Fr Billy Swan
Across the diocese of Ferns this St Patrick’s weekend, a special appeal is being made by Bishop Ger to support the ongoing training of catechists and pastoral care workers who are currently preparing for ministry in our diocese. Currently, there are 29 people from Ferns who are committed to a two-year Diploma in Pastoral Ministry through St Patrick’s College Maynooth. This a significant number – the largest of any diocese in the country. Their coming forward is a real sign of hope for the diocese in the present and the future. God willing, it will be the start of a long tradition of many more people coming forward to be trained as catechists, pastoral care workers and indeed for other roles and areas of responsibility and leadership. Here I would like to reflect a little on how this development is evidence of an emerging synodal Church of communion, participation and mission and how our diocese is beginning to resemble more closely the Church that St Patrick founded back in the fifth century.
I have been blessed to know and accompany the 29 candidates who have stepped forward for ministry in our diocese as catechists and pastoral care workers. They are committed, sincere and love the faith that unites us. Since embarking on a journey of discernment in January 2024, I have witnessed their confidence grow as the bonds of communion, friendship and hope have deepened among them. There is a palpable sense that the gift of faith that unites them is something life-giving and joyful.
Through their gatherings and studies, they are being drawn into greater participation in the Church they love. There is a movement forward with less passivity as they embrace a greater co-responsibility for the life and mission of the Church. During their weekends together in discernment, they took turns to be involved in planning the weekend, organizing catering and planning the liturgy. Their studies in theology afford them the chance to reflect on the truths of our faith at a deeper level with life-giving results. They have grown in their understanding of who God is and who they are. Through their studies of Scripture and other disciplines, they have come to drink at a well of life-giving water, coming to appreciate the wisdom and living tradition of our faith that speaks to us today. Their pastoral placements afford them the opportunity to learn, grow, lead, take responsibility and work with others. They work comfortably with priests, religious and lay people in placements and parishes as equals where each contribute to the same mission using the gifts that each has received. There is no sense of them replacing priests or religious, or ought not to be. Their greater involvement in parishes and our diocese is a blessing for them and for the whole Church because it multiplies the good being done, expanding the mission of the Church to reach a greater number more effectively. This expansion is a sign of hope that all the baptised will see it as their calling to be, in the words of Pope Francis, ‘missionary disciples and spirit filled evangelists’ (The Joy of the Gospel). We are living in extra-ordinary and exciting times.
A symbol of these developments in our Church that comes to mind is that of an expanding fire. Normally, we seek to contain fire and put it out. Not this fire. We want it to expand and spread to reach many hearts and lives with its heat and energy. That’s because it is a holy fire like the one that came from the burning bush before Moses – a fire that burned but did not consume or damage the bush itself. This has long been interpreted as the effect of God’s grace and presence in our humanity. God’s friendship with us makes our lives more radiant and beautiful, illuminating possibilities and potential we were blind to before.
A spark that began with an invitation from bishop Ger a few years ago has caught fire in the hearts of these 29 people and has lead them on a journey of adventure, discovery and mission. Before they came forward, perhaps the mission of the Church was perceived to be the possession of a small number of priests and religious. Now, with the training of this cohort of catechists and pastoral care workers, the gift of faith the Church possesses is being spread by a whole army of Christians who will hopefully light even more fires in the lives of those they serve.
The appeal to support the training of the catechists and pastoral care workers takes place near the feast of St Patrick. This is no coincidence. In the Irish faith tradition, the author Muirchú narrates how on the Hill of Tara, Saint Patrick lit the Easter fire — a symbol of the Christian faith. A prophecy was made at that time that this fire, once lit, would never be extinguished (Muirchú , Life of Patrick I, 15). In recent decades, the fire of faith has certainly dimmed in the Irish Church. Though it may seem at times to be reduced to embers, it still burns. Today we pray as a Church that these flames of faith may burn strongly once more, ignited by a New Pentecost and the missionary spirit of St Patrick, that will lead to a renewed Church of conviction and not just convention.
These 29 brothers and sisters are assign of that hope for the future. Supporting their training this weekend is an investment of hope for our Church today and for our future Church.
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