Michael Kelly
Just how toxic discussions about the Church and priests and religious have become in Ireland was evidenced a few years ago when novelist Marian Keyes suggested people throw stones if they see a priest.
“No matter how ‘nice’ a priest is, no matter how many raffles he runs, he is still a foot soldier for a f****d-up misogynistic regime,” she said before posting a weepy message to social media days later claiming it was all a big joke. No-one was laughing, but the fact that there was little to no backlash against Ms Keyes was telling of the fact that it’s open season on religious sisters, brothers and priests.
The report of the mother and baby home commission unleashed another round of the ‘nasty nun’ caricature. I’m not talking about the honest and justified criticism religious congregations received over their failures and even cruelties, but there is too often a push to tar everyone with the same brush. Why aren’t the countless kindnesses by heroic and saintly sisters over many generations added to the balance sheet? Why is it always the actions of those who betrayed the Gospel that are to the fore?
While not ignoring the shameful wrongdoing and institutional failures to live by the values we profess, Ireland’s priests and religious deserve a huge ‘thank you’ for their tireless work.
Convent
There are convents and religious houses all over this country with retired sisters, brothers and priests who gave their lives in constant service whether in education, healthcare of caring for the most vulnerable members of society. Sometimes even in the Church we don’t consider them, they are treated like an embarrassing reminder of what has been exposed in the reports as if all are guilty by virtue of the sins of some.
Our religious received a welcome (and overdue) affirmation this week from the incoming Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell
“They [religious] have been at the forefront of renewal in the Church, taking bold initiatives, and making significant sacrifices, putting flesh on the hope that was within them,” he said in the homily at his installation Mass on Tuesday (see page 12).
Crucially, he was quick not to consign them to history: “This is not a mission that belongs to the past. In another age, they were at the forefront of addressing the educational, social, and health of those who risked being left behind. Today they continue their prophetic ministry in the service of those whom our society might prefer not to see: those who suffer from addiction, those who struggle to put food on the table, women trafficked, those without a roof over their heads, or a front door of their own,” he said.
Reminder
It is a timely reminder that this work goes on: quietly, patiently and without fanfare. It goes on in every community in Ireland and indeed abroad. Missionaries return from long and difficult ministries overseas and their first thought when they return to Ireland to – in theory – retire is: what more can I do? They are keen to work with parishes and communities in Ireland to help people experience the love of God and have an encounter with Jesus Christ.
The work of religious today – whether working with the vulnerable or helping people to deepen their relationship with God – continues to be a vital part of the life of the Church.