Cardinal Levada leads St Patrick's Jubilee celebrations in Rome
On Thursday, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, US native
Cardinal William Joseph Levada, presided at a special jubilee mass for the Irish community
in Rome. On St Patrick’s day, March 17th 1911, the Church dedicated to
the Apostle of Ireland opened its doors for worship, becoming the national church
for the Irish community in the heart of the eternal city.
In his homily the
Cardinal Prefect spoke of the Christian meaning of jubilee, of celebrating the history
of being Church and the tradition of faith that has been strong in the Irish people
since their conversion over 1500 years ago.
Cardinal Levada said no one can
ignore the current difficult situation for the Church in the country, speaking of
the “terrible crime of sexual abuse of children, who are most beloved of Christ” and
called on Catholics at home in Ireland and abroad to pray for the conversion of sinners.
He spoke of the concern of Pope Benedict and Holy See for the renewal of the Irish
Church, mentioning the ongoing Apostolic Visitation and efforts being established
at a local level. Finally he called on the young people to allow themselves be inspired
by the story of the young man Patrick and his missionary dream, so they in turn may
bring “the good news of the Gospel” to future generations.
Cardinal Levada’s
words rang particularly true for the young priests and seminarians of the Pontifical
Irish College who served mass in St Patricks Thursday. Irish Minister for Education,
Ruairí Quinn and Ambassador to the Holy See Noel Fahey, represented the government.
Under the patronage of the Irish Augustinians, St Patricks is a mere stones
throw away from the bustling decadence of the famous Via Veneto. It is considered
among the ‘youngest churches’ in the eternal city, one of the first to be built following
the fall of the Papal States and the unification of Italy in the1860’s.
A
magnificent mosaic of the Apostle of Ireland dominates the sanctuary of the Church,
depicting his conversion of the High King Laoghaire on the hill at Tara, using the
shamrock to explain the Trinity. A banner below reads Ut Christiani ita romani
sitis, or “As you are Christians be Romans also”, a phrase attributed to the Saint.
“It
is a time of great change in the Church in Ireland but in Europe too”, says Fr. James
Downy, prior of the Augustinian community of St Patricks. “Our order, this very building
is symbolic of this change. Where it will lead to no-one knows, but we must have
hope”. Listen to his full interview with Emer McCarthy: