5th May - Third Sunday of Easter - Bishop Leahy's Lenten Pastoral on Holiness (Continued)

On this week's programme the SS102fm team continue our reflection on Bishop Brendan Leahy's Lenten Pastoral Letter "This Is What God Wants Of Us – Our Holiness." We also have our usual reflection on the Sunday Gospel and local notices.

You can listen to the podcast of this weeks full programme HERE.

This is What God Wants of Us - Our Holiness

John and Lorraine continued our reflection on Bishop Brendan's pastoral letter "This is What God Wants of Us - Our Holiness." Of course, just because Lent is over and we are well into the season of Eastertide doesn't mean that we can forget about holiness! The call to holiness is both universal (meaning that we are all called to holiness) and ongoing. It is a life-long endeavour of saying 'yes' to God's grace. As Bishop Brendan succinctly puts it - holiness is "love lived to the full, love of God and one’s neighbour."

In this week's programme we look at the section on 'Why is holiness important?' Bishop Brendan suggests that although we may not be perfect, the overall trend of our life and our effort to be holy matters:  "Each
one of us not only has a mission but is a mission. God wants some particular aspect of the Gospel to shine
out in our lives. If we live our life living love to the full, that is, in holiness, God’s word gets pronounced, as it
were, more clearly to the benefit of many."

Bishop Brendan also invites us to reflect on the following question: "You might think of people you know who you consider holy and ask yourself what specific word does their life speak to you. Each of our lives is speaking a word to the world around us." So we invite you to do the same during the coming week. Think about what word you proclaim to the world and what words those who are holy proclaim to the world.

You can listen to the reflection excerpted from the main programme podcast HERE.

You can read the full Pastoral Letter HERE.

Gospel - John 21:1-19

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberias, and it happened like this: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two more of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said, ‘I’m going fishing.’ They replied, ‘We’ll come with you.’ They went out and got into the boat but caught nothing that night.

It was light by now and there stood Jesus on the shore, though the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus. Jesus called out, ‘Have you caught anything, friends?’ And when they answered, ‘No’, he said, ‘Throw the net out to starboard and you’ll find something.’ So they dropped the net, and there were so many fish that they could not haul it in. The disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord.’ At these words ‘It is the Lord’, Simon Peter, who had practically nothing on, wrapped his cloak round him and jumped into the water. The other disciples came on in the boat, towing the net and the fish; they were only about a hundred yards from land.

As soon as they came ashore they saw that there was some bread there, and a charcoal fire with fish cooking on it. Jesus said, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’ Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore, full of big fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them; and in spite of there being so many the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ None of the disciples was bold enough to ask, ‘Who are you?’; they knew quite well it was the Lord. Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish. This was the third time that Jesus showed himself to the disciples after rising from the dead.

After the meal Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep.’ Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.

‘I tell you most solemnly,
when you were young
you put on your own belt
and walked where you liked;
but when you grow old
you will stretch out your hands,
and somebody else will put a belt round you
and take you where you would rather not go.’

In these words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God. After this he said, ‘Follow me.’

Reflections on this week's gospel:

Word on Fire
English Dominicans
Centre for Liturgy
Sunday Reflections

Liturgical odds & ends

Liturgy of the Hours - Psalter Week 3

Saints of the Week
May 6th - St. Dominic Savio
May 7th - St. Rose Venerini

May 8th - St. Peter of Tarantaise

May 9th - St. Pachomius
May 10th - St. Comgall
May 11th - St. Ignatius of Laconi

This Is What God Wants Of Us – Our Holiness

Bishop Brendan Leahy has issued his Lenten Pastoral letter - This Is What God Wants Of Us – Our Holiness.

Lent is the season when the whole Church goes on a forty-day retreat. I would like to suggest that we take holiness as a theme for Lent this year. I do so because Pope Francis has recently written a wonderful letter on holiness reminding us of its importance. At a time when we are getting used to pastoral units and new pastoral arrangements in our Diocese, it is good to keep our eye on what ultimately matters – our holiness.

I would recommend you read Pope Francis’ letter entitled, “Rejoice and Be Glad” (Gaudete et Exsultate). It’s available on the internet or in religious book shops. I will draw on it for this Pastoral Letter. The Pope has felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to re-propose to all of us the call to holiness in a practical way for our time. The voice of the Holy Spirit speaking through the Pope is saying to each one of us: “be holy, for I am holy” (Lev 11: 44; cf 1 Pet 1:16).

You can access the pastoral letter HERE. 

Limerick Diocese issues guidelines for new Pastoral Units and Team Ministry

Following on from the establishment of pastoral units and teams from 2nd December 2018, this week Limerick Diocese has issued Guidelines for Team Ministry and Pastoral Units . The Guidelines deal with the roles and responsibilities of:

• Pastoral Unit
• Moderators & co-parish priests
• Pastoral Unit Council
• Local Mission Group
• Continuation of existing finance practices within the existing parishes.

It is a follow up from the revised structure initiated in the diocese from 2nd December 2018 where teams of clergy are ministering in pastoral units or collectives of parishes but existing parish identity is being maintained. The new units involve a number of parishes operating together, with two or three priests ministering together as a team to the pastoral needs of these parishes. Each of the priests is a “co-Parish Priest” and will be moving around the pastoral Unit, resulting in different priests saying masses in parishes week on week.

Bishop Leahy commented at the launch of the Pastoral Units that “The main goal in establishing pastoral units and team ministry is greater co-operation between parishes. The hope is that there will be a greater critical mass of energy, competencies and lay volunteers at the service of a number of parishes. As the Irish saying puts it, Ní neart go cur le chéile - our strength lies in unity,” in the pastoral letter.

You can listen to an interview with Bishop Brendan Leahy about the Pastoral Units with SS102fm in December 2018 HERE.

The new Guidelines are available HERE

Introduction to the Guidelines from Bishop Brendan Leahy

In introducing team ministry and pastoral units, I believe God is at work. Change isn’t easy but just as it is necessary in our own personal lives (for instance, a child changes to become an adolescent and then an adult with many changes through life), likewise in the Church we too constantly need to reform and renew our Church life.

Priests will always be necessary. But it is also true that today we are seeing a deep discovery that every baptised person has a vocation. Pope Francis writes that each baptised person “is” a mission. Lay people live out their baptismal vocation in different ways – in family life, in the workplace, in various social projects. But one way today of living out our baptismal vocation is to take a more direct role in the organisation and day-to-day life of the Church in our local area.

I believe that through all that is going on God is drawing out a new lay profile of the Church. We will see a more prominent role of lay people in the running of parishes in the future. There is a considerable decline in the number of priests, the age profile of priests is rising, there are increasing demands, bureaucratic and otherwise on priests today. It is clear that on a practical level, something needs to be done.

Our new arrangements are not, however, just about responding to the decline in the number of priests. For the past fifty years, the Catholic Church throughout the world recognises we need to work more in a team spirit. It is something Pope Francis underlines when he speaks of “synodality”. We journey to God together. We need to promote arrangements that encourage greater co-operation and exchange between parishes.

The steps we are taking together are in tune with the phenomenon the world over, that is, a realisation that there needs to be greater collaboration and togetherness than before, whether it be in dealing with the issue of global warming, peace-keeping or combatting social problems. The Spirit of God is prompting this new sense of inter-dependence.

It is worthwhile hearing Pope Francis’ words who urges us to take new steps for the sake of mission:

I dream of a “missionary option”, that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channelled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation. The renewal of structures demanded by pastoral conversion can only be understood in this light: as part of an effort to make them more mission-oriented, to make ordinary pastoral activity on every level more inclusive and open…1

The 2016 Synod offered us important signposts to guide us in the steps we need to take at this stage of our journey in the Diocese. One of these steps is the development of “team ministry”. In the past two years we have worked on this and consulted widely and are now at a point of arranging our Diocese into Pastoral Units with teams of clergy ministering in each unit.

Bishop Brendan Leahy introduces the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2019

Bishop Leahy's End of Year Reflection - Choose a glorious possibility

As we draw to the end of 2018 and move forward into 2019, it’s only right that we reflect on the year that was.

There were many wonderful moments in 2018. From a Church perspective the visit of Pope Francis - only the second Pope to visit these shores - was the high point. It was a moment, too, that encouraged a full ventilation of the sins of the past but such was the honesty, serenity and joy that the visit of Pope Francis brought, that at the end of it all, as he departed, there was a real sense of hope and new beginnings

And this was needed because many in the Church were beginning to feel robbed of hope. For it was a year they themselves felt almost overwhelmed by what has been the most striking moment to date for our country in sweeping in what is perceived to be a liberal agenda. The moment I mean was, of course, the Referendum on the 8th amendment. Or, more precisely, the Referendum to remove the fundamental right to life of the unborn.

The very utterance of those words still shocks to the core. We have now as a nation decided to remove the right of babies in the womb to live their lives to the full. We are now about to begin the taking of those lives indiscriminately. The right to choose superseding the right to life.

I acknowledge a majority of the population voted in favour of repealing the 8thamendment to the Constitution. There were many reasons for doing so, not least the recognition of the hardship women have to endure in crisis pregnancies.

It is to be hoped, however, that no one, or at least very few, willingly voted primarily for the abolition of the life of the unborn child in the womb. So, regardless of what way anyone voted and the reasons people had for voting as they did, it now behoves us all to do our part to make sure that abortion is not the default response that characterises people in Ireland when crisis pregnancies arise.

Nobody can predict what the courts may decide in the new, and unique, legal landscape that now exists in the Republic regarding abortion. Pending future cases and judicial clarification, it does appear likely that there will be increasing judicial emphasis on the pregnant woman’s rights and that any restrictions on access to abortion will be more vulnerable to legal challenge.

It is in this context that as a society we need to recognise that while legislation now provides for abortion, it is not primarily what we want and our moral compass must steer us in an entirely different direction.

We must think of the possibilities of life and the love it can bring. We must think of the potential that the unbridled joy of birth can bring. How that moment, when the mother cradles the child for the first time can wipe away any sense of crisis, replacing it with that maternal instinct and life-long commitment to love and nurture. Even for those born with the starkest prognosis, knowing them, if only for a short while, surely has potential to be better than not knowing them at all.

Undoubtedly, the hard cases we often heard about during the Referendum should remind us of the complexity of the issues. Complexities will still arise regardless of the legislation introduced. There will always be difficult decisions to be made.

The question for us as a society is whether we still want to promote a culture of life that listens also to the child. I believe there is still a majority of people in Ireland who subscribe to a culture of the protection of the life of the unborn but many of those also subscribe to a culture of choice.  But we cannot let the child be swept away lightly when making these hard decisions.

A large percentage of those who voted for repealing the 8th would not, I suspect, identify with the celebration, the almost triumphant celebration, of the introduction of abortion legislation in the Oireachtas. They would not be at one with the indifference that this celebration may suggest there is in Ireland to the child in the womb. I would appeal, therefore, for a basic sense of decency in our rhetoric around the introduction of abortion into the State. Convinced though many may be that it is a positive step in terms of women’s rights, any sense that abortion is a progressive step for our country, for what we stand for as a nation, is misplaced.

On that note also, it was very disheartening that proposed amendments seeking to provide women with information and to prohibit abortion on the grounds of sex, race or disability were given short shrift in the Dáil.

The contributions and suggestions of those who promote the life of the unborn child need to be heard. They must be heard if we are a caring society. The conscience-bound objections on the part of healthcare staff need to be respected.

It is outrageous to think that it would even be contemplated that doctors could be forced to perform or contribute to an abortion against their will. Forcing them not to choose life would be a most inglorious watermark for this country. It goes against the deeper demands of our common humanity to force anyone to do so. It has long been established that above any state law, there exists an unwritten divine law, what is sometimes called natural law, that recognises we are endowed with rights such as the basic human right to life.  Peace in our conscience can surely only be achieved by obeying it.

I appeal to all public representatives, regardless of how they might have understood their sense of civic duty in supporting the abortion legislation, to keep their focus wide. They represent not only those in favour of abortion but also the many who find its introduction deeply distressing.

And above all, I urge those in crisis pregnancies to choose life. To choose a glorious possibility.

Most Irish people celebrate Christmas, and for many of us, that’s the celebration of the birth of Christ, God and man. The Church has always celebrated his conception on March 25th, when we believe the angel Gabriel announced God’s request to Mary to become the mother of his Son. For almost 2000 years, Christians have been convinced that the life of Jesus began at the moment Mary accepted that request from God. Long before modern biology confirmed this, in their liturgy, Christians have affirmed that the life of each human being, like the life of Jesus, begins at the moment of their conception.

On the eve of the introduction of abortion services into Ireland, let’s look one another in the eye, and regardless of how we voted, promise we’ll be promoters of a culture of life.

16th December 2018 - Introducing Pastoral Units & Team Ministry - Interview with Bishop Brendan Leahy

On this weeks programme the SS102fm team are on the road where we travelled to the new Diocesan Office in St Munchin's College to interview Bishop Brendan Leahy. Bishop Leahy discusses the new pastoral units and changes it will mean in parishes, the issue of vocations and seminarian formation, and lay led liturgies and explaining why the diocesan policy is not to distribute Holy Communion at them. In addition we have our regular reflection on the Sunday Gospel as well as saints of the week and other liturgical odds & ends.

You can listen to the podcast of the entire programme HERE.

Interview with Bishop Brendan Leahy

Bishop Brendan Leahy joins us on the programme this week to discuss various issues and changes which have arisen with the main change being the introduction of a Team Ministry approach to deal with the falling number of priests which was confirmed for the Diocese of Limerick. In addition to the introduction of the pastoral units he reflects on the  need for vocations and possible changes needed to seminary formation; we discuss the introduction of the lay led liturgies in parishes and how in Limerick diocese the policy is not to distribute Holy Communion at week day liturgies; and briefly discuss his inclusion in a list as possible successor to Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.

From 2nd December 2018 teams of clergy will minister in each unit but existing parish identity will be preserved.

The new units will involve a number of parishes operating together, with two or three priests ministering together as a team to the pastoral needs of these parishes. Each of the priests will be a “co-Parish Priest” and will move around the pastoral Unit, resulting in different priests saying masses in parishes week on week.

There will be one pastoral council per pastoral unit made up of members of each of the parishes of the unit. Each parish then will have its own smaller working group.

Bishop Leahy commented that “The main goal in establishing pastoral units and team ministry is greater co-operation between parishes. The hope is that there will be a greater critical mass of energy, competencies and lay volunteers at the service of a number of parishes. As the Irish saying puts it, Ní neart go cur le chéile - our strength lies in unity,” in the pastoral letter.

“But our new arrangements are not just about responding to the decline in the number of priests. For the past fifty years, the Catholic Church throughout the world recognises we need to work more in a team spirit. It is something Pope Francis underlines when he speaks of 'synodality'. We journey to God together. We need to promote arrangements that encourage greater co-operation and exchange between parishes.

• Moving Forward Together Pastoral Units and Team Ministry
• Main documents and media coverage of the introduction of Pastoral Units including pastoral letter
• 'Pastoral units' and 'baptismal teams' to tackle shortage of Catholic priests 
• New 'pastoral units' unveiled for Diocese of Limerick

You can listen to the interview with Bishop Brendan excerpted from the main programme podcast HERE.

Gospel - Luke 3:10-18

The crowds asked John the Baptist,“What should we do?”He said to them in reply,“Whoever has two cloaksshould share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.”Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him,“Teacher, what should we do?”He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”Soldiers also asked him,“And what is it that we should do?”He told them,“Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”
Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ.John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water,but one mightier than I is coming.I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floorand to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people.

Reflections on this weeks Gospel:

Word on Fire
Sunday Reflection
Centre for Liturgy
English Dominicans

Liturgical odds & ends

Liturgy of the Hours - Psalter week 3

Saints of the Week

December 17th - St Lazurus of Bethany
December 18th - St Flannan
December 19th - Bl William of Fenoli
December 20th - St Fachanan
December 21st - St Peter Canisius
December 22nd - St Abban of New Ross

A New Beginning - Bishop Brendan Leahy

On Saturday, September 1st Bishop Brendan Leahy encouraged us to 'begin again' in his homily for the annual retreat of the Syro-Malabar community. Here is the full text of Bishop Leahy's homily.

A New Beginning

It’s just a week since we had Pope Francis among us. I know many of you were present in Dublin or Knock.

I am pleased to be here today because, in a way, you are a sign of the new beginning the Catholic Church is experiencing in Ireland.  Until relatively recently, we were a homogenous group of Irish-born people who, practically speaking, took our being catholic for granted as almost part of a social package of being Irish.

Today, however, we have vibrant communities such as yours, the Syro-Malabar community, or the Polish community or the Filipino communities. Each group brings with it a new expression of being catholic. And that helps us imagine that the traditional way we thought of the Catholic Church is not set in stone.

One week on from the Pope’s visit, it is important to take steps not to let the significance of the visit begin to disappear from our minds and hearts.

We are inspired by that visit more than ever to make a new beginning, just as you have in coming to this country of welcomes.

I was hugely heartened by the hundreds of thousands who turned out for Pope Francis’ visit.  Those who lined the streets in Dublin, attended Croke Park, the Phoenix Park and, of course, that special morning in Knock. It was an affirmation of the deep faith of people, their love of God, their deep spirituality and their mercifulness towards a Church that has, while enriching them in many ways, failed them badly in a most shocking way.

There were many powerful moments along that all too brief 36-hour journey that touched us all; a mix of darkness and light and rightly so.

There were the apologies and acknowledgements throughout of abuse in the Church; Pope Francis’ own words, deep and heartfelt, at public engagements. His words at his meeting with victims confirming his horror over what happened.  Never has a Pope spoken with such passion using such strong words; never has a Pope connected on this level.

This was essential and there was more.  Like his reaching out to all on the margins, not least his meeting with the Capuchin brothers and the homeless – his words there very striking when he described their work as ‘they help you without taking away your dignity. That's the face of Jesus Christ’.

His joy at the depth of faith and celebration as people sang and danced through unforgettable hours at Croke Park. The beautiful mix of joy and solemnity of Knock and the Phoenix Park.  His silent prayer at Knock and the Pro-Cathedral. There was also the Taoiseach’s striking address. And the statements of protest at Tuam and in Dublin, which must also be acknowledged.

36 hours that reflected all about the Church in Ireland today.

It was not, of course, 1979 in terms of the numbers that celebrated.  But this is not Ireland of 1979, nor is it the Church of 1979.  Today it’s a Church that has gone through humiliation and purification.  There was a blindness in the Church then as to what was lurking within but today our eyes are open.

Yet one undeniable constant between now and 1979 was the sense of celebration of our faith.  It was everywhere I turned.  At a time when many have - for one reason or another, not least the scandals that have hit the church – shied away from public expressions of faith, people felt released from shackles for the weekend.  The freedom and joy as they celebrated being part of God’s kingdom was remarkable and not seen since 1979 in this country.  I can only imagine how much God saw it and thought it was good.

Clearly those who attended the ceremonies in Dublin and Knock have a deep love of their faith and we must continue to nourish that. It is our mission. The sins of the past cannot be allowed to cloud over that mission.

However, we also have an obligation to those who feel alienated, hurt and disavowed by the grave crimes committed by clergy and religious. We must continue to meet and reach out to them. We must repair the damage and pursue justice.

We must do more to encourage those who have been abused in any way but have not already come forward, to report their abuse. We must do this to support them, help with healing if possible, identify those responsible and bring justice.

As a community rooted in God’s love, fidelity and mercy, we can and are called to walk this road with them.

We can never accept that we are doing enough.

Huge strides have been made in safeguarding; the Church increasingly closer to being the sanctuary that God would want.

Recently, lingering doubts about Church transparency have been expressed. In the recent past, however, dioceses and religious orders have opened their doors both to the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church and to the HSE, who have issued audits. The Church must always co-operate fully with state authorities in this area.

As for those who have abused in the Church, we need to continue our pursuit of truth, justice and healing.  Most episodes of abuse stretch back into decades but if anyone has any information regarding anything relating to any member of clergy or religious, we need to know and, moreover, the authorities need to know.

If there remains any member of the clergy or religious who is hiding some dark secret or intention in the area of abuse of minors I plead with them to come forward immediately and own up to this, again to state and church authorities. Do not put yourself in a situation where the poison within can infect others. There is no place for this in God’s house.

Nonetheless, without ever eclipsing the acknowledgement of the negative, we need to be careful that we don’t pull ourselves down as a society, reading our past only in its negativity. That would be untrue to the past and not fair to the present and hamper future possibilities

I would make an appeal that, as a society, we do not quench or suffocate the possibilities of new beginnings that were enkindled last weekend.

And we do have a new beginning. It began last weekend, a real turning point on this every-lasting journey of following God. Everything good and bad set out before us.  And as it should be.

We move away from this most special time renewed and enriched by the joyful expression of faith by hundreds of thousands.  Also, by the knowledge that it is a Church that has taken enormous strides that would have been unimaginable four decades ago and beyond.  A Church that has faced the evil within, has worked tirelessly to cast it out and put stringent measures in place to protect against its return.

But above all, a Church that is still out there, reaching those on the margins, people fighting homelessness, ill-health, bereavement, poverty and so much more. A Church that is accompanying millions day by day in all kinds of ways – from baptisms to weddings to funerals, building local communities and offering horizons of consolation, meaning and hope.

I take all expressions, positive and negative, from this special time as an invitation; a collective voice that we must listen and respond to. The Pope has given us, as bishops in Ireland, a clear mandate to do this listening.

We have begun the process here in Limerick through our Synod of two years ago but we must now, renewed by the energy and honesty of last weekend, go forward with great hope. The words spoken over the past week and more have brought us closer. We now commit to action.

The future is an opportunity for doing things we have never done before. But we can only achieve this together.

One week on from the Pope’s visit, I make a humble plea to all who want to begin with us again in a new way, what the Taoiseach called a new covenant; let’s rebuild a Church at the service of Irish society.

I particularly speak to those who were walking away in the distance but had their heads turned at the weekend to see a shard of light from a familiar place.

That is the light of God and it is a light for all. We want to bring that light that breaks through the darkness with us and meet people where they are.

Let us then, in rebuilding this together, rekindle the flame from baptism, so it burns bright in all of us.

It's a flame that will unite us, lift our hearts and souls and give peace, bringing us closer to God’s idea for us all and making of us all one family united in love for one another.

I pray that the Spirit who heals will inspire us to repair and re-build our Church together. Your enthusiastic presence here today is a sign of hope for us.

Let us begin again!

The text is also available on the diocesan website HERE.

Church at crossroads as Pope arrives says Bishop Leahy

Bishop of Limerick Brendan Leahy has said that visit of Pope Francis to Ireland is a crossroads moment for the Church in Ireland to acknowledge our past, good and bad.

In a pivotal moment in what he described as his own personal pilgrimage in preparation for the World Meeting of Families and visit of Pope Francis, Bishop Leahy said it is good for us to recall with a grateful heart just how much the Church contributed to Irish society.  But to acknowledge with gratitude the good can never eclipse recognition of sin, criminality and evil, he said.

We need, he said, to prepare for the Pope’s coming with a desire to want to “repair” the Church first of all by seeking forgiveness for the sins of the past.  As well as needing to pray for those who have been wounded we need to keep listening and to learn from them how to clarify and repair our church.

Bishop Leahy delivered his Feast of the Assumption of Mary homily at the Mass Rock in Killeedy, Co. Limerick, following Mass earlier at Ashford Church.  He chose the location as a symbolic gesture to bring, as is needed he said, the Catholic Church out into the open and to acknowledge the inspiration of not just Mary herself but also Limerick’s own St. Ita, after whom the parish of Killeedy is named.

“Without gratitude we grow cynical. We can and should be proud of the living commitment in faith and hope of those of previous generations. We can draw inspiration from it and express our thanks to them,” he said.

“But, then, we need to acknowledge the dark aspects of our Church’s history that have come to light especially in recent decades – a clericalism that ended up confusing power and ministry, the sexual abuse of minors by clergy and religious that did untold life-long damage to victims, the violent and repressive treatment by church representatives of young people sent to the State’s reformatory institutions, the dark experience of vulnerable women in places meant to be residences of refuge.  Sadly, as has been highlighted, cover-up, wilful or otherwise, and mismanagement compounded the damage, adding to our shame.

“We know that not every bishop or priest or sister or brother or lay person engaged in church circles was bad. And we know that not everyone was good. Those of us of a certain age, however, know many, many who were very kind, caring and helpful.  But to acknowledge with gratitude the good can never eclipse recognition of sin, criminality and evil. In some way, everyone in the church bears the shame of these darks aspects of our history. Few of us can throw stones as if we ourselves were not somehow associated.”

Bishop Leahy’s homily was built around three pillars for preparing for the Pope’s arrival, the first was the need to acknowledge the good and bad of the past, with the second that we need to be proactive in repairing the Church. It really is better, he said, to light a candle than curse the darkness.

“The Church isn’t just the Pope or bishops or priests or nuns. The Church is a people, it’s you and me who continue, despite (or, indeed, in and through) all our limits, to be Jesus Christ in this world. What’s most important in the Church is love. And this is why the family is so important. It’s the place where we first learn the ways of love. True, there’s no such thing as a perfect family. Each family is on a journey but it is the special place of love given, love received, love shared and experienced.”

The third element, he continued, was to look to the future with hope. “Catholics can be downbeat today because it is painful to acknowledge in our family story that we have wounded people. It isn’t easy, not least for those who are proud of their Church and the good work that it does and they do in it, to hear our own Catholic identity pilloried daily in one way or another.

“The group think that says to be Catholic is out of date seems sometimes overwhelming. But let’s remember, if Jesus had spent his time worrying about what people were saying about him or seeing how the numbers following him were declining - and the numbers following Jesus declined dramatically in his life time - he would have achieved little. Instead, he kept going forward in hope. Likewise, for us. We need to move forward, attentive to what the Spirit is saying to us,” he said.

Bishop Leahy said that it would be a shame to lose the memory of our Christian heritage.  “The Church of tomorrow will be very different,” he continued.  “To be Catholic isn’t simply about Mass on Sunday or certain moral rules or pious practices. Unfortunately, too often, and perhaps we ourselves are partly to blame, our Catholic faith has been reduced to this caricature.  Catholic faith is something much more alive and dynamic……

“It can seem at times in Ireland that religion has to be relegated to the private domain alone.  I acknowledge a Catholicism that spoke to a previous era might seem too confining to people today. There is a desire to break out, open new horizons, be in dialogue with world horizons, go beyond frontiers. But this is the very change the Catholic Church itself knows it needs.

“But in searching for the new, let’s be careful not to discard too easily what is valuable and noble and deep in our Irish Christian heritage. To throw away what seems no longer fit for purpose shouldn’t mean we end up eclipsing the huge resources of insight and wisdom, intellectual research and enlightenment within the Christian parameters that speak of human fulfilment and freedom.”

Addressing young people, he said: “There are many, many very fine young people today, with great values of respect and toleration and inclusiveness. Their difficulty with finding a connection with the Church isn’t their fault. We need young people to help Church-attending members to find the way forward on how to reconnect youth cultures and Church.  Might this visit of Pope Francis be a moment when young people might look again at what the Church really has to offer? We need you because you are part of our access to what God is saying to the Church today. We need you to help us find the ways towards the future that God has marked out for us all.”

Concluding, he added: “We’re here in a region associated with St. Ita, the great woman saint who built the Church community in her day. And today, Feast of the Assumption, we think of Mary, the mother of Jesus, our mother. She did the most important thing in history – she brought Jesus into the world and so transformed it. Now it’s our turn to do our part. Pope Francis’ visit is like an appointment with history for us. Let’s not miss it.”



Bishop Leahy’s full homily:

Limerick Diocese’s Preparation for Pope Francis

We are now beginning the Countdown to the World meeting of Families and the arrival of Pope Francis to our shores, the 266th Pope in history and only the second ever to visit Ireland. While the Pope is certainly a world celebrity and hugely popular for Catholics he is an instrument in the hands of God. Of course, he is a human being like all of us, a “sinner” as he defines himself, and yet he is a special person linked particularly to the Holy Spirit. As Catherine of Siena, one of the great women saints of the Church put it, the Pope is the gentle Christ on earth.

Bishop says church needs to recognise ‘dark aspects’ of its history

From The Irish Times

The visit of Pope Francis to Ireland is a pivotal moment for the church to acknowledge its past, good and bad, the Catholic Bishop of Limerick has said.

In a key homily delivered ahead of the second ever papal visit to Ireland, Bishop Brendan Leahy said, in some way, everyone in the church bears the shame of the dark aspects of its history.

Speaking at Mass Rock in Killeedy, Co Limerick, Bishop Leahy listed out the litany of grave issues that have damned the Catholic Church in Ireland over recent decades. He said, that as has been highlighted, cover up, wilful or otherwise, and mismanagement, had compounded the damage adding to the shame.

During what he described as his own personal pilgrimage to the World Meeting of Families and visit of Pope Francis, the Bishop of Limerick said it was good to recall how much the Church contributed to Irish society. But to acknowledge with gratitude the good can never eclipse recognition of sin, criminality and evil, he added.

“We need to acknowledge the dark aspects of our Church’s history that have come to light especially in recent decades - a clericalism that ended up confusing power and ministry, the sexual abuse of minors by clergy and religious that did untold life-long damage to victims, the violent and repressive treatment by church representatives of young people sent to the State’s reformatory institutions, the dark experience of vulnerable women in places meant to be residences of refuge.

“Sadly, as has been highlighted, cover-up, wilful or otherwise, and mismanagement compounded the damage, adding to our shame.”

Bishop Leahy delivered his Feast of the Assumption of Mary homily on Wednesday morning at Mass Rock in Kileedy following earlier mass at Ashford Church. He chose the location as a symbolic gesture to bring, as is needed he said, the Catholic Church out into the open and to acknowledge the inspiration of not just Mary herself but also Limerick’s own St Ita, after whom the parish of Killeedy is named.

We need, he said, to prepare for the Pope’s coming with a desire to want to “repair” the Church first of all by seeking forgiveness for the sins of the past.

“We know that not every bishop or priest or sister or brother or lay person engaged in church circles was bad. And we know that not everyone was good. Those of us of a certain age, however, know many, many who were very kind, caring and helpful.

“But to acknowledge with gratitude the good can never eclipse recognition of sin, criminality and evil. In some way, everyone in the church bears the shame of these darks aspects of our history. Few of us can throw stones as if we ourselves were not somehow associated,” he continued.

Bishop Leahy said even though the Catholic Church in Ireland now has a range of services in place and very active training programmes in safeguarding, it needs to know how to stay with an awareness of the pervasiveness of abuse and those dark parts of our human nature that tend to exploit weakness and vulnerability.

“As well as needing to pray for those who have been wounded we need to keep listening and to learn from them how to clarify and repair our church,” he added.

Bishop Leahy said the church of tomorrow will be very different, and appealed directly to young people to find a way forward to reconnect youth cultures and church.

“Might this visit of Pope Francis be a moment when young people might look again at what the Church really has to offer? We need you because you are part of our access to what God is saying to the Church today. We need you to help us find the ways towards the future that God has marked out for us all.”

Bishop Brendan Leahy comments as Dolores O’Riordan lays in repose

Bishop Leahy thanks Dolores O’Riordan’s family for moving gesture

Bishop of Limerick Brendan Leahy today thanked the family of Dolores O’Riordan for affording the people of Limerick and beyond the opportunity to pay their respects to her today at St. Joseph’s Church in the city.

Ahead of her funeral tomorrow and Tuesday, the family of the Ballybricken woman arranged for her remains to lay in repose today at the same church in Limerick city where she made her First Holy Communion and Confirmation. Bishop Leahy was on hand with administrator of St. Joseph’s Parish Oliver Plunkett to receive Dolores remains at the Church at midday and meet with her mother Eileen and other family members who attended.

Speaking afterwards he said: “It was a very moving to be here, to see the generosity of Dolores’ mother Eileen and other family members not alone in providing this opportunity ahead of the funeral for the public to pay their respects but for being there also.

“Dolores had great spirituality and having met her mother today, it’s easy see why. She is taking a lot of strength from her faith at this difficult time and is a remarkable woman.”

Thousands of people are filing past the Limerick woman’s coffin this afternoon to pay their respects. Addressing the large congregation at the outset, Bishop Leahy said: “In blessing the remains of Dolores O’Riordan here in St. Joseph’s Church in Limerick today, I am conscious that, while millions across the world have been shocked by the sad news of her death, today is Limerick’s public moment to bid farewell.

“We come to offer a heartfelt greeting to a deeply loved and cherished daughter of Limerick, a talented representative of the potential of Limerick people and a convinced advocate of living life in truth, love and peace.

“As we file pass her coffin, let’s remember God’s love and mercy and pray for her, her family and those she loved and helped in life.

Dolores appreciated the value of spirituality in our lives. She made her First Communion in this church and was confirmed here. She attended the nearby An Mhodh Scoil (Model School) and Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ school. Her spiritual journey continued in many parts of our world, and yet Dolores remained anchored in Limerick. We can be grateful to Dolores’ family for choosing this beautiful church as a venue for her lying in repose.

“Today as the Limerick people she greatly loved come to pay their respects, let us pray for Dolores: ‘May the angels lead you into paradise; and take you to the holy city, the new and eternal Jerusalem, where there will be no more tears, no more death or pain, for the time of heavenly singing has come’.”

Dolores O'Riordan RIP

Statement of Bishop Brendan Leahy on the death of Dolores O'Riordan of the Cranberries:

“The death of Dolores O’Riordan is such a sad loss of a young and precious life.  Millions across the world have been shocked by this sad news but first and foremost I think of her family.   Way beyond anything else, this is the passing of a loving mother, daughter and sister. This is a family that will grieve deeply for Dolores in the same as others who lose loved ones. It starts and ends with them.

“Of course she was a superstar and an inspiration to so many people, not least from Limerick.  She grew up in Ballybricken, which is actually in the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, but Limerick city, all of Limerick, held her very dear in its heart.  Her rise to stardom gave a huge amount of belief to young people locally at the time.  She was a true child of Limerick; talented, honest, full of soul and courageous.  And she never lost sight of who she was and where she was from.

“She also often spoke about her spirituality and how important that was too her and, of course, she met Pope John Paull II.  She spoke of taking a lot of influence for her music from her spirituality. Limerick and the world has lost a kind, soft-hearted, talented soul. May she rest in peace.”

***********************

Limerick Leader - Shock and sadness greet sudden death of Limerick's Dolores O'Riordan
The Guardian - Dolores O’Riordan obituary
Crux (CNS) - Irish bishop recalls Cranberries’ musician for her faith, inspiration
Dolores O’Riordan ‘took a lot of influence from her spirituality’, bishop says

22nd October 2017 - SS102fm has a catch up with Bishop Brendan Leahy

On this weeks programme (despite some horrendous technical difficulties!), John and Shane are joined by Bishop Brendan Leahy for a chat about various things including the Limerick Pastoral Plan, WMoF2018 and whether the Pope is coming to Ireland.

This Sunday also happens to be Mission Sunday 2017 and here on SS102fm we remember in a special way all missionaries who work in the "vineyard of the Lord".

You can listen to the podcast of this weeks full programme HERE.

Mission Sunday 2017

From World Missions Ireland:

World Mission Sunday takes place on the second last Sunday of October each year. Since 1926, the Church has traditionally remembered its universal mission during the month of October. This year Mission Sunday will be celebrated globally on the 22nd October 2017. The theme is ‘Reach Out, Spread the Joy.’ Throughout the world the faithful will reflect on the universal call to Mission of all the baptised. They will be invited to contribute what they can to support the development and growth of young churches internationally. Mission Sunday is celebrated by every Church worldwide, including the poorest. This special Sunday in October provides Catholics with the opportunity to unite with their missionary sisters and brothers overseas, and to recommit themselves to bringing the Joy of the Gospel to everyone they meet in their daily lives at home and at work. 

In October and especially on Mission Sunday Catholics are invited to be specifically conscious of the Church’s missionary activity abroad (Ad Gentes) through prayer, sacrifice and financial contributions. The funds collected are used to assist Churches who need financial support and directed towards communities in need, both spiritually and materially. 

In October 2016, Irish Catholics contributed more than €1.5 million on Mission Sunday. The Mission Sunday collection is made available to be distributed to as many as 1,100 young Churches who are supported by the generosity of Churches that have been blessed with a greater quantity of financial and material gifts. Our Mission Sunday figures for October 2016 are available to download here. 

Contributions will be used to build simple mission churches, to educate and nurture our future leaders of the Church including seminarians, religious novices, lay catechists and pastoral workers. The Mission Sunday gift may also be used for building health facilities for children and adults as well as for providing emergency aid in times of war or natural disaster or to assist missionaries in their efforts to care for refugees. 

On Mission Sunday, in a special way, we celebrate the work of circa 1,300 Irish born missionaries and all missionaries throughout the world. We thank God for them, for all who support them in our own country and during mission month we unite ourselves in prayer with them and with the communities with whom they work.

You can read Pope Francis message for Mission Sunday HERE.

A Catch up with Bishop Brendan Leahy

On this weeks programme, we were delighted to have an opportunity to catch up with Bishop Brendan Leahy to discuss a few things including the progress being made on the diocesan plan after Synod 2016, forthcoming WMoF2018, the possibilities of a 2018 Papal visit and how it wont be confirmed by the papal household officially until next March at the earliest, reflection on the Irish bishops Ad limina visit to Rome as well as Bishop's Brendan visit to Zimbabwe with Trocaire.

You can listen to the interview excerpted from the main programme HERE.




Gospel - Matthew 22:15-21

"The Tribute Money." Peter Rubens, 1512.

The Pharisees went offand plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech. They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying,"Teacher, we know that you are a truthful manand that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion,for you do not regard a person's status.Tell us, then, what is your opinion:Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?" Knowing their malice, Jesus said,"Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin that pays the census tax." Then they handed him the Roman coin. He said to them, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?" They replied, "Caesar's."At that he said to them,"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesarand to God what belongs to God."

Reflections on this weeks gospel:

Word on Fire
Sunday Reflections
English Dominicans
The Sunday Website of St Louis University
Vatican Radio
Religion is always political, but it can never be partisan: What’s Jesus telling us today?

Liturgical odds & ends

Liturgy of the Hours: Psalter week 1, 29th week in ordinary time

Saints of the Week

October 23rd - St John of Capistrano
October 24th - St Anthony Mary Claret
October 25th - Bl Thaddeus McCarthy - read A saint for the persistent but discouraged
October 26th - Ss Chad & Cedd
October 27th - St Otteran
October 28th - St Simon & Jude