Card. Collins takes possession of Irish Church in Rome

(Vatican Radio) Fresh from Sunday’s Canonisation of the new Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Toronto’s Cardinal Thomas Collins takes possession Tuesday evening of the Irish national Church in Rome, San Patrizio. “I’m becoming an honorary Irish man”, he joked with Emer McCarthy in a sit-down interview ahead of the celebration, before adding, “and finally I’m becoming something I always wanted to be but which I never seemed destined to be, a parish priest!”.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed Card. Collins Cardinal-Priest of San Patrizio in the February 2012 consistory. But the Cardinal’s bonds with Ireland stretch further back. His family roots originate in Drogheda from where his ancestors emigrated to Canada over 180 years ago.

Moreover, in 2010 Pope Benedict handpicked him as an Apostolic Visitator to one of the four Irish Archdioceses- Cashel and Emly - in the wake of the revelations of the abuse scandal in the Church on the island nation, giving the then Archbishop an inside view of the faith of the nation. It may have taken the Cardinal eight months to be installed in his titular church, but without doubt the Canadians who travelled over for St Kateri will add to the celebration.

Regarding his experience in Ireland he says “I really found it very moving just to meet with and listen to different people”. One thing that struck the Cardinal most was the Legion of Mary: “One thing that most people don’t realise is that this is one of the biggest organisations in the Church. In my own diocese we have the Korean parish, one of Korean parishes – we have Mass is 38 languages now because I’ve just authorised Gujarat – they have a very strong legion of Mary presence I think 30 or 40 different groups. This all comes from Frank Duff, from Dublin, from Ireland and this is something we should all be grateful for”.

Listen to the full interview with Cardinal Collins on Canada’s love for St Kateri, a saint for all nations, on what she can teach us about witness, on his “Irish” experience, on rooting New Evangelisation in prayer and on his plan to draw people to God during the Year of Faith through Eucharistic Adoration: