On the Feast of Saint Kevin, 3 June last, Archbishop Dermot Farrell of Dublin celebrated Mass in Saint Mary’s Pro-Cathedral.
During his homily, the Archbishop of Dublin highlighted the relevance of Saint Kevin for the Church today.
Archbishop Farrell said, “To remember St Kevin is to call to mind not only the patron of our diocese, but it is to celebrate the roots of the Church in this Diocese of Dublin. Celebrating our roots is not about our past, but is about who we are, and who we are called to be. A living Church is a reality that has deep roots; but more: the Church is a reality needs deep roots, so that we can truly embrace our ever-changing present, and have the capacity to welcome the future offered to us by God.”
He continued, “The mission of the Church is not be a religion which succeeds according to the world’s criteria for success—those of control and efficiency. No! The mission of the Church is humbly to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in order to be at the service of that love with which God loves the world.”
In conclusion, the Archbishop of Dublin said, “Maybe the following questions might help us focus and find a way of seeing the Church for our time.
- What is precious to you in the Church? What do you want to hand on?
- What have you discovered about the life of the Church through your ministry, or through life in your parish? What has become important to you that was not important to you 20 years ago, or 10 years ago?
“Two things are clear: we can only answer these questions together, and we can only answer them by listening to each other. Let us move beyond what Pope Francis calls, the “structures which give us a false sense of security, beyond rules which make us harsh judges, beyond habits which make us feel safe, while at our door people are starving…” (Evangelii Gaudium, 49) “Feed my lambs… Feed my sheep.”
“St Kevin of Glendalough. Pray for us.
St Laurence O’Toole. Pray for us.
St John Henry Newman, St John XIII, St Paul VI, St John Paul II, Pastors of God’s Flock. Pray for us.
St Teresa of Avila, St Catherine of Siena, Doctors of the Church. Pray for us.
Mary, Mother of the Church. Pray for us.”