Fr Enda McDonagh A giant of Irish intellectual life, Fr Enda McDonagh is warmly remembered by many as a man of great generosity, writes Jason Osborne
Tributes have poured in for “towering intellect”, Fr Enda McDonagh, with President Higgins saying he “will be missed by so many for a multitude of good reasons.”
Intellectual life
Fr McDonagh was a priest of the archdiocese of Tuam but is best remembered for his contribution to Ireland’s intellectual life. In possession of a Doctorate of Divinity and a Doctorate in Canon Law, Fr McDonagh was uniquely placed to inspire the minds placed under his charge, from his appointment to his position as Professor of Moral Theology and Canon Law at Maynooth University in 1958 at the age of 28 until his retirement in 1995.
He brought the same perspective to the role he supported for women as equals in participation in Church and society”
Saying he was honoured to be included among Fr McDonagh’s friends, the president acknowledged Fr McDonagh’s intellectual legacy, saying his “approach to philosophy, combined with a great personal capacity to communicate, meant that he was always in demand where conflicts had sown divisions, as someone who could transcend reductive binaries”.
“May I just say that his sensitivity to the poor at home and abroad meant that he could see the significance of the work of the Liberation Theology Movement as not only emancipatory, but also as a walking in the spirit of Christ with the excluded, the oppressed, and the unjustly treated. He brought the same perspective to the role he supported for women as equals in participation in Church and society.
“His, I recall so well, was the generous spirit that so many turned to, again and again, on public campaigns, when denunciations were so often more forthcoming than support, be it in relation to the ending of Apartheid, women’s rights, Travellers’ rights. He was always there to listen and support.”
Fr McDonagh’s relationship with the presidential office was cemented following his service as official chaplain to former president Mary Robinson while she was president from 1990-1997.
His fresh language, poetic vision, and the unexpected twists as he played on words kept his hearers in suspense”
The president recalled his ecumenism, an openness which was remarked by Archbishop Michael Neary in his homily for Fr McDonagh’s funeral Mass, saying he was a man who “opened the door” for friends, strangers and countless seminarians, to “experience the excitement that is the quest for faith seeking understanding”.
Celebrated in the College Chapel in Maynooth, Archbishop Neary spoke of the “rightly fitting” nature of the proceedings, saying for “the man who had such an appreciation for the arts – poetry, paintings, the theatre, opera, the very beauty of this sacred place must have lifted his heart and mind towards Beauty Itself every time he prayed here”.
“And although he had many opportunities to live and teach elsewhere, he declined them all in favour of his beloved Maynooth,” Dr Neary said.
Warm-hearted
He described Fr McDonagh as “unassuming, warm-hearted, welcoming of people and ideas” and “blessed with a gentle and at times mischievous sense of humour.” He also spoke of Fr McDonagh as a “colossus on the Irish theological landscape”.
“In today’s society where the presence of the Church may be resented, Enda’s prophetic voice was respected. He recognised the influence of the media in society, understood the media, and used the language which media understood,” Archbishop Neary said.
“A masterful weaver of words, with Enda, the Word continued to become flesh whether in hospital wards, in boardrooms, broken homes, or breaking hearts – all those situations derived hope when Enda spoke. Aware of paradoxes and contradictions, conscious of the potential for good, grieved by human insensitivity, but always alive to the grace of God, this was the man, the theologian and the priest. His fresh language, poetic vision, and the unexpected twists as he played on words kept his hearers in suspense.”
In the statement issued upon hearing of Fr McDonagh’s death, Archbishop Neary also said:
“Father Enda was known and respected by people of all theological hues and none, and because of the way he wore his learning so lightly, and because of his genuine humility and personal warmth, people felt comfortable in his presence, and enriched by the encounter. While he had well thought-out opinions of his own, he was always utterly respectful of those who had different and sincerely held opinions, and his good-humoured and personable manner always saw to it that nobody felt belittled in a discussion or debate.
Gospel
“While the Archdiocese of Tuam was always proud of the fact that he was a priest of this diocese, he was at home in every diocese because of the simple fact that he taught generations of Irish priests, most of whom served in Ireland, some of whom brought the Gospel to the very ends of the world.”
Archbishop Eamon Martin echoed the condolences, tweeting “Rest in peace, Fr Enda McDonagh. God comfort his family, colleagues and many friends throughout Ireland.”
Archbishop Michael Jackson of the Church of Ireland also paid tribute to the priest-theologian, saying his was “a household name” in Irish religious life.
“Those of us who now take for granted a whole range of human rights and shared ecumenical opportunities are indebted to this soft spoken and fiercely argued man of God and man of ideas – but also man of justice – for the lifting up into the public consciousness of so much that is good and needful,” Archbishop Jackson said.
He continued by saying he had the privilege of knowing him and came away “enriched and humbled” every time he met him.
“He is sorely missed and greatly appreciated. May he rest in peace”, Archbishop Jackson concluded.