Father Declan Hurley is Administrator of Navan Parish in the Diocese of Meath and chairperson of the national team of the Irish Synodal Pathway. On 1 October 2024, Father Hurley preached the homily in the historic College Chapel of Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, during a Mass of Thanksgiving offered for the lay and clerical staff, friends and volunteers of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
During the homily Father Hurley said, “It’s significant that we gather on the eve of the opening of the second session of the Synod of Bishops in Rome. We unite in prayer with Pope Francis, with Bishops Leahy and McGuckian, and with all who participate in the Synod, praying that they will discern the voice of the Spirit calling us to be a Church in mission.
“Since 2021 our Synodal Pathway here in Ireland has been embedded in the Universal Synod that is now culminating in Rome. It has been a time of listening to one another, a time of listening to the voice of the Spirit speaking in the Baptised, a time of discerning where the Spirit is leading us. It has been a time of formation, as we began to learn the skills necessary for being a synodal Church in mission. And we warily, cautiously, put our toe into the great ocean of a Church seeking renewal, a Church longing for a new springtime. The longest journey starts with a single step, and the experience of the Universal Synod has allowed us to take the first step on what will be a long journey of renewal as we discern what it is that God is asking of the Church in Ireland at this time.”
To read Father Hurley’s full homily please click here
