ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT AT THE MEETING OF SUPERIORS GENERAL OF SOCIETIES OF APOSTOLIC LIFE
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE MEETING OF SUPERIORS GENERAL OF SOCIETIES OF APOSTOLIC LIFE AT DALGAN PARK, NAVAN, CO.
Firstly, I would like to thank you Fr. Murray for your warm words of welcome – a welcome indeed that echoes the friendly greetings I have received in the other places I have visited today – on this short tour of County Meath. It is indeed a great pleasure for me to be invited to look in on your meeting and I am very grateful for this opportunity to spend some time with you.
Earlier this afternoon I visited Kells – just a few miles beyond Navan. For Christians the world over – Kells has a tremendous significance – a significance as the place of origin of the great Book of Kells – which is perhaps the finest example of early Christian art that exists today – and a glowing relic of a golden missionary age - when many monks left this island to spread the Word throughout Europe. Kells today is a modern town – a town very proud of that great Christian heritage – but aware that it is an era that has gone – gone with the changes in society that history has wrought on this island. And if you look at most towns in Ireland – you will notice that they too developed around a monastery or abbey – that it was the Christian presence which spawned early urban ‘civilisation’ in Ireland – as indeed it did elsewhere.
That age of the missionary monks – which is so eloquently represented by places like Kells - has long since passed. The Church - responding to changing circumstances and conditions – moved on to the missionary societies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries – and then to the refocusing of missionary activity arising from Vatican II – identifying more and more with the victims of poverty and exploitation in the developing countries. Indeed, the nature of its current ‘mission’ was very vividly demonstrated within the last 48 hours – with the murder of Bishop Juan Gerardi in Guatemala – a man like so many other bishops, nuns and priests – was concerned about – and worked to redress - human rights abuses.
The continuing changes that are taking place in a world that is developing in seemingly shorter and shorter cycles – brings with it pressure for Christians everywhere to change. Even in the developed world – places where economic prosperity does not necessarily mean a greater level of ‘civilisation’ – where the problem of exclusion continues to grow with the disparity of wealth distribution – even in these places the Christian mission is having to be constantly re-stated and re-applied.
The changes that have taken place in Ireland – particularly over the last two to three decades – have brought new challenges for us too. Sadly we read in today’s paper that there is a growing problem of racism in this country – that asylum-seekers have been advised by Gardai not to go out on their own at night for fear of attack. And for many outsiders – it must seem paradoxical that Christians on this island have found it so difficult to express the basic Christian message of charity – the message for love and respect for others. The prospect of a new departure – a new beginning in the relationships between the traditions and cultures on this island – might well prove to be a catalyst for all of us – within our own churches – to reassess our religious beliefs – and to look to our religious leaders for the guidance which will be required to break down the barriers of prejudice and hatred – barriers that are inconsistent with Christianity.
So the real challenge for all of us – is to meet change – to adapt to it – and to continually refocus and critique what we are aiming for – and how we are striving and working to achieve that goal. The world has always been in a state of change – and we have had to meet the challenges that change brings with it. Today it seems that the pace of changed is far quicker – and that may be so. But the seeming chaos that we sometimes face – the confusion and frustration that we experience in the face of rapid change – can be an opportunity to craft a new order – a new approach to how we go about our ‘mission’.
As you gather here at Dalgan Park – you bring with you the wealth of experience and observation that your great work means to you. Recently, I met with the head of the Irish aid agency, Goal – who went to great lengths to express his admiration and appreciation for the missionary workers in the developing countries of Africa – missionaries who have a great store of knowledge – a great resource that the aid agencies rely on in their work of bringing relief and encouraging local development. Your presence in those countries puts you in a unique position to contribute to the lives of so many people – to shine the Christian light on their sometimes blighted lives – and to bring a modern version of that ‘civilisation’ that the monks of Kells brought to a Europe which was only emerging from the dark ages.
I commend you in your work – and I hope that your deliberations here will be fruitful. I know that you face difficult challenges ahead. But I know that challenge brings out the best in people – especially missionaries!