Archbishop Farrell: priesthood has many dimensions, including hope and leadership

5 Mar, 2025 | Bishops, News, Uncategorized

Archbishop Dermot Farrell (pictured above) delivered the following homily during Mass on Sunday, 2 March, for the ordination to the Diaconate of Patrick Corkery SJ.  Archbishop Farrell is Archbishop of Dublin, and he celebrated this Mass in the College Chapel of Gonzaga College SJ, Dublin.

Archbishop Farrell said, “It is a joy for me to be with you today to ordain Patrick Corkery to the Diaconate.  This is a day of hope.  Any day when we make a profound commitment is a day born of hope, a day rooted in hope: be that a solemn profession, or a marriage, or an ordination: it is a day of witness to hope, a day when we put flesh on hope.

“If you seek to lead …
Patrick, today marks a key moment in your journey to priesthood.  While priesthood has many dimensions, the Gospel we have just heard asks us to consider its leadership dimension, we might say its prophetic dimension.  In one way, Jesus asks, if you seek to lead, this is what you must attend to.  It is not that diaconate and priesthood do not have ministerial dimensions, but there are other dimensions which, when priesthood is seen exclusively in a ministerial key, risk remaining hidden.

“The Shaking Reality of Sight
Listening to Jesus in today’s Gospel one might easily be taken aback.  He is strident almost to the point of appearing harsh: “…you cannot see the plank in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  Take the plank out of your own eye first … 

“The compassion of Jesus, that cornerstone of His good news, sounds far away.  These do not sound like the words of the one who told the story of a Samaritan, so compassionate, that he could not pass by on the other side (see Luke 10:33).

“Many of you will have heard of the Second World War German Jesuit martyr, Alfred Delp SJ, and his “shaking reality of Advent” – the meditation he wrote as he awaited execution.  Perhaps we could call this morning’s Gospel, “The Shaking Reality of Sight.”  Jesus wishes to open the eyes of his hearers, to have them recognise their effective blindness, and see the world as it is.

“The Character of Our Blindness
Our own blindness has very deep roots.  Coming to know ourselves is hard work: overcoming pride and self-sufficiency and self-justification demands a particular humility and openness.  Before I can stand in front of others, before I can truly serve, I must have the ability to look at myself with honesty.  Before we can lead others, we need to know what is in our own hearts.”

To read the full text of Archbishop Farrell’s homily please click HERE

ENDS

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