The Superior General, Gregory Gay, and his liason to the Vincentian Family, Manny Ginete, joined in the 150th celebration of the founding of St. Vincent’s parish in Cork, Ireland.
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Superior General, the Bishop, the Provincial and Vincentian Family LiasonWhat follows in the speech given by the Parish Council President.
Introduction to the Jubilee Mass
As we gather here this evening to celebrate the dedication of our beautiful church 150 years ago, we are celebrating the Vincentian vision both past and future.
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We are looking back, first of all, to Father O’Sullivan and his community and the lasting legacy, which they gave to the people of Cork. The banners and flowers decorating the church seek to capture the joyful mood of that first opening.
Then as the walls of the church are blessed and incensed, we will be returning in spirit to that first evening all the years ago.
Then as our celebrants move in procession to the altar, they will be walking in the footsteps of that first group of priests who came to celebrate the opening Mass.
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And we, the congregation, will be sitting in the places of that first group of worshippers. It is a historic and solemn occasion.
And as the week of Jubilee proceeds, we will look forward, towards the new horizons of parish and community to which our Vincentian vision is leading us. On the back of the Mass leaflet this evening is our Parish Vision, our mission statement going forward. At the Vigil Mass next Saturday, a special copy of this Vision will be unveiled and placed on permanent display in the church.
Speech of the Parish Council President
On behalf of the Parish of St Vincent’s, I should like to extend a very hearty welcome to everybody present here tonight. We are delighted that you were able to join us on this wonderful occasion, and may I say a special Céad Míle Fáilte to you Father Gregory and to you Father Ginete. We are honoured and overjoyed that you could be part of our jubilee celebrations. To have reached this significant milestone in the life of our parish, and to have the opportunity to publicly express our recognition and our thanks to the Vincentian Fathers, is a source of great joy to us all.
The Church itself has always recognised our need to celebrate. “All things have their season” Ecclesiastes tells us. There is “a time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to dance.”
But what, we may well ask, in a world where it seems to be Christmas every day, is the value of a Jubilee celebration like this. The answer is that an occasion like this provides a wonderful sense of achievement: the achievement of reaching this milestone, still intact, still living out the Vincentian vision as a parish. This church and its flock have survived for over a century and a half and are still going strong. Small this parish may be, its flock showing signs of age, alas! But it is alive and vibrant. It is up and doing. It has its loyal parishioners, its band of daily Mass-goers, its coffee-morning, its weekly bulletin, its wonderful choir, its hard-working parish office, its groups and societies, its St Vincent de Paul conferences, its schools, its scouts, guides and Brigini, its annua1 outings and so much more. That is surely a cause for jubilee.
An occasion like this has another very positive effect: it makes us pause and reflect. Each of us can think with gratitude, and with sadness too, of the many priests and sisters who have come and gone here over the years, and of the mark they made on our lives. Because the story of our church is, of course, the story of the Vincentian Fathers and the Daughters of Charity as well. It is a story of commitment to the poor, the needy and the lonely through good times and bad. It is a story of spiritual guidance and leadership as pastors. Above al1 it is a story of example, that quiet, unsung example which speaks so much louder that any words. By such means are people inspired and a community flourishes.
In this context, it behoves me to say a special word to Sister Louise, who has been parish sister here for the last 18 years and whose time with us has sadly come to an end. We will be having a big night for you in October, Sister Louise. But for now, just let me say a heartfelt thank you from us all. You have been a tower of strength to the parish and I do not know how we will manage without you.
There is another benefit in looking back at our history: we see that we are part of a chain, an unbroken chain, which links us with the Church, from its foundation by Christ some 2000 years ago, through the centuries to the birth of St Vincent in France and the foundation of the Vincentian Order and the Daughters of Charity, to the arrival of Father Michael O’Sullivan in Cork and the building of this church and the Mission House next door. There is a great feeling of solidarity, belonging and continuity about that.
Our beautiful church, therefore, built during a time of great hardship in post-famine Cork, represents something constant, something fixed, firm and immutable in our lives. Standing tal1 and proud over the city, it is an unwavering beacon, a focal point, a place of worship and community where, as part of the Vincentian family, we can forge a lasting relationship with God. We are proud of this church and we love it. Indeed, I have heard parishioners say that there is nowhere they can pray as well as in St Vincent’s.
The Church in Ireland has known great tumult of late. Many diverse forces have coincided to bring about a weakening of faith and a fall-off in religious practice. These are hard times for Catholic communities, undoubtedly. An occasion such as this, therefore, does much to restore our morale and build up our confidence as we face into the future. There are people here in St Vincent’s who have been loyal parishioners for an entire lifetime and whose families are carrying on the torch. These are the life’s blood of our community. In such constancy lies our hope for the future. In his own day, St Vincent went very much against the tide of society, confident that God would guide him in the face of adversity. This is how he put it himself:
“As it is most certain that the teaching of Christ cannot deceive, if we would walk securely, we ought to attach ourselves to it with the greatest confidence and to profess openly that we live according to it, and not to the maxims of the world, which are al1 deceitful.”
Yes, St Vincent had a vision and his followers have carried it on to the present day. We in this parish are lucky to be a part of it and we wish to carry it on in joyful hope into the future. Father Michael O’Sullivan’s legacy has lasted 150 years here in Sunday’s Well. And as we celebrate this jubilee, we would ask the Vincentian Fathers not to forsake us. We need you and it is our earnest hope that you will still be with St Vincent’s parish 150 years from now.
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