Schools Page
Feast
of the Immaculate Conception 2002.
Scoil
Mhuire gan Smál - Blarney.
50
years of excellence.
Homily
"Before
the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ to be holy and spotless, and
to live through love in his presence" (Eph. 1:4).
When
speaking of history, my dear friends, or of any historical event we are dealing
with two givens: time and people.
Time
is a dimension described as a nonspatial continuum in which events occur in
apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the
future. Before time began people
were chosen to be the protagonists of time, chosen by an omniscient, all loving
God "for his own kind purposes, to make us praise the glory of His
grace". The only person who
has fulfilled God's plan in regard to the use of time and life is Mary, the
Immaculate Virgin, preserved by God's Redemptive Grace in Jesus Christ to be
"holy and spotless". It
is her Feastday we celebrate today here in this school which is proud to have
her as its heavenly Patron - Scoil Mhuire gan Smál.
At
a point in that continuum of time God chose Mary to be the person who would
respond perfectly to his plan for the salvation of the world and her response of
"let what you have said be done to me", her availability in time made
it possible for God to undo the mistakes of his people in the past, live the
present with the fullness of life and place their hope in a future which would
be timeless, a future which would be eternal.
For that intervention of God in the history of mankind through the
availability of Mary we give thanks today.
Two years ago, as the world celebrated the conclusion of two millennia of
time since the intervention of God in history through Mary, the Great Jubilee,
the Vicar of Christ on earth, Pope John Paul, invited all of humanity "to
remember the past with gratitude, to live the present with enthusiasm, and to
look forward to the future with confidence" (N.M.I. par 1.).
In fact that continuum of time can only be truly understood and
appreciated in the three-dimensional context of the past, the present and the
future.
It is precisely in this year 2002 that Scoil Mhuire gan Smál has been
engaged in remembering the past with gratitude, living the present with
enthusiasm and planning for the future with confidence.
Fifty years ago this school began from humble beginnings with two
teachers by opening its doors to twenty-nine students.
Little did they know that only fifty years on we would be here today, at
this point in time, celebrating that event in what has now become a veritable
renowned seat of learning. From its
founding Principal, Mrs. Peg O'Connor, and its original building, through a
series of developments and changes of locations and with the guiding hands and
vision of the Irish Sisters of Charity, assisted admirably by an excellent staff
of lay teachers, Scoil Mhuire gan Smál has become one of the finest in the
country. An Taoiseach, Bertie
Ahern, when visiting the School declared that it "must be the greatest
school in the country".
As we remember today the past with gratitude, we think of the past
principals and staff, the generations of students who, not only achieved
excellent academic standards and laudable achievements in the field of a variety
of sports but also handed on to incoming generations a unique spirit of
endeavour, and the Parents Associations and Boards of Management who can take a
just pride in what has been achieved. Indeed
it has been remarked by academic staff in third-level educational establishments
"that the co-educational environment and the ethos of the school has
resulted in some of the best-prepared students to enter tertiary
education".
Today, as we all are experiencing and are involved in the building of a
New Europe it is encouraging to note the thrust being given to the European
dimension of education here in Scoil Mhuire gan Smál.
The vision of the founding fathers of the New Europe, especially that of
the great statesman Robert Schuman, was to create a community of peoples that
would extend from the Atlantic to the Urals.
It would be a community of peoples that would, while respecting national
cultures and languages, would build on our common heritage of the past and be a
Union of Nations working for the well-being of all its members.
This is the New Europe which is being offered to its young generation and
I am so pleased to note the close bonding that is being engaged in between this
school and "other schools throughout Europe", thus celebrating
"both the diversity and similarity of educational systems".
The learning of diverse languages and the interchange of students with
frequent visits to other European centres of learning all contribute to that
"living the present with enthusiasm" called for by Pope John Paul.
Blarney, because of the excellent initiatives being encouraged here in
Scoil Mhuire gan Smál, is no longer the stereotyped image of the village known
for its famous stone, said to impart gifts of eloquence and flattery to those
who kiss it. Blarney takes its place in the heart of the New Europe with a
just sense of pride in its achievements. This
in no small way can be attributed to the young students from this school who
have stood shoulder to shoulder with their counterparts in Europe such as Sarah
Flannery and Vincent Foley winning the highest accolades in 1999 here in Ireland
and both going on to represent Ireland in international competitions with great
credit on numerous occasions. The highlight of their achievements must have been for the
school an immense moment of pride when Sarah became the European Young Scientist
of the Year. What an achievement!
Indeed, also, the students and staff are engaged in a wide variety of
activities which underline the spirit of altruison which is deeply imbedded in
the spirit of the school. I commend
them all for the great generosity and imaginative outreach which has become part
of the life of Scoil Mhuire gan Smál. And
your many activities in the field of the performing arts highlights the overall
harmony of endeavour which makes the present generation of staff and students
truly unique.
Finally, we are advised, after remembering the past with gratitude and
living the present with enthusiasm, to "look forward to the future with
confidence". The future is
indeed assured as we noted the initiatives which are planned.
The close co-operation with the local Community here in Blarney and with
the developmental plans for this area augur well for the future.
The large sports complex and canteen which will soon, please God, become
a reality will be one further step on the way to making Scoil Mhuire gan Smál
truly the best centre of learning and excellence in the Diocese of Cloyne, if
not in the whole country. I offer
my sincerest congratulations and best wishes to the Principal, Mr. Joe Whyte and
his entire Staff and I bless and support every initiative to give to the present
and future generations of students the opportunity to be formed here into being
the leaders of tomorrow, in Ireland and in the New Europe.
With the spiritual guidance and assistance of the school Chaplain, Fr.
Michael Leamy, and under the Patronage of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, may Scoil
Mhuire gan Smál go forward with confidence and be always what it was founded to
be, a torchlight of learning, dispelling the darkness of ignorance and opening
the treasures hidden in the minds and hearts of God's people for He made them
"for His own greater glory".