Bishop Michael Router, Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh, celebrating Mass in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, during the Diocesan Congress on Sunday, 22 March 2026 (Catholic Communications Office archive)
- Homily of Bishop Michael Router for Mass at the Congress on Youth, Family & Faith, in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh.
Homily
The prophet Ezekiel, in the first reading for this vigil Mass for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, speaks to the Israelites living in exile in Babylon. They were a people in despair who believed that all their hope had gone. They felt they were dead and buried like dry bones. Yet God makes a promise to them “I will put my spirit in you, and you shall live.” God brings life where often people see only emptiness and misery. In the Gospel we also see something similar take place when Jesus stands before the tomb of his friend Lazarus and calls him out of death into life. What seemed so final was not the end.
This message is important for us today in Ireland. When we examine, at least on a surface level, the current condition of the faith on this island it can be easy to feel discouraged. We see declining Mass attendance, fewer young families participating in our parish life and a popular culture that often seems to be moving further away from Gospel values. It appears as though something that was once so strong has become fragile. There are moments when we too feel like the Israelites in exile, wondering how our faith can flourish and thrive again, particularly among the younger generations.
Sometimes in the midst of such negativity and gloom we can easily believe that we are the first generation to face such challenges. Yes, there are specific problems and obstacles we have never faced before, but the history of our Church has been filled with moments of crisis. We need only look at the life of Saint Oliver Plunkett, whose statue stands here in this cathedral and whose witness stands at the heart of this diocese. When he returned from Rome in March 1670 to take up his ministry as Archbishop of Armagh the Church in Ireland was in a worse situation than it is today. Under the Penal Laws, the practice of the Catholic faith was outlawed and suppressed. Priests were few, churches were closed, and the faithful often had to gather to worship and pray in secret.
Yet Oliver Plunkett did not give into despair or become discouraged by what he encountered. With courage and determination, he travelled tirelessly through the diocese and beyond, encouraging the faithful, reforming the clergy, and rebuilding the structures that were necessary. In just a few short years he confirmed thousands of people and brought new energy to a wounded Church. Even when he was unjustly condemned and brought to the scaffold at Tyburn – the moment in time captured in the statue here – his faith never faltered.
His life reminds us that renewal in the Church begins first and foremost with courage, faith, and sacrifice. Today, as I said, our challenges are different, but they are no less real. Secularisation, cultural change and the wounds of past scandals have left many young people, and indeed their parents, distant from the Church. Yet there are also signs of hope.
A recent report by Stephen Bullivant of Saint Mary’s University, London, and Emily Nelson of Queen’s University, Belfast, points to what they describe as a possible “turning tide.” Their study suggests that while secularisation remains strong, there are small but significant signs of renewed openness to faith among younger generations. Some young adults are seeking meaning, belonging, and purpose in ways that previous generations did not. In many cases they are encountering faith through online engagement with resources they find in podcasts and videos. This reminds us that the Spirit of God is always at work in our world even in places we would never dream of. This realisation gives us hope.
But hope alone is not enough. There must also be action. Saint Oliver Plunkett did not opt for an easy life or stay in a place of comfort. He knew that he had to respond to the situation he found himself in with missionary zeal. To be effective we have got to do the same today. We cannot play it safe or believe it’s business as usual. We need to take risks to ensure that we reach out to those who have turned their backs and walked away from us.
In our diocesan consultation over the past year on Youth and Family ministry six priorities emerged that the delegates at our Congress made recommendations on this weekend. They are all crucial for the future of our faith and our local Church. I do, however, think that it was significant that the issue of belonging featured so prominently.
I was fortunate enough to have attended a conference in Rome during the past week entitled ‘Today Who is my Neighbour’. Which focused on the breakdown of community in this digital age and the negative effects it is having on people’s health and well-being. Pope Leo reminded us in his address to the participants that “urgent attention must also be given to people’s mental health, particularly that of young people, because invisible psychological wounds are no less severe than those that are visible”. The other speakers at the event reinforced the message that the renewal of community in parish life has a huge role to play in helping the young, and all ages, to reconnect with each other and to find support and assistance there that is neither shallow nor artificial. Part of the Church’s mission of compassion must be to ensure that those most at risk of isolation are not forgotten.
Many young people and families are often absent from our communities not through disinterest but through a slow disconnection over time. We need to create spaces of engagement to counter this, but belonging must not be reduced to mere activities or social gatherings. It should lead young people and families into real participation in the Church’s mission and to discover their baptismal identity as co-responsible disciples.
As an aside, when I met Pope Leo at the audience during the week I thanked him for the message of support we had received from him a few days before. I presented him with a copy of our Congress prayer and asked for his prayers on this important weekend for us. He promised that he would indeed remember us. So, we can be assured that he is aware of what is happening here and that we have his spiritual assistance in what we are trying to do.
As I said earlier, the situation we are in today is similar to that which Saint Oliver Plunkett faced. The structures are fragile, the resources limited, and the task ahead is great. But God does not ask us to rebuild the Church alone. As Saint Paul reminds us in the second reading, “the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you.” We must believe that the same Spirit that raised Lazarus from the tomb, the same Spirit that strengthened Saint Oliver Plunkett in persecution, is alive and active in the Church today.
So let us not lose heart. Instead, let us renew our commitment to the mission that lies ahead. If we do so, then generations to come will see that this was not a time of decline, but the beginning of a time of renewal and new life.
ENDS