ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE TO SHRINE OF ST. OLIVER PLUNKETT
APOSTLE OF PEACE AND RECONCILIATION
ST. PETER’S DROGHEDA
SUNDAY 4 JULY 1999
ADDRESS BY CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY

At this shrine, dedicated to St. Oliver Plunkett, Apostle of Peace and Reconciliation, we come to pray at this critical time that a just and fair basis can be found, and accepted, for a new and lasting partnership between the two traditions on this island. We pray, in a special way, for those political leaders who are striving to arrive at and bring about a shared vision of peace and concord. Our hope is that by continuing to work together they will reach agreement, resolve the remaining outstanding difficulties, and lead all of us into a new era, an era of peace and hope for everybody.

For this to happen certain fears have to be overcome. Greater trust has to be built. Some fear that what is on offer is not the accommodation between the two sides, which it claims to be, but rather a victory by stealth for one side to the detriment of the other side’s interest. Many are afraid that, despite being so close, all could still be lost. All of those fears must be addressed and dispelled.

What is needed is a safe and secure environment where the aspirations and visions of both cultures can be respected, valued, and find appropriate expression. There can be no exclusion of the cultural expression of either side.

Each one of us is called to be leader for peace at this time. There will be many ways by which we can all help. Those who have prayed and continue to pray, lend their energy to the search for a lasting and just solution. We must all look for opportunities to encourage those whose trust and courage falter.

We are entering a time of year when tensions run particularly high. It is not a time which is conducive to calm reflection and objective assessment. I appeal to all with power to do so, to use that power to ensure that the coming week is peaceful. May God be with those who counsel calm and restraint.

During the past week a Novena of Prayer took place in the parish of Portadown in preparation for today’s feast, to ask the help of St. Oliver Plunkett. People there are acutely aware of the damage, which this conflict is causing, particularly in their community. They know the negative impact it is having on everybody, especially on the dreams and hopes of the young people.

The issue of the impasse at Drumcree is a mighty challenge. But overcoming challenges is the essence of the human spirit. Resolving the issues and tensions generated by Drumcree would, I believe, be a source of enormous hope for all. The issue can be resolved because the will is there, but so also are the fears. A resolution could be reached provided both sides commit themselves to working constructively together to improve community relations in Portadown, to understand each other’s position, and to reach accommodation on the future of parades. The impasse could be resolved if both sides were to approach those talks in a spirit of good faith, mutual respect and generous acceptance of cultural diversity.
Mighty challenges need mighty solutions. Gathered here at the shrine of someone who faced the same mighty challenges in his day, let us invoke the help of St. Oliver Plunkett to ensure that this historic opportunity for peace may not be missed.

May God grant that the last year of this millennium may also be the last year of this painful and damaging conflict.

EXTRACT
OPENING AND BLESSING OF NEW ORATORY
ST BRIGID’S SHRINE, FAUGHART, CO. LOUTH
SUNDAY, 26 NOVEMBER, 2000, 3.30PM
HOMILY BY CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY

Last Sunday the Catholic Church celebrated the Jubilee for the Police and Armed Services. It was a recognition of the truth that these services are called to play an important role in society. As guardians of the peace and upholders of justice they are called to defend the poor and weak, protect the innocent and promote peaceful coexistence and harmony. They are to uphold the rights of all citizens and in so doing they are often called upon to confront violence and to oppose on behalf of the rest of society the destructive power of evil, so often present and active in the world. This is not an easy task. It requires great courage, self-discipline and integrity.

And yet it is a vital task because the fair and impartial administration of justice defends people against injustice, vandalism and crime. It lays the basis for lasting peace. The Police and Armed Services need the help of the community to enable them to do their job of protecting the community against the threat of criminals. In this context the decision of the Army Board regarding two Scots Guardsmen is a cause of great concern and disappointment.

Peace is a fundamental right of every human being. It is a right that must be continually protected and promoted. Because an effective and acceptable police service can play such an important role in the building and preservation of peace, a police service, representative of and accepted by the whole community in Northern Ireland, is a major element in the peace process.

The Patten Report made an important contribution to the peace process. The Police Bill is another step hopefully on the way to an acceptable situation. While there are a number of problems still unresolved, the progress already made must be recognised and acknowledged. That progress was made through negotiation and discussion. Those discussions must continue because important elements of the Patten Report have yet to be implemented. They are of such fundamental importance to the provision of the sort of police service that is going to work and so essential to the future well-being of the whole community that they must be addressed. The legislators need the support of all as they struggle to achieve the provision of a new police service that will be acceptable to all.

There are other important elements in the peace process that need to be implemented. More needs to be done about the decommissioning of illegally-held arms. That issue is also of fundamental importance in the process of generating confidence and building trust. It is also part of the new beginning.

All who seek peace must be resolute in their conviction that violence is unacceptable as a means of resolving conflict. Bombings, shootings, punishment beatings, expulsions, acts of violence and intimidation, must be seen and condemned for what they are – criminal injustices towards the victims and a serious threat to the security and stability of society. The fact that they continue underlines the fragile nature of the agreement that has been reached and the constant need for that agreement to be upheld and consolidated.

MASS FOR THE DEAF
SUNDAY 18 JUNE 2000
IN
MOUNT OLIVER PASTORAL CENTRE, DUNDALK
INTRODUCTION BY CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY

I welcome you all to Mount Oliver today. I am very happy to celebrate this Mass with you. Today we celebrate a big feast. Today we celebrate the kind of God we believe in. We believe in One God. In God there are three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is a family of three persons. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit know each other very well. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit love each other always. We are here to praise God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit and so we begin. In the name of the Father……………

MASS FOR THE DEAF
HOMILY BY Cardinal SeÁN BRADY
IN
MOUNT OLIVER, DUNDALK
SUNDAY 18 JUNE 2000

I thank Sister Carmel McAvoy for inviting me here today. It is nice to be here beside the sea. It is good to see you all. It is good that we can come together and have this Mass and have a meal together. We come together to praise God. We believe in the same God. We all believe there is only One True God – a God who can do all things.

Do you watch football on the television? Perhaps tonight you will watch Derry and Antrim. Maybe last night you watched England and Germany. Well when the All-Ireland final comes, there will be one, and only one, All Ireland champions. I hope it will be Armagh. Father Paul Strain may be hoping for Antrim to win. And, at the end of the European Championships there will be only one European Champion. A lot of people say it will be France. I do not know. But there will be only one European Champion.

In the same way there is only one God, one true God. But in God there are three persons. That is hard to understand. In fact we cannot understand it. We would never have known it only God has told us. The three persons are – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. As I say, we cannot understand how this can be but we know that that is the way God is. God is one family of persons, so God is not lonely. God is a family of three persons who know each other very well. God is a family of three persons who love each other always.

God knows you and me well. God knows us all. God loves us all. We sometimes get gifts for those who love us. God has given all of us many gifts. The first and biggest gift is the Gift of Life. But that is not all. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world. Jesus Christ became a man, a human person. He was born of the Virgin Mary. He came to show us how much God loves us. He travelled around telling people God loved them. Jesus loved us so much that he died for us. He showed us how much God loves each one of us. He told us that we must love each other. We must treat each other well. When Jesus went back to the Father, he sent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is still with us. The Holy Spirit came to us at Baptism. The Holy Spirit came to us at Confirmation. The Holy Spirit comes to us, to help us to do what God wants us to do, to give us strength. The Holy Spirit is in this Church.

The one God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, comes to each one of us in Holy Communion. God comes to us in Holy Communion to be our food and drink. God comes to us in Holy Communion to give us strength to live the kind of life God wants us to live.

So today, we thank God for sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to tell us about God. We thank God for sending the Holy Spirit to make us holy. We ask God to help us follow what the Holy Spirit wants us to do. We ask God to forgive us for the times we did not do what God wanted us to do. We ask for help for this coming week. We ask God to help our families and friends. We say Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

AMEN

THOUGHTS FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM
MESSAGE FROM
CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY
1 January 2000

The Millennium for me is all about the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the fact that it is 2000 years since Jesus Christ came into the world. Now that’s what makes Christianity different from all other religions. Its belief that God became one of us in Jesus Christ. God comes in person to speak to man and to point out the way by which God may be reached. We are going through a period of immense change, very fast change and humanity and society need to grasp the question, “Where do I come from? Where am I going? How do I get there?”

One of the tragic aspects of western society at the moment is that of religious indifference. Many people live as if God did not exist, or, they are happy with a very vague superficial religiosity. The Western World is very highly developed in technology but really impoverished in spirituality. The result is that it tends to forget God or it keeps God at a distance. Another result is that we are not well equipped to come to grips with questions about truth especially in matters of hard choices or crisis.

The fundamental question today is one of faith. By faith I mean a free act by which I accept that Jesus Christ is the truth and I freely commit myself to him. The results of that kind of religious indifference, which we are experiencing here in the West, is a neglect of religious duties. We forget God. We have no place for religion in public life and sometimes even there is no place in private life. An indifference to God leads ultimately to indifference to our neighbour as well. The cause of God nowhere humiliates the cause of the human person. Some people are suspicious that the glory of God will lead to a reduction and humiliation of the human person. The existence of God and His presence in history are the foundation and guarantee of our authentic liberty. It is rather, promises, which are purely worldly, that reduce human persons to slavery, in a totalitarian fashion, as recent history has shown.

All Christians celebrate the coming of Jesus Christ in the world. So the Millennium for me will be an important year along with other Christians to look together to Christ and to renew our faith in him and renew our commitment to him. We look back at what has happened in the past one thousand years and what is happening at present as a condition for looking to the future. As we look back we will see many divisions, of course, and see that people on both sides were to blame, but out of that I would hope that there would come a deep desire to continue to pray for unity. The importance of spiritual ecumenism is vital and the hope is that the widespread discussions with other Churches would continue. Indeed this Holy Year is a call to overcome indifference and division. Not just among Christians but among believers of all nations. But this Holy Year should strengthen Christians in their belief in God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. I keep going back to the problem of religious indifference. My prayer is that the abandonment of the practice of religion will be halted, because really that abandonment of religious practice leads eventually to atheism. People, because they are really weak as regards religious and faith education, come to see religious practice as useless or senseless in their lives.

There has been a lot of talk about moving on here in Ireland in recent times. Hopefully we are moving to a new kind of society where the bitter legacy of division is going to be left behind. Certainly the problem of division, the division between Christians but also the divisions on the grounds of race, the division on politics between Nationalist and Unionist, these divisions hopefully will become less strident and more dialogical.

There is also the division between people who are spiritually minded and those who are materialistically minded. We must address all of those, awaiting for a New Year therefore a new Decade, a new Century, a new Millennium. It is a time for looking forward and a time for looking back. As regards the Church, the Church must commit itself by words and deeds and above all by prayer to creating a culture of life and love. A civilisation which will replace the civilisation of death and hatred. We look back with thanks. We look forward with hope and joy.

The coming of Jesus Christ was the dawn of a new era and yet still two thirds of the world do not know him. And so we look back and critically analyse Church life with a view to getting the energy to continue to try to carry out his command of bringing his message to the ends of the earth.

The time, as we wait for the coming of the new Millennium, the new Decade, the new Century, obviously will be a thoughtful time, a time that is tinged with sadness but nonetheless rich in memories and hopefully very rich in hope and love. Endings are sometimes sad. They remind us of our mortality, our frailty. The Risen Christ tells us that, for his followers endings are never final. God and love last forever.

The Church of Christ must recognise the confusion and the desperation which are found in so many lives and give them new hope and direction. We live in a world that is waiting and searching. The Church must always be a voice for the voiceless. We live in a world that is searching for something new. That search is really for happiness which will last forever. It is a search for fullness of life. A world, dominated by buying and having, eating and drinking, promises everything but knows well that it cannot give true happiness.

Instead it offers a wide variety of substitutes such as superficial amusement, hectic activity, drugs, alcohol, lots of material goods, craving for prestige and power. That is not really what satisfies. We believe and we know from experience that Jesus Christ is alive and present in his Church. That life and that presence is a source of immense hope for the world. We are all called to play our part in announcing that news. We are all called to bring that good news. We are also called to celebrate that hope and that life in our liturgies, in our prayer life, in our community life. We are called to serve that hope by our solidarity with the poor, with those less well off, with the homeless, the asylum seekers. We are to be in solidarity with aids victims, those on the margins of society. The civilisation of love and life has to be built by the followers of Christ. It must be built on the foundations of justice, truth, freedom, solidarity and peace.

My hope for the New Millennium is that civil society would respect its duty to honour the family as the basic building block of society and protect the stability of the marriage bond and the institution of the family. Another hope is that the threats to peace and the causes of war, namely injustice, excessive inequality, envy, lack of trust and pride, be tackled and eliminated. My hope is that the potential of the sacrament of Reconciliation, as a source of pardon and forgiveness and peace, be rediscovered.

HOMILY BY CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY
ARMAGH DIOCESAN PILGRIMAGE TO KNOCK
SUNDAY 28 MAY 2000

I am sure there are many who are mothers here today. You have come as pilgrims from Galway, Clonfert, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora as well as from Armagh, Tyrone, Louth and Derry with the Armagh Diocesan Pilgrimage and I am sure from many other parts of Ireland as well.

The mothers of Ireland always love to come to Knock, the shrine of Mary, the Mother of God. You come here to talk to Mary about the joyful mysteries of your own life – the good news of births and baptisms, first communions and confirmations. You also come to turn to Mary in the sorrowful mysteries of life, to have your faith strengthened by Mary’s faith, to draw fresh hope from the promises of Christ in times of sorrow. You are here to get help for the sick, guidance for those doing exams and consolation for those in the midst of affliction. The sorrowful mysteries of life touch us all.

I am sure you are here also to share with Mary your hopes and joys, for yourselves and for your families, for their successes and their futures. We ask Mary’s son, Jesus, to bring us all to Eternal Life, by the saving power of his resurrection.

Of course there are many here who are not mothers but we all have, or had, mothers. Our mothers gave us life, brought us into the world. They showed us love. All of us owe our lives to a mother who was willing to have us – no matter how difficult it may have been in times of hardship and distress. They looked after us, they sacrificed many things so that we could survive. They did without many of the essentials of life, perhaps, that we might have enough. Mothers reveal to us a God, who is love, by their own love for us.

Love comes from God because God is love. But very often love comes from God through the love of a mother, a mother who gives life, who teaches us about God not so much by her words, but by her actions.

When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman. God had spoken many times and in various ways down through the centuries and through the prophets. Finally, 2000 years ago, God sent His Son to live among us and to tell us about the inner life of God. That is the jubilee we are celebrating this year. The sending of His Son is the high point of God’s revelation to the human race. God’s love for us was revealed when God sent into the world, His Only Son so that we could have life through him. God makes known His plan for us. It is a fantastic plan. The plan was that through Christ we would have access to the Father. We would come to share the life of God.

A woman is to be found at the centre of this plan. Her name is Mary. When Mary said ‘yes’ to the Angel Gabriel she accepted to play her part in God’s plan. That involved a union with God that surpasses all expectations.

Now of course the daughters of Israel, since they were God’s chosen people, were hoping that one day, one of them would become the mother of the Messiah. But who could imagine that the promised Messiah would in fact be the Son of the Most High God? And for someone like Mary who believed that there was only one God, such a thing was difficult to imagine. Nevertheless Mary did believe the promises that were made to her. She was able to accept that what is impossible with men or women, is possible with God.
There are lots of people who sacrifice themselves for others. Mothers do so especially. Mary was that kind of person for the infant Church and that is why we call her ‘Mother of the Church’. She prayed, she obeyed God’s will, she agreed to bring the Saviour into the world. She accepted the sorrow of seeing her son suffer and die. She stood by the Church in its infancy and in its birth. At Pentecost she was there with the disciples praying for the coming of the Holy Spirit. And the Church is still under her guidance because Mary’s role in the Church cannot be separated from her union with Christ.

Mary achieved a union with God through her son. We are all called to union with God. That union with God will decide the final destiny of each one of us. If that union exists at the moment of death we will be united with God forever in heaven. If that union is absent because we have failed to keep God’s commandments and have not repented of sins, then we will be lost for all eternity. The dignity of every human being finds its measure in its union with God. Each one of us is created in the image and likeness of God. We can only find fulfilment and eternal happiness with the God in whose image and likeness we are created.

Today’s readings emphasise the fact that we can preserve our union with God only by keeping His commandments, especially the commandment to love one another. We are to love one another, even those who are different from us. Today’s readings spell that out very clearly. We hear Peter saying, “The truth I have now come to realise is that God does not have favourites. Anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to Him”.

In the eyes of God, all human beings have equal dignity. They have equal rights. Any attempt to marginalise or penalise certain groups simply because they are refugees or asylum seekers must be resisted. It is incompatible with our commitment to the following of Jesus Christ who was himself an asylum seeker in Egypt.

There are legitimate fears about the effects of excessive immigration. Some of those fears are due to lack of information. In some cases those fears have been exploited. However, those who express genuine and serious concerns have the right to be heard. The problem must be addressed calmly and in a spirit of justice and honesty, with respect and trust.

In the last decade Ireland has made great economic progress. That progress took place because the social partners decided to put the common good before sectional interest. Ireland is now, for many, a wealthy nation. In bygone days other wealthy nations welcomed Irish emigrants to their shores.
Nowadays ties of dependence exist among peoples all over the world. The common good has to be pursued at international level also. The alleviation of the miseries of refugees and of migrants is one of the great challenges of our times. One thing is certain – wherever individuals or groups are branded as enemies, we run the risk of losing something valuable, the ability to treat fellow human beings decently and respectfully.

Wealthy nations have a responsibility to admit to their territory – as far as they possibly can – foreigners who come in search of security and the opportunity to earn a living. At the same time governments have to protect the common good and make sure that the right of immigration is not abused and is exercised in accordance with properly legal conditions. I am confident that the followers of Christ will rise to this challenge here in Ireland generously and in a spirit of genuine Christian charity and hospitality.

We are celebrating a Jubilee. It is interesting to note what God said to Moses about the Jubilee in the Book of Leviticus, “the land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. With me you are but aliens and tenants”. In the sight of God we are all aliens in a land that has been given to us by a generous and gracious God.

The primary objective of the Jubilee is a renewal of faith in Jesus and a renewal of our own commitment to follow Jesus. At the beginning of his public life, Jesus said he “came to preach the Good News to the poor”.

Committing ourselves to Jesus means committing ourselves to justice and peace. Pope John Paul II has said that a commitment to justice and peace in a world of tremendous social inequality is necessary for any genuine celebration of the Jubilee. “Followers of Christ will have to speak up,” he says, “on behalf of all the poor of the world. They will have to call for a substantial reduction of the international debt which threatens to cripple so many poor nations. “

The Jubilee is an opportunity to think about the other challenges of our time. One of these, mentioned by the Pope, is the difficulty of dialogue between different cultures. That difficulty is particularly relevant at present in Northern Ireland. The challenge of reconciling the two different cultures is really a challenge to love one another as Christ has loved us, to forgive as Christ forgives us.

We celebrate our pilgrimage at a time of hope. Hope does not mean that we just sit back and watch things happen. Hope implies that we all accept responsibility for the future. Yes, of course, the future lies in the hands of God, but the future also lies in our hands. The values of mutual respect and trust are essential to our future. These values must be carefully cherished and promoted.

When we come to Knock we pray the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. And when we pray the mysteries of the Assumption and the Coronation of Our Lady, Queen of Heaven, we find the answer to the question of what lies beyond the grave for all of us. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, has been honoured as the lowly servant who was taken up body and soul into the glory of Heaven. She is the promise of the final end of all God’s people. Where she has gone, we hope to follow. She is a sign of hope and comfort to all of us on our pilgrim journey through life. She has reached her final and total fulfilment in the glory of God.

The Great Jubilee calls us to recognise in Jesus the truth of the love of God. Mary is, for all of us, a model of faith in welcoming that truth into our lives. She is also a tremendous support in our efforts to live up to the demands of following Christ. May our pilgrimage to Knock change and challenge all of us. The work which Christ gave to his Church is still only at its beginning. A lot of people have not yet heard the news about Jesus Christ. A lot of countries have become cut off from their Christian roots. There is work to be done. Mary, Mother of the Apostles, Mother of the Church, help us to do our part of that work.
AMEN

PRESS RELEASE
ARCHDIOCESE OF ARMAGH
JUBILEE NATIONAL DAY OF PILGRIMAGE
ST PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL, ARMAGH
SUNDAY, 21 MAY, 2000

As part of the celebrations to mark the year 2000, the National Day of Pilgrimage was celebrated in the Archdiocese of Armagh on the afternoon of Sunday, 21 May, with Mass in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh at 3.00pm. Cardinal Brady was the chief-celebrant and preacher. The Cathedral was packed to overflowing, each parish having been allocated several tickets.

Inner Journey

In his introductory words at the Mass Cardinal Brady said: “We are a pilgrim people, that is, people on a journey, a journey of faith. Today’s pilgrimage is a preparation for the Jubilee Journey back to the House of the Father. It is essentially an Inner Journey – a journey of heart and soul and mind. It is both an everyday process and a life-long journey. We are pilgrims, not tourist or sightseers. If the tourist, the sightseer, is to become a pilgrim he must hear the call to follow the way. She must pray for the strength to finish the journey.”

Day of Jubilee Joy

It was a day of great jubilee joy, resplendent in colour, loud with festive music. St Jarlath’s Independent Band, Portmor, played at the Cathedral Plaza before the Mass while the O’Neills’ AOH Pipe Band, also from Portmor, led the procession from the sacristy, preceded by a scout colour party. The choir for the day was St Malachy’s Church Choir, Armagh, under the baton of Mr Seán Boylan. Armagh Pipers Club played a number of hymns during the Mass.

Taking part in the entrance procession of the Mass were two representatives of each parish. One carried a banner bearing the name of the parish, while the other carried a geographical representation of the parish. With the representations a vertical map of the diocese was constructed. The parishes were called up in alphabetical order to place their map piece and their banner while a commentary prepared by Fr Benny Fee, Chaplain, St Pauls’ High School, Bessbrook, was read, to the background of the harp. Fr Fee’s commentary on the 61 parishes of the Archdiocese was rich in historical, faith and local allusion. Fr Fee was assisted by Fr Paul Clayton-Lea in reading the commentary. This creative prayer of thanksgiving to God, verbal and visual, the brainchild of Fr Fee and Mrs Isobel McKenna, which took place before the beginning of Mass, was most favourably received by the congregation.

Refreshments were served afterwards for all in St Patrick’s Grammar School.

Primary School Jubilee Christian Heritage Project

A display of art and projects on our national Christian heritage by senior primary school pupils from throughout the diocese was held in the Synod Hall, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, during the week of 15th – 22nd May. The exhibition was described by Cardinal Brady as a “feast of colour and artistic excellence” and was visited by several hundreds before and after the Pilgrimage Mass.

Day of Hope and Anticipation

Speaking after the Mass Cardinal Brady said: “This has been a most memorable day in the Armagh diocesan Jubilee calendar. We have gathered, representatives from the 61 parishes, to thank the Lord for sixteen centuries of faith and worship in this diocese. We look forward in hope and eager anticipation to the unfolding of the future of the Church and of the Christian story in Armagh.”
The Archbishop paid rich tribute to the work of the Armagh Diocesan Jubilee Committee under the chairmanship of Bishop Gerard Clifford.

Photographs available from Vincent Loughran, Armagh
Tel: 028 3752 3938 (Mobile) 077905 49382

23 May, 2000

NATIONAL PILGRIMAGE DAY
HOMILY BY CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY
ST. PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL, ARMAGH
SUNDAY 21 MAY 2000, 3.00pm

“Come ring our joy to the Lord,
hail the God who saves us.
Let us come before Him, giving thanks,
with song let us hail the Lord.

Yes we have come to Armagh today to ring out our joy to the Lord. We ring out that joy with bands and banners, with music and song. We are gathered in pilgrimage, from the four corners of the diocese. We are here, as representatives of our various parishes, to give God thanks and praise.

What’s the cause of our joy? What’s the reason for this great celebration today? Why was the GAA asked not to fix any championship matches today? Why did they graciously agree to that request? The answer is simple, it is this, that we are celebrating the fact that it has pleased God to reveal Himself and to make known His will.

His will was, and is, that we should have access to the Father through Christ. By this revelation the invisible God speaks to us as his friends. He invites us and receives us into His company.

At first God spoke through the prophets. God spoke through people like Abraham and Moses. But now He has spoken to us through His Son. Two thousand years ago God sent His Son to live among us. Jesus came to tell us about the inner life of God. Jesus did this by his words and by his works, by signs and miracles. Above all Jesus showed his love for us by his death and glorious resurrection. He revealed that God was, and is, and always shall be, with us. God stays with us to set us free from the darkness of sin and death. God is with us to raise us up after death to the fullness of life, to everlasting happiness.
Of course we celebrate that every Sunday but today we celebrate it in a very special way. We are celebrating it by going on pilgrimage because 2000 years ago Jesus came. I suppose you could say he came as a pilgrim to live among us.

God wants us to have access to Himself through Christ. All of Christian life is a pilgrimage. It is a pilgrimage to the House of the Father. That is why pilgrimages are popular. I have just returned from a very successful diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes. Next Sunday the annual diocesan pilgrimage to Knock takes place. Later on in the year there will be pilgrimages to St. Brigid’s Shrine at Faughart, St. Oliver Plunkett’s Shrine in Drogheda, the Shrine of St. Mochua in Derrynoose. There will also be pilgrimages to Rome and to the Holy Land.

These pilgrimages remind us of the inner journey each one of us must make. This pilgrimage takes place in the heart of everyone. For in the depth of our hearts we all experience restlessness, a certain dissatisfaction. The joys of this earth, no matter how deep, never seem to satisfy us completely. They do not last. We are looking for something better, something deeper, something more enduring.

Really what we are looking for is that happiness, that fullness of life which Jesus Christ promised. And, as we struggle through the troubles of life, we are heartened by the words of Jesus that he has come that we may have life and have it to the full. We are also encouraged by the examples of the saints and especially by the help and protection of Mary, the Mother of God. The saints are the ones who have found the secret of the happiness, that fullness of life which we all desire. I suppose that is why pilgrimages to the shrines of Mary, at Lourdes and Knock and Fatima, to the Holy Land where Jesus and Mary lived and to places associated with the saints, like Lough Derg and Drogheda and Faughart are popular. People find something there, some taste of the peace and joy and happiness which we all seek and search for all our lives.

The real good news of course today is that we are not celebrating past history but present reality. For God has graciously arranged that the things revealed through Jesus Christ for the salvation of all people should remain. They are to remain throughout the ages and be handed on to all generations. Christ commanded his apostles to go out and preach the Good News to the ends of the earth. In preaching the Good News they were to share the gifts of God with all people to the end of time. That full and living Gospel, that Good News, is preserved in the Church. The Good News brought by Jesus Christ and taught by his Church is like a mirror. During our pilgrimage on earth, we, followers of Christ, look in that mirror constantly. For in that mirror, the Church sees God from whom she receives everything. We are to go on contemplating God in that mirror until such time as we are brought to see God face to face as He really is.

As we contemplate God in the mirror of His Good News we are gradually changed. “I am the vine, you are the branches” Christ said. “Anyone who remains in me and I in him, bears fruit in plenty. It is to the glory of my Father that you shall bear much fruit and then you will be my disciples”.

My hope is that each one here today will go home somewhat changed. If not, then we are merely tourists and sightseers and not really pilgrims and disciples. This may be the one and only pilgrimage you will ever make. You may be going back home to homes where there are people who never go on pilgrimages outside their own homes. That is not really important. What is really important is that each and every one of us embarks on the inner journey to discover Jesus and to be united with him and through the sacraments. The important thing is that we all go home determined and committed to travel the journey of life with Jesus back to the House of the Father.

It is to the glory of the Father that you should bear much fruit. Let us live lives modelled on the life of Jesus Christ.

AMEN

LAUNCH OF
‘ARCHDIOCESE OF ARMAGH – A HISTORY’
BY THE RT REV. MONSIGNOR RAYMOND MURRAY
CARDINAL TOMÁS Ó FIAICH MEMORIAL LIBRARY AND ARCHIVE
ADDRESS BY CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY
3 MAY, 2000

I gladly join in welcoming you all here this evening. We come together for a very special event in this special year – The Year of the Great Jubilee.

Jubilee connotes joy. That joy is, of course, a joy of the Spirit – deep immense joy – at the news that God loved the world so much that He gave His Son, to be its Saviour.

The coming of the Saviour aroused many kinds of joy – The angels sang at his birth – the disciples rejoiced at his Resurrection. The fact is that God’s Revelation of Himself as Creator and Saviour arouses in people a tremendous joy.

Our celebration this evening is a result of that joy. It is an occasion for celebrating. I am personally delighted to launch Archdiocese of Armagh – A History by Monsignor Raymond Murray.
It is being published as part of our Diocesan celebration of the Great Jubilee. The history of the diocese speaks of God. It remembers the wonderful works that God has done in our local Church. The study of history makes us aware of the past. There we discover the seeds of inspiration and guidance for the future.

I know that this history can play a very important role in increasing our awareness of God’s love at work in our lives. My fervent hope is that it will, in fact, play that part and play it very effectively.

Christianity has been in Ireland for the past 1500 years. There is therefore in existence a history of the Christian religion – there is a story to be told. This short history of God’s people in the Archdiocese of Armagh tells that story. It tells that story from the time of Patrick to the present day and it tells it well. It tells it in summary but also in scholarly fashion, as we might expect from the pen of Monsignor Murray. As the author says in the Foreword “This is a story of the steadfast loyalty of God’s people even though their hearts were darkened by crisis and tragedy”.

Monsignor Murray sets out in 14 chapters, the signposts which give us bearings to our ecclesiastical history. There are facts of life and human characters in it. There are, of course, terrible happenings, for which governments and Churches must beat their breasts. But coming through also is the inner spiritual life of the Church, the piety, humility and charity of many, the wisdom and the beauty.

When you consider the social and political experience of people down the ages, people struggling for an existence, with various powers struggling for dominance and rule, never forget that all the time there have been tens of thousands of priests and ministers and holy women preaching the Gospel. They were challenging people to think of the great issues of life, offering them healing from sin and sorrows, offering them consolation and hope. The number one sign of hope in the Church is holiness.

This book reminds us of the little people. It tells the story of the small and the forgotten but it also tells the story of the saints – canonised and uncanonised, the story of –

Patrick,
Brigid,
Moninne,
Malachy,
Richard of Dundalk,
Archbishop Richard Creagh,
Father Patrick Loughran,
Dean James O Fallagan,
St. Oliver Plunkett,
Dean Brian MacGurk and many others.

I was very impressed by the excellent publications of Éditions du Signe. I was easily persuaded by Dr. Claude Costecalde that parishes and people should celebrate the Jubilee by telling the story of Christianity in our diocese. My belief is that this volume will be an inspiration to them and especially to our young people. For even in the worst of times there was a light that never went out. There have always been people who hold on preciously to the spiritual life. The ordinary Christian piety in Ireland for the past 1500 years appears to me to be something wonderful.

So, I wish to thank the priests and parishes of the diocese who have understood the evangelistic nature and potential of this project and who have responded in such a wonderful way.

Last year I asked Monsignor Murray, at very short notice, to write this book. Within three months he provided the text so that all the other procedures that go into the production of a book could speedily follow and that we would have it for the Easter period. I have read this book. I praise him for his scholarship and thank him for the time and effort he has put into it. I congratulate him on this fine achievement.

In it Monsignor Murray has caught up a tradition in the diocese that goes back to the renowned Father Lorcan O’Múirí. Fr Lorcan has laid the foundations for the history of the diocese in the Co. Louth Archaeological Journal. The late Cardinal Tomás O Fiaich built on those foundations and followed in his footsteps by founding the Seanchais Ard Mhacha. Now it is gratifying to see one of his most brilliant students carry on that work to a further fulfilment and give us an excellent perspective of the Armagh Church from Patrick to the present century.

Of course Monsignor Murray has had plenty of experience in writing. History and the Irish language have always been close to his heart. He was well equipped to write this summary history. I think it was, for him, a labour of love. In the final chapter Monsignor Murray refers to the conflict of the last thirty years. He speaks about priests and ministers of religion and peace activists who helped to defuse many difficult situations. I would like on this occasion to pay tribute to all those who did so and especially to Monsignor Murray and his courageous work for justice, as the essential foundation of any lasting peace.

Monsignor Murray has once again placed all of us in his debt. In your name I express to him our sincere thanks. We can help the fulfilment of his wish that this volume may provide inspiration for Christian living by urging people to take it up and read it. The clarity of the text is equalled only by the beauty of the photography which exemplifies so much beauty that is associated with the Church. This delightful volume illustrates the beauty, which the Christian religion has inspired in buildings and paintings, in stained glass and sculpture and High Crosses.

I was in the USA last week and I presented this history to a number of people. I want to quote from a letter I received from the Bishop of Bellvill, in Illinois, singing its praises. He said, “Thank you sincerely for the gracious gift of Archdiocese of Armagh – A History by Monsignor Raymond Murray. I found it both a delightful and a charming narration of the rich heritage that belongs to the venerable See of Armagh. I shall share it with a host of friends whose personal heritage and deep affection for Ireland are gifts for them as well as for myself”.

I thank you all for coming for this celebration. I am sure you will enjoy the book. Congratulations and thanks to Dr. Claude Costecalde, to Patrice Thébault and to Éditions du Signe for the beautiful book they have produced. Its layout, printing and illustrations are superb. My special thanks to Cumann Seanchais Ard Mhacha for organising the launch and to The Cardinal Tomás O’Fiaich Memorial Library and Archive for the lovely surroundings for the occasion.

MASS OF EASTER VIGIL, 2000
HOMILY BY CARDINAL SEÁN BRADY
IN
ST. PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL, ARMAGH

The belief that Jesus Christ rose from the dead is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. To be a Christian is to believe that God raised His Son from the dead. The faith of all Christians stands or falls with the Resurrection. That belief is a solid cornerstone, rock-solid in fact, for it is based on the evidence of witnesses, trustworthy witnesses, witnesses who saw Jesus after his resurrection and were prepared to shed their blood and give their lives rather than deny what they had seen.

Even though Jesus had foretold his suffering and death, the faith of his followers was drastically put to the test. In fact the shock caused by the events of Good Friday were so great that at least some of his friends did not at once believe the women when they told the news that he was risen. The Gospels present us with a community, completely demoralised and frightened. “Idle talk” was how they described the reports brought back by the women from the empty tomb. In fact when Jesus revealed himself to them later on, on that Easter evening, he raised the matter with them. He upbraided them for their lack of faith and hardness of heart. Even when faced with the reality of Jesus appearing to them, his disciples were still doubtful they thought they were seeing a ghost.

It is impossible to believe therefore that the Resurrection is to be explained by the attitudes and expectations of the Apostles. That theory simply does not hold up. On the contrary, their faith was born on the actions of God’s help. It came from the direct experience of the reality of the Risen Christ. That faith opened the eyes of the Apostles to a new way of understanding life. They saw that the Risen Lord was alive. Gradually they saw that the Risen Christ was nowhere to be seen and touched as he is everywhere unseen. They realised that he is present in the community of risen Christians, the community of those who believe in him. He is present there, through the power of his Holy Spirit.

Of course the Risen Christ did not appear to all and sundry. He appeared only to specially chosen witnesses. Mary Magdalene thought he was the gardener. But all he had to say to reveal himself was, “Mary”. Jesus took a walk with two very disheartened and disappointed disciples. After quite a lot of conversation and explanation they recognised him. Their spirits were lifted immensely. He had an early morning breakfast with Peter and friends on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. He ate fish and honey with others and said, “Peace be with you”.

The mood of Easter is one of joy, peaceful joy founded on the conviction that his death is our ransom from death and his resurrection our rising to life. But just as on Good Friday it may be difficult to create a mood of grief if all around us is fine and prosperous, so on Easter Sunday it can be even more difficult to experience the joy of Easter in the face of surrounding cares and worries.

Easter, joy is a deep and lasting joy. It is not to be confused with passing pleasure or temporary thrills, where difficulties are simply pushed out of sight in an attempt to look at the brighter side of life. The joy of Easter is not something superficial, something which rolls easily off our lips and indeed which we deeply desire without knowing exactly how to achieve it. There is always the risk that our Easter joy will be built on loss of memory, like forgetting the Passion and death on the Cross, and forgetting the nails and the scourging. In reality those things are still with us, in the suffering of so many people today.

St. Paul tells the risen Christians that they must seek the things that are above. Since Christ is now their life, they are to set their minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. That will mean a totally new way of life. But we could also suggest to the risen Christians that they must also seek the things that are below. Not what is earthly and sinful of course, but to be raised with Christ means, in a strange way, that the Risen Christian still lives on Calvary. He/she continues to walk his/her own way of the cross and stands beneath countless crosses to which other Christs are fixed with their own nails.

The new life brought by Christ is not simply a cancelling out of his death on the cross, it is instead the discovery of the secret of how Jesus lived his life. He lived that life in total dedication to his Father’s will and the loving service of his brothers and sisters. That discovery is the basis of Christian joy. For me it is beautifully summed up in one of the Easter hymns which says:

Jesus Christ is that morning star
who came back from the dead
to shed His peaceful light on all humankind.
He lives and reigns in glory forever.