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Our Blessing and Sending Forth
Liturgy for Fr. Sean....
Parishioner Maria Dunne invites Fr. Sean to stand at the
foot of sanctuary
as we send him forth from Phibsboro 26th June 2002
Jesus Christ came to our world in
the service of humanity.
Do you promise to serve the people of Glasgow with whom
you will work and worship in His spirit of justice and love ?
I do
Jesus wept with those in pain,
challenged the proud and fed those, whose souls hungered for truth.
Do you promise to announce His radical message where you will live and
work ?
I do
Jesus lived his life of justice on
the streets and roads of Palestine in the same way as He did when He was
alone. Do you promise to strive for the same integrity in your own
life ?
I do
Jesus came that we may life to the
full and washed people in the waters of their baptism. Do you
promise to show others the fruits of the Spirit in the face of adversity
and seeming failure?
I do
Fr. Sean
You have worked with vision and integrity here in Phibsboro
You have shown us the fruits of our baptism and the challenges which being
a disciple presents us with.
You have worked to nourish our experience of God
You have opened many doors of welcome to peoples of all races and in so
doing you challenged our way of hearing the Gospels
May God the Father, God the Son
and God the Holy Spirit
fill you with faith, hope and love
May the waters of your baptism bring you courage and joy
May your heart find peace and your soul find comfort in the truth
Through your most difficult days may the Spirit burn within you and bring
God's wisdom to you
We will miss you but we send you forth in the knowledge
that God will care for you
and that your love of the Gospels must bring you to other peoples.
Go forth in the love of God
We ask this through Christ our
Lord Amen.
Home
Homily by
Fr. Colm McAdam, CM
When studying for the priesthood and learning about the liturgy of the
Mass many of us were continually reminded of the maxim! ‘By your
“entrance” and your “exit” shall they know you’!!!
This evening, we remember Fr. Sean’s “entrance”
amongst us in January 1997. as you’ll no doubt recall, that was a time of
great pain and grief in our parish-community. Hopefully, though, we have
moved on from those days, albeit in a small way.
In the First Reading, we’re reminded that one of the
tasks of a pastor is to ‘order the lives of the faithful, minister to
their needs and build up the frame of Christ’s body.’ Fr. Sean’s
frequent use of a borrowed mantra, ‘We love this place, O God, this
ground…’ manifested itself in the “re-ordering” of this beautiful
church building so as to make it a more fitting place to worship in:
- Setting up the Chapel of Adoration and the shrines
in place of the now over-abundance of confessionals;
- Embellishing the walls with icons another of which
we will bless after this Mass;
- Overseeing the installation of the radio link,
ensuring that every member of the parish-community could join in
worship;
- Re-arranging the times of Masses to allow for
lesser but (hopefully) better Masses; and perhaps most
importantly,
- Putting the roof back on the building.
‘Some Christ has called to be apostles,…
prophets,… evangelists, or pastors, or teachers.’ During Fr. Sean’s
term as pastor we have witnessed the establishing of a much needed
structure – the Parish Office, with its excellent team. Like the massive
invasion into our lives of the mobile phone, one may wonder how we got on
without a parish office before! The appointment of an Administrator of the
“plant” was a further step in enabling Fr. Sean’s fellow-priests to
minister more fruitfully to the needs of the people. So too was the much
needed renovation of the Presbytery.
As Vincentians, however, we cannot be content to work
within the strict parameters of the parish. Like Jesus himself,
St. Vincent de Paul come to bring the Good News to the poor –
whoever and wherever they may be. That’s why Fr. Sean was not slow in
setting up together with Fr. Brian Moore and Sr. Breege Keenan, the
Vincentian Refugee Centre, and also to keep before our mind the needs
of the Travelling People. Some people may not have been too
comfortable with such a focus, but we are called to be an inclusive Church
– caring about and caring for the marginalized, those living
“on the edge”. It’s not surprising therefore that Fr. Sean’s next
appointment with be to serve in a very poor parish in Glasgow.
Two “E” words further characterized Fr. Sean’s
ministry amongst us, the first of these being education. In a
community with a very high number of senior citizens, he was concerned for
the education of the young. With that in mind, he set about – and
not without much “blood, sweat and tears” – amalgamating the three schools
of St. Peter’s! Thankfully, however, it has worked out very well. Even
some of the most vehement opponents of the merger are now enthusiastically
in favour of it!
The second “E” word is ecumenism. Fr. Sean’s
close links with Canon David Pierpoint (who, happily, is with us this
evening along with his wife Denise), from All Saints Church, Grangegorman
is further evidence of his intent on preventing St. Peter’s from becoming
a “holy huddle”. ‘There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one
God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all’.
Fr. Sean wouldn’t readily admit to being an outright
extravert. But Christ uses all sorts of people and personalities in
his work of building up the Kingdom of God. Besides, nobody has all the
gifts! ‘Each one of us has been given their own share of grace, given
as Christ-allotted it.’ It’s how we make use of our gifts that
matters in the end.
‘By your “entrance” and your “exit” shall they
know you.’ Fr. Sean “exits” St. Peter’s having used his
particular gifts in the service of this parish-community. One of the
slogans used in the recent General Election was – ‘A lot done. More to
do’. As Fr. Sean leaves us, that slogan could well be adapted to read:
‘A lot done. Much to be grateful for.’
Fr. Colm McAdam, C.M.
26th June 2002
Prophets of a Future not our own
Fr. Sean's Farewell Address to the Parish
Community
-26th June 2002
 When John F.
Kennedy accepted the Democratic nomination for the Presidency of the
United States of America he spoke with great passion to the people of
America. He said, "We stand today on the edge of a new frontier...
but the New Frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises - it is a
set of challenges. It sums up not what I intend to offer the
American people, but what I intend to ask of them".
On Wednesday 26th June
we gathered as a community to celebrate the last six years in the life of
the parish, and I take this opportunity to personally express my gratitude
to you, the people of St. Peter's, for the generosity, courage and
commitment you have shown in so many ways, in responding to the challenges
of the day, and this tradition continues today.
We acknowledged the
contribution that has been made in recent times, to the unfolding of the
dreams for our parish. Looking back over the last few years let me
highlight a few significant developments. We have secured the future
of our school by amalgamation. We have safeguarded the roof of this
church, which was under the threat of dry rot. We have opened
our doors to Asylum Seekers and migrant workers and we have offered
accommodation to the Parish of the Travelling People. We have
welcomed De Paul Trust Ireland, an organisation which cares for young
people who are at risk to homelessness and addiction. We have
freshened up our church and buildings, which were 'tired' due to the
passage of time. How could we forget the league and cup double for
Bohemian Football Club ? We eagerly await the production of our CD
"The Cry of the Poor" in which we celebrate in word, music and song the
mission of St. Peter's.
Over these last few
days, many people have paid tribute to me for the contribution I have made
to St. Peter's and told me how pleased they are with what I have achieved.
This brought to my mind the film, "The Field" based on John B. Keane's
play of the same name. In the film there is a scene in which the
leading character, "Bull McCabe" is admiring the field he has nurtured
with his own hands. He is visited by the 'returning yank' who says
to him, "Isn't God wonderful to create such a work of art !" Bull
McCabe replies with tongue in cheek, "You should have seen that field when
God was working on his own !".
Like the field, nothing
that has been achieved here in St. Peter's has been done so
single-handedly. The work of these last years has indeed been a team
effort and each member of that team is important. The domestic,
office, church and maintenance staff, have all played their part in rising
to the challenge and I could not have continued without them. Also,
I would like to publicly acknowledge my gratitude to my fellow Vincentians,
who have encouraged, supported as well as challenged me these past years.
However, above all, it
is you the parishioners who are to be praised. I have often said
that 'things don't happen - it is people who make them happen.' It
has been your willingness to place your baptismal gifts at the disposal of
the community, which have enhanced St. Peter's. It has been your
faithfulness, your prayers and your generosity that has ensured that the
spirit of Jesus Christ, the spirit of Vincent de Paul is the foundation of
all that we do.
As I leave St. Peter's I do so with many
fond memories and experiences; I leave with many hopes fulfilled and
friendships formed. I leave with gratitude in my heart to God for
having called me to serve you as a Vincentian Priest at this particular
time. I leave filled with confidence that under the guidance of Fr.
Brian Moore you will continue in the best tradition to respond to the
challenges of tomorrow. Allow me to finish with the words of
Archbishop Oscar Romero...
This is what we are about:
We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for God's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders,
ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
(Extract from Prophet of a Future not our own by
Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero)
As I take up my new
appointment in Glasgow, I do so in the sure knowledge that with God
everything is possible. So I ask that you remember me in your
prayers, as I will you.
Fr.
Sean Farrell, CM
Address from his
Mass of Thanksgiving 26th June 2002
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