Pentecost Sunday: 08.06.2025
Cathedral @ 10.30am
Homily:
“Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me x 2.
Melt me, mould me, fill me, use me.
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me.”
This very well-known chorus in fact encompasses only five notes. It’s very simple harmony and melody can be sung by anyone and everyone. It draws us into prayer. Pentecost, the feast of the birthday of our Church, reminds us of the healing, purifying, strengthening breath of God. Our reading from the Acts of the Apostles places us inside that first Pentecost room.
I began Confirmations last February 13th, nearly four months ago, in Hacketstown. Yesterday I celebrated my last Confirmations here in the Cathedral with celebrations for Bishop Foley School and Scoil Mhuire gan Smal and those who completed the Parish Programme from Carlow National School and Carlow Educate Together.
59 ceremonies and 33 days later we gather on Pentecost Sunday to give thanks for all who have been confirmed over these past four months.
“Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on us x 2.
Melt us, mould us, fill us, use us.
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on us.”
The earlier verse suggests the need to melt me, mould me, fill me, use me, while now the concentration has moved to us. Another version of the well-known hymn includes the verb “to break” alongside melt, mould and fill. It reminds us that if we are to be truly and humbly open to the Holy Spirit, we must allow the Spirit to take us where we must go.
I want to share with you a few observations from the Confirmation Celebrations this year. I read 2,413 Confirmation letters over the past four months. That includes seven from Skeoughvosteen who are to be confirmed this day in Graignamanagh and whose seven letters arrived on Friday last. And that’s not as many as I would have read in 2016 – 3,091!
Over the past twelve Confirmation seasons, since 2013, I have confirmed 26,729 young people over 369 days. That works out roughly at one full year of Confirmations in the past twelve!
Since the Covid Pandemic interrupted how we normally did things, a new ‘normal’ has crept into Confirmations, ceremonies outside of the celebration of Mass. These ceremonies are showing an increasing popularity particularly in larger more urban parishes. This year 34 celebrations were outside the Celebration of Mass (58%, up 3% from last year) while 25 were within the Celebration of Mass (42%, down 3%).
“Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on all x 2.
Melt all, mould all, fill all, use all.
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on all.”
The most popular boys name for Confirmation by a long stretch this year and last year has been Patrick (63), followed by John (48) and Michael (32), very traditional names. I think it’s the result of the critical relationship young people have with their grandparents. John also held the position of second place last year, while Joseph in third has been toppled to joint fifth place this year, sharing the podium with Peter. In all boys chose from a total of 31 names. The most popular girls name was Mary (51), followed by Bridget (32) and Ann (21), again traditional names, again deep connections with grandparents. In all girls making their Confirmation chose from any one of 39 names this past year. Bridget topped the poll last year, followed by Mary and Ann, but then again last year was a special year for Brigid, celebrating the 1500th anniversary of her death.
The account of Pentecost in our first reading from Acts is full of dramatic moments: the rush of a violent wind, flames of fire, enthusiasm, then the humming of voices as the Apostles, amazed, start proclaiming the mighty works of God in languages they didn’t know they knew. We speak of being ‘moved’ by the Spirit, of being ‘on fire’ with the Spirit. In these synodal days we talk about ‘discerning’ the Spirit.
The Acts of the Apostles tells us how it was on that first Pentecost. However, the decisive Pentecost miracle unfolds in the Church on other, quieter terms. In Mount St. Anne’s yesterday thirty lay women and men have been discerning their calling to be lay pastoral ministers in our diocese. The Holy Spirit was there. In Salamanca in Spain a young twenty-three year old from Killeigh parish is discerning a calling to priesthood for our diocese. The Holy Spirit is there. Five married men are on retreat this weekend discerning their calling to ministry as a Permanent Deacon. The Holy Spirit is there. 260 young people throughout this month of June are in the De Le Salle Retreat Centre in Castletown completing their Meitheal training, a diocesan mentorship programme, to support first years in late August/September as they settle into post primary school. Once again the Holy Spirit is there.
My prayer and hope is that the 2,406 I have confirmed over the past four months, are also discerning how they can become the adult they so much want to be in the Church, in their parish, in their family. I have no doubt the Holy Spirit is with every one of them and all of you this Pentecost Day.