I ask myself what can I say to a group of religion teachers?
What do you need to hear from me? I remember Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard winning
the Oscar for ‘Falling Slowly’ a few years ago and they got the chance to speak
to the great and the good of Hollywood. For a few moments they had the ears,
the attention of just about every movie star in the business. I remember
thinking, what a platform. Here today, I have a chance to speak to you. Each of
you daily invite and challenge scores of young people to become conscious of
something above and beyond themselves and this is something I share too in my
life as a capuchin friar and as a priest.
A little about me. I was born in the Coombe Hospital in 1969,
the eldest of seven, and I went to school in Dublin in the 1970’s and 1980’s. I joined the Capuchin Order in 1987 after a
mediocre Leaving Cert and in the ten years of formation, I studied philosophy
in Millltown Park, and Theology in All Hallows College. I graduated with a BA
in Theology and a Grad. Dip. In Holistic Development. I was ordained a priest
in 1997 and my first appointment was a school chaplain. I had 5 hours RE teaching
per week and I quickly realised I knew very little about chaplaincy and so I
began a two-year MA in school chaplaincy in Mater Dei/ DCU (this began as a Grad
Dip and finished as a MA in 2004)
I spent 10 years in school chaplaincy altogether between
Dublin and Cork. I was into a groove in Dublin and was gaining confidence in
front of a class of 30 teenagers. Now, I acknowledge that it was perhaps easier
for me, even more than other priest-chaplains or religion teachers, because
dressed like this, I am pretty hi-visibility. When the pupils first get over
the shock, and the giggles, and the “Hey-hey, we’re the Monkees…” then it’s
obvious to them what exactly I am. For other chaplain and RE teachers, there
may be some explaining. Maybe there’s no explaining in that sense for an
English, or a Maths or Science, or a French teacher.
You know the way the first year or two can be a nightmare and
then you get into it. Well, at least I think I did. They I was sent to Cork, to
our own Capuchin School, and I had to start all over again. Eventually, I walked
in like a cross between Roy Keane and Liam Gallagher and there wasn’t a sound.
I knew I had developed the craft. I had made it as a teacher. I was like “Yeah,
don’t mess with me.” But it was hard fought. I remember going back to visit
Coolmine after I was transferred. I was in the staff room for a coffee and one
of the teachers from the maths/science dept asked me how I was getting on. I
remember I said, I think I have got tougher. She said, we knew you would break!
It was like she said, yeah, no more mister nice guy.
In 2007, I was asked to go as Chaplain to Beaumont Hospital.
If you had asked me to choose a ministry, any ministry, the last one I would
have picked was hospital. I spent three years there and it was tough for lots
of reasons but honestly, hospital ministry is great work. It can be a cliché but
teaching the young is a privilege, perhaps we are supposed to say this. But
hospital ministry, where one can sit with someone who is dying or trying to
come to terms with a new reality in their lives is an amazing privilege too. Working
alongside nursing, medical, surgical, and care staff and seeing them make no
distinction at all about who comes into the emergency dept was and is a great lesson
to me.
From Beaumont in 2010, I was asked to go as parish priest to
St. Michan’s, Halston St and Church St. In parish ministry, I had fairly
regular visits to the two parish primary schools, but this was also somewhat of
a challenge because in the real world it can be more tricky to get the time in
parish ministry to engage with the schools. For example, there were a lot of
funerals in the last parish I was in and these take up the whole morning and
some of the afternoon and since the kids are gone home by 2.30 p.m. that’s the
day gone. When I was in secondary school in the 1980’s, a priest used to
literally walk into the class and promote devotion to some saint or other. No
one stopped him. Who would after all? Today, thank God, this shouldn’t happen now
for loads of reasons not least as all visitors need to report to reception at
least.
For the last 10 years, I have been in parish ministry with
all that entails; Baptisms, Funerals, First Communions, Confirmations, RCIA, First
Friday visitation of the sick, emergency calls by the Gardaí, Fundraising, Restoration.
And this has given me much of the material for the two books I have written in
the intervening years. I’ve been very lucky and very blessed.
I seem to have a reputation out there for spreading positivity.
No doubt because I published my second book before Christmas. My first one was
called ‘Tired of all the Bad News’ which came out in 2016. The second one is
called ‘Sending Positive Vibes’ and that was published in November. Basically, they
are some reflections and homilies I have written and blogged over the years. They
are interspersed with some memories of growing up in Dublin in the and the
genesis of my vocation and my decision to join the Capuchin Order in 1987.
Tongue-in-cheek, I say that the first book was an exercise in
vanity. I had been approached by Columba Books in early 2016. They asked me to
write a foreword to a book they were publishing on Padre Pio. When I submitted
it, they said they would like to return the favour. “Maybe you can” I said. I
told them of my idea for the book. “You writing a book?” “It’s kind of written”
I replied. “Send it in” they said. So, I did. And following a conversation with
the provincial minister because I had to get permission, I sent it in.
So, I stand before you this morning to encourage perhaps. I also
want to express my gratitude to those who teach the young religion. While there
is a debate today about the passing on of the faith – primarily the work of the
Holy Spirit through parents and grandparents, you are also stakeholders in this
by providing a platform for students and others to gain wisdom and
understanding about a loving and personal God as revealed by Jesus Christ.
My brother Kevin graduated from Mater Dei in 1996 and taught English
and RE in Tallaght all his professional life. Two years ago, he became Deputy in
Old Bawn Community School. I told him I was going to be speaking to you today.
He offered some advice for me.
He said today religion not something that needs to be
defended anymore – nor apologised for – or embarrassed about. It is something that needs to be rediscovered.
While it has to be acknowledged that some (clergy) and in leadership roles have
made a spectacular success of profoundly damaging the church institution not
least in how child sexual abuse and the criminal cover-up was handled, I still
see a cohort of young people responding to the invitation to get involved in
church. We are in a post outrage society. For example, you need look no further
than what is going on in St. Paul’s Church, Arran Quay in terms of youth
ministry. We are not alone in trying to
reach out to young people and offer them something under the umbrella of
religious education which I believe goes deeper than just an academic subject.
Young people engage with Church today because they want to,
not because it’s what their mammy and daddy want. The days of obligation are
over. We are more adult now and when we go to church and when we practice our
faith, it is because we desire to. No one is forced anymore. The question “what
did the priest say at Mass?” to test kids did they go is gone, thank God. The
Millennials are not upset by the Church – they are intrigued by it. Prominent and
welcoming people help in this regard, whether in school, or at diocesan level
or parish level. For example, seeing church people on social media spreading
the good news is critical today. I believe Twitter is an ingenious way to
spread the good news today just as the pulpit was in the past. The Holy Father,
many bishops, priests, and religious as well as dioceses do the same all over
the word and on cyberspace. I believe it is critical to use these forums to upbuild
and affirm rather than sow seeds of judgement. Church people should never be
trolls.
I am impressed by Pope Francis in that in his ministry he uses
the example of Saint Francis of Assisi praying before the cross of San Damiano.
In the story, Francis of Assisi is searching for some answers as to what God is
asking him to do. He hears the voice; “Francis, go repair my church, which, as
you can see is falling completely into ruin.” At first Francis rebuilds the
walls of the church with bricks and mortar. However, later, the other brothers,
and Clare and her sisters come to join him.
Fundamentally, Francis learns the building programme is about people. Pope
Francis is doing the same in our time I would argue; repairing the church
person by person or as he has said, “one heart at a time.” This is what you are
doing each day in class with your students when you teach religion, you are
repairing the church, you are proclaiming the gospel, you are forming the young
and this is vital. It is great work.
People need hope. We crave good news and while at the moment
we seem to see nothing but bad news; Climate change, Covid 19 Corona Virus,
Brexit, Republican or Democrat, you name it, it is all consuming because we
have it 24/7 on our televisions, tablets, and smartphones. So, while we see
this bad news, if we look, we can see the helpers too. Those who are working
hard to make a difference, to find an anti-dote and a vaccine, and we need to
hear this because its like a shot in the arm.
The vital work you go is a powerful example of making an investment
in the future of our young people. Teaching RE is good news and it marries the
academic with faith formation and this will inevitably help the building up of
the Kingdom of God. Thank you all.