in the world, but on its own, it is not enough to make us happy.  Being highly skilled in some activity or profession is good, but it will not satisfy us unless we aim for something greater still.  It might make us famous, but it will not make us happy.  Happiness is something we all want, but one of the great tragedies in this world is that so many people never find it, because they look for it in the wrong places.  The key to it is very simple – true happiness is to be found in God.  We need to have the courage to place our deepest hopes in God alone, not in money, in a career, in worldly success, or in our relationships with others, but in God.  Only he can satisfy the deepest needs of our hearts.
This I command – to love one another.  This Gospel and these words were spoken by Jesus.  He spoke them at the Last Supper.  On the night before He died He spoke them to his nearest and dearest.  They are precious.  They are a gift to all of us.  They have inspired me.  He just did not speak to them and leave it at that.  He accompanied with these other gifts.  Jesus gave them examples of what he was talking about.  He commanded them to love one another. He got up from the table, put on an apron and stooped down and washed their feet.  He knew that this was going to be a hard act to follow especially as he was going to lay down life for them, his friends, the next day on the cross on Calvary.

But Jesus is not unreasonable.  Because he knew that his command was going to be tough.  He was not going to ask something and not supply the wherewithal with which to deliver.  So he gave us two more gifts – His Body and Blood to be our food and drink, the priesthood, the sacrament of Holy Order to guarantee His Eucharistic presence.