Martin Addresses Church Of Ireland Students (ÉIRE)

Irish Christians “should not be dreaming of a golden age of the past” according to Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin.

He was speaking to a gathering of Church of Ireland clerical students at the Dublin Church of Ireland Theological College on Wednesday.

He told the student that they were studying for mission at a very exciting time, which would certainly not be “business as usual”.

Their ministry, he said, would “be conducted in a climate of new freedom, a freedom from traditional sub-cultures based on boundaries, on limits and traditions which separate”.

“Young people who encounter the message of Jesus will be struck by the message of Jesus in a way which will be free from many cultural factors which have in the past limited the effect of that message,” he added.

Archbishop Martin acknowledged that secularism posed new challenges for the Churches in Ireland as elsewhere. However, he suggested that the signs of this growing secularism had been present for a long time.

“Ireland has been changing for decades now and it should have been clear to all that “business as usual” was not the answer in a time of change,” he said.

He added that, far from being daunted by the growing urbanisation of Ireland, Christians should see this process as an opportunity to spread the message. He pointed to the fact that much of the dynamic growth of Churches in England, for example, was in urban areas.

“I am convinced that Ireland should not be fearful of the reality of an increasingly urban life-style, which is so attractive to modern young men and women and indeed to people the world over. For the first time in human history the majority of the world’s population now lives in urban areas,” he said.

He added that these opportunities were especially present if the Churches could “help believers to discern superficialities and overcome some of the forces of individualism which can become dominant in urban culture”.

Archbishop Martin was the first Catholic Archbishop of Dublin to preach at the Church of Ireland Theological College.

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