'We will never forget your kindness, your generosity and your love.'

The leader of the Franciscan Order in Ireland, Fr Aidan McGrath,ofm Minister Provincial told a Mass of Thanksgiving and Farewell that the friars would never forget the kindness, generosity and love of the people of Clonmel.

He paid tribute to the people of the town as the friars departed after over 750 years of a presence in Clonmel in a Mass of Thanksgiving and Farewell at the Franciscan Friary.

The following is the homily given by Fr Aiden McGrath at the event.

“Falling to their knees, they did him homage”.

We know nothing for certain about the wise men who came from the East. Traditionally, on account of the gifts they brought, they are considered to be three, not just wise men but kings, called Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. These details are just speculation. What is known comes from the Gospel account we have just heard: watching the heavens, they saw a star and decided to follow it. They left behind everything of their own in order to be free to greet this new-born king. We have no idea of how far they travelled and we can only speculate about the conditions they went through as they travelled. But, now what they may have encountered, the wise men moved forward guided always by the mysterious star, a pinpoint of light in the darkness.

From the time the Gospel according to Matthew was written, this event has been understood as the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah which foretold that all the nations would come to Jerusalem, that all the peoples of the earth would come to know the true God and not just the People of Israel. For this reason, today’s feast is known as the Epiphany, from the Greek word for a manifestation – it is the manifestation of the Word made flesh in the child Jesus to all the nations of the earth represented by the wise men. And they represent us, too. In the person of the wise men at Bethlehem, we become participants in the mystery of the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, the long-promised Messiah, the one who comes to us as a helpless little child.

This mystery was shared first by the shepherds and then by the wise men from the East. It is a mystery, as St Paul notes in the second reading, that has now been revealed and in which we have the same inheritance as the Chosen People, the promise made through the Gospel. We are caught up in something that we can never fully grasp or understand.

And that is where we find ourselves today: for over 750 years the Franciscans have been part of the life of this faith community in Clonmel, remaining here through thick and thin. It is a day of very mixed emotions: some have conveyed their deep sense of loss and their sadness; a few have let me know of their anger; but most have expressed their great affection for the friars down through the generations, mentioning some individuals in particular. On our part, we are here today with a mixture of sadness, regret and deep gratitude. For the better part of a millennium, the people of Clonmel and its surrounding districts have been generous and kind and courteous to the Franciscans. For that reason, above all, we give thanks to God for you and for all you have helped us to do.

I have explained before that our motive in withdrawing has been the fact that vocations are very few while the friars are rapidly ageing: out of 76 in the Province today, 50 are over the age of 75 and many are in need of specialist care. This is something that I have struggled with and which we cannot easily understand. It is part of the greater mystery in which we are involved. Vocations come from God – we cannot manufacture them. Older men who are unable to do what once they did cannot be expected to continue: they have the right to step back and live their final years without expectation or unnecessary stress. Pope Benedict XVI – may the Lord have mercy on him – gave us a good example of this almost 10 years ago when he stood aside from office.

Like the wise men of the Gospel, we are now being called to step forward in faith. The closure of this community of Franciscan friars should undermine the faith of believers: the Gospel is not about keeping buildings open or maintaining a certain schedule of services; the Gospel is about falling on our knees like the wise men before a small child born in Bethlehem whom we believe to be true God, a God who has come to walk with us through life as a brother and companion on the road; it is about saying with Jesus, “not my will but your will be done”; it is about obeying the commandment that Jesus left us: “love one another as I have loved you”; it is about living with the hope of resurrection in the midst of darkness.

Later this year, the Franciscans will celebrate 800 years of the formal approval of their Rule. The first chapter describes their way of life as follows: “the rule and life of the friars minor is to observe the holy Gospel...” That is what they have strived to do for 750 years in Clonmel; that is what you have helped them to do for 750 years. The time has come for us to withdraw but we pray that, in all that time, we have sown some seeds that will help you to continue to live according to the Holy Gospel. This call received at our baptism transcends all human affections and all human loyalties. Our hope is that you can live authentically according to the Holy Gospel, share the joy of that Gospel with others, give thanks to God for what has been received and for what each of you can contribute into the future – that you can continue to be a light in the darkness for others.

Before he left his brothers and sisters to return to the God who made him, St Francis turned to them and said: “I have done what was mine to do, may Christ teach you what is yours”. May the Lord guide you all in the years ahead. We will never forget your kindness, your generosity, and your love.