- “Saint Patrick, intercede for Ireland!” – homily of Archbishop Eamon Martin during 7.30pm Evening Prayer to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral
Homily
There’s a beautiful Latin hymn that is sometimes sung on the anniversary of the dedication of a church:
Locus iste a Deo factus est: This place was made by God!
Every time I visit this beautiful cathedral of Saint Patrick, look up at the splendid ceiling and see the colourful light spilling in through the stained glasses windows, I cannot help thinking: “This place was made by God”!
People who come here – of various Christian traditions, other faiths, even people who profess no particular faith or belief – are touched by the beauty of this place, because the Cathedral points us to something beyond our senses: to the Transcendent God, ‘Three in One and One in Three’, who is Truth and Beauty itself.
Visiting Saint Patrick’s Cathedral is not like entering a museum or art gallery. This is the Lord’s house; it is a living space of prayer which is deeply sacred. For a century and a half, people have come here to lift their hearts and minds to God: in praise and thanksgiving; in sorrow and petition and intercession. I think of all the baptisms, the first communion and confirmation ceremonies, the weddings and funerals that have taken place here. Imagine the millions of prayers that have been offered up here in times of joy and sadness; worry and happiness. I think of all the candles lit quietly in prayer, and faithful people asking God’s help with important relationships, decisions or exams; placing their hopes and fears before God.
The foundation stone of the Cathedral was laid by Archbishop William Crolly on Saint Patrick’s Day, 1840. There is a plaque just here on the sanctuary steps which commemorates that joyful moment for the Catholics of Ireland. That was like a renaissance moment after Catholic Emancipation – to have our own Cathedral here in Armagh, the see of Saint Patrick, after centuries of discrimination and exclusion. No wonder twenty to thirty thousand people turned up for the occasion!
But sadly, within a few years, the Great Famine hit Ireland and work on the new cathedral had to be suspended; the funds raised were distributed for the relief of the poor – Archbishop Crolly himself died of cholera in Drogheda on Good Friday in 1849. His body was taken back here to Armagh and he was laid to rest near this very spot in his unfinished cathedral.
It wasn’t until six years later, at Easter 1854, that the construction recommenced under the leadership of Primate Joseph Dixon, with a new architect and a revised design. But Primate Dixon himself died unexpectedly before the work was finished and it fell to Archbishop Daniel McGettigan to complete the Cathedral. He declared Sunday 24 August 1873 as the day of opening and dedication. Massive crowds from all over Ireland, and beyond, gathered in Armagh for the occasion
Our Cathedral that day would have looked very different to what we are used to today. The structure was the same of course, but much of the decoration and adornment had yet to be added. Subsequent years and decades would see the addition of the stained glass windows, the Stations of the Cross, the great Telford organ, the amazing mosaics, the painted ceiling, the marbles and carvings, the carillon of bells. Outside the Cathedral, here on Sandy Hill, the famous terraced steps, the sacristy, the synod hall and the gate lodge would all come later, as would the bishop’s residence and offices at Ara Coeli.
It must have been very moving on that day of dedication to witness the anointing of the first altar of this Cathedral with Chrism: the altar, a symbol of Christ, the Anointed One, Christ the High Priest, who offered the sacrifice of his life on the cross for our salvation.
The walls of the cathedral were also anointed with Holy Chrism during the dedication, at twelve places; the candles you see lit along the walls this evening mark the spots where Archbishop McGettigan anointed the building.
Since 1873, the people of God in the Archdiocese have continued to restore, decorate, and maintain this beautiful cathedral. It has been rededicated on several occasions after major works in 1904; 1982, 2003. This weekend we thank God for the skills of the craftsmen and women who have worked on the Cathedral over the years, and for the generosity of countless people in Ireland and around the world who contributed during hard times, making great sacrifices to hand on this sacred space to us. Huge generosity came from the Irish diaspora, especially in America and Canada, and locally too from many of our Protestant neighbour
Of course, no matter how splendid a Church building may be, we should always remember that the Church is made up of people – “living stones, making a spiritual house” (1Pet 2), and Christ is the cornerstone and sure foundation of the Church. One day this beautiful Cathedral will eventually fall into ruin or be replaced. What is really important is we keep alive the faith and hope that this place represents and hand on the faith to our children and grandchildren. Wouldn’t it be a shame if this beautiful Cathedral ceased to be a living house of prayer and ended up as simply another interesting tourist stop for visitors to Armagh.
That depends on us – to be like our patron, Saint Patrick, who saw himself as an ambassador for Christ. Saint Patrick was a faithful and fearless witness who said he simply couldn’t be silent about God, and wanted to shout out aloud about all that God had done for him here in the land of his captivity. For Patrick, being a missionary was a ‘holy and wonderful work’, something for which he was prepared to suffer insults, falsehoods, opposition, imprisonment, and, if necessary, even willingly give up his life.
During the past few weeks, at Masses on the top of Croagh Patrick, and on the Hill of Slane, I recalled the dream of Saint Patrick’s in which he heard the voice of the Irish people calling out: “We beg you, holy boy, to come and walk again among us.” Tonight, here in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral city of Armagh, I call out once more: Saint Patrick, intercede for Ireland! Come and walk once more among us. Inspire in us a determination to work for the renewal of faith, hope and love here in our land.
In a few moments, I will bless and dedicate a new icon of Saint Patrick which has been prayerfully and lovingly written for the Cathedral by the Redemptoristine sisters of Drumcondra in Dublin. I ask that we all pray before the icon for the grace of God – the Three in One, and One in Three – to raise up strong ambassadors, witnesses and missionaries for Christ from among us. Our need is great, for sadly, many sons and daughters of Ireland are drifting away from the practice of the faith; some may even have abandoned God.
Dear friends, now it is our turn to shout aloud the message of salvation and share with others the difference that a foundation of faith makes to our lives. The best way to win souls for Christ these days is to witness ‘heart to heart’, to speak the truth with love, and attract others to God by the example of our lives.
Brothers and sisters, like Saint Patrick we cannot, and should not be silent about God’s love. We have work to do! The work of Saint Patrick – to rekindle the flame of faith in our own hearts, in our families, our diocese and across the whole of this island – north, south, east and west. Thanks be to God for our faith, for our hope in the Risen Christ, and for the love and charity that brings us all together this evening in this splendid Cathedral of which we are rightly so proud.
Locus iste a Deo factus est. This is the Lord’s house. Thanks be to God.
Saint Patrick, pray for us.
- Sister Angela reflects on new icon marking the 150th dedication of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh:
Sister Angela explains her writing of the icon in the following way:
“In writing this icon, continuous prayer was offered for a renewal of faith in the hearts of the people of Ireland, that all our lives may be filled with the light of Christ. Prayers of thanksgiving were also offered for all those who are ‘light bearers’ and ‘enlighteners’ in our lives and for those who have been missionaries to us in any way. Praying before the icon helps to open our hearts and minds ever more to Christ, especially in deep gratitude for those who, like Saint Patrick, show us the way to Chr
FR DECLAN REFLECTS ON HOW THIS HOLY ICON SPEAKS TO US
St Patrick an Icon
I was delighted to be invited to view and write a short appreciation of this commissioned Icon of St Patrick on the 150th Anniversary of the Armagh Cathedral that bears his name. Icons are a way that God uses to reach out and draw us into Himself Christians have venerated this unique presence by anointing icons with Holy Chrism and praying with and through them as sources of blessing and grace. Hence they are usually placed with a burning lamp or candle and incensed on special occasions.
To pray with an icon is to be united with God as Father Son and Holy Spirit. It is to venerate those millions of disciples who in faithfulness have shared God’s Love and the Gospel message we call the Good News. Patrick was a Christian disciple who during his years as a slave in captivity learned to relate at a very deep mystical level with God as Trinity during his time on Slemish Mountain and the surrounding landscape His isolation and silence taught him to turn to his God as the Desert Fathers and mothers practiced in their isolated hermitages in Syria and the Arabian deserts. Mysticism is the gift of the community we know as God.
Patrick became a deeply committed Trinitarian and this led him to priesthood and later ministry as a bishop; to the very people who had enslaved him and taken him to a foreign land. We know from his writings both his Confessions and letter to Coroticus that Patrick was indeed fully attuned to the similar path being at that time explored in the Middle East the cradle of the Church Filled with zeal for God like Patrick these souls lived austere lives praying the gospels and using disciplines like the Jesus Prayer as a means to enter the circle of life and love God enjoys as Father Son and Holy Spirit.
In this icon Patrick is shown holding the Cathedral a symbol of the See or Church of Armagh As its first bishop and founder it is appropriate he holds it in support and surrounds it with his prayer and protection. Patrick is wearing the pallium that special collar woven from the wool of lambs and kept by the tomb of Peter to be bestowed on every Archbishop reminding them and God’s holy people of our close link to the church of Peter and the Apostles. their mission or task was and is to share and live the Gospel as taught by and lived by Jesus our Saviour and Master
Above the main figure of Patrick we are shown two more important patron saints of the Armagh Church, St Brigid of Faughart ( Mhuire na nGael) baptized herself by Patrick and also St Malachy who in his turn reformed the whole Irish Church and united it with fresh vigor to the See of Peter in Rome. These patron saints together with St Oliver Plunkett are depicted on either side of Jesus on the present High Altar in the Cathedral,. In Patrick’s right hand, we find his great reputed teaching aid the sprig of green shamrock. With it’s three leaves but one stem. Three persons but one God.
The God of Christianity although in continuity with the Hebrew God is radically a Community of equal but distinct persons. “ The Father and I are one “ Unthinkable to Jews yet revealed by Jesus as the core of all life here and in heaven. The intimacy He shows with The Father is amazing and inspires Christians to pursue a similar bond by living daily the spirit of the Beatitudes. Those early desert-dwelling mothers and fathers thirsted for ways to live intimately in the love the Father shared with the Son and Holy Spirit. “To see Me is to have seen Him. “ This was the new Way. The Magi returned home in a new Way prefiguring a whole upturning in our knowledge of God. Jesus tells us He is “The Way, the Truth and the Life “ He lived this bond to the Father as easily as breathing air.
We know Patrick shared this desire to know and love God and he longed to share this with all he encountered. Patrick was familiar with the great teachers of prayer. Anthony of Egypt, John Cassian, and other greats of the desert shared their knowledge and teaching. We can sometimes be surprised at how fast the Good News was shared and how far it traveled. From Egypt and Syria to the Skelligs! This Trinitarian Faith spread all around the Mediterranean coastline moving ever farther through Italy, Gaul, and Spain and it was Patrick who was the main instrument the Father used to draw the Irish peoples of the time to a new radical vision of eternal life and its prospects. “Where I am you too will be “ What hope and what life these words offer to us. Today as then, Patrick calls us all to unite in praise for this Community of God whose living Heart yearns for each of us to step into their life of love. “ I bind unto myself today the strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same, The Three in One and One in Three. “ Each of us today must embrace these words and live our Trinitarian Faith aware of and living the relationship they offer us daily. Each morning like Patrick let us step into their circle of love embracing and taking ownership of the space they have left us to complete so that when we step from this life we will behold their faces and share in their life of love I pray you may be indeed embraced by God as you gaze at and pray before this most holy Icon. St Patrick pray for us. Amen.
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