(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has appointed 49 year old Fr. Denis Nulty Bishop of Kildare
and Leighlin (Ireland). Fr Nulty, is a priest of the diocese of Meath, and until
now pastor of St. Mary's Parish in Drogheda. (right in photo, carrying the International
Eucharistic Congress bell)
Born in Slane, Co. Meath, June 7, 1963, Fr.
Nulty completed formation for the priesthood in St. Patrick’s National Seminary, Maynooth.
Later, he received his Masters in Pastoral Theology and Management at All Hallows
College in Dublin.
He was ordained a priest for the diocese of Meath, June
12, 1988.
For ten years, he was parochial vicar at the parish of the Cathedral
in Mullingar (1988-1998), at the same time he was also the Accord Centre Chaplain
and Spiritual Director at St. Finian's College. Since 1998 he has been parish priest
of St. Mary's parish in Drogheda. In 2006 he also became Vicar Forane of the deanery
of East Meath and Chairman of the Council of Priests.
Below please find
the address by Father Denis Nulty on his appointment as Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin
– Cathedral of the Assumption, Carlow
“Mothers deserve
nothing less than the best medical and psychiatric care available, especially during
pregnancy when the lives of two persons – the life of the unborn and the life of the
mother – are at stake” – Bishop- Elect Nulty
I would like to thank
all of you for your welcome this Tuesday morning - Bishop Moriarty, Bishop Smith,
Monsignor Byrne, brother priests, religious sisters and brothers, parishioners of
Carlow and people of the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin. I thank His Excellency,
Archbishop Charles Brown for his accompanying me in recent days. I thank Monsignor
Brendan Byrne for the graciousness of his hospitality, his kindly support to me personally
and his unstinting care for the Diocese over the past three years. I equally thank
my predecessor Bishop Emeritus Jim Moriarty who is delightfully with us this morning
for his very fine stewardship of the diocese during his tenure and I wish him continued
happiness and blessings in the years ahead.
A line from the first psalm of
Morning Prayer this morning reads: “O send forth your light and your truth; let these
be my guide. Let them bring me to your holy mountain to the place where you dwell”.
I am honoured, privileged and humbled to be chosen by Pope Francis to be bishop for
and with the people and priests of this superb Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin. I
come from Slane, where the story of faith on Irish soil began when Saint Patrick lit
the fire and used the shamrock to teach us about God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
This diocese too has its own strong symbol of our faith in the Saint Brigid’s Cross.
I was ordained for the Diocese of Meath, and Bishop Michael Smith who stands beside
me today, opened many doors of ministry to me in the Diocese. For that and much more,
I am eternally grateful to him. I have enjoyed my time immensely in Meath and there
is a sense of sadness in leaving colleagues and friends, even if it’s only down the
road. While there is an excitement around new beginnings there is also a nervousness
around the challenges that lie ahead. I have been understandably anxious in recent
days since my meeting with Archbishop Charles Brown – an anxiety that has been eased
by grace – the gentle grace of acceptance; the grace of responding to that call; the
grace of the prayers of our friends in Heaven; the grace of trusting in the judgement
of others - a judgement that suggests I have a capability greater than I feel myself
to have.
This morning I have travelled from the mouth of the Boyne at Drogheda
where she eases herself into the Irish Sea, to the Diocese where that winding ribbon
finds its source in the spring at Carbury in County Kildare! Rivers were an essential
part of the story of the early Church for life and communications in travel – the
Barrow is to Kildare and Leighlin what the Boyne is to Meath. In this Year of Faith
the Boyne and the Barrow remind us of the life-giving water of baptism. They also
remind us that today so many people are thirsting for the water of new life and hope
- those living in negative equity in the commuter belt; those coping with the stress
of the daily treadmill; those out of work searching for a deeper appreciation of their
self-worth and dignity; farmers coping with the fodder crisis and late spring, how
much that life is needed - may each find solace and support in this hour. I am equally
conscious this morning of those who have been wounded by the Church and the terrible
sins of individuals who should have brought life, but instead inflicted pain and destruction
on too many.
Water speaks of life and life is precious and dear to us at all
levels and particularly in our times, human life - its giftedness and sacredness.
And what a message last Saturday’s National Prayer Vigil offered at Knock: Cherish
them Both – Mother and Child. Monsignor Byrne’s statement in the lead up to the Vigil
very eloquently reminded us: “a life is a life. Whatever happens, the need to respect
that life should never be reduced to a ‘choice’ or an arbitrary timeline”. Mothers
deserve nothing less than the best medical and psychiatric care available, especially
during pregnancy when the lives of two persons – the life of the unborn and the life
of the mother – are at stake. As the Bishops’ preliminary response to the Protection
of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013 last Friday reminded us: “The Gospel of life
is at the heart of the message of Jesus: the deliberate decision to deprive an innocent
human being of life is always morally wrong”.
I come today to the Diocese
of Kildare and Leighlin as a Priest who has been immersed in parish life since Ordination.
My first ten years were in the Cathedral Parish in Mullingar. For the past fifteen
years I have been Parish Priest of Saint Mary’s Parish, Drogheda. They have been a
very rewarding and enriching twenty-five years, during which I have been taught so
much about being a Priest among People in the struggles and the joys of ordinary life.
From the Church of the Assumption at Saint Mary’s in Drogheda I find myself today
at the Cathedral of the Assumption in Carlow. I am a priest who works earnestly, who
loves the priesthood and loves working with priests and people. But I am a priest
who needs to learn a great deal about the story of this diocese, its geography, its
people, its priests, its traditions and its history – be patient with me as I embark
on a journey that will take me to every parish in this Diocese, to listen to the Spirit
speaking through the faith and example of committed priests and parishioners. I know
there is dedicated involvement of laity at many layers of Church life. I come to support
this engagement. I come to listen to the conversation of faith in the Diocese. I come
to care for priests, to encourage seminarians and to support the faith growth of the
young, who may feel at times isolated or on the fringe. For many priests these are
difficult days as they see their number grow perhaps older and fewer and the demands
heavier – let us work together to encourage vocations and to develop collaborative
ministry.
It only remains for me to thank all of you for being here today,
and to invite you to do what Pope Francis did as he made his first appearance on the
balcony at Saint Peter’s; to ask you to implore a blessing on me … and together let
us pray the Prayer of Saint Francis:
“Lord, make me an instrument
of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there
is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is
despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is
sadness, joy. O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled, as to console; To be understood as to understand; To
be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It
is in pardoning that we are pardoned, And it is in dying that we are born
to Eternal Life”
Saint Brigid, pray for us … Saint Conleth, pray for
us … Saint Laserian, pray for us … Our Lady of the Assumption, pray for us … ENDS