Holy Thursday Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper, 5 April 2012, John 13:1-15

Yesterday evening in Sligo, we gathered with Bishop Jones to celebrate the Chrism Mass. Although it is supposed to be celebrated on the morning of Holy Thursday, for convenience sake it is now celebrated on the evening of Spy Wednesday.

During the Mass of Chrism all the priests present renewed the commitments and vows that they made on the day of ordination. In many ways, Holy Thursday is the day that we celebrate priesthood in the Church. We celebrate it in three ways: in the institution of the Eucharist, in the institution of the ministerial priesthood and in the celebration of Christ's service to his disciples in the washing of the feet.

Foot Washing by Matt J Saw

If there is any image for priesthood, this is it. The image of a foot-washer, the image of a servant-leader. The priesthood that Christ created is a priesthood of service in love to all people. It is the priesthood that priests are called to at their ordination.

I wanted to spend some time with you this evening reflecting on what it is like for me to be a priest here in Roscommon in 2012. I am 31 years old. I am by far the youngest priest in our diocese. There is a ten year gap between me and the next in age to me in the diocese. In recent years in our diocese we have seen the ageing of the priesthood. Some have called it the 'whitening' or the 'greying' of the priesthood. In some parishes, as priests have become ill, or have retired, or passed away, there has been no priest to replace them. Combine that reality with the national and international image of priesthood at the moment, not to mention the many who have left ministry, and it can seem to us that priesthood is dead, or at least dying. We can have an image of priesthood as unnatural, as unreal, as lonely and sad. The low numbers of young men applying to the dioceses around the country to become priests also gives us a very strong sense of the dying Church. We can easily be swallowed up in negativity about priesthood. And, there can be a sense in us that if we were to remove some of the image problems that priesthood suffers then we would be back in business.

I want to share with you the reason that I am a priest. Some years ago, while on a pilgrimage, I had a profound sense of God's presence with me. This was accompanied by a profound and deep sense of being loved and cared for. The experience left me emotional in a very positive sense. I was happier than I had ever been in my life. I felt called at that time to commit myself full-time to sharing that experience of God with other people. Then, I did not understand that as a call to priesthood, but gradually I came to understand that that may be what God was calling me to.

Applying to the diocese and joining the seminary were for me a dipping my toe in the water exercise. I really wasn't fully sure, but I was compelled enough to take those first steps. I had been studying Civil Engineering and so the leap into studying philosophy and theology was huge. There were men in my class of all levels of intellectual ability, from those who struggled a pass, to those who excelled in their essays and exams.

Celebrating my First Mass of Thanksgiving, 16th June 2008

Seven years passed by in a heartbeat, and on the 15^th June 2008, I was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Jones in my home Church of the Assumption, Sooey in my native Sligo. I served as a curate in Athlone for two years, as Chaplain of IT Sligo for a year, and now I am here among you in Roscommon. It has been a great journey!

I am delighted to be able to share with you that I am very happy as a priest. That does not mean that it is always easy, but it does mean that overall my experience of being a priest is one that I want to celebrate. Many times my call has been confirmed inside myself, spiritually, by the grace of the Holy Spirit. One of the key moments when this can happen is in the confessional. There in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, through the trust that people place in us priests to lead them to God, I have been privileged to be affirmed again and again in my call to be a priest. If you ever needed a reason to go to confession, that is one: you are affirming the priest in his call.

I want to share with you tonight, as we celebrate priesthood, service and Eucharist, that priesthood is a happy and fulfilling way of life, which means that for those who are called to live it, priesthood can be the means of our union with God in holiness. That doesn't mean that there are no challenges! Show me a way of life that does not have any challenges! Maybe it is the challenges that bring out the best in us.