Post February 2005

As the winter winds and falls of snow reach a crescendo in the Northern Hemisphere and as pleasant summer holidays draw to a close in the Southern Hemisphere, I send greetings to Edmund Rice’s promoters and clients worldwide. I am mindful, too, at this time of the terrible devastation wrought across a large section of southern Asia by the recent tsunami, but am heartened by the generous response worldwide of so many, including many of our own Brothers and the wider Edmund Rice Network to their less fortunate brothers and sisters. I recall also the generous response of so many to the recent hurricane damage in the Caribbean region. God is surely alive in all this brokenness - and generosity. The Cross and Resurrection are always the two faces of the Christian coin. Guess which face wins out! Let us implore Blessed Edmund whose Brothers and Associates work in these troubled parts of the globe to implore the Lord to comfort and console his people. Let us do whatever we can, be it ever so little – you remember what Edmund said: “Let us do ever so little for God…”

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At this time of year, we should give some thought to this year’s International Novena in honour of Blessed Edmund, to be made in preparation for Blessed Edmund’s Feast day on 5 May. If you have a nice format, prayers, etc., that you think would be suitable, please get in touch with me immediately (blake.d@tiscalinet.it). More importantly, if there is a very special intention, a very special person, that you would like the whole Edmund Rice Network to pray for during the Novena, please get in touch as soon as possible. Last year’s intention, the well-being of little Quincy, caught the imagination of many people worldwide. He has improved wondrously - through the intercession of Blessed Edmund, many claim.

The debt owed him by the Edmund Rice Network

I was perusing recently the soon-to-be published Necrology (‘Life’) of the late Australian-born Br Linus Kelty (1918-2002), written by Br Chanel Naughtin. He was Superior General of the Christian Brothers during the period 1972-1978, and it was during his period of office that the Edmund Rice Cause for Beatification made significant progress. Speaking at a Province Assembly of St Helen’s Province (Ireland) of the Christian Brothers, held at Mount Sion, Waterford, in 1975, he said:

“We came here today to the very spot where Edmund Rice lived, where he founded his Congregation, where his spirit and his mortal remains are enshrined – we came here to pay tribute to him and to pray that God in his goodness might grant us the favour of having our Founder raised to the altars of the Church. At various times Brothers have said that it matters little whether or not Edmund Rice is canonised, as we know that he is a saint, that it will profit us nothing to have him canonised, and that we ought therefore to leave off our efforts. This is a very laudable attitude: a conviction that Edmund Rice is a saint. I suppose it is sufficient for an individual to have this conviction; but I think that when we look at the composition and purpose of the Church, when we look at the necessity of spreading the message of Christ to all nations, we will see that the canonisation of Edmund Rice…would provide tremendous encouragement at the present time.

On several occasions the Holy Father [Pope Paul VI] has asked about the progress of the Cause of Edmund Rice: from Brother Austin Loftus (former Superior General), from groups of Tertians, and from myself. Pope Paul wants us to bring Edmund Rice’s Cause to Rome so that he may canonise him. And I fully believe that at the back of the Holy Father’s mind is a conviction of the tremendous impact this would have among the lay religious of our day.”

Further on, in his ‘Life’, Chanel speaks of what Linus actually accomplished regarding Edmund Rice:

“Linus made the furtherance of the Cause of Brother Edmund Rice one of the priorities of his term of office as Superior General. Though much had been done in previous years, the Cause had not been placed on a firm footing. Linus’ initiatives in this regard covered three major areas: (a) fulfilling the requirements of the Congregation for Saints for the Cause to proceed; (b) ensuring the publication of Brother Columba Normoyle’s writings on Edmund; and (c) organising the building of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at Mount Sion, Waterford, where the remains of Edmund Rice lie.

The first and most important step in fulfilling Vatican requirements for the Cause was the appointment of a Postulator. Linus chose Mgr Seán O’Kelly, Rector of the Scots College in Rome and a past pupil of the Brothers in Sexton Street, Limerick. As Postulator, Mgr O’Kelly would have the authority to initiate the canonical steps in the process. These were many and varied…

The second and perhaps the most significant step was that of bringing Edmund into the consciousness of the Brothers worldwide. This was done by publishing the writings of Brother Columba Normoyle… These books captured the hearts of the Brothers. Previously a respected but somewhat vague figure, Edmund was now at the centre of the Congregations he founded. Linus’ publication and distribution of these writings was the catalyst responsible of the later developments in Edmund’s influence among the Brothers.

The third step was perhaps the most difficult. Mount Sion, Waterford, the motherhouse of the Congregation, was not in good repair. Edmund’s mausoleum in the grounds was no longer in pristine condition, nor did it provide the required setting for pilgrims wishing to pray. Linus saw the situation, and his imagination suggested the solution. He would make Mount Sion a worthy resting place for Edmund’s remains, a place to which pilgrims from all over the world would come to pray. He envisioned what became the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, and the whole site would be upgraded to be in keeping with its central attraction… The Blessed Sacrament Chapel arose in the midst of a rejuvenated Mount Sion, and was officially opened in 1979, the year after Linus left office. One American Brother at the opening commented: ‘We got this project right!’ And a little Waterford girl, visiting the Chapel that evening, exclaimed. Wide-eyed: ‘It’s gorgeous’.

Any one of these projects would have ensured Linus a place in our history. It is to his credit that he achieved all three.”

So when we move onwards now to have Blessed Edmund declared “Saint Edmund” and to have Mount Sion and the Blessed Sacrament Chapel further upgraded to welcome that day, let us remember the debt of gratitude that we all owe to one of our finest Superior Generals, Australian Brother Linus Kelty (1918-2002). We should all be proud of him. From their place in heaven may he and Blessed Edmund smile on our endeavours.