Dia daoibh ar maidin – Good morning everybody, a Chairde!
Well, It is great to be back here with you at St Michael’s and great to be up here at the ambo where I have so many good memories of participation in liturgy and parish celebration. The last time I stood here was Xmas day last year 2023 and little did I know then that I was shortly to be let go and the position made redundant.
So, Thank you for bringing me back and thank you for this celebration. And for giving me the opportunity to thank you all .
Six years ago I began with you on the First Sunday of Advent 2018. It was a new departure for the community of St Michael’s – a new vision of male and female collaboration in the building of community with Christ and one another. That vision was enabled by the Holy Spirit working through this community alongside a man of vision, Fr Louis Mc Dermott OMI, who empowered the people to find their voice and imagine faith community in a new way. My appointment, as Pastoral Worker, was effectively the result of Synodality in action before the word was ever heard of.
And what a journey we made together. There were Boxes of Hope, Peace, Joy and love. Creative collaborative liturgy after liturgy – the Season of Creation, Brigid, Patrick, Remembrance, Reconciliation, Advent, Xmas, Lent and Easter, Communion prep in two languages, Baptism prep, lay led liturgy, reflection groups, book groups, speakers on; poverty, social justice, climate change, scripture, and so it flowed until we were all thrown into disarray and discombobulation by Covid… and we adjusted – together – as a faith community. We grew a new spirit of volunteerism – learning; sanitising, masking, social distancing, webcams, ticketed Xmas masses, stewarding, – Then as those difficult days passed and we breathed a sigh of relief together we were rocked and saddened by the illness and loss of our good shepherd Fr. Louis – and his funeral marked a transition again for us as a community.
For me personally, in the middle of the journey with you here, there has been the mystery of my own mother’s illness and death – and I thank the community for your support in that. As fate would have it – by my appointment here I was brought back to the landscape of my childhood – my mother’s place – walking the canal up to the Oblates with my maternal grandparents – my mother had gone to school with the sisters of Mercy in Golden Bridge and through my being here she reengaged with her childhood friends and class mates – some of who are present. Inchicore is also the landscape of the 4th Battalion Dublin Brigade 1916 and my mother’s father Theo and his siblings were members of it and out during Easter week – we very involved in the centenary celebrations which were also an important landmark event for this parish. Given the confluence of the various streams happening in my life, quite bizarrely in one week, I found myself at a 4th Battalion relatives gathering here in Inchicore college, then suddenly and unexpectedly in St James hospital running from my mother’s bedside in one ward to Fr Louis bedside in another and then running back to the parish to help MC the Xmas Carol concert, read a poem ‘ as Gaeilge’ and also lead a meditation group!
As I said to you that first weekend we met – I had always wanted to be a Pastoral Worker – basically because I could not be a priest – and it’s one of the only positions you can attain, at present, as a lay female, ministering in the Catholic Church. And I was not disappointed. I found here a wonderful collaborative community of faith – with song, music and joy at the heart of it – in which all are welcome. [ to me the core in Inchicore is music and song – never stop singing! ]. I experienced a real empowerment as a woman in ministry through this collaborative process and through Fr Louis who encouraged me every few weeks, to do the hattrick – a few ‘short’ words after the Gospel – at each weekend mass( 3 masses). I realise now how special that invitation was, as sadly it is unparalleled elsewhere for lay women and men, in the Church, in any regular way.
And so to the present – since being let go – I spent the summer working back on my beloved Aran – and in September – God raised me up and transported me to De Northside, where, I am now to be found, re-employed as a Pastoral Worker( with the brief of Faith Formation) at the Parish of St Columba/Colmcille on Iona road Glasnevin. I am very glad to continue in ministry and delighted to be under the patronage of St Colmcille( one of our greatest early holy men). Yes, I miss St Michael’s and this community but I can also see God’s hand at work in transforming our loss; the Parish I am now in has far fewer labourers for
the harvest than, there are here at St Michael’s. In some ways there is a greater need there for the presence of a pastoral worker. And whatever good I am doing or can do there – is directly owing to my own formation and training here at St Michael’s. You are all part of my ongoing
ministry. And I thank you for that!
I want to thank the various parish groups I have worked with from Church decoration and cleaning through Baptism, Funeral, Word and Communion, music and song ministries( youth and adult), webcam and website.
I especially thank the leadership/ liturgy group I worked most closely with – former chair; Anne O Brien whose friendship and support has remained invaluable throughout / along with that of Helen Scott/ Bridie Byrne / Brid Beggan, Ann Kelly, Mary Hutching / Phil / Fiona / Betty/ Laetitia and Derek Bunyan. Thanks to Joan of the Baptism team.
Thanks to my dear sacristan friends, Terry and Pat, for their solidarity. Thanks to Parish secretary Therese and before her, her sister Pat. And to Ann Ward.
All the priests I have worked with – especially those I worked closely with; Frs. Paul, Dominik, Mick, Leo and Dermot (who kindly concelebrated my mother’s funeral mass). My thanks also to Joanne, Padraig and Rebecca on the Pastoral Area team. And to volunteer friends in the Pastoral Area; Margaret Alford and Nóirín Walsh, and to those in the wider Diocese, Deanery and Oblate Anglo Irish province; Especially to Marilyn in London for her prayer and support. A special thanks must go to the Sisters of Mercy for their
hospitality, encouragement and participation in Parish life at all times. And to the former Principal Tonya, and the teachers, parents and pupils of Our Lady of Lourdes NS; and the Principal Michelle (O’Kelly) of Mercy College; and to the Priomh oide and Leas Príomh oide; Colm Ó Nualláin agus Connie Corr dhubh, agus na múinteoirí, tuismitheoirí agus micléinn Ghaelscoil Inse Chór– for their ready co-operation and support – Buíochas mór daoibh – go mba fada buan sibh.
I want to thank the Principal of Inchicore College of Further Education, my brother Donnchadh, here today, for his solidarity with the work in the Parish( and the lovely sunflower story board which the college has donated to St Michael’s) and also for his personal and professional solidarity with me in the past year.
A special thanks goes from me to the family resource centre staff; Eilis, Phil and Rita – for the welcome they gave me to their events and morning breakfasts . And especially for their solidarity and inclusion of
me in their events following the distress of redundancy. I take this opportunity to highly commend the centre’s work in support of the people of Gaza and their solidarity with women suffering from
domestic violence. The annual Xmas tree event remembering those who have died esp. those who have died tragically in the community, which they organise in collaboration with us as a parish and Kavanagh
House each year, is a significant community occasion and deserving of our full support. I thank, Aoife Hannon, and the Inchicore Regeneration project for their collaboration and support and Dominic Keogh who replaced me as parish rep. [ He could not be here and left me a lovely gift this morning, thank you] My heartfelt thanks to Mary O Connell, Julie Lynch and Gerri Geogheghan – new friends – I have made here – for their professional support and friendship – and Catherine Byrne – for her fine example of community service – she is some woman for one woman (who successfully walks the Camino on a gammy leg? And brings others some also with gammy legs – with her!!).
Today, too, there are some old friends of mine present -some of whom you have met before -; Mairéad, Cathy, Mary, Clare, Marion, Brian and Michael who have walked the journey with me and carried me along
when I needed to be carried along – and others including my sister, Bláithin, and friends in Galway and Aran, who are watching – buíochas mór óm chroí.
I am not gone altogether – nor saying a final farewell – I am just across the Liffey. On de north side. And I have discovered the wonder and beauty of the Botanic gardens which I am ashamed to say I had never
been in until 8 weeks ago. [ We only ever passed it on the way to our cousins in Finglas. ]
I can be found over there, then, hugging trees and slowly building community with the good people of Iona road and please know if you need my support in any way, here at St Michael’s, I can always be called
on to assist. So, don’t be shy in asking.
In conclusion, it is not an easy time being a Christian or being a Catholic for any of us – but in my view – the light of Christ – and the wisdom of the Gospel – has never been as much needed in our world as it is at present. Nor is it easy being a woman – in ministry. But I trust in a God who has revealed herself/ himself to be a God of love and doubtlessly a much more inclusive God than any our limited human mind, language and power structures is capable of allowing for.
I do hope and pray, though, that when the granddaughters of many of you here grow up – Cadhla and Maggie and others – that they will have better and more equal options for ministry in the Catholic
church than women have at present. But for now, we are where we are – and we are a People of the
Resurrection. We are called into Building Hope Together in collaborative (synodal) ministry. So let us continue to pray with and for one another, as we build the Kingdom of God, and may the light of
Christ guide and guard us on our way.
Mo bhuíochas óm chroí – Beannacht Dé libh agus Brat Bríde oraibh I gcónaí.
Pádraigín
