Diamond Jubilee of Fr. Jim O’Connell Adm: 19.06.26
St. Patrick’s Church, Rathoe
Mass @ 7pm
Introduction:
We gather in St. Patrick’s Church, Rathoe to celebrate Fr. Jim O’Connell’s Diamond Jubilee. Jim is not a man who would want to attract accolades or even to draw attention, so evenings like this, go hard on him, because he is a priest to his fingertips. However, much and all as he mightn’t like it or want it, we are all glad to be around him this evening to encourage, affirm and wish him abundant blessings.
The prophet Jeremiah reminds us the Lord has his eye on us before we are even born, in other words our pathway in life is well and truly set out, we mightn’t know it but He does! St. Paul speaks of the variety of gifts there are. Priesthood brings to the fore that variety, every priest is different, every priest is needed.
In the many appointments Jim has held and continues to generously hold, St. Matthew reminds us seed will fall on a variety of soil. There are people here tonight in Rathoe whose lives have been profoundly impacted by Jim. A priest mightn’t appreciate the power of his words, the effect of his action or the import his presence made at a moment in time, but it had and you are here.
And so as we begin to celebrate these sacred mysteries, we call to mind our sins and pray for forgiveness …
Homily:
In the Maynooth class of 1966 there were 60 students, two donning the Kildare & Leighlin colours, Pierce Murphy and Jim O’Connell. I noted the only Meath man of that time was the late Paddy Keary, my next door neighbour from my Drogheda days. We all know Pierce went to his eternal rest in those harsh couple of weeks in the Spring of 2019 that robbed us also of the young John Cummins.
1966, sixty years ago, was not only a very different Ireland, but a world apart from the Ireland of today. Spieling off ordination numbers might seem a little trite nonetheless it helps to paint a picture. There were 6 ordained from Rome; 28 from St. Patrick’s College, Carlow; 20 from St. Kieran’s College, Kilkenny; 17 from Waterford; 15 from Thurles; 12 from Wexford; 28 from All Hallows and 8 from Clonliffe College. In all there were 194 Diocesan Priests ordained, most of them for ministry on this island; more of them generously ministering in dioceses across the States and England.
In 2026 there are four ordinations. The projected numbers of seminarians studying for the priesthood at the National Seminary in Maynooth next September is 40. Kildare & Leighlin have one seminarian, but there are a further two at the Inquiry Stage, hopefully both may enter Propaedeutic Programmes in the next while.
In Fr. Jim’s day there was no such thing as Inquiry, Propaedeutic or even Discipleship, you kind of ‘got on with it’, but then again it was a different world, a different Church. For a young lad to put his hand up and say he wants to pursue a religious vocation today is not only brave and adventurous as it was then sixty years ago, but today it’s also very courageous and intentionally swimming against the current tide. I’m convinced vocations are out there and we need to do all we can as parents, grandparents, siblings and friends to do our bit to sow a seed. God alone knows the fertile ground that seed might land on, like in the life of the young James O’Connell from Clonaghadoo!
Vocations are critical for the life and vitality of our Church, our faith, our diocese. As we continue to get accustomed to a new language of church, parish and ministry; priests remain central to our mission. A parish without Eucharist is a parish without a lung. Lay Pastoral Ministry, volunteering is at the heart of every parish, all essential in the parameters of co-responsibility but it is the Mass that gathers us together, sustains us and nurtures us. I’ve said before and repeat again on these significant and momentous Jubilee moments, be reasonable in any requests made of the local priest; he will not and cannot be expected to reach on everything.
Our church in Rathoe is dedicated to St. Patrick. It reminds us of our mission, to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While circumstances change and the way we communicate continues to evolve, we only have to think of Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical ‘Magnifica Humanitas’, today more than ever we need to know Jesus Christ and to experience His power, to appreciate His presence in our lives.
The creation of ‘Pastoral Areas’ is not just a pencil exercise on a page, it is exploring and embracing new models to sustain a viable and vibrant future for the 56 parishes of the diocese. A Pastoral Area seeks to build collaboration and community rather than competition and conflict within the group of parishes within the Pastoral Area. A Pastoral Area is not about obliterating the identity of an individual parish or a particular faith community but in fact enhancing both by offering ministries that allow lay people to flourish. A Pastoral Area allows us to view ministry through a fresh lens.
I purposefully haven’t over focused on Jim, he wouldn’t want it! However it is his Diamond Jubilee evening and you know him as well and maybe better than I do. The Longford writer, John Connell’s latest book is titled ‘The Wisdom of Farmers – What We Can Learn from the Land’ offering as usual practical guidelines that can be applied to any field or discipline. Things like getting up early in the morning, slowing down to observe the hawthorn bush in bloom, recognising that the past is closer than we think. Connell writes “if we take time to savour joy, we can discover our inner smile. That smile resides within us, but at times we must work hard to stoke its flames”[1]. Fr. Jim is the happiest priest I know, he even laughs at his own jokes! I could imagine John Connell writing a book ‘The Wisdom of Priests – What We Can Learn from the Parish’. In every parish, in every appointment, Jim brought people with him and they took him to their heart.
Like John Connell, like the late and much loved Manchán Magan, Fr. Jim O’Connell has ministered and continues to minister on the edges, so approachable, so commendable and so reachable. A present I often receive from my siblings at birthdays or at Christmas are there three packs of socks, you’re all familiar with them. Maybe they are still in their packs in the drawers! I’m not sure if Jim owns many pairs of socks, but those tan-lined sandaled feet have walked, have cycled and have driven to many places of Kildare & Leighlin ministering most effectively to God’s people. Jim, may God bless you, now and always.
