Address by Archbishop Eamon Martin at the graduation ceremony in College Chapel of Saint Patrick’s Pontifical University, Maynooth
- “I am immensely grateful for the huge contribution that so many people continue to make to faith-based education in this country”
- “A faith-based educational community is not an “I” or a “me”, but an “us” and a “we”, where State and Church seek “to converge” in order to provide the very best opportunities for our young people, serving the common good.”
- “The Catholic Church does not wish to have any type of monopoly on education, and we encourage all those eligible to participate in the Department of Education survey. At the same time we value highly the contribution of faith-based education. We agree with Pope Leo that Catholic education is an act of hope, and a labour of love, handed down from generation to generation. It is one of the highest expressions of Christian charity, and something which draws new maps of hope for the world at this troubled time.”
Address by Archbishop Martin
Last week in Rome, Pope Leo XIV marked the Jubilee of the World of Education. He was joined by many thousands of students and educators from all around the world. A special bonus for those who had travelled was to witness Pope Leo conferring the title of “Doctor of the Church,” on Saint John Henry Newman, and naming him as co-patron of Catholic education and educators, alongside Saint Thomas Aquinas.
Some of my most uplifting pastoral moments recently have been connected with the world of Catholic education. I am immensely grateful for the huge contribution that so many people continue to make to faith-based education in this country: from parents, teachers and special needs assistants in our nursery, primary and secondary schools, to the distinguished professors and lecturers who contribute to Catholic education at third level communities such as this Pontifical University – not forgetting, of course, the huge number of others who contribute to what Pope Leo calls the “constellation of education“.
Pope Leo uses that beautiful image in a new document about education, written specially for this Jubilee Year, with the wonderful title: Drawing new maps of Hope.
Catholic education is a living network, a faith-filled family of schools, colleges, universities and institutes of higher education – each one a ‘star’ in the constellation of education. Together, Pope Leo says, we in Catholic education ‘chart a course’; we draw “new maps of Hope” for young people in our troubled world.
I have seen this in my recent visits, for example to the brand-new Saint Ronan’s College for 1750 young people in Lurgan, Co Armagh. I was invited to bless and dedicate the chapel to be the beating heart of their school community. And, just two days ago, I met with Religious Education coordinators from our primary schools in Dundalk. They amazed me with their enthusiasm, not only to impart knowledge and understanding of religion, but also to help guide the spiritual and faith development of their young pupils.
A real highlight for me recently was the opening of the Year Mass in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, for the entire school community of Saint Catherine’s College – we reflected on how, in the midst of this frenetic and complicated world, it is essential to find spaces and moments for silence, for reflection, meditation and prayer, to raise our gaze to the transcendent God who created us in love.
I had a similar experience in September right here in this magnificent College Chapel when we conferred an honorary doctorate on Sister Orla Tracey, an Irish Loreto sister who has established a very successful faith-based school in South Sudan. In the midst of so much violence, destruction, suspicion and recrimination, Sister Orla highlights the dignity and vocation of every person – especially that of girls and women. Her school in Rumbeck is a beacon of hope. Her work is prophetic, inspiring students to believe in themselves, to dream, to heal divisions and to give back to their communities. In essence, that is what Catholic education is all about.
However, one of the most moving experiences I have had of education recently was unexpected. I was tidying my parents grave last week at Saint Patrick’s Church, Iskaheen, in Co Donegal, getting it ready for the month of the Holy Souls. I noticed a grandmother showing three young children around the graveyard. They were stopping at various headstones: likely granny was telling them about relatives, friends or neighbours, now at their rest. The children were praying with her and asking questions, ‘nanny’ was gently linking them with past, present and future; with faith, family, community and culture. It struck me that this is what the Second Vatican Council meant when it described ‘Family’ and the ‘Home’ as the “first school of humanity”.
Pope Leo said last week, at the Jubilee, that education forms “the very fabric of evangelisation“, and education is “a collective endeavour”; “no one educates alone”. A faith-based educational community is therefore not an “I” or a “me”, but an “us” and a “we”, where everyone: parents and grandparents, community, teachers, students, administrators, support staff, chaplains and members of Boards of Management are “in it together”; and, where State and Church seek “to converge” in order to provide the very best learning, teaching, and formation opportunities to our young people, thereby serving the common good.
I realise that this reflection on Catholic education coincides with the current survey by the Department of Education about the type of primary schools that people in Ireland wish to choose for their children. The Catholic Church does not wish to have a monopoly on education, and we encourage all those eligible to participate in the survey to do so.
At the same time, a faith-based education can be highly valuable for young people today. That is why those parents, who value their current school ethos, should be sure to fill-in this short survey. Otherwise, the choice of future school provision will be made for them.
Pope Leo describes Catholic education as an act of hope, and a labour of love, that is handed down from generation to generation. It is one of the highest expressions of Christian charity, and something which draws new maps of hope for the world at this troubled time.
I am conscious that many of us here today have benefited from the full cycle of education – from home, to primary school, to second and third level – and even beyond. A special congratulations to our 28 graduates who have achieved Doctoral, Licentiate or Masters level. For some of you this will be the end of your formal academic studies; for others, it may simply be a gateway to the next step, another chapter on your itinerary of intellectual, human and spiritual development.
Thankfully, here on the island of Ireland, around half of all people under the age of 65 have received a third level education, and a large proportion of these have been educated through a faith based education system. It is worth reminding ourselves that access to this gift, this privilege, is not shared by our brothers and sisters in many parts of the world. But, as Jesus once said, “Of everyone to whom much is given, much will be required”.
You, our graduates, are called to be especially bright stars in the “constellation of education.” You are called and gifted to lead the way in drawing new maps of Hope for our country and our world, to accept the challenges Pope Leo presented last week – to defend the common good; not to remain silent about the divisions and violence in our world. Our learning, teaching and formation, he said, must translate into action for social justice and environmental justice; we are called to promote sustainable lifestyles, to avoid waste, and form consciences capable of choosing not merely what is convenient, but what is just.
Catholic education, Pope Leo adds, must therefore nurture the inner life, be judicious in the use of technology and AI – always placing the person before the algorithm – and educate for peace, nonviolence and reconciliation; it must build bridges – not walls.
Dear graduates: as we celebrate and give thanks for your great achievements, I invite you to be mindful of the many people who have helped you along the way, from that first ‘school of humanity’ in your family home, to the teachers and others who inspired you at school, to the lecturers and tutors, supervisors and mentors, friends and loved ones who encouraged you here in Maynooth to achieve your full potential.
Allow me also to acknowledge today the positive progress the Pontifical University has made this past year towards achieving Listed Awarding Body status, following a rigorous evaluation by Quality and Qualifications Ireland. I am also encouraged by the increase in student numbers – now surpassing the 1,000 mark – and to learn that more young adults are choosing to study Theology with Arts.
Congratulations to you, Rev Dr Michael Shortall, our acting President, and to your whole team. The achievements we recognise and celebrate today demonstrate your ongoing commitment to remaining a vibrant part of the “constellation” of Catholic education and formation here in Ireland, a unique third level community, where lay people, religious and clerics are formed alongside each other to participate in mission and ministry in Church and society here in Ireland. May this Pontifical University – linked to the wider world of Catholic education – continue to draw “new maps of Hope” for Ireland and beyond.
“Go mbronna an Tiarna grásta orainne dóchas a athaimsiú, dóchas a fhógairt agus dóchas a thógáil.” Amen.
Comhghairdeas libh go leir.
ENDS
- Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh is Chancellor of the Pontifical University at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth.
Leo from Chicago’ – The Documentary
Vatican Media have launched a documentary today: ‘Leo from Chicago’ about the background of Robert Francis Prevost in his native United States.
The film begins with his childhood in Dolton, through the memories of his brothers Louis and John, and continues among schools and universities, communities and parishes, featuring the voices of confreres, teachers, classmates, and longtime friends.
Produced by journalists Deborah Castellano Lubov, Salvatore Cernuzio, and Felipe Herrera-Espaliat from the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Chicago and theApostolate El Sembrador Nueva Evangelización, the film can be seen on the official Vatican Media website and the Vatican Youtube channel at following link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYzssRwE7Gg&t=16s
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