My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
The words spoken by Jesus in today's Gospel Reading are most comforting and assuring. He declares Himself to be "the bread come down from heaven" (Jn. 6.58) and "…anyone who eats this bread will live forever" (Jn. 6.58). What a wonderful promise this is! Made by the Son of God to all those who receive His Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist! It is the guarantee of eternal life in the Kingdom of God. Each priest, who each day stands at the Altar and holds in his hands "the bread come down from heaven", nourishes himself from it and distributes it to his faithful people, has the assurance of eternal life given to him and to his people by Jesus Christ. Death then takes on a different meaning. It is not the annihilation the world may speak of, it is not the end but rather the flowering forth of a divine reality of life made possible for all of us through the victory of the Cross of Jesus Christ. St. Paul, quoting the words of Sacred Scripture, says in his First Letter to the Corinthians: "Death is swallowed up in victory. Death, where is your sting?..... Let us thank God for giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1. Cor. 15:55-57).
It is with these thoughts in our minds today that we gather to celebrate the
funeral Mass of a Priest of God who has given fifty seven years of his life
in the Priestly service of God's People. Canon Colm Collins has passed the threshold
of hope and entered into eternal life. Born on the 28th June 1926 in the Parish
of Cobh Colm Collins showed himself from the very beginning to be a brilliant
student. He distinguished himself in the Intermediate and Leaving Certificate
examinations in St. Colman's College, Fermoy receiving a silver medal in the
Leaving Cert examination for an essay in the Irish language. His love for the
Irish language and culture he carried with him when he entered St. Patrick's
College, Maynooth in September 1944. He was awarded an Honours Degree in Celtic
Studies and also in Theology.
Colm Collins' vocation to Priesthood was very much influenced by the priestly
life of his uncle, Canon James Cotter, who as a Chaplain to the Munsters in
the First World War must have had much to share with his promising nephew. One
of the treasures which Canon Colm cherished all his priestly life was a tiny
chalice which his uncle had used to say Mass in the trenches at the front. I
do know that Canon Colm was most grateful to me for appointing him Parish Priest
of Kildorrery where his uncle Canon James Cotter served as Parish Priest and
is buried here in the Church grounds.
Canon Colm was ordained to the Priesthood in the Convent of Mercy, Cobh on the 25th of March 1951 by the then Bishop of Cloyne, James Roche. His first appointment was indicative of the quality of the man. He was a born communicator, gentle in approach but firm in his beliefs. He was appointed Professor in St. Colman's College, Fermoy. Many of the Priests here today would have sat at his feet as he used all his intellectual and spiritual skills to help in their formation during those formative years of their lives. After four year in St. Colman's College he was appointed Chaplain to the Religious Sisters in the Parish of Midleton, a post he held for two years before being appointed in July 1957 as Diocesan Inspector of Schools. In this role his natural talents, enhanced by his faith experience and Theological expertise, endeared him to teachers and children alike. He gave some eight and a half years to that special ministry before being sent by Bishop Ahern to study Catechetics at Corpus Christi College, London for a year. While he welcomed the challenge given him, given his highly critical intellect, he often would say that the course did not meet up with his expectations, although he got a great deal from it.
Returning to the Diocese in 1966 he was appointed Chaplain to Mount Alvernia hospital where, for five years, he cared for the sick and elderly with devoted attention. In August 1971 Father Collins was appointed Curate in Castlemartyr where he was to remain for nine years. There he had ample opportunity to use all his talents both supernatural and natural in proclaiming the Gospel and being to the People of the Parish of Imogeela a true pastor of souls. He endeared himself to the People there and became involved in every aspect of parish life. He was responsible for the building of two school halls that were of the highest quality and he encouraged the Community to become involved in drama production and entertainment. In fact, during his Maynooth years his talent as an actor on the stage emerged making of him a natural entertainer. I do remember, later on, when I was with the Priests of the Diocese at a Conference Meeting in Ardnavaha I declared him to be the entertainer of the Diocese. It was just good to be in his company.
In September 1980 Father Colm was appointed Curate in Whitechurch in the Parish of Blarney where he remained for the next almost five years until his appointment as Curate in the Parish of Macroom in May 1985. In 1988 I appointed him Parish Priest of Macroom and Vicar Forane of the Coachford Deanery. On the Feastday of St. Colman 1988 Father Colm became the Canon Prebend of Glanworth and a member of the Cathedral Chapter of St. Colman. Unfortunately his health was then showing strain and he asked to be relieved of his pastoral task in Macroom and so I appointed him Parish Priest of Kildorrery in September 1989. As I already mentioned he was thrilled to be transferred to the Parish in which his uncle Canon James Cotter had served as Parish Priest. Canon Colm's tenure of Office in Kildorrery lasted only four years. Due to failing health he tendered his resignation on the 29th of November 1993.
Canon Colm was above all a Priest of God, deeply spiritual and willing at all times to share his deep spirituality with his fellow-priests. He was widely read and had, one might say, encyclopaedic knowledge particularly in Theology, scripture, the Council documents and the new Catechism of the Catholic Church. He read and studied that Catechism from beginning to end and considered it to be a real treasure for the Church. As a Catechist he revelled in the clarity of expression and the profundity of Theological thought and teaching therein contained. He had a particular devotion to the Adoration Chapel in Fermoy and there, in the quiet of his contemplation in the Real Presence of the Lord Jesus, his deep spirituality and rich theological formation enabled him to be truly at home in the house of the Lord. The Eucharist and the Mass were naturally the highlights of his daily living and he passed on his own enthusiasm in this regard to all he would encounter, to his fellow-priests and in particular to his family members. Canon Colm nurtured himself on good, sound reading. The Encyclicals of Pope John Paul II were a must for him and he particularly took to heart the late Holy Father's last Encyclical on the Eucharist. On his bedside table in the hospital he had one of his favourite books of Blessed Columba Marmion. I am told also that he only recently completed the reading of the present Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI's book "Jesus of Nazareth". In the quiet setting of his retirement in the beautiful Parish of Castlelyons Canon Colm was truly at one with the Lord and with the books which continued to speak to him of the mysteries of God and the eternal life that awaited him.
Canon Colm also had a profound and touching devotion to Mary, the Mother of God and if anyone ever heard him comment on the mysteries of the Holy Rosary they would truly be impressed at what one could only say were the fruits of his continual meditation on the role of Mary in the work of redemption and in the life of the Church. May she now welcome his immortal and priestly soul to the Kingdom of Her Son, Jesus.
While deeply spiritual and truly theological was the life of the late Canon Colm Collins, one would be mistaken to think that he was so removed from the things of this earth that he would not enjoy life to the full. He truly loved his family members, his nephews Hugh and Paul, his niece Margaret Mary, his nieces-in-law Nuala and Ellen, his nephew-in-law Eamon and his grand nephews, grandnieces and his many friends. The many parishioners of the various parishes in which he had served were very dear to him and his fellow-priests were in a special way his brothers. But great was his joy to have been able to baptise his great-grandnephew, Donagh Keating. Through this he felt he was reaching out to a further generation of family, the third, and handing on the grace of Redemption which he had received through the care and love of his own parents. To all of his family and wide circle of friends go our deepest sympathy on the passing of such a noble soul, a priest of God in the mould of Jesus Christ.
I should mention, my dear friends, before finishing that Canon Colm had a profound understanding of the salvific value of pain and sacrifice. He came to this understanding through his prayer-life and his personal sharing with the suffering Saviour in his own pain. To have to leave his direct involvement in the pastoral activity of a Parish some fifteen years ago was for him a great sacrifice and, as his health deteriorated, he carried the cross to an heroic degree. May he now reap the rewards of his Calvary experience.
To end on a lighter note. Canon Colm was very good at sport and had a deep knowledge of all games. He could analyse any game most efficiently. As a player he was unfortunate in damaging a cartilage in his knee which gave him trouble from then on. He was an excellent golfer and had the reputation to have done the Killarney Old course in level par. But, above all, he took a great interest in his grand-nephews who are deeply involved in the rugby action. In fact, only last Saturday when the nurse in Marymount Hospice suggested to him in the afternoon to take a rest he replied: "How can I? I have five hours of rugby to watch!"
To all of you, my dear friends, who have come today to pray with the family and the priests of the Diocese for the happy repose of this great priest, Canon Colm Collins, I express deep gratitude. Our gratitude goes also in a special way to all the Doctors and Nurses in the Bon Secours Hospital, and in Marymount Hospice, Cork for the wonderful and dedicated care they have shown Canon Colm in his final illness. May the good Lord reward you.
Canon Colm thank you for the fidelity of your priestly life which will remain to all who have known you a spiritual stimulus to follow you on the way to eternal life. May you rest in the Peace of the Lord. Amen!
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