REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF SAINT CLARE’S GARDEN HOUSING PROJECT
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF SAINT CLARE’S GARDEN HOUSING PROJECT FOR VINCENT DE PAUL
Cuireann sé áthas ar mo chroí bheith anseo libh inniu. Go raibh maith agaibh as an chuireadh a thug sibh dom agus as fáilte fíorchaoin a chur romham.
I am delighted to have had this opportunity to join you here today on this very happy occasion for the official opening of Saint Clare’s Garden Housing Project. Mixed in with that happiness is a sense of loss that the former President of the St. Peter’s Conference of St. Vincent de Paul – and the man who invited me here, Eddie Bolger - passed away just a few weeks ago. I know that he would have been tremendously proud to witness this day, to witness the fulfilment of so much hard work, not least on his own part. He leaves behind a wonderful legacy of care, concern, involvement and generosity of spirit - a legacy which will blossom in the lives of the many individuals who will find a home in St. Clare’s.
Eddie and countless numbers of people like him who are involved in St. Vincent de Paul around the country are proof of how one life lived well, lived decently, can make such a difference in any community. Their work radiates out, touching the lives of so many others for the better. For over a hundred years in this town, St. Vincent de Paul has been more than just a soft symbol of caring – it has been, and continues to be, a radical voice, a rejection of complacency, a conspiracy of doers to push to the limits the demands of human decency, the belief in the sacredness, the entitlement to respect of each human being. It is a tremendous tribute to the people of Cavan that there are no fewer than five Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul here – proof if any were needed, that our tradition of being a giving and generous people is still very much alive. I take a very particular pride in the continuity of that work, the community fidelity to the mission of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. I also know from first hand how hard the work is, how relentless; my own early days in the Society over thirty years ago when I set up a Conference in my then school, showed me the extent of the need and the extent of commitment needed to meet that need, day in and day out. Much has changed since those days but not the need for St. Vincent de Paul.
These are times of prosperity not experienced before in Ireland, times to be proud of but times too in which the need for services of this kind is in fact growing rather than diminishing. This is no time to get smug or complacent. There are too many people still on the margins watching today’s success, mere spectators not participants.
A very real test of our vision for the future, of what type of society we want to have in this new millennium, will be in how we deal with poverty, with homelessness, with social exclusion. We are the first generation with the resources, the insight and the energy to mainstream opportunity, to draw the margins into the centre. We cannot count ourselves a success unless we achieve this – unless all of our people have the means to live a life of hope and decency, and possess that most basic need of all – a place that they can call home.
Homelessness is a state few people truly understand for it is not just about having a place called home, it is about having a place in society, having a network of support, being rooted, recognised, being inside a complex system in which your life counts. I am not sure if I am the first President to have had a brief personal exposure to homelessness but it was enough to introduce me to the frightening feeling of freefall, of not counting, of being on the outside of a hermetically sealed inside where real life was and which we could no longer access. What my family and I needed most during those days was a sure and helping hand, someone to lead us confidently out of that bizarre and terrifying landscape, someone who had no reason to care about us but who did. We were lucky.
And so, too, are the people of Cavan, to have had individuals like Eddie Bolger and the current Conference President, Tom Tierney, to galvanise support for initiatives such as this. I would like to pay a warm tribute to them, to Cavan County Council which helped to fund the initiative and to the Sisters of Saint Clare for their generous donation of land. I congratulate the many volunteers and fundraisers – never the most popular of tasks – for their wonderful support.
I would also like to wish the residents of St. Clare’s Garden every happiness in their new homes. It takes courage to make a fresh start and I wish you well on that journey.
Thank you once again for inviting me here. Congratulations and best of luck in all your future work.
Go gcúití Dia bhur saothar daoibh. Go raibh maith agaibh.