MAYNOOTH - 17 March 2008 - 430 words
St Patrick's Day message from Bishop Seamus Hegarty
Bishop Séamus Hegarty, Bishop
of Derry and Chair of the Bishops' Council for Emigrants issued
the following message on Saturday:
This year the Solemnity of St Patrick was celebrated on Saturday,
15 March as 17 March falls in Holy Week. As the days of
Holy Week rank above all others in the Liturgical calendar, the
Solemnity must be transferred from its usual date.
Today we celebrate the feast of our National
Patron, Saint Patrick. He brought the message of Christianity
to Ireland. When he came to this land he explored Celtic
Ireland without cynicism or ridicule. His openness to our
traditions did not diminish his own beliefs in the person of Christ
present in all aspects of his life expressed so eloquently in
his prayer entitled Patrick's Breastplate. In fact his openness
created a desire among the Irish, to learn about the personal
loving God that sustained Patrick's own life and his mission.
This is the call to every person of faith today. Taking
Patrick as our model, we need to be fully at home in our own faith
tradition, being able to defend its value and purpose yet able
to dialogue confidently with those of other faith traditions.
As Ireland evolves into a new phase of its growth and development
we are more than ever called to identify our values and
our traditions of belief that are foundational to human dignity
and to a civilised, caring society. The call for a society
that champions integration is first and foremost a call to every
person that believes in a God of Love to integrate these beliefs
into every aspect of life.
Faith and religious belief have too conveniently been ushered
into the realm of the personal and private domains. Patrick's
faith was a very public faith. Christ was part of his every
waking moment, his every human interaction and inspired his every
conversation. His faith and his ability to see Christ's
love present in all things are the foundations of renewal and
hope for a future which places security, peace and harmony as
it's goals.
Patrick shared one thing in common with many of the great prophets
in Sacred Scripture. Abraham, Elijah, Moses, and Saint Paul
all experienced revelations of God's mysterious and unfathomable
love while on journeys. Today, we pray for all who travel
in search of hope and blessing. We think particularly of
our own people who have found new lives in far flung shores and
those who now come to our land. May they, like so many people
in Scripture, and in the previous generations before them, discover
the rich mystery of God's salvific purpose and know the peace
and support that Saint Patrick found for his life. May they
be sustained and nourished and may they enrich those they come
in contact with as Saint Patrick blessed so many in his own time
and in succeeding generations. We thank God for the blessings
that are bestowed on our land by the presence of so many people
from the many countries, backgrounds and traditions that we are
privileged to witness in everyday life but more particularly when
we worship together.
The migrant journey is one filled with hope and expectation.
However there is a growing awareness of the implications of migration,
both for the migrant, and, for sending and receiving societies.
The migrant's journey cannot be made without some serious preparation
and support. The role of Church and voluntary organisations
are essential in this regard. The role of Government is
critical in the development of policy and the provision of financial
resources to those who provide outreach and care to our vulnerable
migrants.
In this regard the Bishops' then Commission for Emigrants welcomed
the Report on Irish Prisoners Abroad launched in August
2007. This Report, the first of its kind commissioned by
the Government and prepared by Chris Flood, is a timely reminder
of the problems faced by Irish prisoners abroad and their families.
The Report, as well as containing important statistical information,
provides a disturbing snapshot of the conditions, problems and
issues faced by prisoners and their families. It also contains
a number of practical recommendations which, if implemented, would
go a long way towards addressing these concerns.
The Bishops' Council for Emigrants now calls on the Government
to renew its commitment to prisoners abroad and their families
by implementing, in full, these recommendations and doing all
it can to alleviate the anxiety and hardship experienced by this
most vulnerable group of emigrants and their families. This
work was undertaken as a result of a promise in the Programme
for Prosperity and Fairness to undertake research to identify
the number of Irish prisoners abroad and their needs for services
in prison (Ireland, 2000).
As more and more people migrate, the work of organizations - such
as the Bishops' Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas will
serve as a template to nations as they face the multi-faceted
challenges posed by migration. It is only right that Ireland
establishes itself as an international leader with regard to services
and supports for citizens abroad.
Source: Irish Catholic Media Office
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