Becoming a witness to the truth

From a life of music to a life of silence, one chaplain is now listening to the voice of students. Born in 1967, Fr Gerard Magee was reared in a turbulent period when the “troubles were about to break out”. He received a Catholic education from St. Malachy’s College, North Belfast, which was also complemented by the “strong faith environment” in his household. His parents weren’t “pushy” about making everyone attend Mass, he tells The Irish Catholic, and he and his siblings took responsibility for going themselves.

His exposure to religious life, and in particular the many priests on staff in his school was one of the main reasons he felt drawn to the priesthood.

“The character of those men teaching in that school was extraordinary. They were passionate about Catholic education and their subjects,” Fr Gerard says. This “significant sense of integrity” acted a source of inspiration for him to pursue a religious vocation.

This wasn’t an easy choice however, given his love of music as a violinist which meant following his vocation would mean having to “move music to one side as a career option”, he says.

After further study and becoming ordained, his passions converged when he eventually returned to St Malachy’s to teach music as a priest. In 1995, he was invited to become Orchestra Manager of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, where a “terrific relationship” developed.

Shock

“It was quite a shock for the orchestra. I stood up in front of them and half their jaws hit the floor because I was wearing a collar”, he says, adding that the musicians were extraordinarily respectful to him. Music, he explains, is a tool for him, as it is a vehicle for the expression of the “beautiful and the good”.

“Music becomes a vocabulary for the very deepest part of the human person” he says, adding that it enhances the liturgy and allows people to participate in it at another level.

In 2004, he decided to leave teaching and joined the Cistercian Order in Our Lady of Bethlehem Abbey in Portglenone, which he described as a “different path, a wonderful path”. In contrast with the hustle and bustle of teaching life, Fr Gerard embraced disciplines like silence and solitude, garnered a deeper understanding of reading the Word of God, and lived in a community with men who had the same purpose and mindset in life.

“It was very formative, very challenging. I left behind all of the things that had shaped me – music, academic and public life – for a cloistered life,” he says.

“I was primarily motivated for a greater desire for silence,” he explains, adding that the principles of the Cistercians were a formative influence in his life, such as community, obedience and humility.

In 2014, he became a member of staff in Cistercian College at Mt St Joseph Abbey, Roscrea, and during this time felt the need to return to apostolic ministry. With a space open for a Catholic chaplain in Queen’s University Belfast, Fr Gerard was appointed to the position.

Fr Gerard now works principally with students, guiding them in numerous areas whether it be academic, pastoral or faith related.

“It’s just perpetual motion. To be involved in it is very life giving for the chaplain. Since I’ve come here, there is a genuine desire and thirst for young people to have some form of spiritual life and give that spiritual life a concrete expression in their own lives,” he said.

One of his aims as chaplain is to marry intellectual formation to faith expression. This was achieved recently on Ash Wednesday when students received the Church’s catechism for young people (YouCat) after attending Mass.

“That was an invitation for those young students to begin the discovery of reengaging with their faith, which by nature is a questioning faith”, Fr Gerard explained.

In opposition to those who believe that the youth are not interested in matters of the Church or faith development, Fr Gerard’s experience as a chaplain has affirmed that many young people are still deeply religious and yearning for more knowledge about their beliefs.

He said that on a Sunday evening, the chapel is almost always full of students, and there are many who want to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation.

“My experience of the youth today is not that they are generally falling away or rejecting the Church, not at all”, he said.

Three facets which are important to young people today, said Fr Gerard, are identity, belonging and community. Students want to know who they are and how to become the person they want to become; they want to be part of something of which they have a part; and also, be an active participant in a body of people who are like-minded.

The chaplaincy acts as a platform to discern students’ needs by asking them what they would like rather than imposing certain models.

As an example of this, Fr Gerard points out that he asks students what they want him to preach about, with answers ranging from, Purgatory, Church authority and conflicting passages in the Gospel accounts. “What do you need? That really governs every aspect of our life in the chaplaincy,” he says, adding that “people need a space to be able to think”.

Although it can be a challenge to articulate a confident Catholic voice on campus in the face of “aggressive slogans and agendas”, Fr Gerard thinks it is paramount to continue to “witness to the truth you believe in no matter the circumstance”.

In spite of this challenge, he thanks God that it’s such a busy place. “It’s a privilege to be in this setting. It’s a privilege and a real grace.”