REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OPENING OF A RESOURCE CENTRE AT PARÓQUIA SÃO JOSÉ
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OPENING OF A RESOURCE CENTRE AT PARÓQUIA SÃO JOSÉ, MAGALHÃES BASTOS, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
Dia dhíbh a cháirde.
Bom Dia a todos – hello everybody.
I am very happy to be here with you today and I consider it a great honour and privilege for me to visit São José, Magalhães Bastos and pay tribute to the work of Irish missionaries including Fr. John Cribben.
I know that Fr John has been in Brazil for more than 40 years and here in Magalhães Bastos since 1966. He and his Irish missionary colleagues in this part of Brazil have made a huge personal commitment to working with and for some of the most disadvantaged sections of Brazilian society. Fr John’s work on behalf of prisoners, for example, is characteristic of his tireless efforts to improve the lot of others.
We in Ireland are very proud of the role our missionaries have played through the generations in helping communities in many parts of the world. As President, I consider that I am very privileged because I get to see at first hand the work those remarkable missionaries are doing today and have done for centuries. I am reminded of the words of Bishop Martin Drennan who referred to an old proverb which said that “those who drink the water should remember with gratitude those who dug the well”- and aren’t those words so fitting here today? We are very grateful for the many missionaries, sons and daughters of Ireland, who dug the well that so many drink from today. The world is a better place to live because of them and Ireland is respected as a friend throughout the world because of them.
Here, you who are at the cutting edge of community development work emphasise that what you do is support local initiative rather than supplying solutions from outside. Such an approach requires great patience and commitment but its success is evident in the sense of self-sufficiency that now exists in communities such as yours in which Irish missionaries have worked for many years.
You are used to visitors from Ireland here in Magalhães Bastos because this is by no means the first time that this community has hosted a visit of this sort! As many of you will know the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, was here two and a half years ago and the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Martin Cullen, visited last year. Their admiration for your work prompted me to follow in their footsteps and I am so glad that I did.
This has been a wonderful day in wonderful company. Thank you for the gift of your friendship. I wish your new centre every success and I am certain your work and faith will be vindicated over and over again in the lives of all you serve here with such love and care.
Is iontach an obair atá ar siúl agaibh anseo. Gura fada buan sibh. Go raibh maith agaibh.
Muito obrigada
Thank you.