Years of media conditioning probably shaped my thinking but I was full of preconceptions as I made my way to Moyross to meet Fr Silvester, one of the Franciscan friars of the Renewal, who on 18th August 2007 took up residence at St Patrick’s Friary at 64 Delmege Park, Moyross, Limerick. Most of the recent media coverage relating to Limerick has not been good. Moyross particularly so – shootings, feuds, turf wars were part of the language that has shaped our understanding of Moyross.

But God has a way of digging us in the ribs when we need it most. I had missed the turn for Moyross and driven unnecessarily into the city and asked a teenager/twentysomething for directions. He lived in Moyross, was ready to go home and was delighted to get a lift - I was even more delighted to have a guide. We chatted easily; I told him where I was going, he showed me how to get there. He knew about the Friars -“Yeah, they’re sound “ – terms of affirmation don’t come better than “sound” from an Irish teenager. I dropped him at the corner shop, noting mentally that he too seemed sound.

A lot of sound people here

My visit was just before Christmas and many of the houses were beautifully festooned with various seasonal decorations, the majority with a genuine Christmas, Christian theme – I had seen a television news item on the live nativity scene, with real animals, that the local community and the friars had created together. It seemed that there must be a lot of sound people here.

Fr Sylvester shared with me some of his faith journey and thoughts as we sat and talked in the friary. This has been created out of 3 abandoned council houses which the friars, with local help, knocked together and refurbished creating a downstairs chapel and large kitchen dining area. Fr Sylvester talked of a word that the Lord had given him which seemed to have great relevance both in his own life and indeed for Ireland and for the church – and it was that of “identity” - where we are from, who we are, what defines that identity and how do we live it out? He recalled his own childhood and his mother who was influenced by Catholic Charismatic Renewal. At Christmas they would hang “Happy Birthday, Jesus” signs in front of the house and sing the same wish to Jesus. Of course there were other influences too, for a youngster growing up in South Philadelphia – peer influence, the need to fit in, to be the “cool” one or perhaps the athletic one. Where and how do we find the real standard that says “this is the authentic me” not what culture or society tells me I should be? Quoting from Vatican II Fr Sylvester spoke of Jesus revealing man to himself – by taking on our human nature He elevated our humanity. The true greatness of the great men and women of Christian history came from their Christian identity – not an identity based on the world. Fr Sylvester talked of the character Eric in the film “Chariots of Fire” who ran to please God “when I run I experience God’s pleasure”. Eric’s desire was to thank God for the gifts he had received, by using these gifts in praise of God – as opposed to his rival Harold, whose motivation was to win the approval and respect of his peers at Cambridge.

Living poorly and for the poor

Having spent six years serving in the Marine Corps Fr Sylvester found his true identity, he said, when he was invited to go on a retreat in February 1989. He didn’t particularly want to go, for the social life of partying and friends held more appeal, but through the encouragement of a priest friend, he eventually went. While on retreat he had time to reflect on his life and he realized that the happiest times coincided with being close to God and living the gospel, and the saddest time seemed to be those of the pub/sin/worldly scene. He described a moment of grace when God showed him the truth and what he described as a clear interior voice that said “be my priest” and his own reaction of “Who, me?”, that was immediately replaced with an affirmative “Why not you?” and a pristine understanding of what it meant to be a priest – that he wanted to live “poorly and for the poor”, that God loved him and had chosen this identity for him from the beginning of time.

That specific understanding of priesthood made the choice of the Franciscan order inevitable. St Francis was a person who had given up everything to serve God in the poor. And far from restricting him in any way it elevated and freed him as he lived out Jesus’ two great commandments – to love God with all our hearts and our neighbours as ourselves.

He was ordained on 17th May 2003 and spent two years serving as Director of St Anthony’s Residence in New York. Fr Sylvester then spent a year working in a soup kitchen in Bradford, Yorkshire. He recalled fondly the opportunity to dialogue with local Muslims and the realization that any authentic dialogue and ecumenism can only take place against the background of a clear, unapologetic understanding of our own Catholic identity. We can respectfully stand and speak for what we are - when we water it down we lose respect from those who already struggle to understand us, he said.

Helping to build the soul

The Friars had been in negotiations with the Limerick Diocese for about two years prior to the opening of the Friary in Moyross at a time when considerable work was also being planned for the physical regeneration of Limerick, including Moyross. Fr Sylvester and the other Friars had recognized that while governments can have effective programmes that build up the body, each community also has a soul. It is the work of the priests and brothers to build up this soul. The primary regeneration that is needed is spiritual regeneration.

No grand plans

“How did the Friars set about this spiritual regeneration?” I asked Fr Sylvester. The simplicity of his reply took me by surprise. “We didn’t come here with any grand plan, other than to be who we are” he said. “we are a community of prayer, so we pray – five times a day - and celebrate Mass. We walk around and meet people, they ask who we are and we tell them. We didn’t come to be Social Workers or to fix anybody or anything – we came to seek our own spiritual renewal.” But people have responded in an extraordinary way. The road where the friars live was in the front line of Moyross’ gang violence; a killing occurred within yards of where we talked – there had been no Christmas celebrations in 2006. Last Christmas (2007) 500 people came to celebrate at the live crib. Visitors from outside Moyross – from outside Limerick – came. A busload of handicapped kids came to join in the festivities. Local people put up Christmas lights, brought in provisions and “borrowed” the live animals.

Meeting people where they are

In an Ireland which, to some extent, is turning its back on Catholicism and Christianity why have people taken to the friars with such enthusiasm? Fr Sylvester is humble and disarmingly honest in response. “The media guys asked the same question – I guess we just met people where they were, the poverty here was not physical, it was spiritual. Christ is the spiritual food. There is a real sense of community and love in this neighborhood; people look out for each other and visit the sick. Maybe they took to the honesty of people who act and look like what they are – Franciscan priests and brothers.” And in this he saw a possible solution to the problems of Ireland, of priests, religious and families. Recognise what you are and live that out, he said. Bishop Fulton Sheen said that “people do not hate the church and its teaching – they hate what they think it teaches” God chose us to be a catholic people, so we will only find our true happiness in fulfilling that identity.- not a hackneyed, cultural Catholicism but a true catholic identity which cannot be separated from embracing Christ.”

The Lord provides

As I was about to leave, a neighbour called accompanied by his grandson, on a twofold mission – dropping in a few provisions for the house “nothing much really” and the grandson wanting a peek at the donkey and goats in the back garden – still to be returned to their owners after having starred in the nativity scene. Finally Fr Sylvester asked me if I knew any worthy people to whom I could take some foodstuff – if the friars are good for the people of Moyross, those people have not been slow to show their appreciation so there was an overflow of provisions. So I had a small detour on my return journey with the car boot full, destined for the Cenacolo Community outside Knock. Somehow it would have been difficult to see the Friars holding onto something that might be more needed somewhere else.