Cardinal-elect Brady regards new role ?as an honour for Church in Ireland?

by Tom Carron

THERE is undoubted pride and joy in his native parish of Laragh, in Co Cavan and throughout the Diocese of Kilmore at the announcement from the Holy See last week that the Pope would make Archbishop Sean Brady a Cardinal at a consistory to take place in Rome on November 24.

  A native of Drumcalpin, Tullycoe, Archbishop Brady was a Professor at St Patrick's College, Cavan, from 1967 to 1980 when he was appointed Vice Rector of the Irish College in Rome. He later served as Rector of the Irish College in Rome from 1987 to 1993 returning to Ireland to become Parish Priest in Castletara which was a prelude to his being appointed Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.

  In an interview given to the Anglo Celt in Ara Coeli last Friday the new Cardinal-elect reflects on the appointment and what it means for him and the Irish Church. He also gives his views on a wide range of issues including the decline in vocations, the challenges facing the Church in  Ireland as well as his hopes for Northern Ireland.

Asked what his elevation to the College of Cardinals means for himself, the Archdiocese of Armagh and the people of Ireland, Archbishop Brady said that he felt greatly honoured by the Holy Father having nominated him to be created Cardinal. "I regard it not just as an honour for myself but for the Church in Ireland and in a special way for the Church here in Armagh, the See of St Patrick.

  "It is a humbling and rather daunting honour but I know it has caused much joy here in Armagh and throughout other parts of Ireland", said the Cardinal Elect.

  Archbishop Brady said he received messages of congratulations, good wishes, and assurances of prayer from people from all walks of life.

"One of the most touching messages was from Father Fergus Clarke OFM who is a native of Virginia, a former priest of the Diocese of Kilmore and a former colleague on the staff of St Patrick's College. He is now in Ein Karem in the Holy Land, birthplace of John the Baptist", stated the Archbishop whose own full name is Sean Baptist Brady.

  One of the first to congratulate him early last Wednesday morning was the Church of Ireland Primate of Ireland, Archbishop Harper. He also received messages of congratulations from Lord and Lady Eames, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, Rev John Finlay as well as from Rev Roy Cooper, President of the Methodist Church in Ireland. President Mary McAleese and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern also sent their best wishes as did politicians from across the political spectrum in the North.

New duties

When asked about his new duties the Cardinal-elect  acknowledged that he will be one of 121 Cardinals who will have a vote in the election of a future Pope. Archbishop Brady added that Cardinals also offer advice to the Holy Father when asked to do so.

  "Pope John Paul developed this quite a lot, calling Cardinals together in special consistory if he wanted to discuss something major. Realistically it will also mean invitations to represent the Irish Church in various places but I hope it won't change greatly,'' he said.

 On the major challenges facing the Church in Ireland, the Catholic Primate said one of the greatest challenges is to achieve a renewal of faith in the face of many distractions in today's society.

  "I welcome the economic progress and the social progress but I would hope it won't be at the cost of losing something very valuable like our faith, one of the outstanding possessions of our people throughout the ages. That is a big challenge. In the words of Pope Benedict to the Irish bishops last year our mission must be to 'be bold in speaking of the joy that comes from following Christ','' said the Archbishop.

  He recalled his attendance at a meeting in Fatima which discussed a report on the status of marriage across Europe. Marriage was meeting many difficulties, he said and a big challenge for the Church is to promote and defend the institution of marriage and family life.

Asked about the decline in vocations to the priesthood Archbishop Brady said; "I think this is really a crisis in faith in the ordained ministry. There are two sacraments for the good of society, marriage and ordination. Marriage is to bring new people into the world and to promote the good of the species. With regard to ordination I was ordained to serve the people of Kilmore; somehow we have lost sight of the good that lies at the heart of the ordained ministry. I think we need to revive our faith in the ordained ministry and speak about the great work that priests do in sharing in the work of Jesus Christ."

Importance of the Eucharist

He stated that parents hand on the faith to their children, as do teachers. However, the priest celebrates the Mass and that is fundamental to the Church, he said.

  "The Eucharist makes the Church and without the Eucharist there would be no Church. By the same token the Church makes the Eucharist and if you don't have the Church you haven't got the Eucharist. I think we bishops and priests need to talk more about our experiences of God in the priesthood. We don't speak enough about what God means to us. We also have to show more of the joy that we receive from serving God in the priesthood and to speak more positively of the value of the priestly life," stated Archbishop Brady.

  On whether or not there is likely to be changes to the rule regarding celibacy, the Cardinal-elect said he personally doesn't think it is going to change.

  "Realistically I don't think it is going to change and there is no point in saying that it will. I know that it is one of the big obstacles in that young men think that they can't be happy in life if they don't have a sexually active life but that is a big slur on a whole lot of people like bachelors, widowers for example," he said.

New eaconate to play worthy role

  The Catholic Primate of All-Ireland revealed that the Church is now in the process of bringing in a permanent Deaconate to assist the ordained clergy in the carrying out of their duties.

  "The permanent Deaconate will be introduced into Ireland within the next couple of years. Married men can become Deacons and already there have been numerous applications for the permanent Deaconate in the United States. Deacons can preach the Word of God; they can celebrate baptisms, witness marriages, prepare people for the sacraments, can receive remains and perform burial ceremonies in the cemeteries", said the Archbishop.

 "I would express the hope that people who feel attracted would come forward. I know there are plenty of good people around who would make excellent Deacons", stated Archbishop Brady.

Talking up the priesthood

 Returning to issue of vocations to the priesthood, Archbishop Sean Brady accepted that parents may be a bit nervous about encouraging their sons to consider the priesthood as a career and life vocation. He believes parents should encourage their sons to seriously consider the priesthood and to reflect on the very important work that priests do in the life of the Church. The Archbishop also expressed the view that bishops and priests themselves could assist in the promotion of vocations by showing their happiness with their priestly life.

"We don't talk up the priesthood enough and express the satisfaction that priests enjoy from serving God", said the Archbishop.

  On the issue of involving the laity to a greater extent in the life of the Church, the Cardinal Elect said the Church is committed to giving lay people increased responsibility in Church affairs.

Important milestone

Archbishop Sean Brady's leading of a delegation from the Catholic Church to a meeting with Rev Ian Paisley and other DUP representatives last October was an important milestone on the road to greater understanding. Asked if he was happy at the progress being made the Archbishop said he was confident about the future.

"I am very hopeful for the future and very pleased that people are not just talking to each other but are working together. I was in Stormont last week and there was a note of reality about the place – they were concerned about bread and butter issues. The Pope made a great speech when welcoming the new Ambassador to the Holy See in that he said that the Northern Ireland Peace Process could be an inspiration for other countries but it was necessary to make the peace last. In the Pope's words there needed to be three things: reconciliation, mutual respect and forgiveness. It has been an historic time. Dialogue and the creation of trust must go on all the time," said Archbishop Brady.

Importance of family roots

 Speaking about his roots in  Laragh and in Co Cavan the Archbishop said that as he grew older he became more and more aware of how much he owes his late father and mother.

  "They were farmers, they made great sacrifices, as did all their friends and neighbours. They had a great fidelity to the faith – they walked to Mass not alone every Sunday but every First Thursday and First Friday", he said. He also values his happy relationship with his family including his brother, Con and wife, Bernadette, their sons Andrew and Philip; and his sister Kitty and her husband, Gus, and daughter Andrea.

Archbishop Brady describes the 13 years he spent teaching in St Patrick's College, Cavan, as being the happiest years of his life. He recalled colleagues like Ray Dunne and the late Fr Dan Gallogly and said he believes the late Fr Gallogly would take great joy from the announcement from Rome that he (the Archbishop) was to be made a Cardinal and he was confident that Father Dan was praying for him from his Heavenly home.

  A happy event for him in recent times was the reunion of the St Pat's Leaving Certificate class of 1957.

Importance of GAA

A life long GAA enthusiast Archbishop Sean played Gaelic football at all levels. He was a valued member of the St Pat's McRory Cup teams during his years at the college and went on to play for Cavan at minor level.

"I want to greet my many friends in the GAA and to thank them for their good wishes. I gained a lot of enjoyment out of playing football. The GAA is a wonderful fraternity and its members have shown great dedication over the years", he said.

  He continues to follow the fortunes of Cavan football and due to his position as Archbishop of Armagh always keeps a close eye on the fortunes of counties such as Armagh, Louth and Tyrone over which the Armagh diocese stretches. He jokingly states that the successful run of Crossmaglen Rangers maybe due to the fact that he blessed the Aras at the GAA club grounds in Cross a number of years ago.