“Love is the life of the Church and prayer is the lifeblood of that life, prayer is hope in action,” Archbishop Dermot Farrell told the congregation at St Kevin’s, Harrington Street, as he ordained Bro. Ciarán Egan to the priesthood on Saturday, September 13.
This was the first ordination to take place in St Kevin’s since the Oratorian Community began its path to formation in 2020.
In his homily, Archbishop Farrell stressed the central importance of prayer, hope and proclamation of the Gospel in priestly ministry. Citing Evangelii Gaudium, he said: “The homily is the touchstone for judging a pastor’s closeness and ability to communicate to his people,” reminding the new priest that preaching requires more than just good technique.
“Priests are not meant to be supernatural beings, but ordinary men who give their lives to God and to walking with the faithful,” he added, urging Fr Egan to follow the example of St Philip Neri and St John Henry Newman “who spoke not merely with words, but with their lives.”
