St. James' Church Bushypark Galway

PRESS RELEASE

Joint statement by the Irish Bishops’ Conference, the Conference of Religious of Ireland and the Irish Missionary Union in response to the publication of the NBSCCCI Annual Report 2010

We welcome the publication today of the 2010 Annual Report of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland (NBSCCCI). We take this opportunity to express the gratitude of the whole Church in Ireland to the members of the National Board and the National Office for their untiring commitment to the safety and welfare of children in the Church and for their unstinting professionalism in helping us all to meet the highest possible standards in this area.

The Board’s report demonstrates significant progress in many key areas, notably in policy development and training, as well as some important areas of challenge that have yet to be completely resolved.  As Sponsoring Bodies we are fully committed to working with the Board to consolidate the progress made to date and to addressing those issues which have been a cause of some frustration to both the Sponsoring Bodies and the Board, particularly around data protection and the sharing of statistics and other specific information with the National Office.

The role of the National Board in monitoring the implementation of international best practice in safeguarding children by dioceses, religious congregations and missionary societies is vital if, in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, we are to ‘restore the respect and goodwill of the Irish people towards the Church’[1] and address the tragic and painful mistakes of the past. As Sponsoring Bodies we are committed to ensuring that the Board can fulfil its role of monitoring the implementation of international standards of best practice by all dioceses, religious congregations and mission societies.  This will continue to be a priority in our ongoing engagement with the National Board in the year ahead.

We look forward to continuing our work with the Board and to resolve any remaining issues as quickly and as comprehensively as possible.

ENDS

• [1] Pope Benedict XVI, Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland, March 2010
• The Catholic Church’s three sponsoring bodies are the Irish Bishops’ Conference; the Conference of Religious of Ireland and the Irish Missionary Union
• See www.safeguarding.ie for a copy of the NBSCCCI Annual Report 2010 and the related press release

Further information:

Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678 and Brenda Drumm 00353 (0) 87 310 4444

PRESS RELEASE

9 May 2011

World Day of Prayer for Vocations – Sunday 15 May 2011

• Pope’s message on the theme ‘Proposing Vocations in the Local Church’
• Special feature on www.catholicbishops.ie

The 48th World Day of Prayer for Vocations will be celebrated on Sunday next 15 May. A special feature is now available on the website of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference which includes:

• Introduction to the celebration of Vocations Sunday
• Full text of Pope Benedict’s message
• Video interview with Bishop Donal McKeown, Chair of the Bishops’ Council for Vocations in which he talks about vocation numbers and the importance of making sure that every year is a Year of Vocation
• Links to vocations initiatives in dioceses including video reflection from Archbishop Michael Neary, new vocations website from diocese of Ferns and a video message from the vocations director in the Archdiocese of Dublin
• Link to In Praise of Priests – a collection of five short video interviews with a cross-section of lay people on the subject of priesthood and what particular priests have meant in their lives [Alice Taylor, George Hook, Mickey Harte, David Begg and Ashleigh O'Neill]
• Vocation prayers

Additional resources will be added as they become available.

The full text of the Pope’s message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations follows:

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

The 48th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, to be celebrated on 15 May 2011, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, invites us to reflect on the theme: “Proposing Vocations in the Local Church”. Seventy years ago, Venerable Pius XII established the Pontifical Work of Priestly Vocations. Similar bodies, led by priests and members of the lay faithful, were subsequently established by Bishops in many dioceses as a response to the call of the Good Shepherd who, “when he saw the crowds, had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd”, and went on to say: “The harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest!” (Mt 9:36-38).

The work of carefully encouraging and supporting vocations finds a radiant source of inspiration in those places in the Gospel where Jesus calls his disciples to follow him and trains them with love and care. We should pay close attention to the way that Jesus called his closest associates to proclaim the Kingdom of God (cf. Lk 10:9). In the first place, it is clear that the first thing he did was to pray for them: before calling them, Jesus spent the night alone in prayer, listening to the will of the Father (cf. Lk 6:12) in a spirit of interior detachment from mundane concerns. It is Jesus’ intimate conversation with the Father which results in the calling of his disciples. Vocations to the ministerial priesthood and to the consecrated life are first and foremost the fruit of constant contact with the living God and insistent prayer lifted up to the “Lord of the harvest”, whether in parish communities, in Christian families or in groups specifically devoted to prayer for vocations.

At the beginning of his public life, the Lord called some fishermen on the shore of the Sea of Galilee: “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Mt 4:19). He revealed his messianic mission to them by the many “signs” which showed his love for humanity and the gift of the Father’s mercy. Through his words and his way of life he prepared them to carry on his saving work. Finally, knowing “that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father” (Jn 13:1), he entrusted to them the memorial of his death and resurrection, and before ascending into heaven he sent them out to the whole world with the command: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19).

It is a challenging and uplifting invitation that Jesus addresses to those to whom he says: “Follow me!”. He invites them to become his friends, to listen attentively to his word and to live with him. He teaches them complete commitment to God and to the extension of his kingdom in accordance with the law of the Gospel: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit ” (Jn 12:24). He invites them to leave behind their own narrow agenda and their notions of self-fulfilment in order to immerse themselves in another will, the will of God, and to be guided by it. He gives them an experience of fraternity, one born of that total openness to God (cf. Mt 12:49-50) which becomes the hallmark of the community of Jesus: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35).

It is no less challenging to follow Christ today. It means learning to keep our gaze fixed on Jesus, growing close to him, listening to his word and encountering him in the sacraments; it means learning to conform our will to his. This requires a genuine school of formation for all those who would prepare themselves for the ministerial priesthood or the consecrated life under the guidance of the competent ecclesial authorities. The Lord does not fail to call people at every stage of life to share in his mission and to serve the Church in the ordained ministry and in the consecrated life. The Church is “called to safeguard this gift, to esteem it and love it. She is responsible for the birth and development of priestly vocations” (John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis, 41). Particularly in these times, when the voice of the Lord seems to be drowned out by “other voices” and his invitation to follow him by the gift of one’s own life may seem too difficult, every Christian community, every member of the Church, needs consciously to feel responsibility for promoting vocations. It is important to encourage and support those who show clear signs of a call to priestly life and religious consecration, and to enable hem to feel the warmth of the whole community as they respond “yes” to God and the Church. I encourage them, in the same words which I addressed to those who have already chosen to enter the seminary: “You have done a good thing. Because people will always have need of God, even in an age marked by technical mastery of the world and globalization: they will always need the God who has revealed himself in Jesus Christ, the God who gathers us together in the universal Church in order to learn with him and through him life’s true meaning and in order to uphold and apply the standards of true humanity” (Letter to Seminarians, 18 October 2010).

It is essential that every local Church become more sensitive and attentive to the pastoral care of vocations, helping children and young people in particular at every level of family, parish and associations – as Jesus did with his disciples – to grow into a genuine and affectionate friendship with the Lord, cultivated through personal and liturgical prayer; to grow in familiarity with the sacred Scriptures and thus to listen attentively and fruitfully to the word of God; to understand that entering into God’s will does not crush or destroy a person, but instead leads to the discovery of the deepest truth about ourselves; and finally to be generous and fraternal in relationships with others, since it is only in being open to the love of God that we discover true joy and the fulfilment of our aspirations. “Proposing Vocations in the Local Church” means having the courage, through an attentive and suitable concern for vocations, to point out this challenging way of following Christ which, because it is so rich in meaning, is capable of engaging the whole of one’s life.

I address a particular word to you, my dear brother Bishops. To ensure the continuity and growth of your saving mission in Christ, you should “foster priestly and religious vocations as much as possible, and should take a special interest in missionary vocations” (Christus Dominus, 15). The Lord needs you to cooperate with him in ensuring that his call reaches the hearts of those whom he has chosen. Choose carefully those who work in the Diocesan Vocations Office, that valuable means for the promotion and organization of the pastoral care of vocations and the prayer which sustains it and guarantees its effectiveness. I would also remind you, dear brother Bishops, of the concern of the universal Church for an equitable distribution of priests in the world. Your openness to the needs of dioceses experiencing a dearth of vocations will become a blessing from God for your communities and a sign to the faithful of a priestly service that generously considers the needs of the entire Church.

The Second Vatican Council explicitly reminded us that “the duty of fostering vocations pertains to the whole Christian community, which should exercise it above all by a fully Christian life” (Optatam Totius, 2). I wish, then, to say a special word of acknowledgment and encouragement to those who work closely in various ways with the priests in their parishes. In particular, I turn to those who can offer a specific contribution to the pastoral care of vocations: to priests, families, catechists and leaders of parish groups. I ask priests to testify to their communion with their bishop and their fellow priests, and thus to provide a rich soil for the seeds of a priestly vocation. May families be “animated by the spirit of faith and love and by the sense of duty” (Optatam Totius, 2) which is capable of helping children to welcome generously the call to priesthood and to religious life. May catechists and leaders of Catholic groups and ecclesial movements, convinced of their educational mission, seek to “guide the young people entrusted to them so that these will recognize and freely accept a divine vocation” (ibid.).

Dear brothers and sisters, your commitment to the promotion and care of vocations becomes most significant and pastorally effective when carried out in the unity of the Church and in the service of communion. For this reason, every moment in the life of the Church community – catechesis, formation meetings, liturgical prayer, pilgrimages – can be a precious opportunity for awakening in the People of God, and in particular in children and young people, a sense of belonging to the Church and of responsibility for answering the call to priesthood and to religious life by a free and informed decision.

The ability to foster vocations is a hallmark of the vitality of a local Church. With trust and perseverance let us invoke the aid of the Virgin Mary, that by the example of her own acceptance of God’s saving plan and her powerful intercession, every community will be more and more open to saying “yes” to the Lord who is constantly calling new labourers to his harvest. With this hope, I cordially impart to all my Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, 15 November 2010

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

Further information:

Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678 and Brenda Drumm 00353 (0) 87 310 4444

PRESS RELEASE
4 May 2011

Homily of Archbishop Diarmuid Martin at the Annual 1916 Commemoration Mass at the Church of the Sacred Heart, Arbour Hill, Dublin

As a child I was always fascinated when I heard my mother speaking about Easter Week 1916.  She was a child of twelve years of age then.  She recalled the excitement in her house in inner-city Dublin over that Easter weekend, the uncertainty of the date of the uprising, the callers and the messages that were being sent from family to family.  She remembered especially how she watched her own mother prepare the bandolier for her eldest son as he set out to take up arms at Jacob’s factory and as her eldest daughter set out to go to Liberty Hall.

This morning we remember in prayer the leaders and the participants who died in the 1916 rising and whom the nation remembers annually here at Arbour Hill.  But we remember also what was happening in so many homes on that Easter Monday morning.  We remember the fears and the tears, and the dreams and the courage which filled the lives of many families as they courageously took their part in what was to be a decisive moment in the destiny of the Irish nation and its people.

Young men and women left their homes not knowing where it would end.  Parents remained sleepless and anxious and worried, but still with a sense of pride in the idealism and courage of their children and of a new generation.  There was a special sense of pride among Dubliners, as they watched their children bring honour on their city.

As each generation of history emerges, Ireland needs new generations of young men and women who have the vision to dream and the courage to realise their dreams.  But true dreams do not belong just to dreamland.  When dreams remain in dreamland, all we are left with is sentimentalism.  True dreams are realised in the real world, in the hard world of everyday and always at a cost.  For many in 1916 that cost was the loss of their lives.  For others it was the hard call to duty and responsibility for realising a new hope, a new and difficult, yet realisable hope, for Ireland and its people.

Ireland today needs those who recognise that their dreams can be realised.   On Easter Monday 1916 many went unmindful.  Still today there are those in our society who have little interest in taking upon themselves the hardship of realising the dreams that we all need to realise for the good of our society.

The dream of 1916 was a Republic.  A Republic is one where power is vested in the people.  But a real republic is one, not just in which power is vested in the people, but one in which responsibility is assumed by the people.  Just as in 1916, our modern day Republic requires leaders of vision, but it requires above all the tears and fears, the dreams and commitments of our citizens and families and communities who decide that they do not wish to belong to the disinterested or the distracted or the self centred.

A Republic is made up of men and women of various generations who are prepared to live and give their energies for a vision.  The Proclamation of 1916 contained a vision of solidarity and inclusivity which dreamt not just of the freedom for Ireland’s people, but also of their welfare; it hoped for “equal rights and equal opportunities for all its citizens”;, it dreamt of a society “where all the children of the nation would be cherished”; it dreamt of a leadership which would administer “in trust for the people”; it dreamt of an Ireland which would not just take its place among the nations, but would create for itself an “exalted place”, a place of honour among the nations.

The religious and civil liberty of all was to be fostered, yet the cause of the Irish Republic was placed under the protection of the Most High God.  A republic is not indifferent to the faith of its citizens.  It recognises the role of believers in contributing to the common good as they journey, as we heard in the reading, on their path “of wisdom and perception of what is revealed” in search of that hope to which we are all called as human beings and believers.

The remarkable Gospel reading which we have heard sets out how the Lord will discriminate regarding the ultimate destiny of each of us.  That discrimination is not the work of a harsh and distant God.  It is about a God who in Jesus Christ shows us how he cares for his people, and a God who expects us to act like Jesus towards all who are unable on their own fully to realise their God-given talents and abilities.  The Gospel mentions “the sick, the hungry, those in prison, those lacking clothing, the stranger”.  A real republic is one not just in which power is vested in the people, but one in which people care, and where the basic needs of each man, woman and child are the concern of all.

The message of the Gospel reading is about a culture of coherence between values and life.  It is about recognising need and disadvantage and accepting then that we have responsibility, which we cannot simply delegate, to respond to and remedy such need.  It is about recognising that a just society is not just about policy, but about people who live justly and with integrity; that a caring society will only be achieved by people who actually care and get up on their feet to care.

The Gospel reminds us that the Christian vocation of caring cannot be delegated.  It is a responsibility for each of us.  It cannot simply be left to just social policies and think tanks.  The vision of society or republic which emerges from our Gospel reading is one where people who dream of justice and care will not just stand by and hope that others will do something, or delegate their own responsibility to structures which in any case may only be there on paper.

We celebrate and remember those who gave their lives in 1916 for a better Ireland and we remember that theirs was not just the proclamation of “independence from”, but a dream of “independence for”: independence for a purpose, independence based on solid values.

We remember those who have helped build up the Ireland that was just a dream in 1916.  We remember those who built up the economic, social, industrial and juridical foundations which have served us over decades.  We remember the communities, rural and urban, which have become the backbone of our Republic.  We remember prophetic Church leaders.  We remember those who have shaped Ireland’s place among the nations: our defence forces, An Garda Siochana, our Diplomatic service and trade representatives, those who have distinguished themselves culturally, our missionaries and aid-workers and our many nameless emigrants, often forced to leave their country by economic circumstances, but who never lost pride in the country of their origin.

Our celebration this year is one of hope, but also one of realism. The economic situation in which the nation finds itself and the dramatic social costs that this will entail should forewarn all of us against any haughtiness about who we are and where we stand.

In 1916 the overall climate was far from hopeful.  The political plans for Home Rule were in tatters. The economic climate was disastrous.  Labour relations were tense.  Deprivation and dismal poverty were endemic in Dublin city, only yards away from the General Post Office.  Those who fought and died in 1916 realised however that with courage and vision things could change.  We pray at this National Commemoration for a renewed sense of national purpose, of national pride and of a willingness to commit ourselves to realising in our time a vision for our future in which all care, in which all participate and all contribute.

We remember those who died for a noble idea: that God will reward them for their courage and idealism and that we will remember and honour them by the way we live as active and caring citizens of our republic today and tomorrow.

Further Information:

Communications Office 01-8360723 email communications@dublindiocese.ie

PRESS RELEASE

2 May 2011

Homily of Cardinal Seán Brady at the Mass of Thanksgiving for the beatification of the Blessed John Paul II with pilgrims from Ireland – Church of Santa Maria in Domnica alla Navicella, Rome – Monday 2 May 2011

*If we had listened to Blessed John Paul’s warnings about excessive greed more carefully and taken to heart his pleas for an end to violence more urgently, some of the worst effects of our current economic crisis and the needless pain of our violent past could have been avoided.

*Blessed John Paul’s heroic witness of faith, love and apostolic courage, accompanied by great human charisma … helped believers throughout the world not to be afraid; not to be afraid to be called a Christian, not to be afraid to belong to the Church or to speak of the Gospel.

*In Blessed John Paul’s consistent ethic of respect for life at all its stages and the peaceful pursuit of justice and human rights, I believe we will find a light for our path to a more friendly and peaceful future between all the people of our island and of the world.

I welcome you all, pilgrims from the Church in Ireland, to this Mass of Thanksgiving for the beatification of the Blessed John Paul II.  At this special time I wish, in particular, to extend my good wishes to the Polish community living in Ireland and to acknowledge their vibrant contribution to the Church at home and throughout the world.

In the words of the special prayer for the Beatification, we are here to thank God for having given Pope John Paul II to the Church and for having filled him with the tenderness of the Father, the glory of the cross of Christ and the splendour of the love of the Holy Spirit.

As pilgrims from Ireland we are here to give particular thanks for the vision and hope of an extraordinary man, an outstanding disciple of Jesus Christ who came to the shores of our own land as a pilgrim in 1979.  He came at a decisive moment in the history of Ireland, a decisive moment in terms of:

- our search for peace in the North;

- our response to materialism in our society and the ‘Celtic Tiger’ that was to emerge, and;

- our approach to the very future of the Christian faith and heritage of our country.

As we look back at those momentous days, it is extraordinary to realise just how prophetic, just how important and far-seeing his message was to us at that time. Perhaps if we had listened to his warnings about excessive greed more carefully and taken to heart his pleas for an end to violence more urgently, some of the worst effects of our current economic crisis and the needless pain of our violent past could have been avoided.

Pope John Paul II came to us in the very first year of his Pontificate, the third country he visited including his native Poland.

He visited us in September and October 1979 on his way to the United States where he gave his first address to the United Nations. That was an address focused on his often repeated hope for a new era of peaceful resolution of conflict in the world. At this stage he had already established the tradition of mentioning the countries he had just visited at his next Wednesday audience in Rome. On his return to Rome on this occasion however he made mention of Ireland and, in particular, of the deep impression left on him by his visit to the ancient monastic ruins at Clonmacnois. It was from here that so many Irish missionaries had set out to bring the light of Christ to a darkened Europe, a Europe in need of a new heart and a new spirit, a Europe in need of a new vision of life and culture, a Europe in need of sound reasons to hope.

The missionaries from Clonmacnois had travelled as far as Kiev and Poland.  Blessed John Paul was always deeply grateful for the contribution of the Irish Church to the Christian faith of his own country and of so many other countries across the world. He was also very conscious that like the Church in Poland, the people of Ireland had not abandoned their faith in the face of centuries of persecution.

He repeated that gratitude and affection when only a few months after his visit to Ireland he visited the community of the Irish College here in Rome.

Today, in this Mass, we return that appreciation and that thanks. In his short address at Clonmacnois he said of those who had implanted and kept the faith alive in Ireland that ‘When we look at the works of faith, we must give thanks to God’. We give thanks today for what the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, described yesterday as the ‘Titanic faith’ of Pope John Paul II.  We give thanks for the role John Paul II played in strengthening the faith of so many people across the world.

Blessed John Paul helped to strengthen faith in so many ways. He did it, for example, through the immense legacy of his thought and teaching. No Pope in history has left such a legacy. There are his own books both before and after he became Pope. Then, as Pope, he wrote 14 Encyclicals, 39 Apostolic Letters, gave hundreds of audiences and other addresses, oversaw the compilation of the ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church’ and the ‘Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church’, and so much more. It will take many years for the content of the life and teaching of John Paul II to have its full impact on the life of the Church.

However, as Pope Benedict said at the Beatification yesterday, it was most of all by his heroic witness of faith, love and apostolic courage, accompanied by great human charisma that this exemplary son of Poland helped believers throughout the world not to be afraid; not to be afraid to be called a Christian, not to be afraid to belong to the Church or to speak of the Gospel. By his own example of fearless courage in witnessing to Christ as the life and hope of the world, he helped us not to fear the truth. He knew that the truth of Christ is the key to the truth of the human person and therefore the key to freedom, justice and peace for the world.

He spoke this ‘whole truth about the human person’ with love. It was a truth he discovered in intense study, prayer and contemplation – a truth which he communicated with love and joy through his whole personality – a truth he spoke of fearlessly in season and out of season.

We remember with gratitude the outstanding witness of his life. We remember those defining words of his ministry – ‘Do not be afraid – throw open the doors to Christ!’ – spoken from the balcony of St Peter’s just after his election; we remember the search for renewal and hope in our own land and the wise direction he gave us when he visited our land.

We commend to the heart of Blessed John Paul, now in heaven – the needs of our country and of the Church in Ireland which he carried so often in his heart here on earth. Just as he came among us at a decisive moment in our history, thirty two years ago, we ask him to inspire and guide us to the way of Christ – to the way of freedom, hope and renewal – as we face the decisive moment that faces our country and our Church today.

In his presentation of the Church’s social teaching, in his prophetic presentation of the path between the excesses of communism and capitalism, in his prioritisation of the dignity and service of the person, I believe we will find some useful direction for the future progress of our national and international economic framework as we face a period of recession.

In his consistent ethic of respect for life at all its stages and the peaceful pursuit of justice and human rights, I believe we will find a light for our path to a more friendly and peaceful future between all the people of our island and of the world.

In his emphasis on the universal call to holiness, lived out in intimate personal union with Christ and in the ordinary, every day means of the Christian life, including prayer, service of others and the sacraments, I believe we will rediscover the authentic interpretation of the Second Vatican Council and the path to genuine, effective renewal in the Irish Church. That renewal will not be found first and foremost in ‘management-speak’, in a sociology of the Church or in radical departures from the deposit of faith but in a change of heart, in personal and communal conversion and total commitment to the tried and tested path to holiness in the sacraments, fidelity to the teaching of the Church and to prayer. This is the unapologetic, fearless witness of John Paul II and of his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.

At the Beatification yesterday, I noticed at one stage a large flag from the city of Wadowice in Poland, the birthplace of Pope John Paul II. I had the pleasure of visiting Wadowice at one stage and the Church where John Paul was baptised. I also remember a photograph of John Paul praying with great intensity and gratitude at the font of his Baptism in Wadowice. It is a reminder to us all of a central message of the Second Vatican Council, a Council which Karol Wotyla attended. It is that our baptism calls and empowers all of us to be saints – to become the blessed of God.

If we lose sight of this and of the generous, everyday means God has given us in his sacraments, in the Word and in the teaching of his Church to achieve holiness then our search for authentic renewal of the Church in Ireland will be in vain. If we lose sight of our earthly pilgrimage as a journey towards our eternal future and of our closeness to the Church in heaven – to the Blessed, the saints and the angels – then we will lose sight of an immense and vital grace we need and have to guide and sustain us through the difficult challenges that no doubt lie ahead – as a Church and as a country.

Today, we give thanks that the Church has confirmed for us that Ireland has yet another friend in heaven in the person of Blessed Pope John Paul II. By setting holiness as the gold standard of the ordinary Christian life, he has shown us the true path to renewal and the way to eternal communion with the Blessed Trinity. Joachim Navarro Valls told us at the Vigil on Saturday evening that Blessed Pope John Paul II went to confession every week. He put his trust totally in the infinite mercy of God and in the Maternal Intercession of Mary. In this he gave us a living image of Jesus the Good Shepherd. We commend the Church in Ireland to his continued guidance and intercession, with St Patrick, St Brigid and all the saints of Ireland – the saints of our venerable Christian past – and in the hope of the many saints of Ireland yet to come.

Amen

Notes to editors

* Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, was the main celebrant for today’s special Mass of thanksgiving for Irish pilgrims in Rome and Bishop John Buckley, Bishop of Cork and Ross, con-celebrated the Mass.

* To celebrate the beatification of John Paul II see the latest web feature on www.catholicbishops.ie.  The feature includes links to the texts from the beatification ceremony; an audio interview with Bishop Michael Smith, Bishop of Meath who was part of the organising committee for the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland in 1979; and, live audio recordings of the homilies and addresses of Pope John Paul in the Phoenix Park, Drogheda, Knock, Maynooth, Galway and Limerick.

*The annual celebration of Blessed John Paul II is to be inserted into the liturgical calendars of the Diocese of Rome and all the Dioceses of Poland as a “memorial” to be observed on 22 October.

Further information

Father Timothy Bartlett in Rome 0044 (0) 7879 416685 Martin Long, Catholic Communications Office, Maynooth 00353 (0) 86 172 7678

PRESS RELEASE

1 May 2011

Homily of Archbishop Diarmuid Martin for Mass to celebrate the Beatification of Pope John Paul II, in St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral Dublin

Introduction

On this Second Sunday of Easter we celebrate the mystery of the Risen Lord and we remember in a special way Pope John Paul II, who was this morning declared Blessed at a magnificent liturgy in Rome. This evening we give thanks to God for the life of this great Pope.

We celebrate in union with the whole Church remembering the many gifts that Pope John Paul gave to the Church. Each of us has his or her own memories of Pope John Paul.  Naturally, I have my own personal memories of the Pope in whose service I worked for many years, who ordained me a bishop in Saint Peter’s Basilica and who appointed me as Archbishop of Dublin.

We pray for renewal in the Church, that the Church in our times will regain those qualities of unity which are expressed in a special way in the first reading of today’s Mass from the Acts of the Apostles.

We recognise how our actions have damaged our communion with Christ and with each other and through the heavenly intercession of Blessed Pope John Paul we implore God’s mercy, forgiveness and strength.

Homily

In the Gospel reading we have just heard, we see how after Jesus’ death, the Apostles lost courage and became frightened.  They closed themselves away in fear.  Then, Jesus appears to them.  He greets them with the greeting “Peace be with you”.   He gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit which will free them from their fear and timidity and will enable them and the entire Christian people to attain the special peace which comes through encountering God’s forgiveness and mercy.

From the very beginning of his Pontificate Blessed Pope John Paul called on all believers not to be afraid, but to open their hearts to Jesus.  He constantly reminded us of the mercy of God revealed in Jesus Christ, who would assist us in our needs and in our weaknesses.  Pope John Paul II decided that this Second Sunday of Easter would be celebrated as Divine Mercy Sunday. It was on this feast of Divine Mercy that Pope Benedict wished to beatify his predecessor.

Over thirty-five years ago, in 1976, the then Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, was asked by Pope Paul VI to preach the Lenten Retreat in the Vatican.  One of the conferences of the retreat was entitled Mysterium Mortis, the Mystery of Death.  The future Pope noted that “Even though we do not chose our own death, nonetheless by choosing our own way of life we do, in a way, choose our death too. Our death becomes the perfect ratification of our life and of the choices we made”.

Of very few people can we say with such clarity, as we can of Pope John Paul II, that his path to death was truly a ratification of the life he spent in the service of the Lord and of humanity and of the Church.   His entire life was dedicated to preaching the message of Jesus and to helping people understand how when they opened their hearts to that message they opened their hearts to their real selves as well.  As Pope Benedict recalled in his homily this morning, as Pope John Paul grew older, the Lord slowly stripped him of his earthly strengths, but still he remained as Peter should be: a rock of strength.

Pope John Paul’s death reflected his life. As the world watched his physical powers decline, Pope John Paul never flinched in his dedication to the mission he had received, until that final moment when he realised that it was time to return in peace to the house of his Father.   His life was realised in a special manner in the way he publicly and courageously encountered death.  His death teaches all of us so much about how we should live.

Faith in Jesus Christ is never easy.  Faith in Jesus Christ is not just a matter of feeling or of the formulae of doctrine, but of an encounter with Jesus Christ as a real person, a real person who reveals to us in his life and mission that God is love.

Faith in Jesus Christ is never easy.  It might indeed appear that faith in Jesus is somehow even more difficult in our times and I could quote a whole medley of statistics and anecdotes which might seem to corroborate such a claim.  We saw, in the Gospel reading, how Thomas doubted.  Thomas is very much like many men and women of our times; people whose lives have been marked with familiarity with the Christian message but who cannot come to real faith.  They know about Jesus, they can speak the language of belief, and yet they find belief hard if not well nigh impossible

Why are there today so many doubts about faith especially in our Western culture?  What are at the roots of such doubt?  People will have varied answers:  they will say that their doubts come from perplexity about one or other dogma, or one or other aspect of the moral teaching of the Church, or about the structures of the Church, or about the failure in witness of believers and Church leaders.

Their doubt, however, goes much deeper. It is doubt about the very ability and utility of believing in Jesus Christ.  It is doubt about the fact, to paraphrase the very end of today’s Gospel reading, that it is only through believing in the name of Jesus that we may have life.

Thomas is remembered as the one who doubted, but there is also the sense in which he is the one who overcame his doubts and came to belief.

What can we learn from the doubt and from the belief of Thomas? What changes Thomas?  Thomas changes when he sees Jesus. It would be more accurate to say that he believes when he sees the real Jesus and no longer a Jesus of his own making.  His doubt about Jesus was because he had formed his own idea of the Risen Jesus, his own idea and the wrong idea.  Faith comes when Thomas allows Jesus to shape his life, rather than himself trying to shape his own idea of Jesus and force his ideas about Jesus on those around him.

Thomas believes when he sees the wounds of Jesus.  Thomas believes when he understands why the Risen Jesus still bears the wounds of his death. He understands that the wounds are the signs of that self-giving love which had led Jesus to the ignominious death on the Cross for our sake.  It is in seeing the wounds still present in the Risen Jesus that Thomas fully understands how much Jesus loved him and how much Jesus continues to love him and us.  Jesus had taken upon himself the wounds of humankind, and in rising he had healed those wounds and enabled humanity to cope with its own doubts and uncertainties, with its own troubled history.

The faith of Pope John Paul allowed him to achieve remarkable things in remarkable times.  His faith was rock-like and gave him the courage to follow intuitions he received from the Lord, which at times were not understood even by his close collaborators.

There were those who were critical of his call for prayer for peace by leaders of various religions at Assisi.  We often tend to forget the political climate in which that Assisi event took place.  It was at the height of the build up of nuclear weapons during the Cold War.  Enormous nuclear arsenals were built up facing each other.  Pope John Paul understood that peace is not the fruit just of politics or negotiations; peace is a gift of God to be implored in prayer. He realised that it was possible and indeed necessary for people of various religions to come together in one place and understand each other’s prayer and witness together to the God of peace.

There were those who were critical of Pope John Paul’s call for Christians to ask forgiveness for the sins of past centuries in the Church.  Pope John Paul’s understanding of the holiness of the Church was so strong that it enabled him to recognise openly and to pray for forgiveness for the sins of Christians who over the centuries had resorted to methods which were far from Christian, in inquisitions and crusades, in relation to the Jewish people and in the divisions which emerged among believers in the same Jesus.

It was Pope John Paul’s faith and his sense of prayer that gave him a special appeal among young people.  In a youth culture marked by doubt and uncertainty about ultimate values, Pope John Paul stood out as someone who was uncompromising in his proclamation of truth yet outstanding in his witness of love.

In our sophisticated culture, more and more we wish to block out physical weakness and remove from sight the starkness of human death.   In his life, his ministry and in his death Pope John Paul witnessed to the strength which comes despite human weakness when we allow the message of Jesus to be the guide of our lives.

We pray that the Church of our times will enjoy the protection from heaven of one who loved and served and suffered for the Church during his life, Blessed Pope John Paul II.

ENDS

Further information:

Annette O Donnell,Archdiocese of Dublin Communications Office

087 8143462

PRESS RELEASE

1 May 2011

Beatification of the Venerable Servant of God John Paul II on Divine Mercy Sunday

• Special web feature on John Paul II now available on www.catholicbishops.ie

Today, Divine Mercy Sunday, the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI officiated at the Mass of Beatification for John Paul II, which was celebrated in Saint Peter’s Square.  Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland; Cardinal Desmond Connell, Archbishop Emeritus of Dublin; and Bishop John Buckley, Bishop of Cork and Ross, participated in the beatification ceremony. They were joined by priests and religious from Ireland and an estimated two million pilgrims. See details of full programme below.

In Dublin at 6.30pm this evening, to mark this joyous occasion, a Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland, in Saint Mary’s Pro-Cathedral.

Tomorrow at 3.30pm a Mass of thanksgiving for Irish pilgrims attending the beatification will be celebrated by Cardinal Brady at the Basilica Parrocchiale di Santa Maria in Domnica alla Navicella, which is close by the Pontifical Irish College in Rome.

Yesterday in the College Chapel of the national seminary, Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, a special vigil Mass was held to mark the Beatification of John Paul II.  Father Paul Prior, Director of Formation, was the principal celebrant of the Mass which was attended by seminarians and staff of Saint Patrick’s College. The Mass was followed by a Eucharistic Vigil until midnight.  During the Eucharistic Vigil a seminarian read the text of the special address which John Paul II delivered to seminarians during his visit to Maynooth in 1979.  See www.catholicbishops.ie for a special web feature on the beatification which contains:

• Significance of Divine Mercy Sunday in the life and death of John Paul II

The Devotion to the Divine Mercy was actively promoted by John Paul II, who canonised the Polish Saint and visionary, Sr Faustina Kowalska on 30 April in the Jubilee Year of 2000, and designated the Second Sunday of Easter as the Sunday of the Divine Mercy in the General Roman Calendar. Cardinal Brady said, “Divine Mercy Sunday is a feast that was very close to the heart of the John Paul II. It points us the wounds of Jesus’ Passion, especially the wound in His heart, the source of a great wave of mercy and love poured out on humanity.  John Paul often said that, in the Eucharist, he was uniting his own sufferings with those of Christ.”

• Audio interview with Bishop Michael Smith, Bishop of Meath

To celebrate the Beatification of John Paul II, Bishop Michael Smith, Bishop of Meath - who was part of the organising committee for the visit of Pope John Paul II to Ireland in 1979 - has recorded a special audio interview with Brenda Drumm of the Catholic Communications Office. Bishop Smith shares his memories of the late Pope’s pastoral visit to Ireland: the planning and logistics involved; why Pope John Paul did not visit Northern Ireland; his special mention of Clonmacnois during his weekly audience after the visit concluded. Bishop Smith also talks about how Pope John Paul II’s early life shaped his papacy, how his words about Ireland turned out to be prophetic. He also talks about the witness he gave in his final illness and death and how strong an advocate he was for human dignity and life in all in stages. Finally, Bishop Smith shares his thoughts on the beatification process.

• Live audio recordings of John Paul II’s homilies and addresses during his 1979 pastoral visit to Ireland

In three memorable days, 29 September – 1 October 1979, John Paul II visited Dublin, Drogheda, Clonmacnois, Galway, Knock, Maynooth, Limerick and Shannon.  Listen back to these live recordings on www.catholicbishops.ie.  During this time, he also delivered several talks, sermons and addresses, including an address to the Irish Government, and a ‘special broadcast address to the Sick’ on RTÉ radio and television.  Among the themes he chose included the call to faith, parenthood, peace and justice, the Eucharist, forgiveness, youth and prayer – all of which resonate today.

• Details of the broadcasts of the beatification by RTÉ and BBC

Notes for Editors

• On 16 October 1978 Cardinal Wojtyla of Krakow, Poland, was elected the 264th Pope of the Catholic Church, and he took the name John Paul II.  Pope John Paul II visited Ireland on 29, 30 September and 1 October 1979.  Ireland was the third pilgrimage of his Pontificate.  John Paul II died after the celebration of the vigil Mass of Divine Mercy Sunday on 2 April 2005.
• Please see below the full programme for the celebrations for the beatification of John Paul II, which Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general for the diocese of Rome, has described as “strongly characterised by particular elements intended to emphasise the richness of John Paul II’s personality, and the impact of his pontificate on the life of the diocese of Rome and on the whole world”:

1. The Vigil, 30 April (Circus Maximus, 20.00 to 22.30).

The celebration was divided into two parts. The first part was dedicated to remembering the words and actions of John Paul II. There was a solemn procession during which the image of Maria Salus Populi Romani will be enthroned; accompanied by representatives of all the parishes and chaplaincies of the diocese. Privileged accounts were given by Joaquin Navarro-Valls and Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, both of whom worked closely with the Blessed John Paul, and by Sr Marie Simon-Pierre, whose miraculous recovery opened the way for the beatification process. This first part of the celebrations concluded with the hymn Totus tuus, composed for the 50th anniversary of John Paul’s priestly ordination.

The second part focused on the celebration of the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary, which were introduced by John Paul II. After the hymn Open the doors to Christ, Cardinal Vallini will gave an introduction summarising the spiritual and pastoral character of John Paul II. The Rosary was recited, with a live connection to five Marian sanctuaries around the world. Each of the five Mysteries of the Rosary were linked to a prayer intention of importance to John Paul II. In the Sanctuary of Lagniewniki, Krakow, the prayer intention was the theme of youth; in the Sanctuary of Kawekamo, Bugando, Tanzania: the family; in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lebanon, Harissa: evangelisation; in the Basilica of Sancta Maria de Guadalupe, Mexico City: hope and peace among peoples; and, in the Sanctuary of Fatima: the Church.

To conclude the vigil, Benedict XVI recited the final oration and imparted the apostolic blessing to all participants, in live transmission from the Apostolic Palace.

2. Mass of Beatification, 1 May, Sunday after Easter or of Divine Mercy (St. Peter’s Square, 09.00: hour of preparation; 10.00: officiated by the Holy Father).

The solemn liturgy of beatification was preceded by an hour of preparation during which the faithful prayed together the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, a devotion introduced by Saint Mary Faustina Kowalska and dear to the Blessed John Paul II. The preparation concluded with an Invocation to Mercy in the world, with the hymn Jezu ufam tobie. This was followed by Mass, with the texts for the Sunday after Easter. At the end of the rite of beatification, the unveiling of the tapestry depicting the newly Blessed was accompanied by the Hymn to the Blessed in Latin.

Following the beatification ceremony, Pope Benedict, and the concelebrating cardinals, made their way to the Altar of Confession in the Basilica and prayed before the body of the newly Blessed.  From this evening, those who wish to do so may venerate the remains of John Paul II.

3. Mass of thanksgiving tomorrow Monday 2 May (officiated by Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, St. Peter’s Square, 10.30).

Mass on Monday 2 May shall be the first celebrated in honour of the newly Blessed John Paul II. The texts shall be those of the Mass of the Blessed John Paul II. Music during the celebrations shall be provided by the Choir of the Diocese of Rome, with the participation of the Choir of Warsaw and the Wadowice Symphony Orchestra, Poland.

Further information:

Father Timothy Bartlett in Rome with Cardinal Brady: 0044 (0) 7879 416685Catholic Communications Office in Maynooth, Ireland: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678 and Brenda Drumm 00353 (0) 87 310 4444

PRESS RELEASE

29 April 2011

Beatification of the Servant of God John Paul II on 1 May

• Cardinal Seán Brady to celebrate Mass of thanksgiving for Irish pilgrims attending the Beatification on 2 May

Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, is attending the Beatification of John Paul II in Rome on Divine Mercy Sunday, 1 May 2011.  For media queries please contact Father Timothy Bartlett in Rome on: 0044 7879 416685.

A vigil of preparation for the Beatification will take place on 30 April from 8.00 pm to 10:30pm in the Circus Maximus of Rome.  The event will be organised by the diocese of Rome, and Cardinal Agostino Vallini, Pope Benedict XVI’s Vicar for Rome, will preside.

Cardinal Brady; Cardinal Desmond Connell, Archbishop Emeritus of Dublin; and Bishop John Buckley, Bishop of Cork and Ross, will participate at the Beatification Mass which will begin on Sunday, 1 May at 10.00am.  Pope Benedict XVI will preside at the Mass which will be celebrated in St Peter’s Square.  No tickets are required for this Mass.

On 2 May Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, will preside at a Mass of Thanksgiving in St Peter’s Square at 10:30am.  The Vatican has stated that the remains of John Paul II will then be transferred to the Chapel of Saint Sebastian in St Peter’s Basilica, and that the event will take place privately.

On the same day at 3.30pm a Mass of thanksgiving for Irish pilgrims attending the Beatification of John Paul II will be celebrated by Cardinal Brady at the Basilica Parrocchiale di Santa Maria in Domnica alla Navicella, which is close by the Pontifical Irish College in Rome.

For more information on the Beatification of the Servant of God John Paul II, please see special feature on www.catholicbishops.ie

Further information:

Father Timothy Bartlett in Rome 0044 7879 416685

Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678 and Brenda Drumm 00353 (0) 87 310 4444

PRESS RELEASE

28 April 2011

Homily of Cardinal Seán Brady for the 40th anniversary celebratory Mass for the Irish Pilgrimage Trust

“I have thought long and hard to discover the common chord, the bond that unites the three big events of the week: this pilgrimage; the Royal wedding; and, the Papal Beatification.  They all have in common … the bond of love.  The love in our hearts that responds to God’s love that is given to us”- Cardinal Brady

Cardinal Seán Brady and the Irish Pilgrimage Trust are on pilgrimage this week to the Marian Shrine of Lourdes in France.  The 1,100 Irish pilgrims consist of 450 young people with special needs and carers, priest chaplains, nurses and doctors.  2011 is the 40th anniversary of the Irish Pilgrimage Trust (IHCPT).  This year 48 IHCPT groups from all over Ireland are taking part in this week long pilgrimage to Lourdes.  The pilgrimage involves daily Mass, prayer and social activities.

Today Cardinal Brady celebrated a special anniversary Mass for the Irish Pilgrimage Trust in the underground Basilica of Saint Pius X in Lourdes. The two hour Mass was attended by 5,000 pilgrims from Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, United States of America, Croatia, the West Indies and Romania and involved music and Irish dancing.  Please see Cardinal Brady’s homily below:

My dear friends,

I left Armagh in Ireland last Monday morning very excited – all excited in fact at the thought of coming once again on this great pilgrimage:

• a pilgrimage which gathers thousands of very special young people to Lourdes every Easter;
• a pilgrimage which invites us to come to this special place in answer to Mary’s invitation – an invitation given to Saint Bernadette herself – then a child who had not yet made her First Communion – but a child whose heart was filled with love.  That invitation has been heard by so many other children down through the years, whose hearts are filled with love and who have inspired so much love in the hearts of their parents and families and friends.

I have to be honest and admit I was also excited about the wedding of Prince William and Miss Kate Middleton.  For it is always a great moment when a man and a woman pledge the love that is in their hearts for each other and ask to remain strong in that love.

I am also excited that this Sunday, 1 May, Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church is going to formally declare that Pope John Paul II is in Heaven.  That is the same Pope John Paul who simply loved to travel the world to meet millions of young people and to tell them, as he said during the Youth Mass in Galway in 1979:

Young people of Ireland, I love you!

Young people of Ireland, I bless you!

I bless you in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Críost liom, Críost romham, Críost i mo dhiaidh!

Pope John Paul came to Lourdes twice.  He said Lourdes has a special gift, the gift of prayer, here in Lourdes people pray.  Here in Lourdes people love to pray.  Here we love to lean into the love of God – as we heard last night – and be reconciled.  Here we love to honour Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament.  Here in Lourdes first place always is given to the sick and the old and the weak – for that is the way I think Mary would want things done.

So, young people of the Irish Pilgrimage Trust, what a joy to see you here today.  Thank you for coming and thank you for helping the Lord to teach us how to pray today.

You know, we adults can sometimes be just a little bit shy about showing our faith, and a little bit hesitant about saying our prayers in public.  Well, thankfully you have no such hesitations.  Right from the concert on Monday night – you stated loud and clear for all to hear – “I’m a believer”.  You danced and you clapped and you sang – “give praise and glory to God” – reminding us all that we are here on earth to do exactly that – to thank God and praise God.  You have done exactly that and you did it magnificently.  How lovely this Easter week to celebrate so wonderfully and so joyfully the Risen Christ.

Dear singers and musicians – dancers and mimers: Thank you for helping us to pray so joyfully and so beautifully here in Lourdes this week.  Thank you for taking the time to prepare and rehearse so carefully so that your great talents of music and song and dance may honour God so gloriously.  Long may you continue to do so.

Dear organisers and helpers of HCPT and IHCPT: to you we owe the privilege of being here once more in this Holy Place – at Mary’s Shrine.  Today I want to thank God for the love which is in the heart of each one of you.  The source and origin of that love is, of course, in the Heart of God – a God who is at once our Mamma and our Papa.  But the response to that love is to be found – not only in the prayers that we say with our lips – but in the way we treat people.  Thank you for the respect and the patience and concern which you show to each and everyone in your care this week and always.

I have thought long and hard to discover the common chord, the bond that unites the three big events of the week: this pilgrimage; the Royal wedding; and, the Papal Beatification.  They have a lot in common: all are big celebrations in a religious place which bring together big crowds and attract lots of publicity.  But the real common bond they share is the bond of love.  The love in our hearts that responds to God’s love that is given to us.

May these wonderful days deepen that love for all of us – our love of Saint Bernadette, for the Virgin Mary and for Jesus.  But above all may it strengthen our love for each other and may the experience of this pilgrimage send us home determined to show that love to others – may Jesus, the Son of Mary, teach each one of us to pray in some new way this day.

Amen

Notes to Editors

• Cardinal Seán Brady is Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.  The Irish Pilgrimage Trust (IHCPT) www.irishpilgrimagetrust.com is a registered charity in Ireland and operates under the patronage of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference.  For photographs please see contacts below.
• Each year, at Easter, the IHCPT travels on pilgrimage to Lourdes with young people with special needs.  There is an annual pilgrimage to Hosanna House in Bartres, close to the town of Lourdes.  In 1997 the IHCPT opened a house in Clarenbridge, Co Galway, and it welcomes groups there all year round.  Every two years, to raise funds for the IHCPT, a group of between 150 – 200 Irish cyclists travel through France to Lourdes, undertaking a different kind of pilgrimage to the Grotto.  The cyclists arrive in Lourdes on Good Friday, just before the arrival of the IHCPT pilgrims.
• In 1972, the Irish Pilgrimage Trust’s visit to Lourdes involved 12 pilgrims.  In 2011 five chartered planes carried the 1,100 pilgrims to this Marian Shrine.

Further information:

Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678 and Brenda Drumm 00353 (0) 87 310 4444

PRESS RELEASE

25 April 2011

Pontifical Irish College celebrates ordination of six deacons and supporting Pope Benedict XVI during his Easter ceremonies

Six students from the Pontifical Irish College, Rome, were ordained deacons today, Easter Monday.  The ordination ceremony, celebrated by Bishop Seamus Hegarty, Bishop of Derry, was held in the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome.  Two of the new deacons, Brendan Collins and Patrick Lagan, come from the diocese of Derry whilst the other candidates were Philip John Harris from the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore; Ryan McAleer from the Archdiocese of Armagh; Conor McGrath from the Diocese of Down and Connor; and, Milan Tomaga from the Diocese of Banska-Bystrica in Slovakia.

This is the largest diaconate ordination class from the Pontifical Irish College in over a decade.  Monsignor Liam Bergin, rector of the Pontifical Irish College, congratulated the new deacons on behalf of the Irish College.  Monsignor Bergin said “The staff of the Irish College share in the joy of your families and friends who have come from Ireland and Slovakia for this ordination.  May God bless you in your future ministry.”

During the ceremony the six candidates took a promise of celibacy, obedience and formally undertook the responsibility of praying for the Church and the world.  Over the coming year the new deacons will be ordained to the priesthood in their home dioceses.

Seminarians from the Pontifical Irish College were also given the honour of serving at the Easter ceremonies celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican.

Fifteen of the students from the college served the Chrism Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica on Holy Thursday morning.  During the Mass, Pope Benedict blessed the Holy Oils that will be used in ceremonies during the coming year.  Almost 2,000 priests concelebrated this Mass with the Pope and renewed their priestly vows.

Two other seminarians took part in the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.  During the Mass, Pope Benedict re-enacted the washing of the feet and the prayers in English were read by the students from the Irish College.

Damian McCaughan, a deacon from the Diocese of Down and Connor, assisted Pope Benedict at the Easter Sunday Mass that was celebrated in St Peter’s Square and was followed by the Pope’s traditional Urbi et Orbi blessing.  Greeting Damian after the ceremony, Pope Benedict sent his blessing and greeting to the students and staff at the Pontifical Irish College.

ENDS

For further information

For photograph requests please contact Martin Long, Catholic Communications Office, Maynooth, 00 353 861727678

PRESS RELEASE

24 April 2011

Homily and Easter message of Archbishop Diarmuid Martin

Pro Cathedral, Dublin

On this Easter morning we celebrate what for us Christians is the feast of all feasts, Easter, the Resurrection of the Lord, the foundation of our Christian faith.   The Lord is truly risen and he lives for ever.  He has restored life to us out of the darkness of sin and death.

Our life is changed because Jesus, the Son of God, took on human flesh like ours. Out of love for us, He underwent the brutal and ignominious death of a criminal.  But God has raised him from the dead to new life.  He is the first fruits of the new life which will be extended to all of us.

Those who corruptly used their power to conspire in the condemnation of Jesus felt that with their power and violence they could put an end to the life of Jesus definitively. They felt that they had removed Jesus from the scene of history which was; they felt, safely in their hands.

The resurrection of Jesus has shown us their folly. The fact of the resurrection means that evil can never triumph definitively.  Jesus rises to new life which never ends.  We too are called to share in that new life and are called to witness to that new life in the way we live.    Saint Paul tells us that since we have been brought back to true life with Christ, our thoughts must no longer be purely earthly thoughts.  The new life of resurrection opens new horizons for humankind.

All of us can celebrate that new life in Christ which can touch and change our hearts, whether we are new Christians or Christians since our birth, whether we are filled with zeal and commitment or whether our faith is tired or uncertain or troubled.  Christ is truly risen; he is truly risen for us.

Light and darkness, good and evil, however, still struggle within our hearts and in our world.   Each of us knows the darkness of sinfulness that hides within our own hearts; each of us knows the darkness of doubt and lack of hope that is within us.  The message of resurrection reminds us that doubt and despair can be overcome.

The Gospel reading begins with darkness.  Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb first thing in the morning, while it was still dark.  She sets out on the first day of the week.  Here we see the link with the narrative of creation which we have heard at the beginning of last night’s Easter Vigil.  The first day of creation was the day in which the darkness was dispelled and light was created.   Now, again on the first day, the light of new life appears.   The resurrection of Jesus brings to new fulfilment that moment of the creation of light.

The dawn of the first Easter was no ordinary dawn.  It was the dawn which concluded the terrible night of Jesus’ betrayal and suffering.    It was the dawn which closed one of the darkest nights in human history when Jesus, the son of God, was handed over to sinful men, symbol of all the evil that marks human history.  Evil still exists in our world.  The darkness continues in our day to day battle with the light.

The fact of the resurrection means that evil can never triumph definitively.  This morning, however, as we celebrate resurrection and life, men and women languish around the world in war and civil unrest.  Men and women and helpless children languish in the darkness of poverty and hunger and exploitation.    As we gather in peaceful prayer to reflect on the mystery of life, in dark corners of our city, of our country and of our world people are planning criminal undertakings and violence.

These advocates of violence, like those who condemned Jesus, feel somehow that they have in their hands the power to achieve their sordid plans definitively.  They feel that violence or economic power puts them in control, that they can control the lives of others as they wish.    However, violence only generates further violence and a culture of untruth generates more untruth.  Violence and untruth imprison rather than liberate.

The message of Easter which we proclaim challenges–head on — those in our society who espouse political violence, criminal violence or the violence of corrupt exploitation.  It challenges those who fall into the purposeless violence we sadly encounter, almost daily, on our streets.

The only thing that we can say definitively about violence is that violence belongs definitively to the sphere of darkness.  It is life and integrity that lead to peace and hope. The dramatic event of the resurrection of Jesus is not something that engenders fear, but one of awe and joy.  The angel says to the women:  “There is no need for you to be afraid”.   It is the light of the risen Christ which removes fear: “Do not be afraid”, Jesus tells the women to whom he appears, and He tells us also.

Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb at the first possible opportunity.  She goes out of her love and respect for the Lord who had rescued her from the dark times of her own life.  She does not know what to expect.  She goes out, possibly to anoint a dead body, and finds that the body is not there.  The angel shows her the place where Jesus lay, but he is no longer there.  Jesus will never be found in the places of the culture of death.  Christians must be witnesses to life; they must protect life at it weakest moments, they must work to bring meaning to the life of those who have lost hope and direction, the must defend those whose life is held hostage to exploitation, they must be advocates against all that degrades human life.  Christians must engage in public and political life and economic life in fostering a society where the lives and gifts of all can flourish and not just the privileged few.

The tomb is empty.  Resurrection, however, is not simply about the historical fact of an empty tomb, it is about Jesus who has left that tomb.  Jesus appears to his disciples showing that his life has changed; he is no longer the prisoner of those with self-centred earthly desires, he is no longer a prisoner even of death itself.  He is risen to newness of life where truth and love and freedom prevail.

The new life of the resurrection is found and nourished in the Church.  The Church, in its sacraments, is the community within which we realise how our entire life is embraced by the loving care of God. Last night, across the Archdiocese of Dublin, we had the joy of welcoming over 50 newly baptised into the life of the Church.

The first apparitions of Jesus are not to Peter and John but to Mary Magdalene. She represents essentials of the Christian life of each of us.  She is filled with love for the Lord, a love which can overcome her natural feeling that her hopes about Jesus had been dispelled.

When Peter and John arrive at the tomb — in a significant gesture — John, who had arrived first and who was the beloved disciple of Jesus, hesitates and allows Peter to be the first to enter.  As Catholic Christians we also recognise that the role of Peter in the Church is one which was indicated by Jesus himself and has been part of the self-understanding of the Church over the centuries.  We remember today Pope Benedict in his mission to strengthen the faith of all.   The Christian is never a Christian on his or her own.  A Christian faith community is never an isolated faith community.  It is never just a local Church or an Irish Church. We celebrate the liturgy always in that faith that comes from the Apostles, always in union with Peter and with the whole Church.

We pray for the Church on this day of Easter which is the foundation of our faith.  We pray that the Church will be renewed in living a life of resurrection, uncompromised by the forces of darkness, drawing from “the teaching of scripture”, as the Gospel reading noted, faith in what the resurrection means  and bringing the fruits of that faith  into the life of the world around us.

ENDS

Further information:

Annette O Donnell,Archdiocese of Dublin Communications Office

087 8143462

PRESS RELEASE

21 April 2011

Homily by Cardinal Seán Brady for the Mass of Chrism 

I am sure that many of you watched the programme “Michaela – Finding Peace” which was shown on RTE last night.  I did so and I found it to be a powerful and wonderful piece of television.

What a consolation and a grace to see people speak so clearly, and so convincingly, about their faith in God and their faith in life after death and their faith in the communion of saints.  How refreshing to find prayer and love and moderation treated with such respect and such dignity.  What an example of community concern and care for those who are in trouble and broken-hearted.  There are so many great and positive qualities about this programme that I hope it will be watched over and over again.  I would like to offer my congratulations to all involved in its production, especially the Harte and McAreavey families and Tommie Gorman – the producer and presenter.

As I watched and reflected on this amazing programme, a number of thoughts struck me.  It was – in my opinion – an outstanding example of the presence of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit has been given to those people to give them the strength to speak about this terrible tragedy.

In fact, it is amazing how tragedy has struck two families – the Harte family and the Kerr family – in neighbouring parishes in the north-western part of our diocese here in Armagh, within the space of a few weeks.  These tragedies have plunged the families concerned into the depth of grief and loss.  But, these tragedies have also flung them into the glare of tremendous publicity. But, with the help of each other, and of their families and friends and the local community they somehow got the strength, not only to cope but to present a wonderful example of deep spirituality. I could not help but remember the words of Isaiah in today’s First Reading:

The Lord has anointed me and sent me to bind up hearts that are broken.

To comfort all those who mourn and to give them for ashes, a garland;

For mourning robe, the oil of gladness,

For despondency, praise.

What a challenge it is to replace the ashes of death and destruction with the garland of the victory of hope.  It is not easy to see beyond the mourning to the oil of gladness which lies at the heart of the Christian message – Dying he destroyed our death – Rising he restored our life.  It is not always easy to dislodge despondency and to replace it with praise.  Yet, that is what we have seen happen:

·       When Mickey Harte gave thanks for the twenty-seven happy years of Michaela’s life, and

·       Nuala Kerr called for the tragedy of Ronan’s death to be transformed into an incentive to strive ever more earnestly for the garland of a just and lasting peace.

I spoke to Father Andrew McNally earlier this week.  He had hoped to be here this morning but a change in the time of some medical appointment has ruled that out.  I said that we would remember, in a special way, him, and all our brother priests who are unwell or in distress at this time.

Father Andy told me that he had been anointed recently in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital.  That put me thinking of the many places and circumstances to which these oils will be carried over the coming year.  How many of us will be actually anointed?  Who knows?  The important thing is that we thank God for the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in our decisions.  The important thing is that we pray for the ability to be aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

From April 1989 until July 1991, Pope John Paul II gave a series of talks at the Wednesday audiences on The Spirit – Giver of Life and Love.  At the General Audience on 24 October 1996, his topic was Anointing – Biblical Sign of the Spirit.

I am delighted to see so many young boys and girls here today who, this year, will be receiving the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation.  The sign that the Spirit is really coming to you is the anointing which each one of you will receive on the forehead.

What does this anointing mean?  Pope John Paul II – in my opinion – gave a good explanation when he said:

The symbol of anointing with oil was to express the strength needed to exercise authority.  But someone may ask – What authority do I have?

Well we were all anointed in Baptism.  We were anointed with the anointing which comes from the Holy One and it remains.  St John adds:  ‘You have the anointing which comes from the Holy One and you all have knowledge’.

Each one of us knows how God is present in our lives and how God helps to keep us alive.  This anointing gives us the strength to recognise that presence.  It gives us the courage to speak about, and bear witness to, that presence.  It gives us the authority to speak about the power of God helping us, as we heard people speak so eloquently in that programme last night.

You see God has given, to each one of us, some good to do this in this life.  We have been chosen and prepared and sent into the world to do this good.  So, the anointing of Baptism and Confirmation and Ordination all refer to giving us the spiritual strength to fulfil the mission and task given to us.

Jesus Christ was anointed with the Holy Spirit to prepare him and give him the strength to do what the Father wanted him to do on this earth.  A share in that same anointing is given to all those who accept Christ in faith and love.  That is why today we renew our faith in God’s plan for each one of us.  According to that plan, Christ gives the dignity of priesthood to the people he has made his own by Baptism.

From among those he chooses some to share his sacred ministry – by the Laying on of Hands.  Today we remember Ryan McAleer who takes an important step on the road to priestly ordination when he will, please God, be ordained Deacon on Monday next and also Thomas McHugh who will also be ordained Deacon next month.

Today we priests and bishops remind ourselves that God has called us to lead His holy people in love; nourish them with God’s word and strengthen them through the sacraments.

Today we acknowledge how great a task that is.  We readily recognise that we could not begin to face that task without the love of you, the people whom we are called to serve.  Today we give fervent thanks to God for all that love and support which you give us so generously.

Today we ask the grace to see that the source of knowledge and of understanding is found in the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit is also the source of the Senses of the Faith which is the inheritance of the whole people of God.  As St John says:  ‘All of you have knowledge’. It is very important that we clergy recognise this truth and take account of it as we set up and provide the Pastoral Areas Resource Teams.

All of this is very important as today we priests celebrate the birthday of the Priesthood.  We give thanks for the great gifts  given by Jesus –

·       His body and Blood;

·       The washing of the feet;

·       The great commandment to love one another, and

·       The priesthood.

We priests remember that we do not substitute Jesus Christ.  We try to be the visible and effective sign of his presence.  We pray and we ask the prayers of all here present that we may give, at all times, an example of faithfulness and generous love.

We ask for the wisdom to know how to bring the Good News of God’s love, in an attractive way, to a generation that is starving for that very love – without realising it.

We ask for the courage to proclaim the ugliness of sin and evil.  We ask for the ability to proclaim liberty to those who are captive to sin and to direct them to find that liberation in the Sacrament of Confession.  We too must ask for the strength to exercise our authority – without being authoritarian.  That grace has been given to us in the anointing of Ordination.  Perhaps we need to rekindle it and this is the day to do so.

For those who love God all things work together unto good.  We have seen how the Holy Spirit has managed to draw good out of tragedy but, underlying all of that, lay the life of faith – articulated so well by the baptised:

·       Who have led you in love;

·       Been nourished by your sermons and prayer

·       Have been strengthened through the sacraments which you have celebrated.

Long may it continue.

I gladly make my own the greeting in today’s Second Reading.

Grace and peace to you from Jesus Christ

The faithful witness – the first born from the dead

The Ruler of the Kings of the Earth.

He loves us and has washed away our sins with His blood.

At this Mass we commemorate the giving, by Christ, to us of a share in his priesthood.  We renew our promise to be faithful servants of Christ, the great High Priest.

We bless the Holy Oil which will be used for the next year in Baptism, Confirmation, Ordination and the Anointing of the Sick.  They are signs of our sharing in the power of Christ to do the will of the Father.

Amen

* Cardinal Seán Brady is Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland

* The Chrism Mass is a very special Mass where Catholics from across the diocese, together with their priests and Bishop, gather to join in the Celebration of this Mass, during which our diocesan priests renew together their commitment to priestly service, and receive the prayers and support of the people.  At this Mass the oils for the coming year are blessed:

- oil of catechumens

- oil of the sick

- oil of chrism

Oil of catechumens is used for adult catechumens and infants, oil of the sick for anointing the sick, and the sacred oil of chrism for baptism, confirmation, the ordination of priests, and the consecration of altars. All three are based on olive oil with added spices and perfume, traditionally balsam

*Further information Martin Long, Catholic Communications Office, 00

353 861727678

 Reply Forward Invite Martin Long to chat

PRESS RELEASE

21 April 2011

Homily of Bishop Christopher Jones for the Mass of Chrism

It is a joy to see priests, religious, lay people, and especially the boys and girls who will be confirmed this year from all over the diocese gathered in the Cathedral for this celebration.  Tonight we celebrate and thank God for the gift of priesthood which Jesus gave to His Church at the last supper.  It is because of the gift of priesthood that we can not only remember but relive the events of the first Holy Week.

On the 6 June 1994 seventy-year-old veterans of World War II jumped from planes flying over Normandy.  Fifty years before they did the same thing when they joined 170,000 allies to surprise Hitler’s army in North France and eventually liberated Europe from Nazi conquests. They were trying to relive the events of D Day but of course they could not because the events of D Day which they were remembering are locked away in the vaults of history.

Thank God, because of the great gift of priesthood, we can remember, re enact and relive today the events of the first Holy Week.  Jesus is as truly and really present in the great celebrations of this Holy Week as He was in Jerusalem two thousand years ago.

Throughout the first Holy Week Jesus was very much the centre of attention of the people from His entry into the city of Jerusalem, through His last meal with the apostles, through His agony in the garden, His trial, His scourging and crowning with thorns, His carrying of the cross and His death on Calvary.

It is because of the gift of priesthood at the last supper that the same Jesus is as really and truly present in all our liturgical celebrations as He was present in the great events of the first Holy Week.  It is because of the gift of priesthood that Jesus is present and offering Himself to the father in this Holy Eucharist.  It is because of the priesthood that Jesus will be present during the Chrism Mass in every Eucharist all over the world as He was present at the Last Supper giving Himself totally to us in the bread that is broken and the blood that is shed for our salvation.  And of course Jesus will be very much alive and present on Friday afternoon when we gather to reflect on His Passion and journey to Calvary.

So tonight we thank God for making it possible for people of all nations and generations in history to participate in these great events of salvation – history because through  His priesthood all of us have the great privilege and opportunity of being close to the living Jesus in all our celebrations.  Those of us who enter as fully as we can into the living presence of Jesus at the Last Supper, at His trial and Passion on Good Friday will certainly be close to Him as we celebrate His Resurrection on Saturday night.  It is the resurrection of the Risen Christ that conquers sin and death and makes it possible for all of us to share forever in the eternal life and glory of Christ.

It is, of course, good to remember that all baptized people are priests.  This may surprise you because when you think of priests you think of men who dress in black suits and white collars and preside at Mass.    All of you are priests because through baptism you share in the life and love of Jesus Christ and therefore in His ministry and mission.

You exercise your priesthood by praying and uniting yourself with Jesus in every Mass.  You exercise your priesthood by offering your daily work to the Father through Christ.  You exercise your priesthood by caring daily and lovingly for your wife, your husband, your parents, your children and your neighbours.  And of course you exercise your priesthood when you take part as Reader or Eucharistic Minister in every Mass.

However from the very beginning Jesus has called forth men from all the baptized – men through whom Jesus would continue to preach, teach and offer sacrificeMen are called forth to what we call the ministerial or ordained priesthood.  They are called ordained because there are three orders in the priesthood – the orders of bishops, priests and deacons.

Tonight we thank God especially for the ordained priesthood because it was at the Last Supper on the first Holy Thursday night that Jesus called forth the apostles as the first priests – that Jesus said “Do this in memory of me”.  The ordained priesthood is rooted in the New Testament and has developed more fully over the centuries through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Yes through His ordained priests the living Jesus is present offering Himself to the Father in every Mass, giving Himself totally to us in every Eucharist and encountering each one of us in every Sacrament. Jesus is of course alive and present in every ordained priest as He reaches out in mercy compassion and love to His people.

I am very fortunate as bishop to see the significance of the priesthood as I carry out parish visitation in every parish.  I see Jesus reach out through His priests to the sick, the old and the lonely in the Holy Eucharist.  I see the living Jesus present in every priest as he reaches out to comfort the bereaved and the depressed – the sick and the suffering.  I see the joy on the faces of the people as the priest approaches and their sorrow when he chooses to remain in the car during the bishop’s visit.

I am always genuinely amazed as the local priest drives through the highways and byways of his parish at the unique knowledge every priest has of his parish and his people.  He knows every member of every family by name.  He knows where they live at home and abroad.  He knows who is ill and the family that have experienced bereavement or depression.  He knows the secrets of every mother, father and indeed child of his parish because they trust him totally with their concerns and anxieties.  Yes indeed when Jesus gave His Church the gift of priesthood He made it possible for Himself to continue preaching, teaching and healing as He did in Palastine 2000 years ago.  That is why to this day parishioners are terrified of losing their priest. And of course we celebrate and thank God for good people who have such love and welcome for their priest.

It is true that the priesthood has suffered severe set-backs because of priests who betrayed their priesthood.  This was a huge shock for the people of God who trusted all priests.  Thank God the vast majority of people, however hurt by the sins and scandals of some, have been able to understand that Jesus continues to live and act in the lives of the vast majority of priests who have remained so faithful to their priesthood and their Church through very difficult times.  I believe our priests have persevered in their fidelity through the most difficult times ever in the history of our Church. May the Lord reward them for their goodness.

Today the Church calls on us, bishops and priests, to renew our desire to serve Christ, our determination to serve those in our care, to celebrate the sacraments with reverence and to try daily to unite ourselves more closely to Christ through prayer.  Today I ask all of you present and all the faithful of our parishes to pray for our priests.

Consecration and Blessing of Oils

I began by expressing joy that tonight priests, religious and lay people have gathered from every community in the diocese for this celebration.  Your coming tonight from every corner of the diocese helps to remind all of us of every community that we all belong to the bigger community of faith that is the diocese.  This gathering speaks volumes about the life and love of Jesus that unites all of us brothers and sisters in Christ.

This unity and community of the diocese is symbolized very powerfully here tonight when we consecrate and bless here in this Cathedral here in this sanctuary the Holy Oils that will be used in every area of the diocese through the coming year – in every sacrament of baptism, in every sacrament of confirmation, in the ordination of deacons and in every  sacrament of the sick.

And this unity of all the diocese is powerfully expressed and symbolized tonight as priests leave  this Cathedral to bring the Holy Oils from this sanctuary to every Church Community of the diocese. The Holy Oils are used in the sacraments  because they symbolise and make present the nourishment, the strength and the healing that the Holy Spirit brings to us in every sacrament.    Indeed through Old Testament days oils were used to anoint kings, prophets and priests as signs and symbols of God’s blessing and healing.

Olive oil has a wide range of meaning.  It is nourishment for people, it has strengthened people for sport or battles.  Kings and priests have been anointed with oil.  Indeed we are called Christians which comes from the Greek work Christos which means the anointed one. Jesus Himself was anointed not by material oil but by the Holy Spirit. Oil in the Sacrament of baptism, confirmation, ordination and of the sick symbolises the healing, the strength and the nourishment that the Holy Spirit brings to all of us in every sacrament.

Let us listen very carefully to the words of consecration and blessing which illustrate beautifully the history and significance of Holy Oils in salvation history.

Conclusion

The holy oils blessed here tonight in this Cathedral and in this sanctuary will reach out from here to people in every community of the diocese.

Deceased Priests:

Tonight we remember Frs. Eddie Prendergast, M.H.M. and Brendan Sherry who died recently.  May they rest in peace Amen.

                                                                       +Christopher Jones

                                                                               20 April 2011

* Bishop Christopher Jones is Bishop of Elphin

* The Chrism Mass is a very special Mass where Catholics from across

the diocese, together with their priests and Bishop, gather to join in

the Celebration of this Mass, during which our diocesan priests renew

together their commitment to priestly service, and receive the prayers

and support of the people.  At this Mass the oils for the coming year

are blessed:

- oil of catechumens

- oil of the sick

- oil of chrism

Oil of catechumens is used for adult catechumens and infants, oil of

the sick for anointing the sick, and the sacred oil of chrism for

baptism, confirmation, the ordination of priests, and the consecration

of altars. All three are based on olive oil with added spices and

perfume, traditionally balsam

*Further information Martin Long, Catholic Communications Office, 00

353 861727678

PRESS RELEASE

21 April 2011

Bishop Leo O’Reilly Chrism Mass Homily 2011

Chrism Mass, Holy Thursday, 21 April 2011 Cathedral of SS Patrick & Felim, Cavan,  

The priests here will remember the retreat we had last June. At the beginning of the first talk the priest giving the retreat went up to the table in front, sat down and spent a full half minute in silence. Then he began to sing. The song was “The Bantry Girl’s Lament”, a song in which a girl laments the departure of her boyfriend to fight in the civil war in Spain.
 Oh, who will plough the fields now
 And who will sow the corn
 And who will watch the sheep now
 And keep them neatly shorn

 And the stack that’s in the haggard
 Unthreshed it may remain
 Since Johnny, lovely Johnny
 Went to fight the king of Spain.

As long as the job gets done, we don’t worry too much about who does it. It’s only when the workman is gone that we begin to think about who will do the work now – or will it get done at all?  Jesus often compared the Kingdom of God to a farmer sowing a field, or to a reaper gathering in the harvest. He referred to the apostles as shepherds of the flock. He said: The harvest is great, but the labourers are few. In our time they are getting fewer and older. In the fourteen years since I became bishop I have had the privilege of ordaining six great young priests for the diocese. During the same period 21 priests of the diocese have died. 

So we have to think of the future: Who will carry on the mission of Jesus? Who will bring the Good News to the poor, bind up the hearts that are broken? Who will proclaim liberty to captives and new sight to the blind; who will set the downtrodden free and proclaim the Lord’s year of favour? Who will baptize the children of the future? Who will absolve the sinner? Who will celebrate the Sunday Mass? Who will visit the sick and give them the sacrament of anointing. Who will bury the dead and comfort the bereaved?

The work of priests and religious has been so much part of the landscape of our lives that we can easily take it for granted. We thank God too that we have some young men in the seminary preparing for the priesthood. They will help to carry on this invaluable service. We still have priests in all our parishes and we have more priests per head of population than most dioceses in the country and most countries in the world. But we cannot afford to be complacent. Tomorrow will be different.

Today is a day to thank God for our priests, for the quiet work they do day in day out, year in year out in parishes, schools, hospitals and communities. They don’t get headlines for what they do. The countless good deeds they do will pass unnoticed in the media, but the one bad act will make the headlines. At the same time, when a great tragedy happens in an area, when     people are killed in an accident or a family dispute, the media know the one man in the parish who will be able to give them a comment on it – the priest. Our people still value the work of priests. I don’t think we realize how many people pray for us and wish us well. It’s important that we know we are prayed for and that our work is appreciated. And perhaps some of you, our people, do not realize how much we need your prayers and support and encouragement in our ministry.

Today we renew our commitment to our priestly ministry. We pledge ourselves once again to celibacy and to giving ourselves generously to the service of God and God’s people. When we are tempted to get discouraged by the fall-off in Church attendance, or the scandals that have beset the Church, or the a la carte type of Christianity of those who just come to Church for the big occasions – at times like that we need to remember that it is not our Church, it is God’s. We need to remember that we are not in this alone – that God is with us. The Spirit of the Lord is upon us, for he has anointed us. We don’t have to take ultimate responsibility for everything. That belongs to God. We can’t make the seed grow. All we can do is sow it. T.S. Eliot said: “Take no thought of the harvest, but only of proper sowing.  We have a wonderful message to impart, a message of hope and joy. Good News. We can only impart it if we have experienced the joy and the hope it brings in our own lives through the Spirit whom we have received.

So, once again, we put our faith in God, the Lord of the harvest. We ask God to send labourers into his harvest to bring his Good News to new generations. We ask God to inspire young people, and maybe those who are not so young, to answer his call and offer their lives to him as priests or religious. And we ask God to give us families where there is faith and prayer that will nourish vocations in the young and help them to respond generously to them.

 Oh, who will plough the fields now
 And who will sow the corn
 And who will watch the sheep now
 And keep them neatly shorn

 And the stack that’s in the haggard
 Unthreshed it may remain
 Since Johnny, lovely Johnny
 Went to fight the king of Spain.

 Ends

+ Leo O’Reilly

Bishop of Kilmore

PRESS RELEASE

21 April 2011

Homily of Bishop Martin Drennan for Chrism Mass 2011                                           

On February 2nd last there were two opportunities at the town hall in Galway to see the film Of Gods and Men, which is based on the story of seven Trappist monks killed by terrorists in Algeria. In 1993 Fr. Christian, the Superior of the monastery, wrote a last testament ‘to be opened in the event of my death’. He wrote, ‘If it should happen one day – and it could be today – that I become a victim of the terrorism which now seems about to include all foreigners living in Algeria, I would like my community, my Church, my family, to remember that my life was given to God and to this country ………For this life …. I thank God who seems to have wished it entirely for the sake of that joy’ (that the Spirit gives).

That sketch of life as loving service to God and to his people gets to the heart of what Christian life and priesthood are about. Availability for what God wants and a life offered for others, those are the ideals Jesus set out for us. A reminder of these ideals is timely as we seek ways to bring about renewal of the Church and of priesthood. In the past it took saints to renew the Church. More than likely, the same will be necessary in our time. Renewal is first of all God’s work in us. Inherited wisdom teaches us that silence is necessary if God is to renew our joy, our enthusiasm, our gratitude, our generosity. The content of this silence can be gleaned from a couple of lines in the Book of Revelation, When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour (8:1). The silence is filled with God’s presence, his word, attentive listening, openness to communion.

Presence.  Be still and know that I am God (Ps 46:10). Renewal begins with letting God be God. He invites us to come as we are now, to be present to him who is always present to us. His great gift to those who pray is his Spirit who is charity. Robert Frost spelt out the fruits of this gift when he said, ‘Always fall in love with what you are asked to accept. Take what is given and make it over your way’. That is precisely what Jesus did. We need prayer that integrates, that heals our pain points, that makes us whole, that allows him to fill us with enthusiasm and so make our ministry more joyful. Part of our renewal is knowing that God rejoices in giving this gift to those who know their need of him.

Word.   His word can evoke gratitude, wonder, adoration, intercession. It extends our horizons. ‘The word silenced my chattering’ said one convert. Being is more important than doing, saying, having. We need to learn how to be with God if we are to offer quality presence to people and be alert to God’s presence in them. The gospel we proclaim is a message that opens people to the wide world of God. Wonder and mystery characterise it. In these days of Holy Week one of the key words is transformation. Jesus transformed the way of the Cross into a way of life by living it in love. He transformed the silence and finality of death into a gateway to new life and hope. He built bridges from sadness to joy and from cowardice to courage, renewing the joy and confidence of his disciples.

Listening.   On the Sundays of this year we have been listening to the gospel of St. Matthew, a gospel that reflects on what it means to be Church in a time of transition. In these days of Holy Week Jesus asks us to be with him as he chooses his response to evil, as he turns his suffering and death into prayer on our behalf. In his prayer he did not seek to bend the Father’s will to his, but listened and said ‘yes’. He died praying. Like him, we are being broken so that we may be given to others. There is no ring road around Calvary. To share in the joy of his resurrection we have to carry the cross of our own unique personal struggles with love, as he carried his cross with love.

Communion.   The Holy Spirit, who prays within us, puts us in touch with the deeper things of God. So, through prayer we begin to see the world as God sees it. The Spirit enables us take on the mind of Christ, to interiorize his values and his attitudes. Holy Week reminds us that when we are experiencing Calvary then resurrection is not far away. Hope begins with facing reality. It is nourished when we stay close to God, listen to his word and let that word be our guide and inspiration.

‘You’d better get busy living or you’ll be busy dying’ (Morgan Freeman in Shawshank Redemption).  

Ends

+Martin Drennan

Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora

PRESS RELEASE

20 April 2011

Homily of Bishop Denis Brennan for Chrism Mass at St. Aidan’s Cathedral

Tuesday 19 April 2011

“…In this sense the time between now and June 2012 is our road to Emmaus. Lets walk it with courage and conviction, with faith and hope, in communion with God and each other.  This is the eternal invitation of Easter, this is the promise of the Resurrection.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end…”

The road to Emmaus has been described as one of the lost roads of history. The shifting sands of the Holy Land have long covered the road to Emmaus. A number of places lay claim to having the road but its not the road that is matters, its what happened on the road that is important.

Emmaus is not about geography, its about our fears and our hopes, our faith and our doubts, its about our story. Its about the lost hopes and expectations that once defined us, its about leaving the place where everything went horribly wrong, its about being hurt and disappointed …….. ‘’ he was a prophet……and we hoped more than a prophet’’

We all have our hopes…..’’ that our loved one would not be taken from us….that things would get easier…..that we could lay down our burdens….that we could forsake our sins…..that sickness would pass…..the list goes on.  But Emmaus is also about the possibility of being healed and renewed. The risen Jesus, still a stranger, reinterprets the disciple’s experience of recent events.  It is a story that tries to make sense of pain and rejection and brokenness. It is the healing of broken discipleship.

This touches us all in one way or another. When Jesus died the disciples’ hopes and expectations died with him. This happens today too. For many people, for many reasons, God has died.  Its not always a dramatic death, like a crucifixion, it may take a long time to happen but the result is just the same. Jesus does not matter in the way he used to, he has gone out of our lives. We end up on our own road to Emmaus, we have lost hope, we are ex-disciples of a dead prophet.

The words of Mary Magdalen are apt…..’’ they have taken the Lord away and I don’t know where they have put him….’’ The talking on the road now moves to silent revelation and recognition at the table. In the breaking of the bread the stranger is revealed as the Lord.  In this moment of grace the disciples can reinterpret the past and face the future.

The American priest John O’Shea in a wonderful phrase calls Jesus ‘’the arsonist of the heart’’, he sets hearts on fire and that is what he did for the two disciples. Commentators have searched for words to describe the way Jesus related to the disheartened disciples on the road to Emmaus. Some have said he showed sympathy for their situation. When you show sympathy to someone you are in effect saying ‘’ I feel your pain.’’ Jesus did that for the two disciples but he did more.  Sympathy feels the pain of another, but goes no further unless it is to find someone or something to blame for our plight.

Empathy on the other hand, understands the pain of another but empowers them to move beyond it. This is what Jesus did for the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.  He helped the disciples to discover for themselves how to leave the hopeless road they had been travelling. The road to Emmaus is any road that is leading us nowhere, it is the place where hope has died. This is what had happened to the disciples, their world had collapsed in the chaos of Calvary. Traumatised, they could not wait to get out of Jerusalem, the place where their hopes had vanished.

But after the Emmaus experience they now want to go back. What has changed? Before they were disciples of a dead prophet, now they are followers of the risen Lord!  All of us have our own Jerusalem, the place where we have been hurt and betrayed, the place where hope has died, the place we want to get away from.

Easter understands our pain but it also promises resurrection, in that spirit we continue to work towards resurrection, towards new hope.  Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus we have a choice. We can continue going away from our Jerusalem, whatever that may be, or we can, with the help of God, acknowledge it, name it, and do something about it. Like the disciples we can find a language to speak about our pain and the grace to understand and make sense of it.

Our shared prayer tonight is that the experience of Emmaus may  encourage us all as we go forward in our lives. We need this spirit of Emmaus especially as we prepare for next year’s Eucharistic Congress. Like the disciples on the road many people are anxious about it in view of our own recent events! Like the disciples we are afraid to hope, we are uncertain, is this the right time, the right place, how will the Congress be received in the Ireland of 2012?

In this sense the time between now and June 2012 is our road to Emmaus. Lets walk it with courage and conviction, with faith and hope, in communion with God and each other. This is the eternal invitation of Easter, this is the promise of the Resurrection.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end Amen.

Further information:

Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Brenda Drumm 00353 (0) 87 310 4444

PRESS RELEASE

19 April 2011

Bishops welcome the new edition of the Missal

The new edition of the Roman Missal will be introduced at Mass from the first Sunday of Advent, 27 November 2011.  The changes to the current text that affect the congregation are relatively small in number but Mass will sound different.  The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference has developed a number of resources to assist the faithful in familiarising themselves with the new text.

These resources are now available on www.catholicbishops.ie and www.liturgy-ireland.ie:

• An information leaflet entitled Introducing the New Missal, which will be available in parishes before the 2nd Sunday of Easter.
• Brief video clips which explain the introduction of the new edition of the Missal, addressing: what is the Roman Missal? Is the Mass changing? Why are we getting a new edition of the new Missal? Is what we have been praying up to now wrong?

From September:

• The text changes for the new the Missal will begin to be introduced in many dioceses at Mass from Sunday, 11 September.  Missalette publishers and parish bulletins will include these changes by way of explanatory inserts.  These are also available on the websites above.
• Over the ten weeks from 11 September, all the changes in the prayers and responses of the congregation will be used at Mass, for example: the greeting, “The Lord be with you” and response, “And with your spirit”; the Apostles Creed; the longer Nicene Creed; and, the acclamations of the Eucharistic Prayer.
• From 27 November 2011, the First Sunday of Advent, the new edition of the Missal will be used in its entirety for the prayers of the Mass throughout the country and the English speaking world.

New edition of the Roman Missal

The publication of the new edition of the Roman Missal, the book of prayers used at Mass, is an opportunity to deepen our understanding of all that we are doing as we, the Christian community, gather to worship.

The use of a new edition of the Missal is not simply about words or translation.  The new Missal will enable us to come to a deeper understanding of the Eucharist, which is the source and summit of the life of the Church.  The new text is the result of the work of many people over the past ten years.

Since it was published in 1975, much has been added to the Missal currently prayed at Mass.  Bishops welcome the new edition to be published later this year as it will provide Mass prayers, the Masses of our National Calendar and three Eucharistic Prayers which have all been approved since the current edition was published.  Some of this material has been available but the new edition gives us an up-to-date Missal.

While the order or structure of the Mass is not changing, and readings remain the same, the edition of the Missal will be in a new translation.  It uses new norms for translation which call for a fuller and more faithful translation of the Latin.  The new edition of the Missal will bring a freshness and beauty to the language used at worship, capturing the biblical resonances of our prayers more clearly and the rich words and phrases of the prayers, many more than 1200 years old.

Catechesis on the text of the new Missal

Bishops are acutely aware of the impact of these changes in prayers that have been used and loved for almost forty years.

The preparation for the new Missal takes place as we prepare for the International Eucharistic Congress to be held in Ireland in June 2012.  Many resources for the Congress will serve as resources for an understanding of the Eucharist and its celebration.

While the new Missal will be used from 27 November next, the changes in the people’s parts will be explained and introduced from September.  This is in order to make the change to the New Missal as smooth as possible.

Preparation for the publication and use of the new edition of the Missal has already begun. Our National Centre for Liturgy in Maynooth has conducted workshops for Diocesan teams around the country.  This will greatly assist priests and diocesan teams with special responsibility for the preparation and celebration of the Mass.  Many dioceses have already scheduled workshops to take place over the next three months.

Explanatory sessions for diocesan and parish liturgy committees, parish and pastoral councils, pastoral workers, diocesan advisers (primary and post-primary), chaplains, those with responsibility and leadership in music will take place at a local level as we prepare to use the Missal towards the end of the year.

The use of the new edition of the Missal towards the end of the year will also mark a continuation of the catechesis that is now underway.   It will provide priests and faithful with the opportunity not only to explore further the changes in words but also to continue to make our celebration of the Eucharist ever more reverent and beautiful, as the worship of God in thanksgiving for the gift of Jesus the Lord should be.

Background

The publication and use of a new edition of the Roman Missal is the culmination of a project launched in the Jubilee Year, 2000, when Pope John Paul II announced the third edition of the Missal.   The Latin Missale Romanum was published in 2002 and the agency established by Bishops in countries where English is spoken was entrusted with the specialist work of translation.

This agency, the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), always intended to revisit the translation given in the Missal we have used since St Patrick’s Day, 1975.  Working with norms for translation given in the Instruction Liturgiam authenticam, ICEL began their work in 2002, sending the Missal to bishops’ conferences in twelve segments.

Irish bishops reviewed and commented on each segment, assisted by our Irish Commission for Liturgy.   ICEL received the Commission’s detailed comments and those from the other eleven English speaking bishops’ conference it serves.

Revised texts were then placed before the Irish Bishops’ Conference and approved over a period of six years, making it possible last year to forward the complete Missal to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in the Vatican for its approval or recognitio.   The Congregation made changes, ensuring that a common text will be used throughout the English-speaking world.  It was assisted in its work by Vox Clara, a committee of senior bishops formed in 2001.

Resources

There are many resources available to support the changes introduced and here is a list of the home produced:

• Become One Body One Spirit in Christ an interactive DVD which explores the depth, richness and layers of meaning of the liturgical texts of the Roman Missal.  Produced by Fraynework Multimedia and published by Veritas in September 2010 for Ireland, it is based on five foundational essays which provide the themes and pathways of this resource, using video, text, graphics and music to help the user enrich their understanding and deepen their appreciation of the Eucharist.
• General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), as approved for the dioceses of Ireland , was published in 2005.  It is a translation of the Institutio Generalis issued with the Missale Romanum, editio typica tertia in 2002.
• Celebrating the Mystery of Faith is a study guide to the Mass, based on GIRM, put together by a team from the National Centre for Liturgy.  It was first published in 2005 and now in an updated reprint.  It is a study book for priests, on their own or in groups, for liturgy teams, for ministers of the Word, music and Communion, for parishes and for all who want to better understand this mysterium fidei, the Eucharist.
• The New Missal: Explaining the Changes has been put together by the National Centre for Liturgy to provide an explanation of why we have a new edition of the Missal and to explore the changes to texts that we will experience in a new translation of its prayers.
• Celebrating the Mass throughout the Year has been produced by the National Centre for Liturgy and will be published by Veritas shortly.  It offers an overview and commentary on celebrating the Mass throughout the Liturgical Year.  Texts like Collects and Prefaces, using the translation of the new edition of the Missal and illustrating our journey through the year, are included.
• O Sacred Banquet is subtitled Revitalising the Sunday Celebration of the Eucharist.  Its 28 pages offer a powerful statement on the Eucharist.  It was drafted for the Bishops’ Conference by the national Liturgy and Theology Commissions and is based on the sentence of St Leo the Great preaching on the feast of the Ascension:  what was in Christ has passed into the mysteries [the liturgy].
• The resources that will be made available as we prepare for the International Eucharistic Congress to be held in June 2012 will also be very helpful.
• Music is integral to our celebration of the Eucharist.   Settings for the Mass, with new music and music of well-known Masses adapted to the new translation are being prepared and will be launched at the summer school of the Irish Church Music Association which will take place in Maynooth during July 2011.

Further information:

Catholic Communications Office Maynooth: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678

Statement of Archbishop Michael Neary, Catholic Archbishop of Tuam on the appointment of Dean Patrick Rooke as Church of Ireland Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry, 14 April 2011

I warmly welcome the appointment of Right Rev. Patrick Rooke, Dean of Armagh as the newly elected Church of Ireland Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry. Having spent the last 33 years working in the North of Ireland I am glad that he will get a chance to minister in theWest of Ireland where he has maternal and family roots.

Having had an excellent working relationship with the recently retired Bishop Henderson – I very much look forward to that cordial friendship with the Church of Ireland continuing and to working in close collaboration with Dean Rooke in the future.

Congratulations, best wishes and every grace and blessing to Dean Rooke, to his wife Alison and his children Emily, Nicholas and Susana for many happy years of fruitful ministry in the Western dioceses.

+ Michael Neary

Archbishop of Tuam

First ever Young Carers Awareness Day is celebrated

Today, Friday 15th of April the first ever Young Carers Awareness Day will be held in Coláiste Eoin, Finglas. The aim of the day is to create a greater understanding of the issues facing young carers today and the important role they play within their families and the service they provide to the wider community.

It’s estimated that 28,000 young people and children are supporting family members in Ireland every day. This often unseen and unsupported caring can range from dressing and feeding disabled parents/grandparents to shopping and cooking for younger brothers and sisters to quietly caring for sick relatives, all carried out while the young person copes with their own educational and social needs.

The Young Carers Awareness Day is a joint project between the Crosscare Carer Support Programme, CDVEC and Coláiste Eoin, and is being funded by Dublin Bus Community Support Programme grant. For the last year the groups have worked together to respond to the needs of young carers in Coláiste Eoin, Finglas.

The Awareness day hopes to make teachers and friends of young carers more informed of the work being done by them and to learn how to better support young carers in their day to day lives.

The day consists of a series of workshops which run from 9am-1pm, facilitated by Tony Mc Gurk Children’s Services manager Barnados Young Carers Services, Northern Ireland. These workshops will be attended by pupils of all classes ranging from 12-18 years, during which a dvd will be shown outlining stories of young carers. Following this students will be invited to participate in a group discussion. The day will conclude on a fun note with a routine by two local comedians.

Rosemary Daynes, Crosscare project worker with the Crosscare Support Programme commented,

“The Young Carers Awareness day is the first of its kind in Ireland and is a wonderful opportunity to recognise the tremendous work carried out by young carers. It is estimated that there are 28,000 young carers in Ireland and for the most part the important role played by these young adults goes largely unnoticed.”

“The day is part of an overall project we are developing within Coláiste Eoin which we hope will be rolled out in schools across the region in the near future. We also hope that students who may be young carers and who are unknown to the school care team will now be encouraged to come forward to ensure they receive the support necessary to continue with their education.”

Crosscare is encouraging any young carers who may not have access to established support services to contact them for advice and information on 01 836 0011.

Ends

Archdiocese of Dublin launches Policy for Child Safeguarding and Protection

The Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin, together with the staff of the Child Safeguarding and Protection office (CSPS) today launched the Diocesan Policy for Child Safeguarding and Protecting children.

This Policy brings together a series of long established practices and procedures in the Archdiocese to safeguard children, in compliance the National Church policy “Safeguarding Children”.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said he was confident in the high standards operated in the Archdiocese, but there could adopted be no room for complacency regarding the protection of children. He paid particular tribute to people in parishes who had given of their time to volunteer as child safeguarding representatives. The Archbishop said this level of commitment was the best assurance that policies and procedures would not just languish on shelves but would be part and parcel of daily parish life.

At the launch in the Holy Cross Diocesan Centre in Dublin this afternoon, the Director of the Child Safeguarding and Protection Service, Andrew Fagan, who took up his role just over a year ago said he joined a service that at its core, valued the safety of children, respected survivors who came to it for support and recognised that those accused of abuse also required support and monitoring as part of any robust child protection policy. “I have been fortunate to have inherited from my predecessor a service in very good shape; staffed by a team of skilled professionals committed to the welfare and safety of children.

Mr Fagan said “Operating this service is not without difficult challenges. A core part of our work is to receive complaints from adults who were abused as children and to report those complaints to the Gardai and the HSE. It is our role to ensure and adequate and proportionate measures are taken to protect children pending the outcome of any criminal investigation or assessment of current risk to children by the HSE. Our procedures are designed to ensure that any priest in Dublin accused of abuse is treated fairly, but above all to ensure that any potential risk to children is minimised.

He added, “We want children to come to Mass, to serve on altars, to sing in choirs, to go on retreats and to be happy and safe as they do so. Many children in our Diocese participate in such activities. Our team works with staff and volunteers in parishes and Diocesan agencies to help them implement practices that create safe environments for children.”

At the launch the SCPS also outlined increases in the number of allegations made against priests since the publication of the Murphy Report. (See below)

Statistics published by the Service show that, to date, over 17,000 people have now participated in Garda Vetting throughout the Archdiocese that includes priests, parish workers, and agency and diocesan staff and parish volunteers.

Full details of the new document and speeches from the Policy launch this afternoon are available at www.dublindiocese.ie.

Child Safeguarding and Protection Statistics Update April 2011

These statistics are an update on those last published in November 2009 on the publication of the Murphy report.

• 2,500 volunteers in parishes have taken part in Safeguarding Children training programmes, run by the Archdiocese and licensed by the Volunteer Development Agency
• Over 17,000 people, including priests, Diocesan staff agency staff, parish workers and volunteers have participated in Garda Vetting.
• From the information currently available to the Diocese approximately 570 people have been identified who have either complained or are known or suspected to have suffered child sexual abuse by priests of the Diocese(an increase of 50 since November 2009)
• Allegations have been made against 93 priests of the Diocese ( an increase of 9 since November 2009)
• Suspicions have been raised concerning 11 priests of the Diocese. (+2 since Nov ‘09)
• Allegations have been made against 60 Religious priests or priests from other Dioceses who held an appointment in Dublin. (no change)
• Allegations have been made against 9 Religious priests or priests from other Dioceses, which related to their doing supply in Dublin. (no change)
• Suspicions have been raised concerning 4 Religious priests who held appointments in the Diocese. (no change)
• These statistics record allegations made and suspicions raised to the Archdiocese not the eventual outcomes
• 10 Dublin priests, or former priests, have been convicted or have cases pending in the criminal courts.  Two non-diocesan priests, who served in Dublin, have also been convicted in the criminal courts.
• 172 civil actions have been taken against 44 priests of the Diocese; 117 have been concluded and 55 are ongoing.
• The costs, so far, to the Archdiocese for settlement of claims regarding child sexual abuse by priests is currently at €13.5 million (€9.3 m in settlements and €4.2 m in legal costs for both sides).  These statistics date over a period of 70 years. Since 1940 over 1,350 Diocesan priests have served in Dublin and around 1,450 priests from Religious Congregations have held appointments from the Archbishop of Dublin. In addition, the number of priests who may have done supply ministry in Dublin in this period is unquantifiable but significant. Ends

Full details of the new document and speeches from the Policy launch this afternoon are available at www.dublindiocese.ie.

PRESS RELEASE

14 April 2011

Northern Ireland Catholic Council on Social Affairs (NICCOSA) hosts a discussion on the common good ahead of elections in Northern Ireland

‘Over 100, 000 children in Northern Ireland live in poverty. This is unacceptable. For every citizen the horror of this poverty deserves to be a key issue in determining which party and politician we vote for in the forthcoming election.’ – Bishop Noël Treanor

Today, 14 April, the Northern Ireland Catholic Council on Social Affairs (NICCOSA) hosted a pre-Assembly election event entitled From Crisis to Hope: Working to Achieve the Common Good in Forthspring Inter-Community Group Centre, Springfield Road, Belfast.

Key note speakers for the event were Bishop Noël Treanor, Bishop of Down and Connor and Chair of the Commission for Social and International Affairs of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference and Rev Dr Wesley Blair, Chair of the Council of Social Responsibility of the Methodist Church in Ireland. The discussion was chaired by Mr Eamonn Mallie, journalist and author.

Addressing representatives of Church, political parties and community and voluntary organisations Bishop Treanor highlighted the need for the next Northern Ireland Assembly to address the fact that Northern Ireland has the highest levels of childhood poverty for any region on the island of island or the United Kingdom. In a comprehensive address Bishop Treanor also said:

‘All Christians have a serious duty to vote in the forthcoming Assembly elections… This includes the duty to weigh up the choices that confront society and to choose those candidates or parties who most uphold the dignity of every person, from conception to natural death, and the integral development of society by building up the common good.’

‘It has been said that this could be the first election in Northern Ireland which moves beyond the old tribal politics of the past. I hope this will be the case… The Gospel values and principles stretch us to see the other person, whom we too easily regard as stranger, as being in fact our neighbour for whose well-being we carry a God-given responsibility.’

‘The recent Report (March 2011) by Dawn Purvis MLA and her Working Group on Educational Disadvantage and the Protestant Working Class entitled A Call to Action was a clarion call for every citizen in Northern Ireland. I want to say this morning, located as we are the interface between the Shankhill Road and the Springfield Road, that the leaders of the Catholic Church and community also hear that call and have a duty to respond to it.’

The full text of Bishop Treanor’s address follows after ‘Notes for Editors’.

In an address entitled “Reflections on crisis, hope and the journey from one to the other”, Dr Blair reflected on the meaning of the terms “crisis” and “hope” in Northern Ireland today, before examining concrete examples where crisis has been transformed into hope.  On the basis of this reflection, he identified key principles involved in this journey, together with the implications for social policy.

He stated: “Of all the issues facing the electorate at this time, issues of poverty and deprivation are clearly among the most pressing. Churches have always been concerned about issues of social justice and it is right and proper that in this period we reflect on them together.”

The second part of the event took the form of a panel discussion with contributions from: Ms Jan Melia, representing Forthspring Inter-Community Group; Ms Sandra Moore, Director of Homelessness Services at the Welcome Organisation, Belfast; Ms Deirdre O’Rawe, Regional Director, ACCORD Northern Ireland; and Rev Bill Shaw, Director, The 174 Trust.

Rev Shaw warned that: “The vulnerable and the voiceless are always at most risk from being pushed to the margins – or worse – ‘airbrushed’ from our consciousness. This risk is increased in times of economic hardship when the gap between ‘rich’ and ‘poor’ widens and the attitude is often one of ‘everyman/woman for themselves’. That is why it is imperative that the church speak up – and out – for the those who find themselves under the most incredible pressure just to get by.”

Ms Sandra Moore addressed the role of political leaders in tackling homelessness and related social problems: “As well as being a serious problem in its own right, homelessness is a symptom of wider problems compounded by poverty. We see the number of people presenting as homelessness at its highest in the last decade. More families will lose their homes in Northern Ireland than anywhere else in the UK this year, with a total of 2,540 houses expected to be repossessed. Looking forward, we see increased affordability pressures. Of particular concern will be the impact of rising inflation and interest rates on hard-pressed homeowners and the effect of continuing job losses and benefit changes.  One in four of our young people are currently unemployed, leaving many disaffected and open to exploitation and radicalisation. These issues cannot be countered solely by the community and statutory agencies – they need to be tacked economically. I would urge the Northern Ireland Executive to take advice from the people directly affected and their representatives on how best to protect and support those most in need.”

Ms Deirdre O’Rawe drew attention to the impact of financial pressures on marital relationships and family life: “Not surprisingly the demand for marriage and relationship counseling has increased significantly during the last few years as couples struggle to maintain healthy relationships under the pressures of unemployment and/or mounting debt. It is important that these issues are seen as family issues and that families communicate in order to address the difficulties they are experiencing. As an agency of the Church, ACCORD provides its services based on client need rather than ability to pay.”

In the view of Jan Melia: “The current crisis is a time for churches and community and statutory agencies to put down their differences and muck in together to support people. From all communities across Ireland, North and South, we need to be talking, planning, and working together without judgement or rhetoric or division. Actions will speak louder than words.”

Notes for Editors:

1.       The Northern Ireland Catholic Council on Social Affairs is the Northern Ireland sub-committee of the Council for Justice and Peace of the Irish Bishops’ Conference.  With a membership of mostly lay Catholics with relevant experience and expertise, NICCOSA provides advice and support to the bishops of Northern Ireland on social, legal and political issues. The Council is chaired by Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and President of the Bishops’ Conference, assisted by Bishop Noël Treanor.

2.       Speaker profiles:

Bishop Noël Treanor

Bishop of Down and Connor Diocese and Chair of the Commission for Social and International Affairs of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

Rev Dr Wesley Blair

Trained originally as an atomic physicist after which he taught for a number of years in Northern Ireland.  After training and ordination he served in a variety of churches, both rural and urban.  He is currently serving in East Belfast.  He also chairs the Methodist Council on Social Responsibility.

Ms Jan Melia

Cross community worker, working in Ireland, North and South for 20 years. Jan works in all communities, with all people of all ages, cultures and faiths, promoting inclusion, addressing issues of resources and supporting people to create change.

Ms Sandra Moore

Director of Homelessness Services at The Welcome Organisation, a Belfast based charity, which has been operational in the city providing services to the homeless and vulnerable for the last 16 years. Sandra joined the Welcome Organisation three years ago. During this time the Organisation has seen significant growth from a small community-based organisation to one of the most significant homelessness service providers in Belfast, delivering support to over 1000 individuals last year through its drop-in centre, day and night street outreach and crisis accommodation services.

Ms Deirdre O’Rawe

A member of the Northern Ireland Catholic Council on Social Affairs. Deirdre has been Regional Director of ACCORD Northern Ireland for twelve years. ACCORD is an agency of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, which has been working to promote Christian marriage throughout the island for over 40 years.

Rev Bill Shaw

Presbyterian Minister and Director of the 174 Trust. The Trust was established in 1982 on the Antrim Road by a group of concerned Christians seeking to address issues affecting the local community. Today it is a non-denominational Christian organization that facilitates a variety of essential community projects in North Belfast.

From Crisis to Hope: Working to Achieve the Common Good
Address by
Most Reverend Noël Treanor
Bishop of Down & Connor
Forthspring Community Centre, Springfield Road, Belfast
Thursday 14 April 2011

Let me begin by saying how pleased I am to be here in Forthspring. Forthspring represents for me all those community and voluntary initiatives that have long been a vital source of transformation and hope in our society. Working at the interface between divided communities such initiatives often lead the way in the hard, daily grind of practical peace-making. They give witness to the possibility of new horizons in our search for a better society, a society forged out of our common human interest in building a brighter future for ourselves and generations to come. Like so many of the projects represented by our panel and our guests here this morning, Forthspring also operates at the critical interface between the dreams and aspirations of so many individuals and families and the painful reality of increasing economic distress and social need. As Northern Ireland emerges from the dissonance of violent conflict, the distressing legacy of human, social and economic fragility and need looms ever larger and cries out for concerted and strategic response on the part of those we elect to our political institutions.

I am here this morning with Dr Wesley Blair of the Council of Social Responsibility of the Methodist Church in Ireland to express our shared Christian concern to see this crisis of social need in Northern Ireland addressed comprehensively and as a matter of priority by our elected representatives in the forthcoming Assembly elections. The Methodist Church and the Catholic Church share a long tradition of emphasis on the social dimension of the Gospel in teaching, witness and mission. With all Christians we unite around the conviction that the message of Jesus Christ affirms the innate dignity of every person and the possibility of a shared vision of social relationships based on the principles of justice, solidarity and love. I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all those from the Christian community who give of their time, talent and resources to addressing social need in projects such as Forthspring. I pay particular tribute to Rev. Richard Johnson and Rev Chris Fraser from the Board of Forthspring and to Maura Moore and her staff for making us so welcome here this morning.

We meet in the context of local Assembly elections. We also meet in the context of global economic upheaval. The dramatic events in the international banking system in recent years have had profound consequences for both individuals and national economies. Northern Ireland is a unique interface in this global crisis. It is has to respond to dramatic cuts to public spending over which it has no effective control arising from the economic situation in the United Kingdom. At the same time it is heavily impacted by the dramatic economic downturn in the other part of the island and the decisions of the Irish Government in respect of NAMA and some of our major commercial and domestic lending banks, over which again we have no control. Add to this the history of underinvestment in capital infrastructure and resources and the unusually high level of dependence on the public sector in the NI economy and it is easy to see the difficult economic path to growth our politicians in the Assembly will have to navigate during the next Assembly term.

In the words of From Crisis to Hope, ‘there is a need to acknowledge the interconnectedness of the economies on the island of Ireland; there is also a need to go beyond mere expressions of sympathy and concern’ (p.9). The fundamental thesis of From Crisis to Hope, indeed of our shared event here today, is that the current economic crisis facing these islands and both parts of this island are both a challenge and an opportunity to re-‘vision’ our society, to reassess the fundamental values that have been shaping our society and that have contributed to the current economic malaise.

In his 2009 Encyclical Caritatis in Veritate, on Integral Human Development, Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the global economic crisis then unfolding, in the following compelling terms: ‘The current crisis obliges us to re-plan our journey, to set ourselves new rules and to discover new forms of commitment, to build on positive experiences and to reject negative ones. The crisis thus becomes an opportunity for discernment, in which to shape a new vision for the future.’ (n. 21)

As part of our effort to discern the values and principles that can help us to re-plan our journey, that can help to avoid the mistakes of the past and chart a more balanced, sustainable way forward, the Council for Justice and Peace of the Irish Bishops’ Conference published the document, which we reissue today specifically for the elections in Northern Ireland, entitled ‘From Crisis to Hope: Working to Achieve the Common Good’. I want to pray tribute to Fr Eoin Cassidy and Dr Nicola Rooney from the Council for their particular contribution to this challenging and insightful document and for bringing it to completion in time for the elections in both jurisdictions. It offers a reflection on some of the key social and economic issues facing Ireland, North and South from the perspective of Catholic Social Teaching, rooted in the Gospel tradition of justice as the basis for social well-being and peace. It sets out the values the Council believes should inform the crucial choices we make as individuals in the elections that will take place on the 5th May.

It does not tell people how to vote. Catholic Social teaching is very clear that ‘the Church is not to be confused with the political community and is not bound to any political system[58]. In fact, the political community and the Church are autonomous and independent of each other in their own fields’. Under different titles, both Church and State are “devoted to the service of the personal and social vocation of the same human beings” and therefore in working for the well-being of individuals and society they share a common interest and responsibility.

Participation:

It is therefore appropriate that the Christian community participates in public debate about the values that should inform the common good through legislation and policy. Those who would seek to limit the role or scope of religious belief to the private sphere undermine the very principles of freedom, pluralism and democracy. Christians have a right and a duty to contribute to the cultural, economic, political and social life of the society to which they belong. They are called to be active citizens working for the common good through their participation in all that contributes to the integral development of society and the person. This includes the duty to weigh up the choices that confront society in an election and to choose those candidates or parties who most uphold the dignity of every person, from conception to natural death, and the integral development of society by building up the common good. This includes the duty to vote. All Christians have a serious duty to vote in the forthcoming Assembly elections and to use that vote in accordance with their Christian conscience and the values that will enhance the common good of our society. This means moving beyond historic allegiances to an engagement with the policies and principles of every candidate and party that stands for election. It has been said that this could be the first election in Northern Ireland which moves beyond the old tribal politics of the past. I hope this will be the case. I hope that Christians of every denomination will weigh up the issues that confront our society at this time and vote, after prayer and reflection, in accordance with the prejudice-breaking values and principles of the Gospel. The Gospel values and principles stretch us to see the other person, whom we too easily regard as stranger, as being in fact our neighbour for whose well-being we carry a God-given responsibility. These Gospel values include the value of respect for life from the moment of conception to natural death, the principle that marriage between a woman and man is the basis for the family as the fundamental unit of a cohesive society and the promotion of justice in society.

Building Cohesive Communities:

From Crisis to Hope emphasises this point. The key objective behind all our decisions and actions as citizens, including how we use our vote, should be to build a society worthy of the human person. The document draws attention to what Pope Benedict has described as the growth of an ‘increasingly radical individualism’ and asks if we are in danger of losing the sense of what it means to belong to a society. Catholic social teaching holds that the human person is a social being and that we can only fulfil our vocation as a human person, made in the image and likeness of the Triune God, in relation to God and others. This makes building up strong, cohesive, vibrant and reconciled local communities a part of the fundamental mission of the Christian community and an urgent human task. It is important that the next Assembly recognises the importance of addressing many of the most urgent social needs of our society on the basis of partnership with local communities and all the agents of social capital that contribute to the well-being and quality of life of those communities. This includes building active partnerships with Churches as well as voluntary and non-statutory groups in each area with a view to co-ordinating the use of resources for the benefit of everyone in that local community.

Childhood Poverty:

This is perhaps nowhere more urgent than in the area of childhood poverty. In December past the Northern Ireland Catholic Council on Social Affairs (NICCOSA) published the document Challenging Poverty in Northern Ireland in collaboration with the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul and St Mary’s University College here in west Belfast. In that document we highlighted our failure as a society since the Belfast [Good Friday] Agreement to address many of the issues of social need that were most urgent during the period of societal conflict. This includes the long-term inter-generational unemployment running through families and communities of particular need in Northern Ireland, the high level of dependency on state benefits and the precarious situation of so many older people unable even to heat their homes or provide for their basic health needs. It is vital that the next Assembly does all in its power to address these long-standing and urgent issues of basic human dignity, need and well-being through a united and determined effort on the part of all parties. But by far the most disturbing statistics were those in relation to childhood poverty in Northern Ireland. Since then the statistics published by the NI Assembly Research and Library Service (RLS) only serve to confirm the stark urgency of this issue. The Assembly RLS statistics for 1998, the year of the Good Friday Agreement, to 2010, show that Northern Ireland continued to have the highest levels of both relative and absolute childhood poverty of all the regions in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

What is even more damning is, that after some initial success in reducing the percentage of children living in absolute poverty in the period from 2000- 2005, the statistics point to an increase in the levels of absolute poverty among children in Northern Ireland in the past three years. This is a terrible indictment on our social and economic priorities as a society and on the determination of our politicians and others to address this issue. Over 100, 000 children in Northern Ireland live in poverty. This is unacceptable. For every citizen the horror of this poverty deserves to be a key issue in determining which party and politician we vote for in the forthcoming election. For Christians, giving priority to this issue is a fundamental duty of justice arising directly from the Gospel imperative to give priority to our care for the ‘little ones’ of God.

Education:

Addressing childhood poverty, of course, requires addressing all of those issues that contribute to the well-being and progress of young people in our society. Research clearly shows that providing support for parenting, as well as stable home and family environments for children enhances their chances of educational and economic well-being. From Crisis to Hope highlights this essential link between strong support for parenting and the family unit as a key to enhancing the quality of life of children and young people. This is to suggest another area of priority for Christians in choosing how to use their vote. Christians should not hesitate to ask those canvassing for their vote what they intend to do to support the institution of marriage and the family, as well as parents as part of ensuring the best environment for the progress and well being of children.

Formal education and schooling also has a critical role to play. The recent Report (March 2011) by Dawn Purvis MLA and her Working Group on Educational Disadvantage and the Protestant Working Class entitled A Call to Action was a clarion call for every citizen in Northern Ireland. I want to say this morning, located as we are the interface between the Shankhill Road and the Springfield Road, that the leaders of the Catholic Church and community also hear that call and have a duty to respond to it.

The underachievement of any child in our society is an issue of concern for all who are involved in the provision of education in our society. It is vital that we explore every opportunity for partnership, sharing and mutual support in the interests of raising standards for all of children in Northern Ireland. The Trustees of Catholic schools have been consistent in making it clear that they are open to exploring new, creative and agreed models of partnership and sharing of resources in the interests of the common good. There are many models of partnership and sharing available which respect the right of parents to schools with a particular ethos and identity. To limit this discussion to one type or model of ‘integrated schooling’ is unhelpful and impoverishes the scope of choice available to parents. Genuine respect for diversity respects the right to diversity while challenging all to fulfil their duty to a shared future and the common good. Social solidarity and concern for the common good draws us beyond traditional boundaries of national, cultural or religious identity into the vision of a collaborative future based on partnership and mutual respect.

The Catholic Trustees have also been very clear that the fundamental issue to be addressed in our school system in not selection or academic transfer but the glaring social and economic inequalities in our education system. Social solidarity and the common good call us to ensure that every child in our society has the opportunity, investment and resources available to them that will allow them to achieve their full potential. As we point out in From Crisis to Hope, ‘the common good emphasizes the essential equality of all persons…. All are to be respected and their basis needs to be met so that may reach their fulfilment more fully and easily’. In the context of education in Northern Ireland this can only be achieved through a coordinated approach to educational excellence by all schools in a given area. There is an urgent need for the next Executive to resolve the whole range of issues affecting schools and schooling in Northern Ireland on the basis of partnership and a commitment to the good of all children, not just those who excel in a limited range of competences at a very early stage of their lives.

Stability and good relationships:

The well being and potential of current and future generations is also put at risk by those who would seek to destroy the peace and stability of our society. In launching Challenging Poverty in Northern Ireland the Catholic Council for Social Affairs drew attention to danger of social fragmentation and lack of cohesion in local communities contributing to a resurgence of violence for political ends. Sadly a small number have chosen to reject the common good as well as the express will of the people by pursuing such violence with lethal force and disruptive intent. A strong and effective Assembly which shows that it can address the pressing issues of social need in our society with the unity and determination shown at the funeral of the late Constable Ronan Kerr will be vital in undermining the misguided efforts and evil intent of those who chose the way of violence.

The document From Crisis to Hope offers what I believe are many other important insights and reflections on the application of the Gospel to the issues facing our society at this time. It talks about the need to ensure that our financial institutions and other businesses exist to generate wealth in the service of people rather than employ people in the service of wealth. It talks about the need to support enterprise through responsible lending and investment practices. Vitally, it talks about a just, fair and compassionate response to those dealing with situations of outstanding debt, something Dr Blair I believe will address in more detail.

Ultimately, the document encourages Christians to ask questions of our politicians when they come canvassing votes. It encourages them to ask questions arising from the social teaching of the Gospel such as: what do you propose to do to end poverty and social exclusion? What do you intend to do to address the unacceptable levels of absolute poverty among children in Northern Ireland? What do you intend for those struggling with debilitating levels of debt? What are your policies for supporting parenting, marriage and the family? What are your policies for addressing educational under-achievement, particular of young protestant males in working class areas? How will you seek to uphold the inherent dignity of every person and their right to life and security from the first the first moment of conception to natural death? These are signpost questions for assuring the anthropological quality and creativity of politics at the service of the entire community.

In commending this document to you today, in inviting all Christians and people of good will with a concern for justice and the common good to read it, I remind you that its central thesis is that we live in a moment of great challenge for our society but also of hope. The forthcoming election and how we chose to vote are an opportunity to give shape to that hope and to ensure that social solidarity, justice and the common good are the values that guide us to the brighter future that we all hope for and deserve.

Thank you for your attention.

Further information:
NICCOSA: Fr Timothy Bartlett 0044 (0) 787 941 6685 and Dr Nicola Rooney 00 353 (0) 87 740 6290.
Catholic Communications Office, Maynooth: Martin Long 00353 (0) 86 172 7678.