Letter to be read out at all Masses at the weekend of 18-19 August 2018
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
The week ahead of us is important for the Catholic Church in Ireland. We are hosting the World Meeting of Families and welcoming Pope Francis to our shores. Last Wednesday, Feast of the Assumption, I went on pilgrimage together with others from the Diocese to the Mass Rock in Ashford, Kileedy. It was a symbolic gesture to express how the Diocese wants to prepare spiritually for these special days ahead.
At the Mass Rock we reflected on how the Church is at a crossroads, and that, in the light of Pope Francis’ historic visit, we might take three steps. First, we need to look back and re-read where we’ve come from and acknowledge our past, good and bad, and that includes acknowledging the dark aspects of our Church’s history that have come to light especially in recent decades.
A second step might be to look around us where we are now and be pro-active in repairing the Church today. It really is better to light a candle than curse the darkness. Each of us builds the Church through putting into practice the art of loving the Gospel teaches. Sometimes love is seen only as sentiment or in terms of morality. But love is at the heart of the Church. Indeed, one of the definitions of the Church is “love for one another”.
A third suggestion. We need to look to the future with hope, watching for the signposts that show the way. I like a phrase Pope Francis often repeats: “do not let yourselves be robbed of hope”. We need to be both faithful to our heritage and creative in hope for the future. It would be such a shame were we to lose the memory of our Christian heritage. But equally, love and hope make us creative of new ways. Our Diocesan Synod has indicated ways forward for us.
Pope Francis is the 266th Pope in history and only the second ever to visit Ireland. 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, a unique representative of Jesus Christ coming among us to be a healing presence, speaking words of wisdom and offering new horizons. As Catherine of Siena, one of the great women saints of the Church put it, the Pope is the gentle Christ on earth. It is important for us to welcome him by opening our hearts and minds to his words and gestures.
The World Meeting of Families begins on this coming Tuesday with a celebration in each Diocese around the country. In Limerick Diocese, we are holding a street party of family entertainment and fun on Tuesday afternoon (August 21st) from 3.30-6.30 pm in St. John’s Square (beside the Cathedral) and then processing to a gathering in the Cathedral at 7 pm for Evening Prayer. This short ceremony will be ecumenical. I invite all who can to come along. It would be wonderful if we could have representatives from each parish present for the Evening Prayer in the Cathedral.
During the three following days of the Congress in the RDS, Dublin, some of the speakers and panellists are from Limerick. Some of the parish choirs of the Diocese are singing at the Concluding Mass in the Phoenix Park. Many from the Diocese are travelling to attend the ceremonies either at Knock or Croke Park or the Phoenix Park. It is really encouraging to see how many young families are taking part. For those interested, the Concluding Mass at the Phoenix Park will be relayed on a big screen in St. John’s Cathedral, beginning at 2 pm.
I am conscious that many have been helping in various ways in the preparations for the World Meeting of Families events so I want to express my gratitude to them.
Regardless of whether or not we are travelling to Dublin, I invite all of us to be united in prayer for these important events, above all, in welcoming Pope Francis among us.
Warmest regards,
+ Brendan Leahy,
Bishop of Limerick