St Catherine’s College, Armagh
Mass
St Patrick’s Cathedral
Address by
Most Reverend Seán Brady
16 October 2007

I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak to you at this Mass for the opening of your school. I hope that this is going to be a very good year, a very happy year, for each and every one of you.

I hope that you enjoy coming and praying in this beautiful Cathedral. Just look at the sheer magnificence of it. You have to admit that your ancestors of the 19th century had class. They had taste, they had style. It is indeed cool, real cool. No wonder the people of Armagh are very proud of their Cathedral. I see it first and foremost as a proof of their faith in God, a sign of their belief that the Cathedral is a place of prayer and that the highest and best thing that anybody can do on earth was to give praise and glory to God. This is the Faith we have received, we cherish, we live and we hand on.

So I hope that as you admire the sheer beauty of this Cathedral, your minds will turn to the all-important question. Where does beauty come from? What is the source and origin of such beauty.

I am sure that during the coming year you are going to study and learn a lot of new facts but whatever else you do I hope that you will continue to grow in beauty and wisdom, as Jesus did when he went down from the temple with his parents when he was twelve years of age. I hope that whatever else you learn you will, over the next year, come to know Jesus a bit better and that you will learn to put your trust in Him, to share your faith in Him. We declare our faith in God when we say the Creed. ‘I believe in God the Father and mighty creator of heaven and earth.’ It has been well said that the Creed is a wonderful gallery of the marvellous works of art, which God has made for our benefit. Let me emphasise that fact. God has created the world and all its beauty, for our benefit, for our use, for our advantage. God has sent His Son into the world to show His love for us. That Son, Jesus Christ, loved each one of us so much that He died for us. And so it is one marvellous work after another for our benefit. God raised Jesus from the dead, for our sake. He sent the Holy Spirit for us. He founded the Church for us. That is the profession of faith. That Creed, that profession, is like a tablet. It only fizzles, sparkles, bubbles when it is dissolved in the water of life and I hope that you will definitely immerse your faith in the Water of Life in your parish, in your home and in your Church at Sunday Mass using your talents, the great talents within you. If you don’t do this you don’t know what your are missing. I hope that this year you will discover the joy of following Christ. That is what the Pope said to us Bishops last year. Help your people to discover the joy of following Christ. Each one of us is on this earth to do some good, to carry out some definite service. God has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. You and I have our mission. We may never know it in this life but we will be told it in the next. We are links in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He hasn’t created us for nothing. I hope that during the coming year you will discover what that good is and that you will carry it out and choose your career wisely.

The good that you and I are here to do is to know Jesus and to embody in our lives the values which he has. I want to assure you, that is where you will find real joy. I invite you to join me in a crusade to find the joy of following Jesus and to pass it on to others.

Next year World Youth Day is being held in Sydney. The theme will be one of witness: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses. (Acts 1:8).

This morning the Holy Father announced my appointment as Cardinal. I ask your prayers and the prayers of your parent.

Sermon for the Mass of Remembrance
for the Deceased & Living Members
of the
Industrial Schools in Ireland

Given by
ARCHBISHOP SEÁN BRADY
Archbishop of Armagh & Primate of All Ireland

At St. Finbar’s Cathedral, Cork, Saturday 27th October 2007

My dear friends in Jesus Christ,

I would like to begin by saying what an honour it is for me to be here today. Although the invitation from Right Of Place came some time before I knew the Holy Father intended to make me a Cardinal, I am glad that in God’s providence one of my first responsibilities is to celebrate this Mass of Remembrance for the deceased and living members of the Industrial Schools in Ireland. No issue has dominated the Church in Ireland in recent years more than the painful legacy of the sexual, physical and emotional abuse of children. That this occurred amidst our efforts to provide so many children with hope and care makes it even more perplexing. It could not be more appropriate therefore, that as I take on my new responsibilities within the Universal Church, I am confronted today with the painful, often devastating truth that the community of faith can be a place of hurt as well as of healing. I am confronted with the truth that amidst the most sincere efforts to do good, evil too can grow. In your presence I am reminded that without the absolute determination to remain vigilant, without the willingness to face the whole truth about our lives and about our human institutions, terrible harm can be done to those who most deserve our care.

In our first reading, Moses tells the people that God lead his people through the confusion and trauma of the desert to humble them, to test their inmost heart. If I have any hope for the Church in Ireland at this time, it is that in remembering the pain of those who have been so hurt in recent years, we too will be humbled, that we too will be brought back to our inmost heart as a Church. It is here we will discover the things of which Pope Benedict speaks so frequently, the basic and beautiful truths of our faith: That God is love, that our faith is not a list of do’s and don’t but an encounter with a person, that there is joy in following Christ.

A reporter asked me the other day whether I thought the worst of the child abuse scandal for the Church was over. My answer is that as a Church we can not even begin to think in these terms. Indeed, it can the Church can never think in these terms. The threat of evil, in any of its forms will always be present. What we can do however, is justice to those who have been hurt. What we can do is everything in our power to ensure that it does not happen again. I believe this is what we are now trying to do. In establishing the National Board for the Safeguarding of Children in the Church, by training thousands of volunteers at Parish level, by liaising closely with the statutory authorities North and South we are earnestly trying to do all in our power to create a Church in which children will always cherished and safe. Jesus asks no less of us.

Many will think it is too little to late. As a Church leader, I cannot ever adequately or sufficiently apologise to all those who have been hurt while they were entrusted to the Church’s care. Nothing can ever make up for the terrible wrongs that have been done. But I can assure you of my absolute determination to try to change things for the better, whether here in Ireland or in my new role within the Universal Church. Doing all in my power to make the Church a life-giving, joyful and safe place for children is my deepest desire and a key priority. As an uncle, as someone who cherishes the spontaneous affection, joy and trust of the children I meet at confirmation, in youth clubs, in schools I am still bewildered that anyone could deliberately harm a child. I still find it difficult to understand and feel great shame that some of those who should have been most trusted, some of those who should have been most like Christ to children, committed such horrific evil and crimes against them. The tears that well up within me when I think of what some children have gone through, what some of you have gone through, compel to continue, to the best of my human ability, albeit an always imperfect ability, to understand why these things happened and to work with others to put them right.

This includes asking hard questions. The Catholic Church has an outstanding record of care for children across the world – in education, in orphanages, in youth facilities, in outreach to street children and to children in need generally. So many heroic Irish men and women like Nano Nagle, Edmund Rice, Mary Aikenhead and others to give up all they had to give children every possible chance. How did heroic generosity, this sincere care for the well being of children become so entwined, so tolerant of such great evil in our midst? What was it in our culture as a Church, as a society which contributed to our blindness as the learned and clever to what the children among could more clearly see? Did our desire to serve those in need become an unwitting vehicle to earthly prominence and pride in a country struggling with independence? These are only some of the hard questions that we still have to ask. The journey towards healing for us all will be a long one. In the words of Pope Benedict to the Irish Bishops at the Ad Limina visit last year:

The wounds caused by such acts run deep, and it is
an urgent task to rebuild confidence and trust where these have been damaged. In
your continuing efforts to deal effectively with this problem, it is important to
establish the truth of what happened in the past, to take whatever steps are necessary to prevent it from occurring again, to ensure that the principles of justice are fully respected and, above all, to bring healing to the victims and to all those
affected by these egregious crimes. In this way, the Church in Ireland will grow
stronger and be ever more capable of giving witness to the redemptive power of the Cross of Christ.

The redemptive power of the Cross of Christ is the place where all of us meet in our individual brokenness. It is here and often here alone that we meet a love which is totally selfless and healing. ‘Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest.’ For those whose minds are tormented, often constantly, with the memory of innocence lost, of abuse suffered, of dignity denied, the Lord offers these words of hope. Hope that at least someone, my own Creator, the suffering servant, the oil of gladness, knows and understands my pain.

My prayer is that all those who have suffered abuse, of whatever kind, will find peace in the love of Christ. I am aware that for some of those abused, part of the pain of what they suffered is a loss of trust in God, a loss of a sense of faith or an ability to participate in the life of the Church. I cannot tell you how much this troubles me, how deeply I wish I knew how to help those to rediscover the love and peace of Christ which is their right to enjoy and to know. Perhaps some of you will be able to help me in this regard. Certainly there is need for a deeper and more humble listening on our part as Church leaders as to how we can help the process of healing.

In our second reading, St. Paul captures that beautiful truth that brings all of us together here around the source of our healing – the paschal mystery, the redemptive love of Jesus made present in the Eucharist. He utters those compelling words – ‘Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.’ Your presence here bears testimony to the truth of those words. For those who have suffered abuse from those who should have been the most manifest face of Christ in their lives as children, to trust again, to participate in any way in the life of the Church must be a complex, if not an insurmountable challenge. I feel humble before your faith, your courage. Pray for me. Pray for all those who try to be good and gentle shepherds of the Lord’s flock that they will be worthy ministers of his love. Pray that together will be able to find the way to forgiveness and understanding, to a new memory cleansed by the truth and justice of Jesus Christ. In organising this Mass, you have shown us this importance of not forgetting. Perhaps it is a model which deserves to be replicated in other parts of the country? Perhaps there needs to be a discussion about the value of having such events of remembering at a national level?

The most important thing of all, however, is to change the culture of what we do. Humility implies a willingness to listen to others. It recognises that no one individual or office in the Church possesses all of the gifts God gives to the Church. We are a family, God’s family. It is only as a family, caring for every child as any good and loving parent would that children will be safeguarded and flourish. This means that as we go forward, every member of the Catholic community must see it as their fundamental duty to care for and safeguard children. As leaders of the Church, we as Bishops and Religious Superiors must do all in our power to facilitate the structures that will support this culture of safeguarding. But every person, in every Parish has a role to play. The future lies in creating communities which safeguard our children, not just those who are specially trained. Such safeguarding communities, acting as good parents will provide the greatest protection for children within the Church. It will also provide the most supportive and caring environment for priests and others who have a vital contribution to make to the formation of children within their particular calling. With the assistance of the new Chief Executive Officer of our National Board, Mr Ian Elliott, former director of the NSPCC in Northern Ireland, and the whole Catholic community working as a family together, this is the task which the Bishops, CORI and the IMU seek to take forward in the coming months.

We are compelled to do so by the memory of those for whom this Mass is being offered.

May God’s mercy heal us all.
May God’s love, set us free.
May God’s peace, dwell in our hearts
And may our most painful memories, find rest in the gentleness of God.

Amen.

RTÉ Christmas Reflection 2007

Good afternoon. I hope you are already enjoying a restful and pleasant Christmas day. I am delighted to be joined today by Archbishop Alan Harper. Last January Archbishop Alan was appointed Church of Ireland Primate and Archbishop of Armagh. Archbishop, I welcome you and wish you well. We would both like to pay tribute to Archbishop Eames who presented this Christmas Day message for many years. We send our good wishes and gratitude to him and to his family at this special time.

I would also like to thank RTE for giving us the opportunity to share our faith with you today. It is our faith in God made visible in the child of the manger, a God with open arms, a God yearning to embrace the world and each one of us in his love.

Christmas speaks to us of love. Love of God for us. God is love and God so loved the world that he sent his only Son. The new born baby speaks to us of the self-giving of God, the self-emptying of God to become one of us. The carols remind us that God choose to be born in simplicity, in the poverty of the manger. One day the wood of the manger would be exchanged for the wood of the Cross – the price of love.

I realise that for some, Christmas is not an easy time. The loss of someone we love, financial set backs, strained relationships, ill health, loneliness, these can all leave us feeling isolated or out of sorts with the celebrations at this time of the year. Yet the key message of Christmas is that God wants to be with us in all our needs. Putting on our flesh, dwelling among us, God has entered into all our anxieties and suffering. He did so that we might find new heart and new hope in the experience of his love. My prayer is that all those who know pain of any kind at this time will find peace and healing and new hope in the Christ-Child, in the friend who knows all our needs.

As 2007 comes to an end, there are many reasons to be hopeful. The past year saw further economic growth and prosperity across our island. We continue to have one of the strongest and most robust economies in the world. We should be very grateful for that. Peace in Northern Ireland has really taken hold for the first time in many years. People who, only last year, were suspicious and distrustful of one another are making a real effort to build a better future together and for the common good. At an international level, we have seen the first peace talks between the leaders of Israel and Palestine in seven years. Let us pray that they will continue and bear fruit.

Yet new challenges to our hope also emerge. We have new forms of substance abuse which now take their place alongside our regrettable reputation for the abuse of alcohol. Cocaine and other illegal drugs have become a real threat to our happiness and our cohesion as a society. They offer a false hope and a false escape from the pressures of life. We also have the increasing stress on families and others affected by the instability in international banking and finance. We have the ongoing challenge of poverty. It is shocking to think that 51 homeless people in Belfast and Dublin have died over the last eighteen months. What does this say about our priorities as a society of unprecedented wealth? We have the ongoing concern over global violence and terrorism.

Then there is the challenge of global warming and climate change. The future of the children born in Bethlehem, Belfast, Dublin or Dubai this day is by no means certain unless we alter our behaviour towards the environment as a matter of urgency. The simplicity of the stable into which the Son of God was born should challenge us all to a lifestyle which is more sustainable.

And yet for all these challenges to our hope, there is a more fundamental truth which Christmas offers us. God is with us. We do not face today or the future on our own. The child of Bethlehem was victorious even over death. His love prevailed, just as the goodness and hope that is within each of us can prevail with the help of God. This is the truth we celebrate today. It is why we celebrate with confidence and with joy.

Christmas is not a relic of the past, but a task for the future. As the poet Howard Thurman tells us in his Christmas Prayer:

When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star of the sky is gone,
when the kings and the princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with their flock,
the work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among others,
to make music in the heart.

I hope there will be lots of good music in your hearts and in your homes today and in the year to come.

ROAD SAFETY SERVICE OF PRAYER

ST PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL, ARMAGH

ADDRESS BY

ARCHBISHOP SEÁN BRADY

SUNDAY 14 OCTOBER 2007

I welcome you all here this afternoon.

We come to place, before the Lord, our love, our concern and our worry for the safety of all who travel the roads:

For our own safety and the safety of those who are dear to us,
For the safety of our neighbours and of our companions and of our friends,
For the safety of those who must go out, in all sorts of weather, on very difficult roads, to work and to maintain essential and emergency services;
For the safety of visitors to our country who may be strangers to our ways and our highways and our byways.

I welcome in particular

v Archbishop Harper,
v Dr. John Dunlop,
v Rev Tony Davidson and
v The Reverend David Clements

They are leading us this afternoon in this Service of Prayer for the well being of all who travel on our roads, and for greater care and caution and prudence and respect and courtesy.
I welcome the presence of so many Mayors of towns and Chairs of Councils, Those notified to me were:
o The Mayor of Coleraine, Councillor Maurice Bradley
o The Mayor of Ards, Councillor Robin Drysdale
o The Mayor of Antrim, Councillor Adrian Cochrane-Watson

The Chairs of

o Fermanagh Council – Councillor Alex Baird
o Omagh District Council – Councillor Wilson
o Down District Council – Councillor Eddie Rea and his wife, Mrs Brenda Rea

I welcome also
v The Area Commander of the PSNI, Inspector Ken Mawhinney,
v The President of the Road Safety Council for Northern Ireland, Mr Reggie Semple,
v The Senior Road Safety Officer in Armagh, Mr Cathal McKeever

We salute the work of Road Safety and the fact that you are here is a sign that this concern is felt and shared by so many people.

We applaud the fidelity and generosity and courage of all the emergency services –The Medical Services; The Ambulance Service; The Fire and Rescue Service.

I welcome too the
v Ladies from Girl Guiding Ulster
v The Camlough Brass and Reed Band and the Soloist Trumpeter – Mr Christy Hughes.
v The pupils from Armagh Royal Preparatory School, St. Malachy’s Primary School, Armagh and Armagh Christian Brothers Primary School, are most warmly welcomed. They have specially composed and have read poems for this service and I thank you for all of those poems.
v I welcome Waringstown Handbell ringers and thank them for their performance
v I welcome the Order of Malta
v And all who have made a special effort to be here.

We may be here for a variety of reasons. Some have come out of a sense of duty. You are representing your town or your organisation, and thank you for that.

Others may have come out of a sense of gratitude. You are here to say thanks for the fact that you and your families travel the roads every day safely and, no doubt, you are praying that they will continue to do so.

Others may be here because you, or someone you know, has been involved in an accident and has survived. Perhaps people you love have lost their lives in a road accident – and you are here to remember all of that, and to give thanks for the help you received on that occasion. I suppose we are all here because we know we have to travel the roads, every day, every week, and we want to ask for protection and prudence and guidance and good sense.
I thank the Road Safety Council of Northern Ireland for organising this family service. I am glad that the emphasis is on family. For our families can indeed help us in ensuring that we travel safely on the roads. They can get us up on time. They can make sure that we leave plenty of time for the journey and we don’t have to rush or speed. But I think they can do more than that – they can help to shape our attitudes. They can teach us that we have a right to get respect, not just for our life, but respect for our safety – for our safety of mind and body respect for our health. Of course this is one of the fundamental rights of every human person. Parents and teachers are well aware that they are to educate their children and their pupils about these rights. It is their duty.

All of us have duties in this regard. All of us have the duty to respect the health and life, not just of ourselves, but of others. We all must think of the rights of other road users. Our bodies and our souls are created in the image of God. We are to respect our bodies, neither hating them nor idolising them.

Today we thank God for the gift of all life – our own life and the life of others. We are grateful to all who are trying to save lives and to reduce injuries. We rejoice in the successes achieved and the reduction in the number of accidents. We pray for support and encouragement for all who are working to prevent accidents taking place – the Road Safety Council; the services of security services. We applaud the efforts of all who are making safety training available more widely. We pledge our support for all who are enforcing the Highway Code.

ü We ask pardon for the times we have been impatient on the roads and have ignored the speed limits.
ü We ask pardon for our own impatience with road checks carried out by the security service to ensure safer driving. We recognise that they are introduced for the good of security and safety of all.
ü We ask pardon for the times we were vain and arrogant and yielding to the temptation to show off to other road users.

The passage from the Book of Leviticus which we have just heard, reminds us of Yahweh’s command: To love our neighbour as we love ourselves and it spells out what that involves. That begs the question: How do we love ourselves? How well do we appreciate the gift of life? Something freely given by God, who is the source of all life.

I think that we must begin with an adequate and proper appreciation of the gift of all life. We live in an era where there is thankfully a growing awareness of the preciousness of plant life. People are acutely aware of the threats to plant life by the changes in climate. We also live in an age where we are well aware that certain species of animal life are under threat. The efforts to preserve them are to be highly commended. But we also live at a time when the reverence and respect for animal and plant life sometimes does not appear to be matched by appropriate respect for human life.

On an occasion like this we remind ourselves of the duty of respecting and protecting our lives first and foremost. The Gospel passage that we have just heard tells us not to judge others so that God will not judge us. But we can, and should, judge ourselves. We can, and should, ask ourselves how well do we appreciate the gift of our lives and the gift of good health.

Do we thank God sufficiently for all the miles we have travelled safely?
Have we enough honesty and courage to admit that, at times, we have taken chances which could have put at risk our own lives and the lives of others by driving recklessly, at too high a speed, by driving when we were tired or not in a fit condition to do so?

The Road Safety Council asks us to raise our awareness of the dimensions of this urgent problem. It hopes for a greater sense of responsibility on the part of all who use the roads. This demands of us that we try to understand the root causes of this problem and that we do all in our power to eliminate them.

We are talking here about human lives – a most precious gift – a gift that is to be welcomed with love, tended with care and guarded with devotion. We need to pass those values on by our words but, above all, by our example.

From Pastoral Care to Public Policy – Journeying with the Migrant
21 – 23 November, 2007
Dunboyne Castle Hotel

OPENING ADDRESS
BY ARCHBISHOP SEÁN BRADY
PRESIDENT OF THE IRISH BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE

Introduction Save

Your Excellency, my brother Bishops, Sister Joan, Minister Lenihan, Reverend Fathers, Sisters, ladies and gentlemen.

It gives me great pleasure to attend this Conference entitled ‘From Pastoral Care to Public Policy – Journeying with the Migrant’. Speaking to the Irish Bishops at the close of their Ad Limina visit last year, the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, made the point that ‘after centuries of emigration, which involved the pain of separation for so many families, Ireland is experiencing for the first time a wave of immigration. Traditional Irish hospitality,’ he said, ‘is finding unexpected new outlets.’

This sets out very well the context and motivation of this Conference. I congratulate Bishop Seamus Hegarty, Fr Alan Hilliard and the staff of the Irish Episcopal Commission for Emigrants for organising this timely initiative. The land of welcomes and hospitality is experiencing a new situation. It is a rapidly changing situation. Both Church and State, within their respective roles, share a concern and a responsibility to respond to that situation through appropriate Pastoral Care and Public Policy.

The Conference seeks to reflect on how these twin tracks might progress most effectively into the future. It will do so through the help of the insights and, no doubt, the challenges of a comprehensive range of speakers with recognised expertise in this field.

I therefore want to welcome and thank, on your behalf, and on behalf of the Irish Bishops’ Conference;
· Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio from the U. S. Bishops’ Conference,
· Professor Desmond Cahill from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
· Mr. Francis Davis from the Von Hugel Institute, Dr. Patricia Kennedy, from the Department of Social Policy, UCD
· Mr Peter Sutherland who will address us on Friday.

I also extend a very warm welcome to Minister Conor Lenihan, Minister of State with special responsibility for Integration Policy at the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. We are delighted that you could be with us Minister and I take this opportunity to thank you for the support given, by the Irish Government to the IECE, over the years. I also wish you every success in this important area of your responsibility to which the Irish Government has demonstrated a very high level of commitment and responsiveness to the work of NGO’s.

I also extend a very warm welcome to all of you attending this Conference. It is a mark of your concern for this vital issue that you have given so generously of your time to be here. I am delighted we have representatives from the public, voluntary and private sectors. We have many who are involved in the Church’s mission to migrants. We also have representative of the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas.

The Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas is a related Commission of the Bishops’ Conference. It was established in 1980 when the Commission for Emigrants identified emigrant prisoners and their families as a group that were in need of specific support and specialised care. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the ICPO for their outstanding work over the years. While the Birmingham Six and Guildford Four were among the more high profile cases, their work is normally that of quiet but effective practical and pastoral support for those Irish prisoners overseas and their families.

This work has culminated in the recently published ‘Report on Irish Prisoners Abroad’ prepared by Mr Chris Flood. I commend that Report to all those with interest and influence in this area. In particular I appeal to the Government to give urgent consideration to the recommendations made by the Report in the interests of human dignity and the care of some of its most vulnerable people abroad.

I commend our chaplains and others charged with the care of migrants and we encourage them to continue to identify and serve these vulnerable groups.

Irish Chaplaincy in Britain.

This Conference also marks fifty years of ministry to Irish emigrants in Britain. The words ‘Irish’ and ‘emigration’ are particularly synonymous. Regardless of where you are in the world, the reputation of our Diaspora evokes sentiments of respect and affection and admiration.
Since the 1950’s the pastoral care of the Church has never been far behind those who migrated from this island. Today I pay tribute to those who served with the chaplaincy in particular. Those women and men who ministered in the chaplaincy over these last fifty years provided invaluable and prophetic service to our people at a time when there were few opportunities in Ireland.

I also pay tribute to the many people who opened their homes and hearts to newly arriving neighbours, family members and friends as they stepped off the boat and faced their first days in a new and unfamiliar environment. The informal supportive welcome expressed in neighbourliness and simple acts of kindness are invaluable. Indeed I am sure that we all have memories of journeys where we met such kindness and goodness. It is telling that these are memories which stay with us for ever.

For many who left our shores, emigration was the gateway to great success and a settled future, For others, the pain of emigration was overwhelming. The casual, piecemeal structures often meant insecurity, and insecurity sometimes became the norm with destructive personal and social consequences.

I wish to acknowledge today the efforts of many Irish community groups and our Chaplaincy in Britain. Every day they seek to serve those arriving from our country that are in greatest need.

I wish to express my particular gratitude for the contributions made to the SIA (Supporting Irish Abroad) campaign between 2004–2006. The funds raised through this campaign allowed us to develop strategic outreaches to the most vulnerable Irish people abroad.

On behalf of the IECE I also wish to acknowledge the increased resources provided by the Irish Government in support of those who care for our communities abroad. It is much appreciated.

Pastoral Care of Migrants

Any transition to a new land is filled with many unknowns. I know the feeling myself. It can leave a person vulnerable. The quality of the welcome received by the migrant helps ease their fears and addresses their anxieties. Among the most important forms of welcome are the formal supports that a country has in place. The ability to access information regarding one’s rights and services is vital in easing transition and integration. These structures are proving not only helpful but necessary here in Ireland.

Also critical to the successful integration of the migrant is the provision of adequate access to, and support for, the right to family life. We all know that to have those we love by our side, when circumstances weaken the body or soul, is invaluable.

In January this year Pope Benedict XVI made reference to the importance of the migrant family on the occasion of the 93rd World Day of Migrants and Refugees. ‘The Family of Nazareth’, he said, ‘reflects the image of God, safeguarded in the heart of every human family, even if disfigured and weakened by emigration.’ He continued ‘If the migrant family is not guaranteed a real possibility of inclusion and participation, it is difficult to expect its harmonious development.’

Any law or policy therefore that establishes divisions between family members is a serious threat to integration and undermines a very basic human right – the right to family life. As a country which upholds the value of the family as the basic unit of society in its Constitution, it is imperative that we respect this value in all reasonable circumstances. The growing global trend of introducing laws which have the consequence of separating children from their parents, or spouses from each other for long or indefinite periods, has to be a matter of the utmost concern.

Global Migration.

The vulnerable footstep that seeks a foothold in a country which may eventually become home is a sound that increasingly is heard across our globe. At least 175 million men, women and children are estimated to be living outside their country of origin. This figure includes economic migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

More than ever migration has become a structural phenomenon in our world and unfortunately, an often bitter reality of the human condition. In the light of this reality it is imperative that we have policies in place that educate not just the migrant but also educate the citizens of the host nation. This Conference provides an opportunity for us, as a host nation, to reflect on the dynamic of migration and to develop those strategies that will make this new era in Irish society a time of enrichment and of harmony.

This gathering, and others like it, provide an occasion to move in a direction that encourages healthy integration and social cohesion. The President of the Pontifical Commission for Migrants and Itinerant People; Cardinal Renato Martino, alluded to this point at a meeting for the European National Directors for the Pastoral Care of Migrants when he said:

‘It is the task of Governments to regulate the magnitude and form of migration flows. They should however take the common good into consideration, so that immigrants will be worthily welcomed, and the population of the receiving countries not put in a position that would lead them to reject the newcomers’.

Immigrants

The duty to protect the common good falls on all, including the immigrant. Education, language courses and programmes of welcome are necessary so that the immigrant can understand the cultural values and practices of the host nation. Whereas one has the right to observe the customs and practises of one’s country of origin, the migrant is asked to commit to the building of a harmonious civil society in their new homeland. It was in this spirit that Pope Benedict said in a recent Angelus address:

‘My desire is that relations among migrant populations and local populations would develop in that spirit of high moral civility that is the fruit of the spiritual and cultural values of every people and country. May those who are in favour of security and hospitality know how to use appropriate means to guarantee the rights and duties that are the foundation of all true common life and encounters among people.’

For my part, I wish to pay tribute to the immigrants who now bless our shores and who avail of the opportunities offered to them to work for a better future for their families. I commend those who have actively sought to sow the seeds of a secure and hospitable society in their local communities. I am conscious also of the many Catholic Parishes which have benefited from the enthusiasm and commitment of those migrants, often with a deep and vibrant faith, who have come to us from other lands. As President McAleese recently commented, we have a good record in this country in welcoming the immigrant. This is something we should be proud of, but about which we should never become complacent.
Ireland –Challenges Today.

I wish therefore to acknowledge those who are actively involved in working with immigrants in Ireland. In fostering good relations between migrant and local populations you are offering a service that has the common good as its goal.

Worthy of particular mention in this regard is the work that goes on within our schools. It is often schools which are at the front line in the work of supporting immigrants. They experience, on a daily basis, the challenge and opportunities of integration. I am delighted that these issues will be explored in this meeting. I am glad that the challenge faced by schools, and indeed in society at large, will be addressed by Professor Des Cahill later today;

‘What we need are reflective inter-religious identities with a global view who are fully committed to their faith tradition, able to clarify and defend its values and attitudes but able to reflect on the essential nature of religious activity and expression and wish to dialogue with and participate with members of other faith groups.’

As an Irishman and as a Churchman, I am proud of the welcome provided by so many communities of faith throughout this island. You have responded concretely and generously to the biblical imperative to ‘welcome the stranger’. Or as St. Paul says, ‘make hospitality your special care’!

This goodness and kindness, which is so characteristic of Irish people. It is the Gospel alive among us. It is intimately linked to our Christian faith and its influence on our culture. It is the Church actively becoming the ‘sign and instrument’ of God’s love among us and of the unity of humankind, a theme echoed in the Gospel of today’s feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – ‘Look here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, my sister and my mother.’ Mt12:50.

Conclusion

I want to commend the energy and commitment of Bishop Seamus Hegarty, Chair of IECE and of his predecessor Archbishop Neary. The last number of years have seen the work of the IECE go from strength to strength. An incredible number of diverse and effective initiatives have been developed – they all have the aim of providing practical Christian support to those in need. I thank the staff for their invaluable support in bringing these initiatives into place and keeping them alive.

I hope however that Bishop Seamus, Archbishop Neary and the staff of IECE will forgive me if I single out one particular person for mention on this occasion.

For the last four and half years Fr Alan Hilliard has been the face of IECE for most of you here today. He has also been the man whose incredible energy and drive has ensured its continued development and success. I want, on behalf of the Irish Bishops’ Conference, to thank Fr Alan for his outstanding work during this time. As Executive Director he has given of himself generously and selflessly on so many fronts, not least in building up the sense of unity between those working in the different countries of the Commission’s achievements.. As the Lord now calls Fr Alan to another chapter of his ministery, I hope and pray that his example and energy will continue to inspire those who work in this field. On my own behalf, I thank him for his unfailing courtesy and enthusiasm and I am sure I speak for us all, when I say that we wish you, Fr Alan, every blessing, success and happiness in your new responsibilities.

Finally, may I wish all of you well in your deliberations over the next few days. I pray that the outcomes of this event will help to inform public policy on migration as suggested by the theme of our conference.

Perhaps I could conclude on this Feast of the Presentation of Our Lady, with the prayer offered to us in the document Erga Migrates Caritas Christi. This document provides an excellent road map for all those committed to protect the human dignity of the migrant and the good of both sending and receiving societies:

May the Virgin Mother, who together with her Blessed Son knew the pain of emigration and exile, help us to understand the experience, and very often the drama, of those who are compelled to live far from their homeland. May she teach us to serve them in their necessities, truly accepting them as brothers and sisters, so that today’s migrations may be considered a call, albeit a mysterious one, to the Kingdom of God, which is already present in His Church, its beginning (cf. LG 9), and an instrument of Providence to further the unity and peace of the human family and peace. Amen.

ENDS.

Irish Bishops’ Drugs and Alcohol Initiative (IBDI) DVD launch:
“Find the Balance: Dare to Dream”

Address by
Archbishop Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh

Tallaght Community School, Dublin
Thursday 15th November 2007

Mr Coffey, distinguished guests, members of staff and pupils of Tallaght Community School,
First of all I would like to thank Archbishop Martin for his warm words of support and welcome. I would also like to thank Bishop Éamonn Walsh for inviting me to launch this exciting and provocative DVD entitled: “Find the balance – Dare to Dream”. It is an initiative of the Irish Bishops’ Conference.

I wish to acknowledge here today the presence of Mayor Billy Gogarty, [Minister Conor Lenihan], Deputy Charlie O’Connor, Deputy Pat Rabbitte [and Deputy Brian Hayes]. As public representatives you have the heavy responsibility of dealing with the consequences of the abuse of alcohol in society both at a constituency level and at a legislative level. I know that each one of you share the concern of the Bishops and others in society about this matter. I thank you for your support here today and for the work that each of you has done to address this issue in policy and legislation. I assure you that the Church will continue to pastorally support those in need of help with problems – either directly or indirectly – arising from alcohol abuse. I believe that the best way to address this issue is through people working together with public representatives, church community leaders, Health Workers, Social Workers, teachers, parents, families and young people.
The context for today’s launch can be traced back to the work of the Irish Bishops’ Drugs and Alcohol Initiative. This committee, carried out pilot projects and consultations with various interest groups. It then spearheaded the drafting of the Bishops’ Conference pastoral letter entitled: Alcohol: The Challenge of Moderation. It was launched by Archbishop Martin last February to coincide with the beginning of Lent.

This pastoral letter was launched under the statue of Fr Theobald Mathew (1790–1856) on O’Connell Street. I reckon that Father Matthew, the famous ‘Apostle of Temperance’, who lived from 1790 to 1856, would have approved of this launch being held outside. He himself was fairly adept at organising and arranging and managing many mass rallies throughout Ireland calling on people to abstain from alcohol abuse. He used the famous slogan “Here goes in the name of God!” or “Ar aghaigh linn in ainm Dé” to launch his national campaign in 1838, from Cork, against the omnipresence of alcohol in Irish society.

Father Mathew was very successful. At one point he had encouraged up to 60,000 people to take the pledge – committing themselves to abstaining from alcohol. This would be an impressive achievement even today but let us remember the environment in which Fr Mathew’s worked: Bad roads, no mobile phones few jobs outside farming. Travel itself was a slow, expensive and dangerous undertaking – and this scene was chillingly set against the backdrop of the Great Famine.

But he did it. Fr Mathew set out to change behaviour and attitudes towards alcohol, with all the odds stacked against him, but he succeeded. Why? Because he had the courage of his convictions. He was committed to challenging the prevailing social norm which was to indulge in alcohol to the detriment of family life and livelihoods. What mattered to Fr Mathew wasn’t popularity or ‘going with the flow’ but rather his concern was to do the right thing and to stand up for what he believed in.

To the young people of Tallaght Community School and elsewhere I want to say, first of all, that this DVD is about you. You are all young, bright individuals whose unique gifts are going to be of great benefit to yourselves and to society at large. This DVD is about your right to dream. To dream about the exciting, positive opportunities that lie ahead for you and your friends. It is about your right to live a happy and healthy life. Yes, a life full of fun and excitement but also a life full of meaning and purpose. This is the balance which protects your dreams and keeps you free from slavery of addiction.

One of the great myths in our culture today is the belief that you can only be happy when you can do what you want, when you want, as you want. This is simply not true. The message of this DVD, is also the message of Jesus and His Church.

The message of this DVD is that to be happy in life – we need a balance in life. To be really happy we need self-control as well as self-determination. Above all, you need self respect. You need a sense of your own dignity and of your own worth. We cannot believe in a God who loves, if we don’t, first of all, love ourselves. Every human being is a child of God – Jesus came to tell us that. This sense of our own dignity – of our own worth – is one of our most precious possessions.

In this DVD you will see people who are living their dreams – a footballer, a sea-rescue pilot, a rally driver. They are in control of their lives. They are certainly in control of their enjoyment of alcohol. They control alcohol – alcohol does not control them.

In this DVD you will hear the complaint -“drink is too easy. It is too easy to access, too easy to turn to, too easy to rely on when things are getting you down”. I would like to ask this question: Here in Ireland, have we made alcohol too easy to access? Have we made it too easy to become what the world says we are – a nation of heavy drinkers. And, if we have, is it something of which we should be proud? In fact we should be embarrassed that this is indeed part of our reputation. Unfortunately, statistics indicate that this is, in fact, the case.

My hope is that this DVD will play some part in ridding us of this rather embarrassing reputation. I invite the young Irish people today to be THE generation to set Ireland free from this rather doubtful distinction. How often in this era has it been our young people who have become the agents for significant social change? Change with regard to smoking, caring for the environment or concern for the global poor?
I have heard of the Young Social Innovators Programme in Tallaght Community School. I am told it is very successful. It has already set a new standard in helping young people address the issue of drugs and other forms of substance abuse. I congratulate you on that success.

So, what about this for a challenge to the young people of today, show us the way to make our country a country to be really proud of in terms of our attitude to alcohol. Hopefully some of you will get the grace to live a life completely free from alcohol. Perhaps, like that great Dublin man, Matt Talbot, you will discover that real happiness is found in faith in God and helping others deal with the problems of abuse of alcohol. Maybe some of you will become pioneers.

For those who do decide to have a drink, I ask you to help Ireland become a place where alcohol is enjoyed responsibly, with balance and moderation.

Could I respectfully suggest the following should become priorities for us all:

· Building supportive caring communities. Churches have a key role in helping to bring this about. Supportive communities offer the best bulwark against social isolation and many of the other problems which flow from, or contribute to, the abuse of alcohol.

· Making heavy drinking and drunkenness as anti-social as we have made many other things which destroy our health and environment like smoking, drink-driving. We need to invest similar amounts of money and energy, and have the same types of advertising campaigns as we had about the effects of smoking and the effects of not eating properly, and the dangers of speeding and drink-driving. Our culture of heavy drinking is the elephant in the room which we need to confront with collective and concerted action. The health and reputation of our country is at stake. Our young people deserve nothing less.

· We need to break, once and for all, the link between sport and advertising alcohol. We need to do it with the same vigour and determination as the effort to remove advertising for tobacco from sports. The stakes are high. The quality of life of whole families and communities is what is at risk.

I thank Mr Pat Coffey, School Principal and Father Paul Hampson, the School Chaplain and all the teachers and students of this Community School for their support.

It is with great pleasure and great hope that I now present a copy of this DVD to one of the many wonderful and talented young people of this country.

Thank you.

LAUNCH OF

CATHOLIC REVIVAL IN THE NORTH OF IRELAND – 1603-1641

BY REV BRIAN MacCUARTA

ADDRESS BY

ARCHBISHOP SEÁN BRADY

O FIAICH LIBRARY & ARCHIVE

SATURDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2007

About thirty years ago I was an active member of Cumann Seanchais ni Brefini and made many friends. In fact, at one stage, I was Editor of its journal Breffini. Not a very efficient editor I may add, partly because I was distracted by many other things – football being one of them I would say. But I remember at one stage being exercised with extracting from Seamus O Morála of St. Pat’s, an article on Primate Hugh O’Reilly. It took quite a while to do so partly, as I say, because I wasn’t giving it my full attention. But I realise now that possibly I would have been better employed if I had paid more attention to Primate Hugh and his life as it would have been a better preparation for the situation I find myself in now.

I am delighted to be here today to launch this fine volume entitled Catholic Revival in the North of Ireland – 1603-1641. I congratulate most heartily its author: Father Brian MacCuarta on this splendid volume. I congratulate Four Courts Press on the very elegant format and layout and indeed on the many other publications of historical interest which they publish.

I have enjoyed reading this book but I have to confess that it is challenging reading. I dig into and out of it much like the way you would take up spiritual exercises of St Ignatius. I find it gives me much food for thought, inspiration reflection and hope. I gives dealing with the past a mew meaning and a new prospect.

Father Brian has been studying this topic for years. He has discussed it with the leading experts on the subject and so it is magnificent fruit of years of serious study, research and reflection. It has its inspiration, he says, on the value in which the Society of Jesus places on learned ministry. Sources which he has consulted are immense and impressive – two pages of manuscript sources alone and fourteen pages of printed sources. That is a lot of serious work and I congratulate him on it.

His conclusion is most interesting. Resurgence, and not merely survival, was the experience of the Catholic Church between the end of the Nine Years War and the outbreak of hostilities in 1641. The Nine Years War had been a traumatic period but by 1641 he says the “condition of the Church was vigorous. Weakness, confusion and lack of leadership characterised the Church in the opening years of the 17th century. But, by the early 1620s the revival was underway. Lough Derg, for example, was re-established as the place of major pilgrimage”.

In the Introduction, the author says that “the persistence of Catholicism is a striking feature of early modern Ireland”. He believes that not enough attention has been paid to the evolution of Catholicism in this period. Thing did look pretty bleak in 1606. Ulster in particular was exhausted.
At recent celebrations to mark the Flight of the Earls, I asked a question: What is there to celebrate about an event that left a lot of people landless and leaderless? Well this book identifies much that is to be celebrated.

Here in Ulster the renewal was built on what Father Brian calls: ‘the reform impulse among sections of the clergy which were already emerging by the end of the 16th century. He tells us that priests, trained on the continent, secular and religious, contributed much, especially the Franciscans, the Jesuits the Capuchins, the Dominicans, the Cistercians and the Carmelites. But they faced considerable opposition. Change is always difficult.

I have to say that this book at once consoles me and disturbs me. I am disturbed to realise that Archbishop Peter Lombard, who was Archbishop from 1601-1625, was never able to set foot in the diocese. Neither did his successor, Archbishop Adolf McCowall who only lasted a year.

Nonetheless, reform did take place. You could draw different conclusions. The show goes on without the bishop. It is the vicars who do the work. No-one is indispensible. But I do take some pride in the fact that for the last thirteen years of this period, the bishop was Hugh O’Reilly and he was in the country. In 1637 he was imprisoned in Dublin Castle and it is suspected that his arrest was due to a row over a clerical appointment because in that year tensions over clerical discipline erupted and court case were frequently brought by disgruntled clerics against their bishops.

I think that this era, which Father Brian has studied so diligently, has much to teach us. We too are now emerging from the trauma of the Troubles and the scandals in the Church and this book tells us that any genuine renewal comes from listening to God’s word, being read or preached. It comes from prayer that is made in response to the Word of God and penance being done for sins repented often and confessed.

That preaching came in the form of missionaries and religious orders, trained abroad. Buildings can help all of that but they are not essential. Neither or high titles or offices at the heart of the matter. Help will always be available to do the work of the Lord. In the 17th century it came from religious orders and the schools and colleges on the continent. It came from landed gentry living in the Pale and perhaps we too have overcome our traditional resistance to change and look to new movements life the Focolare Movement and neo-catechumnate. Or from new offices like the Permanent Diaconate to ensure the survival of the Church.

This book gives me great hope. Winston Churchill was once asked if a General Election was imminent. “No” he said, “A General Election is not imminent but it is impending”. Those who see the demise that the Church is imminent are, in my opinion, and on the evidence of this book, seriously mistaken. But, of course, the demise of the Church is impending in the sense that it will take place, at the end of time, at the end of everything else.

So, I congratulate Father Brian on this serious study. It is worthy of our careful reading. It is especially relevant to this diocese contrasting as it does, the northern part, the Gaelic part, with the Pale. It underlines the importance of Drogheda, Dundalk and Newry as points of contact with the Continent. It convinces me that the Spirit of God is always with the Church.
This is the story of triumph of courage in the face of adversities. It is the Triumph of faith, of substance over image and has a lot to offer us.

I wish this book great success.

Thank you

HOLY TRINITY COLLEGE, COOKSTOWN

ADVENT CAROL SERVICE

ADDRESS GIVEN BY

CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY

THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2007

I am delighted to be here in Holy Trinity College this morning for this Advent Carol Service. I thank all those responsible for inviting me – Mr Rafferty, Principal – Mrs Gilvarry, Father Campbell and those many people involved in making the preparations.

I am very pleased that one of the first visits in the diocese, since my return from Rome, is to a school that bears the noble name ‘Holy Trinity College’. For that name reminds us of God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – a God who a family of persons and who made each one of us to share in that life of the divine family.

The name Holy Trinity College reminds each one of us to begin everything that we say or do In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. That name reminds me why I am here on this earth – to give praise to God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I am glad to be in a College which has, as its aim, to promote care and concern for pupils within the community as though each one of those pupils is made in the image and likeness of God and therefore deserves our respect and our care.

I am glad to be here in a College that has, its aim, the centrality of Christian values to a Catholic ethos of education.

That, for me, means getting to know Jesus Christ and the values which he held and lived in his life. Otherwise they are not Christian values. I see that as obvious in the lovely Advent Carol Service you have prepared. In this school you are trying to get to know Jesus Christ. You are trying to get to know how he came into the world as one of us but we also seek to know God the Father, the source of all creation, and God the Holy Spirit, who is our helper and our guide.

I am very pleased to be here in a school which has, as one of its main aims, to foster respect for other people. This is all important. This is to be done by developing a spirit of consideration for all. I see this as an invitation to think, for a moment, who the other person is, regardless of whether that person is rich or poor, old or young, strong or weak, it doesn’t matter. Every other person is like you and me – made in the image and likeness of God. What is God like? Well, we see the face of God in Jesus Christ.

It is nice to be here in Holy Trinity College in this season of Advent once again. We are preparing to celebrate the coming of the Son of God into our midst. He came as one of us. He pitched his tent among us the Gospels tell us. By becoming one of us, Jesus gave each and everyone of us a lift. He raised us up. He enhanced our dignity and we need to respect that dignity in ourselves and in others.

I am very pleased to have the opportunity of meeting so many people here today. It gives me an opportunity of paying my respect to the Principal, Mr Rafferty and the staff and to congratulate them on the excellent work of education which takes place here in Holy Trinity College.

What is that work? It is the work of preparing young women and men to be the best possible citizens which they can become in this life and in the next. It is a place where people are made aware of who they are and why they are here and who they belong to and the fact that we are here on this earth to give praise and glory to God.

It allows me to pay my respect to the Board of Governors, to thank them for the work they do in protecting and promoting the ethos of this school. It gives me an opportunity to pay my respect of the Principals of feeder Primary Schools and to meet them and their pupils and that is a joy.

It also gives me an opportunity to meet and pay respects to the priests of Ministers of Religion of this area. I am delighted to see so many old friends because I am well aware of the good relations which exist here and which have been pioneered down through the years by people of courage and of vision and saw the way forward and had the courage to take bold steps. I am delighted to meet them here.

I also delighted to meet the Chief Executive of Cookstown District Council, Mr McGuckin and his colleagues and to pay my respects to them for the excellent work which they do in promoting the common good.

As you know, just last week I came back from Rome where the Holy Father conferred on me the great honour of being a Cardinal of our Church, when we met on three or four days. On the first day we were at a meeting with the Holy Father and the other Cardinals where we discussed the work of ecumenism, the work of inter-faith dialogue which something that is on the agenda and will not go off it. Great progress has been made, more work needs to be done.
I was happy to bring to the Holy Father, the greetings and good wishes of many people here in Ireland, including many of other Christian denominations and other faiths and the Holy Father, in turn, asked me to bring his blessings and his good wishes to the people of Ireland and of course I am glad to have the opportunity to do that here, to you, the people of Cookstown.

Finally, I am very pleased to have the opportunity of praying with you. That is what every Carol Service is – a time to pray. It is said that whoever sings, prays twice.

In Advent we pray that Christ may come once more to each one of us, into our minds and hearts. We remember that Christ came long ago – born in a stable – no place in the Inn. We recall that Christ said he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.

But, right now, here and now, Christ also comes, in a hidden way but in a real way. He comes in his word, calling us to turn around and change our ways and repent of our sins and come back to Him. He comes in the sacraments to strengthen us. That is why we are always being told ‘Stay awake’.

St Patrick’s College
Maynooth
Conferral of Degrees
Saturday, 13 October 2007

Address by
Most Reverend Seán Brady
Archbishop of Armagh

Dear graduates of the class of 2007, it is good to be with you today as your Chancellor to share this proud moment for you and your families and friends. I congratulate all of you most heartily. I am delighted to know that there are over 160 of you at this graduation ceremony receiving 16 different degrees, diplomas and awards. This is surely a sign, if ever one were needed, of the health and vibrancy of the Pontifical University Maynooth. May this moment of graduation be a time of great joy, first of all, but also a time of commitment to truth and of compassionate service to those who are struggling and in need. May it be a time of gifted articulation of God’s plan and purposes and the human understanding which must underpin the daily lives of all who seek to live out our catholic faith.

Cardinal Newman once famously wrote:

“I want a laity … who know their religion and enter into it,
who know just where they stand,
who know what they hold and what they do not,
who know their creed so well that they can give an account of it,
who know so much of history that they can defend it.
I want an intelligent, well-instructed laity.

I wish you to enlarge your knowledge, to cultivate your reason, and
to get an insight into the relation of truth,
to learn things as they are,
to understand how faith and reason stand to each other,
to understand what are the bases and principles of Catholic tradition.”

I believe this quotation is apposite not only for this graduation day but indeed for the studies which you, our graduates, have undertaken at Maynooth these past years. Newman’s word’s have also found a more recent echo in a powerful homily delivered by the Cardinal who has now gone on to become our Pope. The then Cardinal Ratzinger said, “An adult faith is not a faith that follows the trends of fashion and the latest novelty. A mature adult faith is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ. It is this friendship that opens us up to all that is good and gives us a criterion by which to distinguish the true from the false.”

Following the lead of Pope Benedict, Cardinal Newman and the II Vatican Council, you, as active and involved lay persons, have sought to open both heart and mind to the coherence, truth, beauty, and goodness of the faith as it comes to us through the Church. You have made your own the conviction that the living Tradition of the Church, summarised by the Creed, contains and transmits the truth. It is a truth defined not merely as correspondence between an idea and reality but indeed as the life-giving and life-changing assurance that “Jesus is Lord!” It is a truth embraced by faith but also by reason enlightened by faith. For you have accepted the conviction that in the power of the Holy Spirit, you are consecrated in the truth. Consequently the eyes of your mind are opened to the depth and beauty of the faith, and to

worlds seen and unseen. Proclaimed in season and out of season, the faith leads us to the truth that unlocks the meaning of human existence. It is vitally important in a world today where so many people fail to see any meaning or hope.

I know your MAYNOOTH courses challenged you in the way Newman envisioned. As you grappled with the richness of the Tradition you had to come to terms with a faith which seeks to understand at least something of the glory of God. For we believe that ‘God’s glory shining on the face of Christ’ tells us who we really are in God’s eyes. It tells us who we are, both as individuals and as a communion of faith. Further, you have been challenged to see how, even in the revelation of God’s love, human reason and human nature are not absorbed or wiped out. Rather they are freed for those new vistas, those infinite horizons for which we were all created. You have been given the chance to see the Plan of God who used human instruments to speak His Word to us. You have seem how his Word continues to shed its light on the possibilities, problems, and challenges of our contemporary scene. I hope you have come to see morality – not as a set of arbitrary rules nor as a mere calculated approach to obligation. I hope you see morality as a wholehearted but reasonable response to God’s infinite love, a way of life in which his agape takes root in our every-day lives and helps to shape a just and peaceful society.

Some of you have studied the worship of the Liturgy of the Church. Yes, you have seen it as a human ritual, to be sure. But you also saw it as a ritual taken up to become a work of the Trinity. There we are made one with God and one another in a communion of life and love. And all this you have seen

through the lens of history, a lens that does not hide the drama of a Church that travels through time filled with the holiness of Christ but weak in its members. It is a Church whose task is to make saints of sinners, surely a messy business but a vital business nevertheless. You will have seen, in a privileged way, how important worship is as part of that business and how much those miss who never worship.

Truly being a student in the Pontifical University is much more than abstract lessons in theology or philosophy. You have been on an adventure, a journey, spiritually and intellectually. Now it is time to go forth to share what you have been given, to share your informed and enriched faith with others and as you do so I hope you will remember the words of Christ, “This is eternal life – to know the One True God and to know Jesus Christ”.. St. Paul lays down this challenge in his letter to the Romans when he says: “Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.” And so your voices are to join those deathless voices which have gone forth to the corners of the world proclaiming Christ and bearing witness to Christ. It is not enough to talk the talk, you must also walk the walk. And this all of you will do through the various forms of parish service and ministry which you will be undertaking or perhaps are already undertaking. You will do so in the schools in which you will teach, the places of employment where you will work, the further studies you will undertake, the new families which you will become.

Let me thank on your behalf the President, Registrar, Deans, your dedicated faculties, the staff of Theology Office; especially Margaret Tyrell, Colette Scully, Sandra Norgrove, and all who make possible Education for Parish

Service and I wish to extend our congratulations and very best wishes for the future to the new President, the new Vice-President and the new lecturers in Moral Theology. I know the Faculty of Theology is engaged in a major quality assurance of you and are working towards a strategic plan for the future and I wish this a very successful outcome. It would be very remiss were I not to place on record my, and your, profound appreciation of the outgoing president Monsignor Dermot Farrell. He was at the helm during your time and has left an extraordinary legacy of achievement to the College! Only last evening, the scaffolding was removed from the College Chapel, signalling the end of the major refurbishment of this beautiful Chapel and that has been carried out by Monsignor Farrell.

Finally let me say a word of thanks to the loved ones, especially your parents, spouses, and, yes, even the children of our graduates, for your support, and encouragement most of all. We quoted Cardinal Newman already – a man who was himself no stranger to University life or Academia.

Let us make his prayer our own:

A Prayer of Trust in God

“God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me, which He has not committed to another. I have my mission – I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I hall do good, I shall do His work; I shall be a preacher of truth in y own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep His commandments and serve Him in my calling.

Therefore, my God, I will put myself without reserve into your hands. What have I in heaven, and apart from you what do I want upon earth? My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the God of my heart, and my portion for ever.

Thank you.

CONFERRAL OF FREEDOM OF THE CITY

ON

ARCHBISHOP AND LADY EAMES

SATURDAY 22 SEPTEMBER 2007

ADDRESS BY

ARCHBISHOP SEÁN BRADY

When John Briggs first suggested I should speak here today, my immediate reaction was to think, yes, I know Archbishop Robin and Christine. I have known them for many years, but there are people here who know them much better than I and who could do justice to this illustrious and historic occasion better than I can. But then, on further reflection, I said, yes, I definitely want to speak and I will be delighted to do so. I want to congratulate today’s honourees, that is, I want to express my joy at their being honoured, in this way, in this place, at this time.

Two weeks ago there was a great assembly of the Followers of Christ in Eastern Europe. It took place in Sibiu in Romania – with an attendance of over 2,000 delegates drawn from the Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox traditions. The leader of the delegation from our Church was Cardinal Walter Kasper, who is from Germany. He made reference to a document which was published this year and which caused offence to some. Referring to the publication of that document, Cardinal Kasper said: “Anything that hurts my friends hurts me”. I yield to the temptation to alter those words slightly and to make them my own saying: ‘Anything that delights and honours my friends delights and honours me’ and so it is a joy for me to be here

I would like to compliment the Armagh City and District Council on this initiative. Naturally I rejoice very much that Archbishop Robin and Christine are being honoured in this way.

When I came to Armagh in 1995 one of the first ceremonies I attended was a Prayer Service for Christian Unity Week in the Church of Ireland Cathedral and the social that followed. There I met Archbishop Robin and Christine Eames for the first time and they welcomed me warmly and in a most friendly manner. I appreciated their courtesy and graciousness more than they know. They probably recognised in me the appearance of someone faced with a daunting task, finding themselves in a very new situation and really not knowing what to do or say at the time. Although I am an Ulsterman, and proud of it, I had then very little experience of life in Northern Ireland and no experience at all of that complicated area of Church/State – both secular and ecclesiastical interface and interaction. So, at that stage, the hand of friendship, the word of advice, and, above all, the example of a man who had already been a bishop for twenty years and Archbishop for almost ten, that kind of experience was invaluable.

I am reluctant to mention rugby today, but let me put it this way. With Robin in the lineout or the scrum, losing against the head was unthinkable. Well, of course, we had to line out together on many and very different occasions. There were the tough ones – like down the line interviews to London from the BBC studio in Belfast and the memorable encounters with the Prime Minister and Secretaries of State in Stormont and Hillsborough in the wake of terrible tragedies and political events of the last thirty years and, of course, there was Omagh, etched out forever in the memory of everyone.

There were, however, far more numerous pleasant occasions like the Christmas and New Year messages on RTE and UTV. There were also visits of a pastoral nature to hospitals and prisons as well as the times we went to Dublin and London together to lobby ministers and Prime Ministers and to Brussels to acquaint ourselves more closely with the workings of the European Union. Of course the Moderators of the Presbyterian Church and the Presidents of the Methodist Church were also involved.

Last Sunday I was in Paris and I saw there a statue of a man, who like Robin Eames, spent some time in Bangor before moving on to France and Italy to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. His name is Columbanus. On the statue were five Latin words, taken from the writings of Columbanus. If you remove freedom – you remove dignity. That is, if you removed someone’s freedom you take away a person’s sense of self-esteem, their sense of self-worth.

That prompted for me the question, but if you confer freedom, as is being done today, what are you doing? I believe it is not a question of conferring a dignity, a worth that is there already, rather it is a matter of recognising the worth and the value of the two people being honoured here today. It is a clear statement that Armagh has been a much better place because of their presence and their outstanding activities here among us over the last twenty years.

I am told that the Freedom of Dublin city confers the right to graze sheep on Stephen’s Green. I don’t know what the equivalent is in the City of Armagh. In any case, I don’t imagine that there will be an influx of livestock from Hillsborough to the Mall. But then, let us not forget we have here the grandson of the man who revolutionized farming on this island with the importation of Massey Ferguson tractors.
I congratulate Archbishop Robin but I also want to congratulate Lady Christine on the honour that is being conferred on her today. They say that moving house is one of the most stressful events in life. She and Robin have moved house many, many times – from Gilnahirk to St. Mark’s to Derry to Down to Armagh. She is on record as saying that they were both fortunate enough to have come from extremely happy homes and that they were at all times very happy themselves. I am sure that that fundamental happiness enabled them to cope with the stress of change and moving very well. But she also found time to become involved with the Mother’s Union and, of course, became World President of the Union. This is testimony to her devotion and fidelity and goodness.

In recent times it has been my happiness to get to know Niall and Michael and their wives and families. I am sure they too are basking in the reflected glory today. I hear many eloquent testimonies from their fortunate ex-patients who speak in glowing praise of their care and proficiency in their professional life.

There is just one serious lacuna in Robin’s CV, in my opinion. He has lived and worked in Antrim and Armagh, Down and Dromore, even Derry, Tyrone and Raphoe, in Donegal, he has sailed in Carlingford, admired the Mournes and the Sperrins but the most beautiful part of Ulster is still to come – Lough Erne and Fermanagh, Cavan and Cuilcagh, Monaghan and the Drumlins. They all beckon for fishing, golf or boating.

Archbishop Robin has courageously agreed to head up an attempt to deal with the past. I wish him well in that attempt and I hope the outcome will be a healing of the hurts that have taken place in the past and we know that past events continue to affect life in Ireland today. Because conflict leaves a deep mark on many, the healing of memory has a critical role in healing the past.
I wish the Commission well in its work. I know that they will do their best to help people appropriately and sensitively. I pray that their work will help to set people free from hatred, revenge and suspicion.

St Augustine believed that people did not desire happiness enough. I certainly desire every happiness for Archbishop Robin and Christine now and in the years to come. I hope that the conferral of this Freedom will be accompanied by the conferral of a far greater freedom – freedom from fear and worry of every kind.