The reading from the Acts of the Apostles captures the enthusiasm of the first disciples after Pentecost.
We are told;
“they devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer”.

For generations those tasks have been the focus and inspirations for evangelisation and renewal in the Church throughout the world. In our own day it has been captured in vision and mission statements, all of them helping us “to know Christ Jesus” and to make his life and work the inspiration of our own ministry.

For almost forty years that has been the inspiration of the Mount Oliver Catechetical Centre in its various forms as centre of renewal, as catechetical centre, pastoral centre and since 1992 the Armagh Diocesan Pastoral Centre. For most of those years the work was based at Mount Oliver Franciscan Convent. Today we give thanks to the Franciscan community for the welcome extended to us over nearly forty years. Today marks the opening of our new base and a new chapter in the life of the Diocesan Pastoral Centre. It also marks the opening of a new chapter in the life of the Archdiocese of Armagh.

The opening of this centre happily coincides with the second phase of our diocesan pastoral plan. That plan originated some three years ago through the Diocesan Assemblies of Priests held in Donegal year after year. The plan involved considerable consultation and new opportunities for pastoral renewal in the life and work of laity, religious and priests for the foreseeable future. Happily that work continues to thrive through the sub-groups set up more than three years ago. I believe we now enter a whole new phase in renewal and restructuring of pastoral outreach at parish and diocesan level. The work already in place and continuing will help bring renewal and planning for the future to a new level.

I am confident that the structures already in place will give new energy and direction to the work of renewal. In recent years Sr Rhoda and her team have done enormous good work through the Rainbows, the Beginning programmes, the preparation for marriage and outreach through the counselling programmes set up to assist individuals and families in the diocese. The work of pastoral renewal and family ministry will continue under the direction of Fr. Andy McNally and with Mr Tony Hanna the implementation of the diocesan pastoral plan will hopefully bring new energy to the work of restructuring and supporting new pastoral initiatives at parish and diocesan level. The foundation for that work has been put in place by the nine groups already involved in the diocese viz. Faith development, youth ministry, safeguarding children, liturgical renewal, prayer and spirituality, the role of women in the life of the Church, ecumenical outreach and the care of priest in ministry and in retirement. This work is enhanced with the outreach of the Biblical Initiative and the vocations commission based here at the centre. All of them are making an enormous contribution to the future of our diocese.

Today we thank God for all of that and we pray that in the spirit of those first disciples our work of bringing the Good News of God’s love and care for all will continue to blossom and to grow.

In the words of St. John’s Gospel;

We pray “that all may be one, so that the world may believe”. That is our aim. That is our hope. That is the inspiration of our work together. That is the inspiration behind our new pastoral centre. I wish God’s blessing on all involved in that work.

When Oliver returned to Ireland after his ordination as bishop in Ghent, Belgium. He came to a country going through the worst period of persecution in its history. The persecution of Cromwell was at its height, the Church was persecuted on all sides. Official Church buildings had been taken over and now the only place to say Mass was in some little chapel or more often in the open air with watchmen posted as look-outs to warn of the approach of the enemy. Church leaders had been banished. Oliver came to a Church torn with many abuses. Clergy were uneducated. There were disputes between the clergy. There were few opportunities for education. Oliver regarded the education of clergy and laity as a priority. He travelled the length and breadth of the country holding synods and Conferences for the clergy. He set up schools in Drogheda and Dundalk. A public school was opened in Drogheda with 150 boys and 25 students attending. In a short time Catholic and Protestant boys were being educated side by side in Drogheda.

Oliver is remembered as the great reformer. He is also remembered as a man of peace. One major problem he had to face was the rapparees, a group of fighting men who had been dispossessed of their lands and undertook a hit and run campaign of robbery and destruction in the hill regions of Tyrone and Armagh. To remedy this state of affairs the Bishop of Meath and the Vicars General implored Oliver to find some way to address the problem. Oliver undertook the role of mediator. He went to the rapparees in their hideout and spoke to them in Irish and he persuaded them to give up the fighting. Meanwhile the authorities agreed to a general pardon for all and released the prisoners. It was a masterly achievement and one that was hailed by communities the length and breadth of the country. Oliver was a messenger of peace, a firm advocate in a time of trouble.

For years people have gathered here at Loughcrew to remember Oliver, the reformer, the peacemaker. Year by year you have prayed here for peace in Northern Ireland. Your prayer campaign and the work of many intermediaries have thankfully brought us to the day when Northern Ireland has begun to take responsibility for its own administration. In recent times we have witnessed gestures of reconciliation unthinkable only a few years ago. A whole new chapter has opened up in the struggle for peace and reconciliation. It came about after enormous loss of life and at a very high price. Recently I was browsing through one of the saddest books I have ever read . It is called “Lost Lives” and it records in detail the 3,637 people who lost their lives during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. It is a book that makes for sad reading. But it is only one part of the sad story of division, death and destruction over nearly forty years in Northern Ireland. The author of the book does not set out to detail all the effects of the troubles, the some 40, 000 people maimed or injured in the troubles, the effects on families, the destruction of the live of a whole generation, the lasting effects in the lives of numerous people not just in Northern Ireland but throughout the whole island of Ireland. Hopefully all of it is a chapter that will never be repeated in our country.

Today Northern Ireland is a changed place. People have begun to pick up the pieces of lives destroyed. Some kind of normality has returned to the lives of people. But a whole new form of violence has raised its ugly head. The day of the bomb and the bullet have sadly been replaced in areas by a form of sectarianism that threatens the good of society and of the local community. We have seen Chinese people evicted from their homes in Belfast. The enemy is no longer a political enemy but anyone who is seen as a competitor in business or trade. That is just one side of the story.

The political struggle has been replaced by drug wars not just in Northern Ireland but now in the Republic. Political war has been replaced by turf wars between drug lords over the control of areas. Day by day we hear of stabbings, attempts on other people’s lives, children exploited by the drug barons to do their dirty work. It is a sinister development. Again it is only part of an ugly scene that has become part of life North and South. In recent times we have seen a spate of young people stabbing young people. Thirty years ago Pope John Paul I on his deathbed heard of one university student in Rome been killed by a fellow student. He said; “There is something sick about a society where the young are killing the young”. In recent days we have seen it in our own country.

Recent statistics from the Gardai and the Central Statistics Office tell of a whole new scenario where people are afraid in their own homes. We hear on the daily news bulletins attacks with knives, screwdrivers, machetes, baseball clubs, machine guns, bayonets, syringes, hand grenades. The list goes on and on. The most recent statistics show that, in the Republic, crime has increased by 6 per cent over the past year. There was some 4% increase in burglary in the past 12 months and thefts and related offences increased by 3% in the same period. Today personal security has become a high priority. We know of the fear old people have in their homes, the dread of a burglar, the dreaded footstep outside the door at night.

Only a month ago Justice Paul Carney in the Central Criminal Court said the number of fatal stabbings coming before the Court was increasing and was likely to continue to do so.

A recent spate of burglaries in Parochial Houses has left many priests afraid. Only a few weeks Cardinal Sean Brady had to issue a circular to all priests about personal security and the threat of robbery and injury. One case recently involved the house keeper being held at gun point while three men got away with money that was in transit for the bank. Happily the offenders were caught and arrested. Today many people feel they are being terrorised in their own homes. It is a far cry from the words of the Prophet Isaiah; “My people will live in a peaceful house, in safe homes, in quiet dwellings.

Earlier this Summer the Irish Bishops published a document on Violence. They called it “Violence in Irish Society – towards an ecology of Peace”. The document makes for serious reading. It also challenges all of us to play our part in addressing thes new phenomenon of violence in our community. The causes are multiple. Many feel excluded from society. Sociologists tell us there is a clear link between social deprivation and crime. Day by day we see crime glamorised and peddled on our television screens. One channel on television is dedicated exclusively to boxing, kick boxing, extreme wrestling and martial arts. All of it is bound to have an effect on impressionable young people.

But there are other factors I believe that contribute to the wave of violence in our community. Many feel they are outsiders looking in on the affluence of others. They look with jealousy on those who flaunt their new-found success. They know they will never have a chance to share the same style of life. They look on in despair.

We know that drink, drugs and corruption have a large part to play in recent developments. We ask what can be done to address this spiralling trend of violence. There are no easy solutions. Imposing heavier penalties is only one small part of the solution. The problem cannot be solved by better policing and longer terms of imprisonment. The causes are deeper and they have to be addressed. Long-term it calls for a whole renewal of a sense of trust, of community and of responsibility to the community. The main responsibility has to lie with family life, with the imparting of values like respect, co-responsibility, and care for society. It’s an enormous challenge to family and to the education. Young people need to be given clearly defined boundaries for their behaviour. The first call is on family to lead by example, to provide a loving secure background where young people feel appreciated and are taught values that will influence the rest of their lives. Our President Mary McAleese put is succinctly. She said; “what’s engraved in childhood is engraved in stone”. It’ s a thought that bears serious reflection.

There are no quick-fix solutions. Law enforcement can do so much but the law need the support of family and community. The challenge for all is to support family; to be a voice for respect and regard for other people, for their lives and for their property. We build for the future by the attitudes and example of today. My hope is that we would continue to form attitudes that respect others, their lives and their property. It involves every family, every person. It’s a life-long work.
St. Oliver preached peace and reconciliation. If we do not face the threat to both peace and reconciliation in today’s world we are failing our people. It’s a radical call to all to work and live for that. I believe it is the challenge of our day. It’s one we dare not avoid.

It is well known that the events of Easter 1916 set in train a whole series of events that eventually would lead to Irish freedom. Easter 1916 became the catalyst that would awaken, in the minds of Irish people, the will and determination to campaign and fight for freedom and democracy. It changed an apathetic people into a formidable force for change and for freedom. The leaders of 1916 were agents of change. They were instrumental in the foundation of the Irish Free State. The importance of the Rising cannot be underplayed.  It was a serious attempt at insurrection by people whose beliefs were soon to move from the fringe of political life to its very heart. In the words of William Butler Yeats;
‘All changed, changed utterly,
A terrible beauty is born’.

Today we are the inheritors of the aims and objectives of the Rising. Ninety years on we look back to the aims and objectives of those involved.  The Proclamation was written at a time of widespread poverty, under-nourishment among the poor, considerable hunger and low life expectancy.  Housing in certain areas was amongst the worst in Europe, unemployment was high and emigration to England and the U.S. was the only alternative to destitution for many people. Young people from all over the country had little option but to emigrate. Coupled with this the overall standard of education of the majority of the population was low which meant that when people did emigrate they did so to poorly paid and low skilled jobs. 

Ireland of 2007 presents a very different picture.  We currently have a confident economy, low unemployment and a good standard of living for many. Today we have a mainly confident and educated people.  For some the country is awash with money, more mobile phones than people in the Republic of Ireland.  Yet the affluence of many is full of anomalies.

October last year the Irish Bishops went on their ‘ad limina’ visit to Rome. The message of Pope Benedict at the conclusion of the visit spelled out some of those anomalies. He said;

‘The present time brings many new opportunities to bear witness to Christ and fresh challenges for the Church in Ireland.  After centuries of emigration, which involved the pain of separation for so many families, you’re experiencing for the first time, a wave of immigration.  Traditional Irish hospitality is finding unexpected new outlets.  Like the wise householder who brings forth from his treasure ‘what is new and what is old’ (Mt.13:15) your people need to view the changes in society with discernment and here they look to you for leadership’

Indeed, Ireland, as we well know, has had an unprecedented influx of people to our country.  People come here with buoyed up hopes for themselves and their families. They see Ireland as the land of opportunity; a place where dreams can be fulfilled. They feel welcome and most feel secure.  For many Ireland is the new land of promise and opportunity. Some come here to escape from tyranny and poverty in their own country, others come to seek a livelihood, an opportunity to return home with new confidence and new financial security.  Others come to a place they want to call home.  They see Ireland as the land of welcome, the new land of promise for themselves and their families. ‘Failte Ui Cheallaigh’will hopefully live up to its name.

In the church context we know that migrants make a positive contribution to the Church to which they belong. For many their faith and their attachment to the Church give support and encouragement. They come with their own gifts. Already we have experienced much of this; their vibrancy in liturgical celebration, their harmonious musical tradition, their distinctive mode of celebration, their strong family involvement in every liturgical celebration, their popular piety, their support for each other. They have enormous strengths from which all of us can learn.   

That presents a challenge to all of us. If I may quote words from the late Pope John Paul II when he was talking about the hopes for unity between the Orthodox Churches in the East and Rome, he said that we each have gifts to exchange.  Equally I believe that with the recent phenomenon of migrants to our country we too have gifts to exchange. We have much to give but equally we have much to receive.

There are some 420,000 new migrants to Ireland at present making up 10% of our total population. We have large numbers of migrants from the UK, Poland, Lithuania, Nigeria, Latvia and several other countries.  Many of the migrants are contributing to the workforce of our country and many are making a significant contribution to our economy and to our culture.  They bring their distinctive cultural, religious and spiritual gifts to our people.  The important factor in all of this is that we are challenged to encourage and allow diversity. They do not come to be subsumed into our way of life. They come to make their own distinctive contribution to our country. . 

I believe we are part of an overall process that involves different stages. The first is the stage of welcome assuring them a truly fraternal welcome. In the words of St. Paul; ‘Welcome one another as Christ welcomed you’ (Rom.15:7). At this stage they will depend greatly on local social services and support agencies. The key document on the Pastoral Care of Migrants from the Pontifical Council in Rome reminds us that mere tolerance is not enough. The next stage is the invitation to be part of the community through local projects, offering advice and opportunity, becoming involved in community, sharing their skills and their strengths with the local community. They seek affirmation and they seek to make their contribution to our society. The third stage is integration within the local community and the Church community. It is integration without being subsumed or forced. Ireland of the future, hopefully, will reflect the gifts of all, the culture, involvement and the contribution of all.

Those who arrive here have rights that go far beyond mere welcome. These include the right to provide for oneself and one’s family. It includes the right to a quality of life comparable to the rest of the community, the right to work, the right to protection in the workplace, the right to family life.

The Irish Bishops Conference at its March, 2007 meeting in Maynooth said;

‘We can readily see the invaluable contribution which has been made to our country and particularly to our economy by the thousands of migrant workers who have come to our country over the last decade.  However, we must realise that those who have come here are not just workers but persons who have dignity and must be treated in ways that are just and fair. They are persons who have rights and entitlement not only in the workplace but in all other aspects of life, not least the right to family life’.  This of course would include major issued like integration, recognition of a multi-faith society, a multi-cultural community, migrant identity and diversity.

I believe that all of us Church and State are challenged by this new situation.  The Gospel message is clear. Jesus himself was an asylum seeker in Egypt, fleeing from the wrath of Herod. Mary was a migrant. The lack of welcome extended to her brings to mind the increasing number of women migrants worldwide who are victims of exploitation and trafficking.  Christ’s sermon on the Mount challenges all of us;

I was hungry and you gave me to eat
Thirsty and you gave me to drink
A stranger and you made me welcome’.

In the Church we all have an indispensable part to play in that welcome.  We can be key people in giving the feeling of belonging, to assure our visitors that they are participants and decision makers.  Integration implies involvement, participation, joy in sharing, making a real contribution to society and to the Church without being subsumed by either.  Mar a deireann an sean fhochal; ‘Ar scath a cheile a maireas na daoine’.

Ireland has, for generations, been familiar with the whole concept of emigration. Gaelic literature is full of stories of Irish emigrants heading out into an uncertain future. There were the traditional farewells, the ‘American wake’ as it was often called, the farewell that was for life. The emotional taking of leave is rehearsed many times in our Gaelic literature. Many of you will remember, from your school days, Mici Mac Gabhann’s ‘Rotha Mor an tSaoil’, Padraig O Conaire’s ‘Deoraiocht’, Seosamh and Seamus Mc Grianna’s short stories and many others writing about the pathos of it all, the grieving that was involved.  Of course many will also remember the letters home, the clothes parcels and the registered letter that ensured that those at home were not forgotten.  Today thankfully things have change greatly. For the most part those who emigrate from Ireland do so freely and not out of compulsion. The mobile phone ensures that there is constant contact but the journey of the heart is still painful. It is no different with the migrants to our country.

There are currently some 100 religious services in place in Ireland for some 14 ethnic groups with 41 chaplains providing these services.  We now have priests and religious full-time or part-time ministering to the Polish, Portuguese, Lithuanian, Latvian, Filipino, African and other ethnic groups.  Some of those ministering to our migrants are from the migrants own countries, others are native Irish priests, religious and lay people conversant in the different languages. These Church services provide a space for people to gather. People come, not just for the religious event, but also to build bonds of friendship and community. Much of this work is part of the journey towards integration. When that integration comes about hopefully our migrants will feel that they are part of our community. They will be the Irish with their own distinctive culture guaranteed and shared with the community.  Many Government schemes including the National Action Plan Against Racism are doing invaluable work. Other State groups like the Social Services, the Gardai, the Vocational Education Committees and the Health Boards are instruments of welcome and of integration. The Bishops’ Commission for Emigrants and Migrants together with numerous voluntary groups within the various Churches and communities are making their own distinctive contribution.

I believe that Ireland is making its own distinct efforts to address this new situation. At many levels across the country there are positive efforts to cultivate a culture of welcome. There are still bridges to cross. We are challenged to raise people’s sights to what is ultimately fulfilling, recognising the giftedness and uniqueness of every one. It is a life’s work. I believe that it is also a recognition of the aims and objectives of those who struggled for independence more than ninety years ago. Mar a deireann an sean fhocal;  ‘Ni neart go cur le cheile’. There is real strength when we work together.  It is the only way forward and it is the way of the follower of Christ.  

Today the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) is an appropriate day to gather here at Knock for our diocesan pilgrimages. We gather here in Mary’s month with resonances of Canon Sydney McEwan’s memorable hymn
“O Mary we crown the with blossoms today,
Queen of the angels and queen of the May”.
It is also the day when in our own dioceses we have the May procession with the boys and girls who have made their First Communion taking a prominent part. In many dioceses it is also cemetery Sunday when we remember those who have gone before us and who have influenced us by their goodness and their wholeness.

130 years ago here at Knock Mary appeared to some fifteen people men, women, young people. For 130 years people have reflected on the image of the apparition on the gable wall. It is an image that speaks of God’s love, of Mary’s intercession and of our redemption. Mary spoke no words. The apparition speaks for itself. It is full of symbolism. It has a clear message. Those who shared the apparition tell of the altar the Cross and the lamb in one tableau and then Mary, Joseph her husband and John the Evangelist forming the other panel. No words are spoken but the apparition brings together images from the Old Testament and from the Gospels central to the history of our belief in the love of God for each and every one and the promise of salvation given by the life, death and Resurrection of Christ. It points to Christ as our redeemer and our saviour.

Let us look at the two tableaux. There is the altar, the Cross and the Lamb at the centre of it all. Christ himself is the Lamb of God. In the Old Testament the sacrificial lamb in the story of the sacrifice of Abraham is a symbol of Christ himself giving his life for our redemption. At Mass we are reminded that Christ is the lamb of God; ‘This is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’. The altar and the Cross are reminders of Christ’s saving sacrifice every time Mass is offered.

I was in Lourdes last week with the Armagh diocesan pilgrimage and I couldn’t help notice the various tableaux from 20 Marian shrines who have come together to share their own reflection on Mary’s message in her apparitions. There are the well-known shrines like Lourdes, Fatima and others from all over Europe. Prominent among them is the apparition here at Knock. In all of them Mary is not the centre piece of attention. The message she brings whether in words or in symbols points to Jesus Christ as the key person in the message given. He is the one who saves, who continues to save, who brings a message of God’s love and salvation. That is authentic Marian message. The focus is on Christ himself and on God’s love. That is why in the apparition here at Knock the lamb and the altar are at the centre of attention.

Here at Knock the Mass is at the centre of our devotion. We come for the ceremonies. We come to express our thanks to God for his favours and blessings. We come to pray for the sick, for our own needs, the needs of our families and friends, we join in the procession of the Blessed Sacrament as pilgrims together on our journey of life and we receive the absolution of the priest in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, in Confession. Our pilgrimage is a truly sacramental one.

When we look at the other panel we see Mary, Joseph and John the Evangelist. It can be interpreted as Mary in Heaven leading the choirs of angels, the saints and all of the faithful in the liturgy of giving adoration, praise and glory to God. St. Joseph, a holy man chosen to be the husband of Mary and foster-father of Jesus stands with hands joined in prayer. He stands as if in prayer focussed on the Lamb of God. John the evangelist who introduced Jesus to the crowd in the words; “Behold the Lamb of God” was the one chosen by Jesus to care for Mary. At Calvary Jesus said to Mary ”Woman, behold your son” and to John “Behold your Mother”. John wears the liturgical vestments of a bishop and is seen preaching as if he is drawing attention to Christ the Lamb of God and to Mary the Mother of Jesus.

The message of Knock is the message of God’s love and our redemption by Jesus Christ. The altar is at the centre of the message. It puts the Mass at the very centre of our life as Christians. That challenges all of us. It challenges us to put the Mass at the centre of our daily lives; an opportunity to ask for God’s favours and blessings, to thank him for his favours and to receive Christ himself in the Eucharist. The real question is do we see it that way? Is our Sunday Mass a lived experience of a loving God who cares for us and who invites us to get to know him better. That challenges us as priests and as laity. It challenges us to celebrate our Mass with meaning and with reverence. It challenges us to be involved in the Mass not just as passive spectators but as active participants. That challenges us to be involved.

It is interesting that the apparition at Knock included a six year old boy, an eight year old girl, a 16 year old teenage boy, a 26 year old woman and older men and women. It was an inclusive group. The message is surely that Mary had a message for all. I believe that she had a message for young people as well. We live in a world where there are many pressures on young and on old. In particular young people are challenged by the changing attitudes of their peers. There are enormous pressures to conform to today’s world; the pressure of instant gratification, the pressure to have every dream fulfilled, the pressure to succeed at any cost. Recently Pope Benedict spoke to young people on his visit to Toledo in the North of Italy. He spoke of the generosity of many, their awareness of world problems. He talked of their generosity of spirit and then he talked of the enormous pressure to conform to a way of life at times at variance with the Gospel message. His message was simple. His directions were clear. He said;

“Go against the tide. Do not listen to the voices that would peddle a different way of life. Do not be afraid of seeming different and being criticized for taking a stand on what you really believe. The way forward, he said, is the way of courage”. They are challenging words. They are words that apply to all of us.

Today here at Knock we pray that the message of the apparition of 130 years ago may be heard with a new urgency. We pray that all of us may be challenged by the message of God’s love, his forgiveness and of Mary’s care for all of us. We pray in particular for the sick here today and those who need to hear the message of God’s love and care. We pray that our pilgrimage today may be a lived experience of God’s love and Mary’s care for all. Our Lady of Knock pray for us.

+ Gerard Clifford.

I was on pilgrimage to Clonmel on Saturday last,  I was invited there to celebrate the fact that Antonio Rosmini, an Italian, who was  the founder of the Rosminian Order was beatified last November in Italy.

What exactly does that mean? It means that the Church has officially declared that this man,  Antonio Rosmini, is in Heaven; he sees God face to face. We now call him ‘Blessed’ for that is the ultimate blessedness.  His feast will be celebrated tomorrow. 

Blessed Antonio summed up the journey of life in three words which he handed on as he lay dying:

Adore            Be Silent            Rejoice

On the way down to Clonmel I called in to see the birthplace of Edmund Ignatius Rice in Callan, Co Tipperary.  He was the founder of the Irish Christian Brothers and he too was declared ‘Blessed’ a couple of years ago.  On the wall there, in his ancestral home, I saw the words of the vows which Brother, now Blessed Ignatius Rice and all those who followed him took:  They began as follows:

In profound adoration before thy infinite and adorable majesty, I concentrate myself to thee in order to procure thy glory.

The word ‘adoration’ struck me.  Here were two men, now declared ‘Blessed’ but, for them, adoration was a central part of their lives.  Adoration consists in the worship of God alone.  I think it is significant that these two men, from different countries, each one now in Heaven, considered that adoration was the central thing in their lives. 

To adore means to honour someone with love and deep affection.  I think that every human being is made to adore something or someone.  Lovers sing songs to each other proclaiming their love for one another.  They use words like ‘I adore you’; ‘I worship the ground you walk on’; ‘you are my idol’.  Of course others adore themselves as if they were the source of all goodness and beauty.  The truth is that God alone is worthy of our worship.  God alone is worthy of our adoration for God alone is the source of all that is beautiful and good.  St Augustine summed it up when he said:  “You have made it for yourself O Lord and our hearts are restless until they rest in you”.

Of course when we worship the one, true God, there is a great sense of satisfaction.  I was at a ceremony yesterday in Belfast where we were present to assist at the ordination of the new bishop of Down and Connor.  It was a ceremony that went on for two hours and a quarter.  There was beautiful music and song and ceremony, directed towards the glory of God.  It gave people a lift because that is what we are made to do – to honour and praise and give glory to God. 

You know, I believe that there is a reason for everything that happens in life.  There is a reason for each one of you going on your pilgrimage.  The reason, I believe is this.  It is an invitation to each one of you to grow into a better and clearer image of God.  Each one of us is an image of God already but some of us are a rather blurred image – the reception is not good – a lot of obstacles lie in the way between us and the transmitting station.  They can be mountains of sins or selfishness which prevents us from getting and becoming and giving a good picture of God.  I believe God is calling each one of you.

We come from God.  To God we are meant to go but we don’t go alone.  The First Reading describes how God chose Jeremiah to be a prophet to the nation.  A prophet is someone who speaks on behalf of another.  Jeremiah was chosen by God to speak on behalf of God to people.  I wonder does the fact that you are going on pilgrimage mean that God might be inviting you to somehow speak on his behalf to your peers.  Now you may say:  ‘For heavens sake – I am getting enough stick already about going on this pilgrimage without you leading me into more trouble by telling me I will have to preach about it when I come home”. 

I am not talking about you preaching at all.  What I am hope is that as a result of this pilgrimage, God will become much more real in your life.  A real presence known to you and that it will show in a couple of ways.

•    You will come to see that our highest glory is to praise and worship God – in prayer and at Mass and that you will be faithful to God.
•    Secondly that you will recognise that sin is something horrible.  It involves revolting against a God who loves us and created us out of love, a God who keeps us in existence.  Therefore that the idea of rebelling against such a God is unthinkable.

Here today in Belfast we are living another such solemn and dignified moment as Bishop Patrick Walsh hands over responsibility for the pastoral care of this great diocese of Down and Connor to his successor, Bishop-Elect, Noel Treanor.

It is indeed a weighty responsibility that is being entrusted to the new Bishop by the Holy Spirit. It is a task of being a teacher of doctrine, a priest of sacred worship and a minister of governance for a diocese of some 300,000 people. As Bishop Walsh retires from office I want today to thank God for his 52 years of outstanding priestly service and especially for the past twenty-five years – when, as bishop, he served the people of this diocese superbly, with extraordinary love and dedication. Bishop Paddy, I wish you many years of health and happiness as you begin this more contemplative chapter of your life. With St. Paul in today’s Second Reading, you too can say: ‘I have fought the good fight. I have run the race to the finish’.
A recent document from the Congregation of Bishops in Rome notes that there are about 1,150 retired bishops in the Church whom it describes as important members of the College of Bishops, each one with his own valuable personal spiritual patrimony. That document expresses the wish – which I gladly make my own for you, Bishop Paddy – that you live this new season of your ministry as a Bishop of the Church of Christ with faith and joy.

Despite the heading in yesterday’s Irish News, I can easily imagine that as an incoming Bishop, crossing the border, returning to Ireland you, Noel, are at this moment, just a little anxious and somewhat overawed. I know that I certainly was in such a state thirteen years ago when I made a similar sort of journey in circumstances that were not very different. I can assure you straightaway that you have no need to worry. “Do not be afraid”. For a start you can count on the advice and support of two very wise predecessors in Cardinal Daly and Bishop Walsh living within the confines of this diocese. You can rely too on the co-operation of two excellent auxiliaries, Bishop Tony Farquhar and Bishop Donal McKeown. I reckon that between all of them they have a total of 98 years experience of working as bishops. I think that if you put your heads together you will find the answer to most problems.

That is not all. I can assure you that you will have the fervent prayers and loyal assistance of a wonderful group of priests and religious as well as the enthusiastic support of thousands of good and generous and faith-filled laity.

Noel, I wonder did the figure of Columbanus cross your mind in recent times at all. He was born in Leinster where you studied philosophy and theology for a number of years in Maynooth. Columbanus then moved north to Lough Erne, a district well known to you from your days in parish work in Enniskillen. Then both of you emigrated to the continent of Europe to work in various countries such as Italy, France and Belgium but, of course, Columbanus first spent some time in Bangor in this diocese. He was a wise man.

I imagine that you would have derived a lot of encouragement from the praise lavished on St. Columbanus by Pope Benedict XVI in the General Audience of Wednesday, 11 June last. On that occasion, Pope Benedict described St Columbanus as one of the true fathers of Europe through his work of nourishing the Christian roots of the continent. St Columbanus was aware of the cultural unity of Europe. With his spiritual energy, the Pope continues, with his faith, with his love for God and for his neighbour, Columbanus truly became one of the Fathers of Europe. Columbanus shows us, even today, the roots from which our Europe can be reborn.

Noel, as you well know, there are Christian roots on this island that are in constant need of nourishing. I am confident that your own vast experience of living and working in Europe will have an important contribution to make to that nourishing. Your work on the international scene, in defence of life, in support of family, in promoting ecumenical relations, will prove invaluable to you in the years that lie ahead.

In that respect I would like to include also St. Malachy, former bishop of this diocese and also Archbishop of Armagh. Malachy is credited with getting the Pallia for the Archbishops of Ireland for the first time. But he also introduced the Cistercians and Augustinian monks, as agents of monastic reform, into the Irish Church which was an important development for the life of the Church at that time. It showed that Ireland, as well as sending missionaries to Europe, also in return, received help from Europe in times of need, in the form of new initiatives and new ideas. In these post-Lisbon Treaty Referendum days it could be salutary for all of us to reflect on that European help and to consider what help we might accept today.

In his Encyclical on hope – Spe Salvi – Pope Benedict tells us that: “Life is like a voyage on the sea of history, often dark and stormy, a voyage in which we watch for stars that indicate the route”. The life of a bishop is no different. At times his life can be dark and stormy.

But, as the Pope continues, the true stars of our life are the people who have lived good lives in the past, such as the saints – Peter and Paul, Columbanus, Macartan, Malachy. There are also the stars of the present – the people in every parish who overcome many and huge difficulties to continue to live good, faithful, often heroic lives. They are the real lights of hope in the life of a bishop. Yes, of course, Jesus Christ is the true light – the sun that has risen above all the shadows of history – and we must remain close to him at all times. If we do so we will find, as with St Paul, that ‘The Lord stood by me and gave me power’. But, to reach Him, we also need lights close by – people who shine with His life and so guide us along our way. Thanks be to God those lights are to be found and can be found in abundance.

Every bishop has to take up the task of preaching, sanctifying and governing. The work of preaching of the faith is to lead new disciples to Christ. This may be primarily missionary work but increasingly it concerns those who are nominally Christian. All of this involves a call to our own personal holiness. Before we can think of leading anyone to Christ we ourselves must know the way. The Second Vatican Council put it well when it stated: ‘By the example of the manner of their life, bishops must be an influence for good on those over whom they preside. The goal of everything that we do as bishop is that all may walk in goodness, justice and truth’ (Ephesians 5:9).

Throughout many of these documents there is an emphasis on the need for clarity, humility and simplicity of life style. The role of bishop as father and pastor is underlined. He is to be one who serves particularly but not exclusively, in his relations to priests and religious. He is someone who gets to know people. Relations with our separated brethren and with civic authorities are particularly important for him. All who know the new bishop of Down and Connor and of his work with bodies like KEK and COMECE, will realise his great giftedness in all of these areas.

In his first letter to Timothy, St Paul made this powerful appeal: I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for all men….for there is one God and there is one mediator between God and man – the man Christ Jesus.

I make that appeal to all of you and through all of you, to the people in this diocese. I urge the supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for Bishop Elect, Noel Treanor and I am confident that this appeal will be heeded.

AMEN

PARISH OF ARDEE
HOMILY GIVEN BY
CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY
4 MAY 2008

HOMILY GIVEN BY
CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY

IN
CHURCH OF ST. PIETRO IN MONTORIO, ROME

SUNDAY 13 APRIL 2008