Today is the thirtieth anniversary of the retirement of the Most Reverend Doctor Cornelius Lucey, Bishop of Cork and later of Cork and Ross from 1952-1980. He died in 1982.
In the June-July 81 issue of Africa, he wrote on "Why I left Cork for Turkana":
"Behind my decision to come here as a missionary was the desire to make reparation for my sins while I still had the time. Not that I have been all that bad a sinner at any time in my life, I think. But that I haven't been as good as I could be or even as I should be - far, far from it. And that despite the fact that success and promotion came so easily my way in school, in Maynooth, in the priesthood. Each time at Mass, I too have to confess, "that I have sinned through my own fault in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do". From him to whom much is given much is expected. What could be fairer? So if we fail to use our talents, or the position we hold and ever so much the more, if we use them wrongly - then we have much to answer for. What better way of escaping punishment in the next life than by punishing ourselves in this life, and doing so expressly to have that much less against us on the Day of Judgement. To do penance - that for me was another reason for not relaxing comfortably at home but opting instead for the Turkana Desert."
His last words were: "I love God; I love the priests; I love the people".
Ecce Sacerdos Magnus qui in diebus illis placuit Deo. Non est inventus similis illi qui conservaret legem Excelsi.
I remember that Dr. Lucey complained that the 'experts' were more powerful than the bishops at Vatican II because they had the ear of a Cardinal or a group of bishops and they drafted of documents. He saw what was going on.
ReplyDeleteI remember Bishop Lucey as a fine christian gentleman and a brave outspoken shepherd. He preached the Faith without any shame and he spoke out for his flock when he saw the need. He was one of the few voices that called for a true patriotism when the government was going on about the loss of six counties but doing nothing about the loss of thousands of young people immigrating every year. At dheis Dé go raib a anim dhílis!
ReplyDeleteI worship every day in Dennehy's Cross, a magnificent Church that was built by Bishop Con Lucey. May God give light and peace to his soul. His memory deserves to be remembered. Yours is the only website I found that remembers this great man. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Mary Kate Kelleher, Cork
ReplyDeleteI will pray for this good and holy bishop. I will include it in my prayers that we get a good and holy bishop for Kildare and Loughlin.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments guys. I think I have a very dim memory of Bishop Lucey's death and being brought in to see him. I know that everybody loved him in Cork but not because he was down with the folks. He was a Bishop and acted the part. People respected that. I'm going to post on a few other Cork Priests later in the year like the Priest who heard the confessions of the Boys of Kilmichael (90th anniversary this year) and the great Fr. Prout. Hope you enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteIts in his eyes. You can see he's a man of God. Didn't he have American connections?
ReplyDeleteI have a deepening regard for this man although he did a great deal to limit the choices of woman. I think he was in contact with the truth of things in making his life among the poor to work for his own spiritual awakening. When we look at what the Irish church really was there is something very significant in his later choices.
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