Today is a sad and historic day for Cork. It marks both the closing of this much-loved church and the conclusion of the Augustinian friars’ long ministry in Cork.
We gather for the final celebration of the Eucharist in Saint Augustine’s Church, which for eighty-four years has stood at the heart of our city as a place of prayer, welcome and peace.
On behalf of the priests, deacons and people of the Diocese of Cork and Ross, and on my own behalf, I want to express deep gratitude to the Augustinian friars.
Your presence in Cork reaches back to 1272. Across so many generations, and through very different times in the history of this city, the Augustinian family has been part of Cork’s spiritual, cultural and human life.
That ministry was not confined to this church. The Augustinians also served the wider community through chaplaincy in education, in hospitals, and with religious communities such as St Marie’s of the Isle.
Here in Saint Augustine’s Washington Street, since 1942, generations of friars have preached the Gospel, celebrated the Mass, heard confessions, listened to people’s stories and welcomed all who came through these doors. They have offered a quiet space in which people could pray, seek forgiveness, bring their worries to God, or simply sit in his presence.
For many people, Saint Augustine’s has been a place to which they returned through the years: for daily Mass or confession, in times of grief or uncertainty, or simply for a moment of quiet prayer. For many, it has become a spiritual home.
That is why the closing of this church brings a real and deep sense of loss to so many people.
No church can simply be replaced in the affection and memory of those who have prayed there over many years. Nor should we pretend that today is not painful. It is.
As your Bishop, I am committed to listening to all those who feel this loss most keenly, and to responding pastorally to the needs which this closing leaves behind: the need for the celebration of Mass, for confession, for quiet prayer, for welcome, for companionship and for a place to encounter Jesus in the heart of our city.
Cork city centre continues to be blessed by the presence and ministry of the Franciscans, Capuchins and Dominicans. Nearby, Saint Peter and Paul’s is being renewed in recent years and is a place of daily Mass, 24-hour adoration, prayer, welcome and pastoral activity such as the Saint.
Peter and Saint Paul’s Young Adult Community and the Emmaus Café as part of the Cathedral Family of Parishes.
I do not mention these things as substitutes for Saint Augustine’s, or to lessen the sadness of today, because that sadness is real. But they do remind us that the life of faith in our city is continuing in different ways.
In recent weeks, we have seen signs of that life and hope in a very visible way. The visit of the relics of Saint Carlo Acutis brought people of all ages to prayer. Young people from across the diocese took part in a mission in our schools in the city centre, in parishes and on the streets. For one hundred continuous hours, people came to Saints Peter and Paul’s to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. Then, despite the rain, thousands walked in faith through the streets of Cork for the centenary Eucharistic Procession.
These moments remind us that the Holy Spirit is still at work among us, inviting us to renew our faith and to find new ways of living it, sharing it and handing it on.
The Church in Cork is going through a time of change. Change can bring uncertainty and sadness. But it can also invite us to listen more attentively to where the Holy Spirit is leading us.
The seed of faith which has been sown here over generations will not be lost. The Eucharist celebrated here, the Word of God proclaimed here, the forgiveness received here, the tears shed here and candles lit and the prayers said here have not returned to God empty.
That faith lives on in the lives of those who have prayed here, served here, found healing here and encountered Christ here.
So today, with gratitude in our hearts and with real sadness too, we give thanks for the Augustinian friars, past and present. We ask the Lord to bless them in the years ahead. And we entrust to God all those for whom this church has been a spiritual home.
May Saint Augustine intercede for us, that in the midst of change our hearts may remain fixed on Christ. And may the Lord continue to guide the people of Cork and Ross, as together we seek to place him, his Church and his Gospel at the heart of our city.