What is the role of a parish priest in modern Ireland?

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

The Hard Shoulder, with Ciara Kelly and Shane Colman, on Newstalk, with Ciara.

Ciara Kelly (0:08)

Now, in some of the loneliest moments of our lives, we trust in the wisdom of a priest, born of years spent attending scenes of human devastation. So wrote Kathy Sheridan in The Irish Times. But Ireland has changed dramatically in terms of religion in the last few decades. So what is the role of the parish priest now in modern Ireland, and how important is it? Joining us to discuss this is Father Willie Purcell, parish priest of Clare at Kilkenny. Good evening to you, Father Willie.

I really liked what Kathy Sheridan wrote today in The Times. And her point was that she was talking about that awful tragedy, the arson attack in Waterford and how what we were all watching on our screens was them going into a church and the family going into the church and Father Chesnut, who was the local priest speaking and offering comfort. She was basically saying, at our lowest point, that is where we turn. Is that still true in your experience?

Willie Purcell (1:03)

Oh, absolutely, totally true. And again, I think, you know, Kathy's article really was just almost kind of the top of the iceberg in relation to the work of ministry of the priest. But again, you see the priest in the community is the focal point, particularly when tragedy or trauma enters into the community or the families of communities.

And again, as Kathy pointed out, you know, it's those times when the people kind of look for somebody who has some certainty about everything that's happening. And I suppose they look towards the priest because they believe and they know that the priest, you know, in many ways has the strength to carry them through. And that's true. The priest's own personal experience of life. It's his own vocation. It's his own ministry. It's his own prayer. It's his own faith that enables them and gives him the courage to walk with many people through very difficult situations. But the tip of the iceberg is really all the other parts of his ministry and work that's going on before you reach the church door for the funeral of the loved one, of that family. It's the hours, it's the days spent walking with the family and the people and just being there with them really, and they're relying on us as priests, often with the questions, why us?

How did this happen? What do we do now? Where do we go now? And I suppose they trust still in the confidence, in the confidentiality, in the prayer and in the faith of the priest who still has that key point and part in our communities.

Ciara Kelly (2:29)

Yeah, I think you're not wrong on any level. As it happens, I was at a very lovely funeral this morning. It was very sad, but it was a very uplifting service and ceremony, and I think that that does offer comfort. And my sister passed away in February, and the priest who was involved, Father Paddy, he would have come to see her a lot in the hospice long before she passed away, and I think did give great comfort to our family in an extended way. And I say that, and I'll just be honest with you, I'm not even religious. I'm not a particularly religious person, but yet I think there is a comfort there. It isn't just, I suppose, at times of tragedy, though. I mean, you mark the arrival of new members of families.

You mark the joining of lives in weddings and things. Those rituals are kind of, they kind of punctuate our lives.

Willie Purcell (3:24)

Oh yeah, totally. And you know, if you ask me the question, what is a priest? A priest is a man who walks with these people. And in walking with these people, it's not just true, again, the tragedies, the sorrows, that life comes upon us, but it's also true the different times in people's lives, the baptisms, the weddings, the graduation celebrations in our schools. You know, it's all these times. So it's a mixture of kind of joy and sorrow.

But again, the priest is there to walk with his people in whatever is thrown in their faces, whatever they have to face in life. The priest is the one who is there, as I said, for the hours. And as your own experience says, Ciara, for the days and hours beforehand in the joys and the sorrows. So therefore, the priest knows his people. And the most important thing is the people know their priest. And if they know their priest, it makes a huge difference.