07.06.2019
‘Honesty Without Fear’ – Joint Clergy Retreat Builds Bonds Between Jerusalem and Dublin & Glendalough
The bonds of friendship, trust and solidarity between the Dioceses of Dublin & Glendalough and the Diocese of Jerusalem have been strengthened during a joint clergy retreat this week (June 4 to 7). Twelve clergy from Jerusalem joined 12 clergy from D&G for the retreat which took place in the Emmaus Centre in Swords. Both Archbishops also joined the retreat.
Facilitated by the Revd Abigail Sines and the Revd Dr William Olhausen, participants explored the challenges and joys of ministry. They discovered similarities and common ground despite their vastly differing contexts and very quickly were able, as one participant from Jerusalem put it, “be honest without fear”. They recognised that they were united in the body of Christ and pledged to pray for each other as they celebrate Pentecost this Sunday.
The retreat is in two parts with the second part taking place in St George’s Cathedral Guesthouse in Jerusalem in November 2020. It is part of the five year link between the dioceses of Dublin & Glendalough and Jerusalem.
Archbishop Suheil Dawani said they were really thankful for the enriching experience for clergy from both dioceses and looked forward to welcoming Dublin & Glendalough clergy in the Land of the Holy One. Archbishop Michael Jackson said they had looked forward to this level of friendship and engagement since the inception of the partnership in 2016. He thanked the clergy for Jerusalem for making it possible by travelling to Dublin.
During their time together they gathered for group discussions, prayer and reflection. They heard from Canon David Touhy SJ about Dublin & Glendalough’s Come&C discipleship programme (you can read about it here). Philip McKinley, Church of Ireland Chaplain in DCU spoke about the spirituality of reconciliation. Fr Peter McVerry joined them to talk about homelessness and the social and economic challenges of ministry. The group also visited Glendalough where, after a service of Holy Communion in St John’s, Laragh, the Revd Brian O’Reilly led them on a guided prayer pilgrimage through the monastic site.
Archbishop Suheil Dawani also attended a meeting of Dublin & Glendalough Diocesan Councils on Thursday evening. He commented on the efficiency with which business was carried out, informing members that the equivalent meeting in the Diocese of Jerusalem can take up to a day and a half. The diocese covers five countries: Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Syria and Lebanon.
During their retreat clergy heard a powerful presentation from Fr Peter McVerry who has worked with homeless young people in Ireland for 40 years. He said homeless people had “totally and radically changed him” and had challenged his values and the way he sees Irish society.
Fr McVerry posed four questions. Firstly he said that Jesus came to bring the good news to the poor and asked “What is the good news of the Gospel that I have to bring?” When Jesus was around thousands of people came to follow him but today, instead of thousands of people coming to our churches, they are walking away saying that the Church is irrelevant. “We bring the same message that Jesus brought, we are the continuation of the Gospels. What has changed?” he asked. He also asked: “Why was Jesus crucified when his message was to love one another?” Finally, he wondered, in the face of the social and economic problems of society, what is the role of the Church? Is it a an NGO the feed the hungry and house the homeless or is it there to cater for people’s spiritual needs?
In Fr McVerry’s experience, the majority of people who are homeless in Ireland today have only one problem – they do not have enough money to pay their rent or mortgage. Homeless people with drink or drug problems were in a minority but it was they who had changed him.
He said they had started to take drugs, not out of curiosity but to forget their childhood memories and to supress their feelings. This meant that coming off drugs was hugely difficult as those feelings came back with a vengeance.
The people he has worked with have taught him not to judge and made him grateful for what he had. He added that they have thought him that the hardest part of being homeless was not having no bed for the night but the realisation that no one cares. “You are rejected, unwanted, living 24/7 with the belief that you are of no value. What we’re really trying to do is give them the message that they are just as valuable and just as important as anyone else,” he stated.
He said that the God he believed in, as revealed by Jesus in the Gospels, was a God of compassion and the kingdom of God was a place that welcomed the rejected, marginalised and unwanted.
“The God we believe in is a God of compassion. We have been given the gift of faith so that we can reveal God to the world. How do we reveal God to the world? We are called to bring the compassion of God to the world. The Gospel challenges us to the core. We are the continuation of the story of the Gospel. Jesus’ love was so radical, so subversive, that they had to get rid of him,” he stated.
He continued: “What is the role of the Church? Are we and NGO to feed the hungry and house the homeless? No. Are we to deal with the spiritual side of people? No. Our role is somewhere in between… When the dignity of a human being is taken away, we have to protest that. We are the fastest growing economy in the EU and yet homelessness is increasing. That is a denial of the dignity of homeless people and when the dignity of homeless people is being undermined by structures we have to protest. We as a Church have to challenge policies and structures when they deny dignity to people.”