Bishop Niall Coll of Ossory has emphasised the importance of speaking the truth with love and courage in today’s world, urging people to be faithful to their own values in the face of the pressures of life today.
In his homily for St Patrick’s Day in St Mary’s Cathedral, Bishop Coll pointed to the emptiness that can be so much part of life today and went on to say that “many people now are growing weary of a secular pattern of life that forgets about God. While secularism promised freedom and progress, it has often left people feeling isolated, anxious and without meaning. The pursuit of material success and personal autonomy has not satisfied the human heart.”
Bishop Coll praised the involvement of the Diocese of Ossory in the Kilkenny St Patrick’s Day parade. Reflecting on the event, he emphasised that such gatherings provide both an opportunity to celebrate St Patrick’s enduring mission of love and forgiveness, and provided a real experience of belonging and community.
Faith
Bishop Coll went on to say that “The presence of the Diocese of Ossory in the parade highlighted that we are a community of faith, pilgrims of Hope. Seventy-five young people from various secondary schools throughout the Diocese accompanied a float of St Patrick in a boat, carrying banners displaying the much-loved words of St Patrick’s breastplate. These young people are not only signs of hope for the future but hope for today,” commented Bishop Coll as he commended “their generosity of spirit and enthusiasm.”
“Patrick’s deep trust in God is a lesson for all of us irrespective of our ethnicity or nationality. He prayed constantly, relying not on his own strength but on the power of Christ. His famous prayer, ‘Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me’, reminds us that Jesus walks with us always on our path of life,” said Bishop Coll. Bishop Coll encouraged everyone to carry the spirit of St Patrick beyond the festivities, fostering love, forgiveness and unity in their daily lives.
Homily
The following is a copy of Bishop Coll’s homily delivered at St Mary’s cathedral on March 17th.
St Patrick’s Day is traditionally marked by Mass, shamrocks, parading, a good bit of drinking, and in more recent times by the wearing of green leprechaun hats. I look forward to viewing the annual St Patrick’s Day Parade here in Kilkenny in the early afternoon – though I will not be wearing a leprechaun hat!
Thinking just now about the life and teachings of St Patrick, it is good to recall that his mission was not just for his time—it is for ours as well. St Patrick’s journey from slavery to sainthood speaks powerfully to us Catholics and to fellow Christians in Ireland and globally today. His unwavering faith in Christ and his courage in the face of opposition call us to renew our own faith and share the Gospel with the world around us.
St Patrick’s story began in suffering. Taken as a slave from Roman Britain to Ireland, he spent years in isolation, tending flocks on the mountains. But rather than becoming bitter, he turned to prayer. In his Confessio, he wrote, “More and more did the love of God and my fear of Him and faith increase, and my spirit was moved.” Patrick encountered God in his suffering, and it was this encounter that shaped the rest of his life.
Pope Francis, who has been seriously ill of late and for whom we pray now, has repeatedly reminded us that “the Lord always enters through the wounds.” Like Patrick, we all experience wounds—pain, loss, disappointment—but these are precisely the places where we are often most disposed to meeting the God who seeks to meet us.
Patrick’s return to Ireland was an act of love and forgiveness. Having escaped from slavery, he could have remained in the safety of his homeland and middle-class family and comforts. Instead, he underwent a theological education in France, responded to God’s call to go back and share the Gospel with those who had once oppressed him, the Irish. This is true Christian love. Patrick had encountered Christ, and because of that, he could not keep the Gospel to himself.
Today, Ireland faces many challenges of faith—secularism, materialism, indifference, and a loss of trust among many in the Church. Like Simon Peter and his companions in today’s Gospel, we can be tempted to despair …! But they didn’t. Heeding Jesus, they once again paid out their nets, netting a huge catch of fish.
