Archbishop Diarmuid Martin ordains Fr Frank Drescher.
Photo: John Mc Elroy The Church will not grow through fresh strategies alone, but only when priests underline the importance of God’s love for everyone, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has insisted.
Speaking in Dublin’s pro-cathedral on Tuesday during the ordination to the priesthood of Fr Frank Drescher, Dr Martin insisted that the Church must change to meet the needs of a changed culture while remaining true to the unchanging nature of the Gospel.
He said that the proclamation of the Gospel in contemporary culture “is a challenging task, not least in the challenging times in which we live.
“I entrust you and your life to the Lord as you begin your ministry as a priest, just as I draw near the end of my ministry as Archbishop of Dublin and indeed towards the twilight of my life,” Dr Martin said addressing Fr Drescher.
Strategies
Dr Martin – who turned 75 in April and therefore submitted his resignation to Pope Francis – admitted that he is someone “who by nature attempts to analyse and who thinks in terms of planning and strategies”.
However, he said that “the big challenge today is one for which it is more difficult to plan: that challenge is change. Change always involves an encounter with the unknowns of the future. The religious culture of Ireland is changing. The change is rapid and profound,” he said.
Asking where “men and women immersed in the secularised culture of society find faith nourishment,” the archbishop told Fr Drescher that the Church must “do this not through routine or pre-packaged programmes and strategies…you must be one who exudes passion not for structures and personal standing but for the God who is love,” he said.