Feast of St Ignatius of Loyola
Homily of Archbishop Dermot Farrell

Church of St Francis Xavier, Gardiner Street
Wednesday, July 31, 2024

I come here this evening to celebrate Mass on the Feast of St Ignatius of Loyola, a soldier dedicated to advancing his own glory who became, under the influence of grace, a soldier fighting for the greater glory of God.

“Only One Thing is Necessary” (Luke 10:42)
My visit also coincides with the new pastoral role of St Francis Xavier Church will play in this area as it seeks to discern how best to proclaim of the Gospel and witness it in the reality of daily life. We have in Gardiner Street a Christian community in the north-inner city that is living and active. I have no doubt that the new parish community that will now be centred in St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral will develop and grow in the years ahead. St Francis Xavier Church, Gardiner Street, will form a new relationship with the Diocese and continue to be staffed by the Jesuits as place for the celebration of the Eucharist and to promote the evangelising mission of the Church in the Ignatian tradition.

With such change, it is normal to feel emotional – sad, grateful, appreciative for what was received; what will not be lost, however, is the good work that was carried out here by people and priests. This evening, while we bring to an end the 50-year old history of the parish, we must remember that the faith does not reside in buildings, but in the lives of people of this community. We do not hang on to one fleeting thing over another passing thing. We cling only to that which gives glory to God (1 Cor 10: 31). We look forward on the pilgrimage of faith that still continues in the knowledge that Christ is the centre of our spirituality and our faith. St Ignatius was clear that “no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid: that foundation is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 3:11).

The Charism of the Jesuits
The Jesuits carried out wonderful pastoral ministry in this area during the last fifty years renewing the vitality of the parish through Ignatius’s principle of “contemplation in action”, and indeed since 1832 as a church for prayer, worship and mercy. The Jesuit Fathers who served here, and the community they served, can be proud of their mission. I have no doubt that they will continue to be true to their charism and to the vision of their founder, St Ignatius, some by responding to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, the migrants and refugees.  Others will challenge our culture by powerful preaching, by courageous challenges to congregations who face an uncertain future and the deceptively attractive, but often shallow and frightening world young people are facing. They will “act as if everything depended on [them]; trust as if everything depended on God.” (Attributed to St. Ignatius Loyola, see. Joseph de Guibert, SJ, The Jesuits: Their Spiritual Doctrine and Practice, (Chicago: Loyola University Press, 1964), 148, n. 55.).

Reading and responding to ‘the signs of the times’
To preach the Gospel effectively, every generation needs to read and respond to the “signs of the times”. After fifty years of flourishing, Gardiner Street Parish has come into different times. In 1974 the population of this parish was almost entirely Catholic. According to the most recent census 33% of the population identifies as Catholic. Taken together with the decline in priestly vocations, and declining number of priests available for active ministry, this changing reality presents a challenge that cannot be ignored. We need to change so that we can continue to serve our parishes in the best way possible, recognising epochal changes taking place in society, culture and the lives of the people.

The Society of Jesus and Its Focus
The Jesuits, who face similar challenges to the Archdiocese, must focus on their calling and consider their response to the call of God in the light of the available resources. Like the Archdiocese, they too have a responsibility to prioritise among the plurality of competing commitments. With an aging and declining membership, people in leadership must retain the initiative in forwarding the mission of the Society. It was against this background that the Provincial informed me last September that the Society of Jesus would relinquish the running of the parish of Gardiner Street to the Archdiocese.

Responding to a Changing Pastoral Situation
During the past year, priests and people in both parishes have reflected on the new reality. Change is never easy, but we must face the challenge together. I recognise that there may be a certain loss in these necessary changes, but there is also a gain. What we grew up with exists no more; we mourn that loss. However, we are asked to find new ways to permit the Church to live in new times. In the past the Lord gave strength and courage to our parents and grandparents who struggled to build and sustain their parish communities. Today, as we welcome the new opportunities in this time of transition, the Lord will be with us too. One of the more striking and plaintive statements of Jesus in the Gospels is: “Can you not read the signs of the times?” (Matt 16:3). As the Archbishop of the diocese, I invite you to look honestly and prayerfully at the situation in the diocese and at the Building Hope pastoral plan to provide for the celebration of the sacraments in our parishes in the short to medium term. Similar to the Irish Province of the Society of Jesus, the governance of the Diocese cannot become primarily reactive to factors outside its control. When this happens “dynamism is lost and the initiation of anything new becomes impossible.” While acknowledging that parishes have traditions and histories, and from their establishment have played a fundamental role in the life of Christians: that of proclaiming the Gospel, we must come to the realisation that we have inherited old structures, while the mission is now carried out in complex and ever-changing contexts. (see Timothy Radcliffe OP, “Religious Life: Candlemas Time?” Pages 301–29 in Envisioning Futures for the Catholic Church, edited by Staf Hellemans and Peter Jonkers. Washington DC: The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, 2018. Here page 305).

Walking and Talking Together on the Way Forward
A living parish is a missionary community that walks and talks together. This is what Pope Francis means when he speaks about the Church as synod. “Synod” means walking and talking to each other. In its essence Church is a people who walk together (Saint John Chrysostom). Good things happen when people walk and talk together. We inspire each other, we carry each other’s burdens. We shorten the journey: gioraíonn beirt bóthar as the Irish proverb says.

The beating heart of the entire Christian life and the centre of every community gathered around the altar is the Eucharist. Pope Francis reiterated this, urging us “to give a central place to the Eucharist in our lives. It is the Eucharist that makes us live the life of Christ and makes the Church.” (General Audience, 19 June 2019). At every Mass, we remember Jesus, we re-enact: we take bread, we bless it, we break it and we give it to each other. “Do this in memory of me.” At every Mass we are called to recognise Him in the world around us, to let our fears be transformed (see Luke 24:32–35), to let our spirits be raised, to receive the courage to face new realities, and find new heart for the road ahead.

Change is always difficult. It inevitably involves uncertainty and fear is a natural response. However, the story of our Christian lives is filled with beginnings. We move forward in the firm belief that the Lord is with his people (Matt 18:20, 28:20), that the Holy Spirit guides and directs us in this endeavour (see Gal 4:6–7). As we walk together we are assured that the Risen Lord engages us in our talking and opens new pathways of faith, hope and love for the people of the merged parishes of Gardiner Street and St Mary’s. Let us go forth together, in nomine Domini, placing our trust in the One who calls us and who is faithful.

Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us

St Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us.
St Francis Xavier, pray for us,
Blessed John Sullivan, pray for us.

 +Dermot Farrell
Archbishop of Dublin