MASS OF THE LAST SUPPER
ST. PATRICK CATHEDRAL, ARMAGH
HOMILY BY CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY
THURSDAY 12 APRIL 2001

Those who love remember. We try and remember the birthdays, the wedding anniversaries and the anniversaries of the deaths of those we love. They say photographs are priceless because they help us to remember and that is why we fill photo albums. We build headstones to remember those who have died. We put up memorials to help us remember other important events.

Tonight at this Mass we remember a lot of things. We remember the fact that on the night before he died, the night that he was betrayed, Jesus ate a farewell meal with his disciples. At that meal he did at least three extraordinary things.

First of all he washed the feet of his disciples, and so tonight we wash the feet of the followers of Christ to remind us of what Jesus did. Secondly, he took bread and wine and changed them into his own body and blood and he gave his body and his blood to his disciples and told them to eat it and drink it. This blood was to be the blood, which would seal the new covenant, the new alliance, and the new friendship between God and man. Thirdly, he said, “do this in memory of me”. He is ordering his disciples to do what he has just done. Because Jesus was not unreasonable, he wasn’t going to order somebody – his friends – to do something without giving them the power to do so. And so, in those words we take it that he is giving them the power to do what he has done, in memory of him. We are convinced that at that moment he ordained them priests and gave them the power to continue to do so.

Of course that farewell meal which Jesus was eating was, in itself, no ordinary meal. It was the Passover meal. It was the most solemn meal, which every Jewish family ate at Passover. Recently we had the scare, and it still exists, about Foot and Mouth disease. We had the eerie scenes of sheep, lambs and goats being slaughtered to avert a plague. Well this Passover meal commemorated something similar. Originally it is thought that the nomads used to slaughter some of their sheep and lambs to keep away diseases from their flocks. Isn’t it amazing the way things keep repeating themselves?

When the Jews were in slavery in Egypt, and were being hounded and harassed by the Pharaohs, God decided to come to their aid. He decided to send a plague on the Egyptians – the Pharaohs. He told the Jews to take a lamb and slaughter it, then they were to mark the door posts and the linnets of their homes with the blood of the lamb. On that night the Angel of Destruction would see the doors that were marked with blood and would pass over them, pass them by. Doors that were not marked with the blood of the lamb, were the doors of the Egyptians. The Angel of Destruction would come in there and strike their first-born dead. As a result, Pharaoh changed his mind, he decided to let the Hebrews go free, leave Egypt, leave the slavery. And so they did and they marched through the desert and eventually, years later, came into the Promised Land. To commemorate that wonderful intervention of the Lord, they said they would celebrate a Passover meal every year, at this time. They ate it standing up; ready for action, with bitter herbs and unleavened bread as that is the way people ate the first Passover lamb.

That is what Jesus was doing when he celebrated the First Mass. Tonight we are remembering all of that and we are washing the people’s feet to show that it is just not enough to come to Mass and receive Holy Communion then to go back to our homes and leave it at that. We must have the attitude that Jesus had. He is about to leave them – he knew the hour had come, the enemies were all around him. They had decided to destroy him, to get rid of him. Judas had already promised that he would betray him. And so, Jesus, at this last meal, is trying to show his love. Having loved his own who are in the world, he loved them to the end. And so, he not only left us his body and blood to be our food and drink, to be not just nourishment for bodily life but also our spiritual nourishment. He said, “listen, your attitude must be right. I am your Master and yet here I am in your midst as One who serves”. To bring that message home he got down and he washed their feet. That was an unheard of thing that the Master would wash the feet of his servants. Jesus said, “behold I am in your midst as one who serves”. And so, the Eucharist is the memorial of his love for us. It is the memorial of One who gave his life and there is no greater love than that of somebody who is prepared to give his life.

Today we are commemorating three things really. We are commemorating the institution of the Eucharist. We are commemorating the ordination of the first priests. Today this diocese rejoices because it is the Diamond anniversary of two of our priests – Canon Des Campbell of Haggardstown, Dundalk and Canon Michael Ward of Donaghmore, Co Tyrone. Sixty years ago they were ordained priests. We are celebrating all of that.

At the Last Supper Jesus said, “This is my body which is given for you. This is my blood which will be shed for you”. It is a costly giving. His body is going to be handed over, into the hands of his enemies, He is going to be scourged and nailed to the cross and pierced with a lance, and he is going to die. His blood will pour forth from his five precious wounds, especially from his side, pierced with the lance, as the blood of the new covenant, between God and His people. The old covenant, the old alliance, the old treaty between God and His people was sealed with blood, but it was the blood of bullocks or goats or sheep. This new alliance is sealed with the blood of the Lamb of God – Jesus Christ.

Tonight, after this Mass, we will bring the Blessed Sacrament in solemn procession to the altar of repose. I know that in many countries the adoration of the altar will go on until midnight. Thoughtful people this evening will try to be just that, thoughtful, to reflect on the fact that this is indeed Holy Thursday, one of the holiest days of the year when we commemorate the self-giving of the lamb of God of Jesus Christ, for the salvation of world. If we want to share in his victory, we try to have the same attitudes as he had – the attitude of serving our neighbours out of love. The attitude of self-sacrificing, of being prepared to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others. The attitude of remembering that we are precious, we have been bought at a huge price – the blood of the lamb.

I know the people of Armagh are tremendous at remembering those they love. I see you go to cemetery at all hours of the day, all days of the week. It is a tremendous sign of people’s love. Tonight then remember the greatest love of all, the love of the Son of God for his people. Tonight then we try to be quiet and reflect on the fact that we have been purchased at a huge price. We try to return love for love, to be sensitive to the needs of others. Every time we eat the bread of Christ and drink his blood, we are doing this in memory of him. We are pledging ourselves to live the kind of life that he lived; we are standing up for the kind of values that he valued.

CHRISM MASS
ST. PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL, ARMAGH
HOLY THURSDAY – 12 APRIL 2001
HOMILY BY CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY

This is Holy Thursday. The young people here present, from so many parishes in the dioceses are very welcome. Perhaps they will ask why do we have two Masses on this day? The answer is that we have so much to celebrate today. For this is the day on which Jesus took bread and wine and said; “This is my body, which will be given for you. This is the day on which Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. This is the day when Jesus said; “Love one another as I have loved you”.

In this Mass we celebrate the fact that Christ said to his disciples; “Do this in memory of me”. He gave them power to take bread and wine and change them into his body and blood. That is why the priests of the Archdiocese of Armagh are gathered here from all the parishes this morning with Cardinal Daly, Bishop Clifford and myself, to give thanks to God for the fact that we have been chosen, in a special way, to carry on this work of Jesus. We come to renew our dedication to Christ as his priests.

We are very happy to see so many people from all over the diocese – religious, lay people – young and old – gathered here with us, because you too share in the priesthood of Jesus Christ. You too, by your baptism, carry on the work of Jesus Christ in the world. You too have a part to play in building up the kind of world that Jesus wants – a world where there is fair play, where there is justice, where truth is acknowledged and where the dignity of every human person is respected.

Every Holy Thursday Pope John Paul II writes a letter to the priests of the world. In today’s letter he says that he wants to thank each priest for all that you did during the Jubilee Year to ensure that the people of your parishes might experience the saving presence of the Risen Lord. Then the Pope says he is not just thinking of what you did during the Jubilee Year. He is thinking of the work you do every day, work that is often hidden – work that does not make headlines. Yet it is very important work because it aims to advance God in peoples’ minds and hearts.

The Holy Father says he wants you to know that he admires your work, which is discreet, tenacious and creative. He says he is not surprised if sometimes priests feel a little bit tired and discouraged because of the resistance which their work meets in the world today. But there is only one remedy to that discouragement and tiredness and that is, to deepen our friendship with Jesus Christ.

At the beginning of his public life, Jesus announced that he had been anointed by the Spirit of the Lord, He says, “the Spirit of the Lord has been given to me for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the Good News to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind, new sight”. Of course the Good News remains good news, irrespective of how many people welcome it or how many people reject it, it is still the Good News, it is the only Good News.

Jesus says, “This text is being fulfilled today, even as we listen”. So, today we go back into the Supper Room and we give thanks for the gift of Eucharist, gift of priesthood and for the commandment of love. “Know that you are my disciples” Jesus said, “if you have loved one another”. The Spirit of the Lord has been given to each one of us many times but especially on the day of our ordination. Today we give thanks for Canon Des Campbell of Haggardstown, and Canon Michael Ward of Donaghmore, who 60 years ago today were ordained priests.

The spirit of courage was given to us to bring the Good News in all its fullness and integrity to those who have not heard it. The Spirit of Knowledge was given to us to bring the light of faith. The Spirit of Understanding was given to us to bring freedom to those held captive by sin, to those down-trodden by guilt and shame. For these three elements, preaching, faith and conversion must be present in the celebration of the sacraments.

Today, we renew our resolution to live in deep friendship with Jesus Christ. We certainly cannot give to others what we ourselves do not have. We commit ourselves to a deeper union with Christ – a union that is achieved through prayer, through the reading of the Scriptures, through the celebration of the sacraments.

In a few moments three large jars full of oil will be carried up from the back of the Cathedral here to the front where they will be blessed. After they have been blessed, the oils will be carried into the sacristy. There they will be poured into the various containers – oil stocks we call them – which the priests have and carry with them. The blessed oils will then be brought to every parish in the diocese. There they will be used to anoint the babies’ heads and breasts at Baptism. The bishop anoints with sacred Chrism the forehead of those who are being confirmed at Confirmation.

The sacred Chrism will also be used in the parishes of Errigal Ciaran and Lower Killeavy, later this summer, to anoint the palms of the hands of the two new priests at their ordination. The oil of the sick will be carried to many places, to bedrooms and to hospital wards, to scenes of accidents, to sick calls. You, my dear priests, will be called to carry them there at all hours of the day and night, in summer and winter, and you will do so with your customary patience and generosity. You will go there in order to commend those who are ill, to a suffering and glorified Lord, that he may raise them up and save them. In your prayers you will be exalting those ill people to contribute for the good of the people of God by freely uniting themselves to the passion and death of Christ.

Those are key moment in the lives of people. Thank God the priest is invited to be part of those key moments. Today we give thanks to God for the share we have in the priesthood of Jesus Christ which enables us to be present at those key moments in peoples’ lives, to help them face difficult situations and to bring to them the oil of gladness.

Oil in the Jewish world gave to the body strength, health, joy and beauty. Indeed it continues to do so today through such things as cosmetics, ointments, medicines, dressings. Every Holy Thursday calls all priests to reflect on who we are, and on our journey to holiness. Naturally, as we look upon Christ at the Last Supper becoming for us the bread that is broken, we are bound to feel unworthy. Naturally as we see Jesus stooping down to wash the feet of the apostles, we are going to feel overawed at the gift we have received. Overcome by the miraculous catch of fish, Peter shouts out, “Depart from me for I am a sinful man O Lord”. The Lord did not depart however, instead, in his mercy, he called Peter to leave his nets and put his trust in God’s mercy.

Obviously Christ was not afraid to choose his ministers from among sinners. We who are sinners should not be afraid to put our trust in the power and mercy of God, revealed in Jesus, and symbolised by these holy oils.

Today we give thanks in anticipation for the visit next month to Ireland and to Armagh of the relics of St. Therese of Lisieux. The Little Flower died at the age of 24. She has become one of the most popular saints of our time. She identified her vocation to be ‘love in the heart of the Church’. She constantly prayed for priests and spoke of the necessity of obtaining graces for them. Commenting on the Carmelite vocation to pray for priests, she said that at first she could not understand why there was any need. She said “To pray for sinners attracted me, but to pray for the souls of priests, whom I believed to be pure as crystal, seemed puzzling to me”. Later on, writing to her sister, she said, ‘let us save especially the souls of priests, those souls should be more transparent than crystal. Let us pray. Let us suffer for them and on the last day Jesus will be grateful’.

Holy Thursday reminds us that Christ was not afraid to call sinners to be his ministers. We know that on the night of his betrayal he was burning with desire to sit at table with his disciples. While he gave them Hhs body under the signs of bread and wine, he also instituted a priesthood that would be the permanent custodian of the Blessed Sacrament. This is a heavy responsibility, which calls for our total commitment. On the day of our ordination we were told “practice what you teach”. But we do not sanctify ourselves; Christ does. The more we can give ourselves to him and learn to be still, to adore, to pray, to meditate, to hand over our lives to him, to do his will, to carry his cross, the more he will transform us and make us holy to his fullness.

With this hope I wish you a blessed Easter and I bless you with all my heart.

AMEN

INTRODUCTION
CHRISM MASS – 2001

· Grace and peace to all of you from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness the first-born from the dead, who loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood.

· Grace and peace to you my brother bishops, Cardinal Daly and Bishop Clifford, and to you, my brother priests of the Archdiocese of Armagh.

· Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ, the Ruler of the kings of the earth, who has made us a line of kings, priests to serve his God and Father.

· Grace and peace to all of you faithful lay witnesses and faithful religious, who have travelled to this Mass of Chrism and with whom we are united by bonds of faith and love.
· Grace and peace to all of you young people, who come here to see the oils being blessed with which you will be confirmed on the day of your Confirmation.

On the first Holy Thursday Jesus gave to the Church the Blessed Eucharist, and the priesthood. We give thanks for this mystery of love without limit of which we have been witnesses and messengers.
Today he also gave the command that we should love one another as he loves us.
To prepare ourselves to offer this Mass, let us acknowledge that we are indeed sinners and that we need forgiveness.

MASS FOR THE DISAPPEARED (WAVE)
THE ORATORY, ST. PATRICK GRAMMAR SCHOOL
HOMILY BY CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY
SUNDAY 8 APRIL 2001

We are here today to remember those who have disappeared. We are here to remember all of you who have suffered so much. As we enter Holy Week, we try to unite all our lives and especially our sufferings to the sufferings of Jesus Christ.

This is Palm Sunday. Today we begin Holy Week. Today we begin the solemn celebration of Our Lord’s suffering and death and resurrection. As we listen to the story of Our Lord’s passion, we unite ourselves in our sufferings to him. We have heard the account of how he entered the Holy City in the midst of applause and acclaim and then, on Good Friday the crowd were baying for his blood.

St. Paul once spoke of his desire to fill up what was lacking in the sufferings of Christ. Of course the sufferings of Christ are undoubtedly sufficient to save the world. Yet Christ seems to have left place for our suffering to be united to his. Wherever the innocent suffer the passion of Christ continues today.
We live in a broken, fragile and sinful world. We find our salvation not by turning our backs on the sad difficulties of life. Like Christ, we face the realities and the difficulties which confront us. One such sad difficulty is that of even speaking of those dear members of your families who have disappeared, who have not been found.

We read in today’s Gospel how Joseph of Arimathaen, that brave and good member of the Supreme Council of the Jews, went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. We are told by St. Luke, that he was an upright and virtuous man. He had not consented to what the other members of the Council had planned and carried out. When the dead body of Jesus was handed over, he took it and wrapped it in a shroud and put him in the tomb which was hewn in stone in which no-one had yet been laid.
The women who had come from Galilee, following Jesus, took note of the position of the body. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.

It was a question of basic respect and reverence for the body of the crucified Christ. Every human body deserves respect and reverence. We are all made in the image and likeness of God. Our bodies were washed in the waters of baptism. They were anointed with the holy oils. We were fed with the body and blood of Christ. Our sins have been washed away by the blood of Christ. Our bodies became the Temple, the dwelling places, of the Holy Spirit. Both in life and in death, our bodies are sacred – they belong to God. By baptism we were made one body with the dead and risen Christ. No-one can take away that dignity from us. From the risen Christ we are to pass from death to life – eternal life. In soul we are to be cleansed and taken up into heaven with the saints. In body we dead await the blessed hope of Christ’s coming – the Resurrection of the dead.

As we offer this Mass for your dear disappeared, we offer prayers and petitions for them. As we believe that this memorial of Christ’s death and resurrection can bring spiritual happiness to those who have died, so we hope that it will help to offer consolation to you who are living. We pray that someone may have taken note of where they were laid to rest and, like those good women, they may receive the courage to come forward and reveal that information.

Although the consolation of a Christian burial has been denied to your dear departed ones, God who is all-powerful can find other ways of offering you healing and hope and consolation. God, who is the God of life, can certainly welcome them into eternal life.

In St. John’s account of the Passion, which is read on every Good Friday, Jesus holds a discussion with Pilate about his being a king and what sort of king he is. He also talks about truth. “So you are a king then” Pilate asked. Jesus answered: “It is you who say it. Yes, I am a king. I was born for this, to bear witness to the truth and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice”. Pilate said, “Truth, what is that?” All who are on the side of truth listen to the voice of Christ. We all hunger for the truth, especially in matters that concern ourselves and our family. Today we pray that the Spirit of the Risen Christ may give us the wisdom to know the truth and the courage to proclaim it and to reveal it and to live it in our lives.

I know that it is your very dear wish that the mortal remains of your dearly beloved disappeared relatives, members of your family, should be found and returned to you so that they can be reverently and lovingly laid to rest. We pray earnestly for that intention today. In today’s Gospel we hear the prayer of Jesus which he prayed on the cross for those who had put him to death: “Father forgive them. They do not know what they are doing”. We ask God to give all of us the spirit of true forgiveness, especially in those moments when we find it difficult or impossible to forgive. Not once but twice, in the Garden of Gesthemane, Jesus offered this prayer for his followers: Pray not to be put to the test. Every follower of Christ is put to the test, is tested by temptation at some stage or other. Today we ask the strength to overcome the tests, which come our way. In the Garden of Gesthemane Jesus prayed: “Father if you are willing, take this cup away from me”. He was talking about the cup of suffering – the suffering of his passion and death. Then he went on to pray, “nevertheless, let your will be done, not mine”. Why was it the Father’s will that he should drink the cup of suffering? Suffering onto death, the terrible agony of the crucifixion. I think it was in order that he should pay the penalty for our sins and from the sins of others. He, the sinless one, was made sin, to save us, the guilty. He has paid the penalty, he has repaired the damage of our sins.

When those who were led by Judas came to the garden to arrest him, his followers saw what was happening and said, “Lord shall we use our swords”? In fact, one of them didn’t wait for permission, but struck out at the High Priest’s servant, and cut off his ear. Jesus said, “Leave off that will do”. Touching the ear of the servant, he healed him.

There are two important lessons there. Firstly, I think that the answer to violence, in any shape or form, is not more violence, rather it is patience and goodness and kindness. The second lesson is, that our blessed Saviour, Our Saviour Jesus Christ, is a healing person. He healed the ear of the servant of the High Priest. The High Priest’s servant was not free in what he was doing, he was ordered by the High Priest.
Today we pray that the same healing hand of Christ may touch, not alone our eyes and our ears, but our hearts and heal them. The crowd welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. They praised God for all the miracles they had seen. I suppose we have all seen miracles of consolation and strength, given to us by God. My prayer is that the palm branches which are blessed and are carried home today, may become, for each one of us, a sign of victory. They are the sign of Christ’s victory over death. He is the way, the truth and the life. He has conquered death. Today it is the sign of the victory of patience over violence, and it is a sign of the victory of love over hatred.

At the Last Supper Jesus promised that he would confer a kingdom on all those who stood by him faithfully in his trials. They would eat and drink at his table in his kingdom. The women of Jerusalem mourned and lamented for him. Jesus was concerned that they should also pray and weep for themselves and for their children. You have stood by Jesus faithfully in his trials by your refusal to turn away from God in your trials. I am sure you are often tempted to do so. Like Mary, you too have stood at the foot of the cross of Christ. As you have mourned and lamented for your own relatives, you have also mourned and lamented for Christ. I know that all of this has brought you closer to Jesus and to Mary, his mother. May your attendance here today and your abiding love for your families, draw you ever more closely to Christ and to Mary, who stood at the foot of the cross and watched her son die. May the bonds of love, which unite you, strengthen you now and always.
AMEN

INTRODUCTION

I welcome you all here today to St. Patrick’s Grammar School, Armagh. A very warm welcome to the members of the families of Jean McConville, Seamus Ruddy, Seamus Wright, Kevin McKee, Gerard Evans, Charlie Armstrong, Danny McElhone, Columba McVeigh, Brendan Megraw, Robert Nairac and John McIlroy. I also welcome the families of John McClory, Eamon Molloy, Brian McKinney and Eugene Simons. We thank God that their bodies have been recovered.

We come together on a day in which, in union with the whole Church, we begin the solemn celebration of Our Lord’s suffering death and resurrection. We come together first of all, to be together and to help each other with the support of our prayers. We turn our hearts and minds to the God of all consolation. We come to unite ourselves to our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who has offered one single sacrifice for sins and then has taken his place forever at the right hand of God. We come to ask the help of a God who never forgets. He says that even though a mother may forget her children, He will never forget them, because He has written their names on the palms of His hands.

We have come to listen to the account of the passion of Our Lord, Jesus Christ so that we may get from it, strength and hope for the future. We pray for those who have disappeared that they may be safe with the Lord in his eternal glory. We pray for all who are engaged in the search for missing victims and for a lasting and genuine peace. We thank God for the work of people engaged in supporting and consoling the bereaved and those traumatised through the troubles in Northern Ireland.

OPENING OF THE
COALISLAND WOMEN’S
LEARN AND LEISURE ART AND CRAFT EXHIBITION
4 APRIL, 2001
ADDRESS BY CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY

Thank you for the invitation to come here tonight. I am very happy to accept that invitation and to see that Dean Cassidy has also agreed to be here. I am delighted to be present at the opening of Coalisland Women’s Learn and Leisure Art and Craft Exhibition of 2001. I am delighted to see, at first hand, this renovated and refurbished Stewart’s Mill. I think it stands as a monument to the energy, vision and imagination of Coalisland and District Development Association.

As far back as 1993 this project was undertaken and carried out under the first Community Regeneration Improvement Special Projects, CRISP in other words. One quotation from the Chairman of Coalisland and District Development Association, Jim Canning, has always stayed in my mind. He once told me. “In my experience people are more than willing to work together when given the opportunity and proper incentives”. We salute the achievements of Coalisland and District Development Association over the past twenty years, since its foundation.

The Association was formed to reverse the rising unemployment problem in this area. That problem had been caused by many of the clay-based and textile based industries closing at that time. The Weaving Company factory on the Dungannon Road was purchased and converted into fifty business units. That in itself is a tremendous achievement. The provision of training in various skills, of up to 100 trainees per year, both manual and clerical, for all the people of the area by Coalisland Training Service Limited became a priority. The renovation and refurbishment of Stewart’s Mill, in which we are gathered tonight, is yet another work of which the Association can be very proud. I think CRISP proves the point that God helps those who help themselves because initially the Coalisland and District Development Association collected £43,000 to buy property and provide workspace and training.

There is the International Music Festival, centred in and around this building, with musicians, dancers and singers from all over Europe. There is the Coalisland Heritage Trust, which promotes the Industrial Heritage of this district as a visitor attraction. The achievements of the town have been rewarded by the AIB Better Ireland Award, the British Urban Regeneration Award and the British Airways Tourism Award.
It has been said that development is the new name for peace. I think the improvements, the refurbishment, the environmental development programmes are very important in giving people a stake – a share in their local community. They gain a sense of pride in their place of origin, their local place, their native place.

The numbers are impressive, four factories and a supermarket employing 200 people on the industrial site. This refurbished four-storey corn mill housing the local Library, the Heritage Centre and providing a neutral venue for over forty community groups is marvellous. This urban development programme is a trend-setter.
It is a model.

I suppose the most heartening thing of all is the change in attitude where people have been transformed from depression to self-esteem, discouragement to self confidence, self respect and respect for each other.

The Women’s Learn and Leisure has also played its part. I congratulate you all on this, your eighth Exhibition. The many and various classes held here throughout the year, in many branches of the Arts and Crafts, indicate the amount of interest that has been generated. I am reliably informed that they are so interesting and well presented that a number of men have seen the benefits and have allowed themselves to be coaxed away from the garden and the golf. I hope the Exhibition is going to attract lots and lots of visitors, especially during Holy Week.

FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE
ARCHBISHOP BRADY CALLS FOR
RENEWED VIGILANCE AND PRAYER

The following Statement from Dr Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh, was issued today:
“In the light of recent developments, our hearts go out to the farming community, especially to those unfortunate farmers whose animals now have to be destroyed for the common good. Despite the best efforts of so many people, Foot and Mouth Disease has spread to County Louth, causing further anxiety and distress.

It is also a worrying time for people whose livelihoods are seriously affected by the current crisis, not least those employed in the food industry, tourism and several other sectors. They also deserve our understanding and support at this critical time.

It is important that the whole community continue to show its willingness to help by faithfully following the advice, regulations and instructions, given by the civil authorities at local and governmental level.

We believe in, and depend on, a God who is a bountiful Creator.

We hope in a God who is personally concerned with creation.

We are loved by a God who listens and responds to prayer.

I encourage constant prayer and fasting this Lent that this country may be preserved from further outbreaks and that all countries affected may succeed in bringing the disease under control. May God give consolation to those who have suffered loss, wisdom to those who have to make difficult decisions, and success to the work of the hands of all who are striving to overcome this disaster. I know that those who are excused from attending Mass because of the danger of spreading the disease will pray at home for a speedy end to this crisis. With the help of God and a continuation of wonderful solidarity from all sectors of the community, this crisis can, without doubt, be overcome. ‘May your love be upon us O Lord as we place all our hope in you’ (Psalm 32)”.
ENDS 24 March 2001

CLOSE OF MISSION
PARISH OF DUNGANNON
HOMILY BY CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY
SUNDAY 18 MARCH 2001

We don’t like to hear bad news about ourselves. We say we don’t like to learn bad news of others either. Yet, the content of our daily newspapers would seem to cast some doubt on this. Nobody likes to get a warning, yet there is a time and place for warnings in life. This is what today’s Gospel is about. Jesus is told that Pilate had killed two men in Jerusalem. Apparently they had come to the temple to offer their sacrifices. They were caught in the crossfire of a riot, between the rioters and Pilate’s forces. Somewhere else a tower had collapsed, in a place called Siloam and eighteen people had died. And as the people tell Jesus these stories they wonder if they are worse sinners than the rest of us that such suffering and disaster should happen to them?

I was listening to a programme this morning about blame. There is always the tendency to blame someone else, to find a scapegoat when some evil happens – it was the barman’s fault, he shouldn’t have served us that last drink or “It’s all your fault”. What is it about us, that we feel the need to blame the victims of some tragedy for the fact that the tragedy took place? Maybe we feel under threat ourselves so we want to distance ourselves from those people and to say, “we are not like them”. So what happened to them could never happen to us because we are separated from them. We will not be contaminated. We won’t catch whatever it is they have got. But to those who come to him with the bad news of these two disasters, Jesus does not give an explanation. Instead he shifts the focus from them, from those unfortunate people, to us. He says: “If you think these Galileans were worse sinners than all the others because they suffered in this way, then I am telling you here and now, you are wrong. They were certainly no worse than any other Galileans”.

Yes, Jesus shifts the focus to each one of us. He says, “Unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way. Twice Jesus repeats that warning. For Jesus, all of us, as long as we continue to sin, are equally threatened. We are all threatened by the sword of Pilate. An accident could happen to anyone of us at any given time – tragedy could strike at any time. Unless we prepare ourselves and recognise that we need to repent of our sins, then we will die in our sins. Jesus does not allow any of us to think of ourselves as superior to others. He regrets the idea that accidents happen to people – as a kind of payment for their sins. The point is, not that those people who died in those two disasters were more sinful, not at all. The point is that all are sinners and all will perish if they do not repent. Yes, all of us need to repent of our sins.
Yesterday we celebrated the feast of St. Patrick. Remember the first words of his writings: “I am Patrick, a sinner”. What a breath of fresh air to find someone mature enough to admit that yes, at sixteen years of age, he had already turned away from God and closed his ears to those who talked to him of his sins.

We got ashes on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday. Those ashes remind us that each one carries within, a weakness, a weakness to sin. Ashes tell us that we are all liable to suffer and to have to endure pain. Above all, the ashes remind us that we are going to die one day.

And so, the message that Jesus has for each one of us today is: in all of your worries for those unfortunate people who met such tragic deaths, don’t think that you are standing safe and sound, that you are all firm and secure. For we could easily fall into the false security of thinking that we are in some way better than they are. False security can be a notion that others somehow deserve what happens to them.

When all is said and done, Jesus Christ is our only security. I think that is the message which the group of 70 and upward Emmanuel missionaries have been giving in this parish over the last three weeks. I welcome them most warmly and I congratulate them most sincerely on their wonderful work. Stephen and Sister came to tell me about some of it on Friday evening last. I must say I was delighted and pleased. We thank God today for the grace of this wonderful mission. I congratulate Mgr. McEntegart and the priests of the parish on the courageous and imaginative decision to invite the Emmanuel Mission. I congratulate and thank the people of Dungannon who opened their hearts and their doors to these scores of mainly lay missionaries. These missionaries have taken time off to come and invite you, and all of us, to open the door to Christ. They have come to offer the healing and the hope, the pardon and the peace, which can only come from the love and mercy of Jesus Christ. The number 70 reminds us of the disciples, which Jesus sent out, in pairs, to prepare for his coming in the various towns and villages. I see these 70 missionaries and more, coming to prepare the way for Christ as he wants to come into your hearts, into your minds, and into your lives, this Easter, with his love and with his mercy, with his forgiveness and with his pardon.

As these missionaries preach the message of Christ’s love and mercy, gradually the coin drops and we get the message. The important question is not where does tragedy and suffering come from, but to where does it lead?

· Does it lead to faith or to despair?
· Does it lead to conversion or just merely to more indifference and apathy, a change of heart?

There is a lovely prayer in the breviary today it goes like this:

God our Father you have shown us that prayer, fasting and almsgiving are remedies for sin. Accept the humble admission of our guilt and when our conscience weighs us down, let your unfailing mercy raise us up.

Yes, what we want is to admit our guilt, to take responsibility for our own lives, not to be always looking around for scapegoats, for somebody to blame. It is a mark of maturity, in the person who can take responsibility for what they have done, right or wrong. Taking responsibility on ourselves can lead to despair, it can lead to self-loathing and that is where Jesus has foreseen all of that and provided a remedy. But it can also lead to freedom and forgiveness.

I know that the missionaries have talked to you about sin. I know that through your prayer, fasting and almsgiving, many of you have already experienced the grace of God’s unfailing mercy in the wonderful penance service of last week. Tonight as we close this mission, we thank God for all of that.

I am sure there are still other people in this parish, and in other parishes, with a weight on their conscience, waiting to be lifted up by God’s unfailing mercy. It will take a bit more prayer to soften the hardness of their hearts. And so, I ask you, you who have experienced the grace and the happiness of this mission, to pray for those other people. There is still time, but there is not an endless amount of time. You know how the devil loves to lure us into a false sense of security. He doesn’t say “there is no danger”, no, he is far to clever for that. He is far too clever to think that we would fall for that ploy. What he does say is, ‘listen, there is no hurry’.

We have been greatly privileged to have had the Emmanuel community in our diocese for the last three weeks; a community dedicated to bringing the mercy of God to all people, in every sort of situation in life. The Lenten call to repent is echoed in Jesus’ words today and it says, ‘yes, there is still time but we don’t know how much. We know that it is limited’. The parable of the fig tree says, ‘the story is not over yet’. The vinedresser says, ‘wait. Give me more time’. Time to repent, time to receive forgiveness, time to experience the pardon and peace, which that forgiveness brings.

And so, let’s continue to pray for those who don’t see that they have any need to look for God’s mercy. Let’s ask courage for those who haven’t got the courage to approach a priest to ask for absolution.

This evening we thank God with all our hearts for this mission. It began with the love of the heart of Mary for the brothers and sisters of her son, Jesus Christ. It ends with the love of the heart of Christ, a heart pierced with a lance, for the love of each one of us. These generous missionaries came to tell us of a God who is determined to remove our guilt from us, if only we will allow it and He wants never more to recall that guilt. To bring home that good news the Emmanuel community went, to the homes and to the schools, to the pubs and to the halls, so as to reach the hearts of all. They prayed and they consoled, they sang and they spoke. They even got an icon from Pope John Paul II, to bring special grace and blessing on their work.

As they leave us, in response to this mission, they once again invite all of us to open the door to Christ. They ask us to open the door of our hearts to the love of Christ and to the pardon he alone can give. If we do so then we will find our own faith strengthened, especially if we keep sharing it with others. I imagine St. Patrick is very pleased to see these missionaries retrace his footsteps, coming from across the seas, imitating once more his example of sharing the knowledge and love of God with the Irish.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY 2001
HOMILY BY CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY
12.00 NOON MASS
ST PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL, ARMAGH

The scare of foot and mouth disease has cast a damper over this year’s celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. I know I have received very few St. Patrick’s Day cards. Perhaps people think we are not celebrating the National Feast-day this year. But, here and in Britain, our usual confidence has suffered an unexpected setback. Suddenly we have realised how little power we have in preventing the spread of a virus, how much we depend on the co-operation of the entire community and how much we need the help and protection of God.

So, our first prayer today is to our National Apostle – St. Patrick. He was himself once a shepherd boy, tending sheep during his captivity. Our prayer is to ask him, most sincerely to intercede for us that we may be rid of the terrible plague of foot and mouth disease.

We shall, however, still celebrate, with great joy and gratitude, the Feast of St. Patrick. Patrick was not only a shepherd of animals; he was much more importantly, the shepherd of the Irish – of Irish men and women. He was very much concerned about the well being of the people entrusted to his care and about their spiritual well being. Patrick, I am sure, would be extremely anxious about the spiritual well being of the Irish if he were alive today. Yes there is a great sense of confidence among Irish people today; there is a strong feeling that we have never had things so good. The Celtic Tiger in the South has transformed society – economically and socially. There is much to be thankful for and much of which to be proud.

At the same time, many people are experiencing growing difficulties in maintaining the balance they want in their lives – between their family and their work, between their standard of living and their compassion for people less well-off than themselves. It is becoming more difficult to give practical expression to spiritual values. Yet it is important to remember that a job, while it is paid, is above all, about service to others. It is essential to protect the quality of time given, first of all, to family and to friends. It is necessary to find time and space for quiet and solitude and to practice prayer and contemplation.

As a young adult, Patrick, realised that he had been neglecting God in his life. That was part of the reason, he believed, for his captivity. Let us listen to his own words:

“I am Patrick, a sinner. I was almost sixteen at the time I was taken captive and I did not know the true God. I was taken into captivity to Ireland with many thousands of people. We deserved this fate because we had turned away from God; we neither kept His commandments nor obeyed our priests, who used to warn us about salvation”.

I love the honesty of those words. “I am Patrick, a sinner, I did not know the true God”. We live in an age and at a time when it is fashionable to blame someone else for all our faults and failings. How refreshing therefore to find Patrick freely admitting that he deserved what he got. It was the best thing that ever happened to him, he says, because it brought him to his senses. Later Patrick came to see the foolishness of his ways. He was very thankful that he got, what he calls, the great and beneficial gift of knowing and loving God, even if it meant, “leaving my home life and my relatives”.

Patrick was never tired of thanking God for rescuing him from the danger of totally losing his faith. “I give thanks” he says, “to God tirelessly who kept me faithful in the days of trial, who preserved me in all my troubles”. “I am very much in debt to God” Patrick wrote, “who gave me so much grace that through me many people were born again in God”. Yes, Patrick realised that God had made him to be a light to the nations, so that he could be a means of salvation to the ends of the earth. Today, thousands march and celebrate, in so many nations on so many continents, to celebrate the fact that this prophecy has come true.

“All this”, he wrote in another place, “was for a people newly come to belief”. People who the Lord took from the ends of the earth and, as he promised long ago to his prophets, “to you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and will say how false are the idols our fathers made for themselves, how useless they are”.

Well the idols, like the saints, are always liable to make a comeback. It is so easy to get so caught up in the culture of getting and having that it becomes the driving force in life and leaves little or no time for God. The result is that people neglect God in their lives and ignore the faith, which St. Patrick brought to us. The result is that when some difficulty arises, where we cannot rely solely on our own resources, such as the death of someone close or the sickness of someone very dear to us, we find it extremely hard to cope. The result often is deep discouragement and the temptation to despair. But, the best antidote is the support and hope that comes with a strong faith in God.

Patrick lived in an age when the pace of life was slower. Life appeared simpler. Yet his message of faith in God has lessons for our own time. It is a time, which sets such a high store on affluence and trusts solely on one’s own resources. The message brought by Patrick tells us that wealth has an enormous power for doing good in a world as needy as our own. The message of Christ helps us to see that either wealth is shared or its owners become the owned and are diminished in themselves. This message sets both rich and poor free. It invites everyone to see through the falseness of making material possessions the goal of human life. Patrick had his faith strengthened here in Ireland. Here in the north of Ireland he got the wonderful gift of knowing and loving God. Yes, it meant leaving his homeland and his relations. It was a price well worth paying. For, removed from his family he had time to think and to pray. In a single day he says, he would say as many as a hundred prayers and almost as many in the night. Separated from his family and homeland, Patrick found himself in a fearful situation. Working in poverty and in slavery Patrick turned to God in prayer for help. Thanks to his perseverance in prayer and trust in God, Patrick survived.

He not only survived but he discovered what God wanted him to do. He got the courage and the strength to do it. When God asked Patrick to come back to Ireland, he simply could not refuse. He had experienced the love and the care and the protection of God so powerfully in the hour of his need, that God won his heart totally and forever. Patrick simply could not say no to God, who had stood by him in his troubles.

Did you know that for the past three weeks a group of seventy and upwards, lay missionaries and priests, from many parts of the world, have been preaching a mission in Dungannon? The group, which includes young people and couples, have taken time off to host this mission. The central focus is on the love and mercy of Jesus. The missionaries are members of the Emmanuel community and they offer a rich spiritual programme of healing, reconciliation and hope. I think that St. Patrick must be very happy that so many missionaries are once again retracing his footsteps to invite people to open the door to Christ.

This feast always raises a few difficult questions for oneself.

· How grateful do I feel for the faith brought by Patrick?
· How much do I feel moved to share that faith with others and to hand it on to those who come after me?

Every time we come to Mass we are reminded that creation is a shared table. God invites all of us to that table equally. Everytime we go out from Mass, the faith brought by Patrick, commits us again to do our best to change the experience of life for everyone we meet into a pleasant surprise at the bounty and goodness of God.

LITURGICAL RECEPTION OF APOSTOLIC NUNCIO TO IRELAND
HIS EXCELLENCY MOST REVEREND GIUSEPPE LAZZAROTTO,
HOMILY BY CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY
PRESIDENT OF THE IRISH EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE
ST. PATRICK’S COLLEGE, MAYNOOTH
12 MARCH 2001

Your Eminence, Your Excellency, My Brother Bishops and Reverend Fathers in Jesus Christ,
At this, our first meeting of 2001, we give God thanks for many new things: the new Irish Cardinal; a new Nuncio, sent by the Holy Father to represent the Catholic Church in Ireland and from the Holy See to the Irish Government; a new system of organisation for those who work in the various Commissions and Agencies of the Irish Bishops’ Conference.

All of us gathered here this evening are engaged in work which extends to many areas of Church life in Ireland today. The activities of all of us are, in one way or another, aimed at contributing to the promotion and strengthening and handing on of the faith in this country. So, this evening we give thanks to God for that faith.

The work of all of us is linked, in one way or another, with the wonderful works of God among His people. Our activities are linked especially by the work of Christ in saving humankind and in giving glory to God. Yesterday, down in Tuam, we buried Archbishop Joseph Cunnane. His motto was: Aedificare Familiam Dei, ‘To Build Up the Family of God’. Each one of us is, or ought to be, concerned with building up the Family of God.

In every Mass the Church celebrates and remembers the deeds by which Christ carried out the work of saving the world. Not alone that but through the liturgy of the Mass, Christ continues the work of saving us from sin and death. Christ gives the dignity of a royal priesthood to the people he has made his own. To that people His Father gives gifts of grace for every time and season as He guides the Church in the marvellous ways of His providence. From the beginning the Church has been marked by a great diversity of gifts and a great richness of grace. That diversity comes from the variety of God’s gifts. It also comes from the variety of all those people who receive the gifts.

This evening we thank God for all those gifts and all those people, especially those working in the Commissions and Agencies. There are different gifts, offices, conditions and ways of life. We ask the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help us meet the challenge of a new situation.

St. Paul urges us to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace so that the richness and diversity of God’s people may not be a threat to its unity. The Church knows that it has been entrusted to the pastoral care of Peter and of his successors. The Church in Ireland appreciates and welcomes that care. That care is exercised in a variety of ways. One of those ways is the practice by which the Holy Father appoints Apostolic Nuncios to represent him in various parts of the world. This evening we welcome Archbishop Lazzarotto, Apostolic Nuncio to Ireland. He comes as the representative of Pope John Paul II, a man who has a special place in the hearts and affections of Irish Catholics.

Pope John Paul II once had an Irish Secretary, Bishop John Magee. Bishop Magee was not only his Secretary but later his Master of Ceremonies. The Holy Father came to Ireland. He not only came to Ireland, he came to this College and to several dioceses. The notable thing was that he came very early in his Pontificate, immediately after visiting his native Poland, and the much- persecuted Mexico. The Holy Father did so because he wanted to pay tribute to the heroics of the Irish people, to the Catholic faith despite the centuries of opposition and persecution.

So, Archbishop Lazzarotto, we welcome you with great joy. We ask God’s blessing on you and on our work. You come as the representative of the successor of Peter, to whom the Lord entrusted the task of confirming faith of his brethren. That was never an easy task. It is not an easy task today but it is a noble task. We know that the Holy Father is the centre and bond of unity in the Pilgrim Church on earth. Through him and in union with him, we remain in communion with the universal church. We appreciate that we have been entrusted to his pastoral care. We rely on that pastoral care to ensure that we share in a communion of holy things, which Christ, out of love, gives to his holy people, for the building up of his kingdom on earth.

I believe that our new Apostolic Nuncio is excellently prepared to carry out his new role. He comes with considerable knowledge of conditions in Ireland and has followed the knowledge acquired over the years from Irish colleagues, and from his work in six native states. His last posting was in Iraq and Jordan, troubled areas in a troubled Middle East. Here in Ireland we hope and pray that we are at present moving out of a period of troubles into a more peaceful phase of our history. Nevertheless we believe that the experience of the new Nuncio will be invaluable, especially his appreciation of the effects of violence on the lives of people and on their faith.

Finally, our new Nuncio comes from the diocese of Padua, a diocese renowned as the centre of learning, as a centre of art and above all, as a centre of holiness.

Your Excellency, you come to visit us in a week in which we prepare to celebrate the Feast of our national apostle. In his Confession, Patrick reveals his tremendously strong faith in the Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Patrick never ceased to confess his sinfulness and his unworthiness for the task which the Lord had called him. He put his trust totally in God. In the midst of his many difficulties he, Patrick, united himself to Christ, especially in his suffering and death.

As we strive to carry on the work of Patrick, this evening’s First Reading gives us inspiration. It is from the Book of Daniel and is one of the loveliest penitential prayers of the Old Testament. The speaker addresses God in the name of the entire people. He confesses the sinful characters who are so forgetful of their Creator and so reluctant to listen to the voice of the prophets. He recalls the great majesty of God. It was prayers like these that hastened the times and nourished the spirituality of the people of St Patrick.

‘Be compassionate, as your Father is compassionate. Be merciful as your Father in Heaven is merciful’ the Gospel tells us this evening. ‘Do not judge or condemn but instead grant pardon. Give not only pardon, give a full measure’. Those words remind us that the moral behaviour of the follower of Christ is inevitably an imitation of God’s behaviour. The emphasis is on the total generosity of our giving. In return we are promised not just an equivalent measure as reward but a super abundant measure. In the celebration of the Eucharist the Christian is united in the charity of Christ. That charity is a perfect imitation of the Father. We are not on our own – we rely on that charity always for in you, Our Lord, we put our trust, we shall not be put to shame.
AMEN

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HOMILY EXTRACT
CONFIRMATION
HOLY FAMILY CHURCH, COALISLAND, CO. TYRONE
ARCHBISHOP SEÁN BRADY
SATURDAY, 3 MARCH, 2001, 11.00AM

CURRENT POLITICAL SITUATION

St Paul lists peace as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Peace comes about when people know what they ought to do and also have the courage to do it fearlessly, despite all the obstacles.

When the Good Friday Agreement was signed, I believe the Holy Spirit was very much at work. After long negotiations the parties agreed that certain measures had to be taken in order to establish a lasting peace. They found the courage to take the risks involved and to sign up to the Agreement. As a result there was great joy – which is another fruit of the work of the Holy Spirit.

Since then significant progress has been made in many areas of the Peace Agreement. However, there are other areas where there has been some but insufficient progress.

In the Agreement there is a commitment to the total disarmament of all paramilitary organisations. There is a promise to work constructively and in good faith with the Independent Commission. There is an undertaking to use influence to bring about the decommissioning of all paramilitary arms. Again there was great joy when people read those words in the Agreement.

Good faith is crucial to the survival of the Agreement. If that good faith is to survive more progress has to be made in this area and it has to be made now.

I am delighted to hear that the pro-Agreement parties are planning to meet soon. I pray and I ask all of you to pray that they will sit down together. I hope that in their discussions all will see honestly and truthfully what they have got to do now to ensure that the peace process survives. If they do so I am confident that they will once again get the courage to play their part and to help each other play their part fearlessly, in spite of all difficulties.

If they do so I believe that they will find the Holy Spirit and a huge number of people once again very much on their side. Understanding and trust will grow. The search for a lasting peace to which the pro-Agreement parties have so courageously and so wisely committed themselves could once again breathe life and hope. I ask all who sincerely want peace to pray that this may happen – for the sake of us all and especially for the good of the young people confirmed here today.
ENDS.

ATTENTION NEWSDESKS
IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE – FOOT AND MOUTH CRISIS
FROM DR SEÁN BRADY, ARCHBISHOP OF ARMAGH
2 March, 2001

In a letter to the priests of the Archdiocese of Armagh today, Archbishop Seán Brady said the following:
I ask you to do all you can to offer comfort and hope to all who are affected by the latest threat to the agricultural industry.

I want you to urge people to co-operate fully with the advice of the Departments of Agriculture (North and South) and to act with the greatest responsibility. People should be encouraged to listen attentively to and carry out fully the regulations and restrictions imposed by the civic authorities at local and national level.

Following advice received by the Department of Agriculture I ask priests to take the necessary precautions and to put in place disinfectant mats at all entrances to churches and car parks.

All Masses in the following churches in the restricted zone have been cancelled this weekend: St Joseph’s Church, Meigh; St Patrick’s Church, Dromintee; Sacred Heart Church, Jonesboro; St Mary’s Church, Mullaghbawn; St Oliver Plunkett Church, Forkhill; Our Lady, Queen of Peace Church, Aughanduff; St Brigid’s Church, Glassdrummond; Sacred Heart Church, Shelagh; St Malachy’s Church, Carrickcruppin (Camlough); Sacred Heart Church, Lislea; St Michael’s Church, Killean; St Brigid’s Church, Kilcurry; St Brigid’s Shrine, Faughart. Parishioners who normally attend these churches are excused from the Sunday Mass obligation and are encouraged to assist at Mass via radio or television. They are encouraged to pray fervently in their own homes for an end to this crisis.

In view of the risk involved people from these areas are not encouraged to travel elsewhere to attend Mass. Anyone who believes that by attending Mass this weekend they might risk spreading the disease is similarly excused.

I leave it up to other parishes to decide to cancel or postpone parish functions in view of the risk involved to the common good of the community.

Prayers should be offered at all Masses that further outbreaks of the disease may be avoided. Parishioners affected by the crisis should be contacted by telephone and assured of support and solidarity.
Schools in all parishes should provide disinfectant mats at all entrances and exits.
May St Brigid, Patroness of flocks, fields, and farmyards, protect us at this time.

No interviews will be given.