Book on holy Irish men and women was inspired by Pope Benedict XVI

The Catholic Church in Ireland is in trouble. Seminaries are nearly empty, as are many churches, and a nation turning its back on its Catholic roots by legalizing and promoting abortion, divorce, and more. But there are signs of hope, tremendously encouraging signs of hope, in the form of holy men and women who have populated—and continue to populate—the island nation.

The stories of dozens of these holy men and women are told in The Rock from Which You Were Hewn: The Lives and Legacy of Holy Irish Men and Women (Ignatius Press, 2024), edited by Dr. Patrick Kenny and Father John S. Hogan. Fr. Hogan is a priest of the Diocese of Meath in Ireland and the diocesan Postulator for the Cause of the Servant of God Fr Willie Doyle S.J. Dr. Kenny is the President of the Father Willie Doyle Association and the editor of To Raise the Fallen: A selection of the war letters, prayers and spiritual writings of Fr Willie Doyle SJ, (Ignatius Press, 2018).

The book features essays by 40 contributors and features Irish men and women split into two categories: Causes in Progress, and Irish Men and Women with a Reputation for Holiness. There are a few beatified individuals in the first section, but the famous canonized saints (St. Patrick, St. Brigid of Kildare, St. Oliver Plunkett, and others) are not to be found here.

The editors describe the book as “a modest response to Pope Benedict’s call to remember our local holy men and women and to seek inspiration from the example of their lives and virtues”. Most of the saints of Ireland date to the first millennium of Christianity, with St. Oliver Plunkett the only native-born Irish saint of the last 500 years. But the people featured in this book span the centuries, with over half having died in the twentieth century—and two who died less than a decade ago.

The Church in Ireland is struggling in ways that it hasn’t for many, many years. But the short biographies contained in this volume put on clear display the many holy men and women who continue to live and work for God’s kingdom on the Emerald Isle, many of whose causes for canonization have been opened, and all of whom show us that we, too, can be holy.

Patrick Kenny recently spoke with Catholic World Report about the new book, the state of the Church in Ireland, and hope for the future.

Catholic World Report: How did this book come about?

Patrick Kenny: The idea for the book originated from Pope Benedict’s Letter to the Church in Ireland, written in 2010. Writing to the Irish, Pope Benedict said:

As you take up the challenges of this hour, I ask you to remember “the rock from which you were hewn” (Is 51:1). Reflect upon the generous, often heroic, contributions made by past generations of Irish men and women to the Church and to humanity as a whole, and let this provide the impetus for honest self-examination and a committed program of ecclesial and individual renewal.

Ireland is traditionally known as the land of saints and scholars, and indeed we have a very proud legacy in terms of ancient saints from the first millennium. While these saints were very great and inspiring figures, they can seem very distant to us in time and in culture—the world they lived in was very different to our world today and indeed aspects of their lives and psychology are somewhat shrouded in mystery. There are also many holy Irish people who lived more recently, and they are no less inspiring than those ancient saints.

However, very few of these figures have been recognized as saints. In fact, only one Irish person (the martyred archbishop St Oliver Plunkett) has been canonized in the last 800 years. We could double that number by including the Dutch Passionist St Charles of Mount Argus, who lived and died in Ireland and was canonized in 2007. But whether we count one or two Irish canonizations in eight centuries, it’s clear that Ireland is somewhat underrepresented in terms of recent saints. This is not for want of great candidates. These candidates for canonization are also part of the rock from which we were hewn, so we decided to gather the biographies of every Irish person whose canonization cause has been opened. There are 25 separate Irish canonization processes currently open. We also included a separate section of 19 Irish people who died with a reputation for holiness and in at least a few cases there is potential for a process to begin for their canonization.

CWR: The book focuses on “Holy Irish Men and Women”, but speaks to everyone, not just Irish Catholics. How does the book speak to Catholics around the world, in all sorts of situations?

Kenny: While the book was originally conceived as a help for the Church in Ireland, it also has a universal appeal, just like the saints themselves. Somebody from Normandy in France might have a special local connection to St Therese, but it is clear that her life and spirit can speak to anyone in any time and place.

So, too, with the men and women in this book. You don’t have to be Irish or of Irish heritage to find inspiration, encouragement, and challenge in the lives of these men and women. That’s why we were delighted that Ignatius Press agreed to publish the book and provide a worldwide audience for it. Indeed, while those in the book are Irish, quite a few of them lived and died elsewhere, including in the United States, where their canonization causes have been initiated. Specific examples include Venerable Patrick Peyton, Venerable Edward Flanagan, the Servant of God Patrick Ryan, and the Servant of God Margaret Mary Healy Murphy. Also included is Fr James Coyle, an Irish priest who was killed by a member of the Ku Klux Klan in Alabama. There is, as of yet, no formal process for canonizing him, but surely his heroism in facing racial prejudice is of universal relevance.

CWR: The Church in Ireland is in a somewhat sorry state, with seminaries practically empty, as are the pews in many parishes, and with many Catholics voting in support of abortion, assisted suicide, divorce, and other issues contrary to the faith. How can the holy men and women in the book inform efforts to revitalize the Church in Ireland?

Kenny: Quite a few of the men and women profiled in the book lived in historical periods that were even more challenging than the Ireland of today. For example, the martyrs profiled in Chapter 2 lived during an era of outright, active persecution of the Catholic Faith. They literally died for the Faith, and are an inspiration for us just as much as the early Christians in Rome. Some of the great Irish founders of religious orders—Venerable Nano Nagle (Chapter 4), Venerable Catherine McAuley (Chapter 5), Blessed Edmund Rice (Chapter 6) and Venerable Mary Aikenhead (Chapter 7) lived in the transitional time when the penal laws were gradually easing. It was a time in which the Church had no infrastructure at all and was completely impoverished. Each of them, in their own ways, worked to establish the Irish educational and healthcare systems and they did so in the face of greater problems than those we have today.

We can be revitalized by their example of fidelity. We are sure that none of them started out with a grand strategic plan; they were simply faithful to God’s path for them. Each saint just takes the next step that opens for them. Being faithful to God’s will, and responding to the graces offered to us, we are each called to take the next step. Who knows how God will use us if we are docile to His will and keep moving forward?

We also take inspiration from the historical reality that God raises the saints that are needed at that time. In every crisis, in every country, and in every century, God has raised men and women to meet the challenge of the hour. We are confident that the Holy Spirit is still at work in Ireland today. Who knows what great saints-in-the-making are living amongst us now?

A very real and surprising example of that is the case of Ireland’s newest Servant of God Sr. Clare Crockett. She was a rather superficial teenager. Her main aspiration in life was to be famous. In fact, she was somewhat on the road towards fame as she had some jobs as an actress and television presenter. At the age of 17, she was convinced to go on a pilgrimage to Spain. She envisaged a holiday on the beach and was dismayed to find herself on a religious retreat during Holy Week, far from the parties she craved. Cajoled into attending the Good Friday ceremonies, she was struck by the love of God when it was her turn to venerate the Cross. A struggle ensued, but eventually, she gave herself to Christ. She died in 2016, at the age of 33, in an earthquake in Ecuador. Almost immediately, there was an outpouring of devotion to her, along with many reports of alleged healings through her intercession. This was truly one of the great surprises of the Holy Spirit. Her example, which is so recent and fresh, is an inspiration to many young people. Its impact was completely unanticipated. The Holy Spirit is always at work. Who knows what other surprises are in store for Ireland?

CWR: There is a wide array of men and women featured here, most of whom are not beatified or canonized. How did you go about selecting the folks who would be included? Were there any individuals that you hoped to include, but didn’t?

Kenny: There are two sections in the book. The first section is dedicated to those whose canonization causes are underway but as yet incomplete. This includes all Irish Blesseds, Venerables and Servants of God. So the choice here was simply determined by identifying all of those Causes that had been opened. The second section involved a lot more discretion on our part. It includes the biographies of 19 people who died with a reputation for holiness. Some of them are well known, some have been forgotten about. Obviously, this is a very incomplete list. The selection was necessarily limited by considerations of space and was also determined by people we were aware of, and also related to the challenge of finding the appropriate people who could write those chapters. There are actually quite a few others who could have been included. Perhaps we’ll have to produce a second volume!

CWR: Are there any of these men and women that either of you have a particularly deep personal connection with or devotion to?

Kenny: We are both very involved in the process for the cause of the Servant of God Fr Willie Doyle, the Jesuit military chaplain killed in World War I while trying to rescue wounded soldiers. A very warm, witty, and charming man, living a life of constant prayer and penance, his priestly ministry was characterized by extraordinary zeal, and he died offering his sufferings in reparation for the sins of priests. He is a model of a faithful priestly life, and we are convinced that his witness is important for the Church today, especially in Ireland. In a certain sense, this entire book grew out of our work for Fr Willie’s Cause.

CWR: Are you hopeful/optimistic about the future of the Catholic Church in Ireland? Why or why not?

Kenny: As Christians, we have to be hopeful. But we are not naïve. The Church will survive and prevail, but it is not guaranteed to do so in any one particular geographic territory. There are regions in the world that once had thriving Christian communities, whereas today the Church has been all but wiped out.

It is certainly the case that the Church in Ireland is very hard-pressed. There has been a general collapse in vocations and priests aren’t getting any younger. Barring an extraordinary Divine intervention, within 10 or 20 years many parishes will close and it will become increasingly hard to access the sacraments. Much of the physical infrastructure we have taken for granted will disappear.

But Our Lord sent out the disciples to spread the good news; we cannot be in the business of merely managing decline. Many of the saints faced similar and greater hurdles, but they relied on God’s grace, they persevered, and they brought forth fruit.

There remains great potential for the Church in Ireland. Yes, it will be smaller. It won’t wield the power and influence it once had. But the signs of regrowth are there. There are new apostolates. There are new, small religious communities that have come here from other countries and are doing great work. There are signs of greater confidence, a refusal to just fade away harmlessly into the night, especially amongst younger people. Even though it seems to be declining rapidly and has a smaller footprint in terms of Mass attendance and vocations, the Church in Ireland in a certain sense is stronger than it was ten years ago. Of course, if you’re not looking in the right places you will miss it. It is not always evident in every parish or diocese. But the action of the Holy Spirit is unmistakable. He is always at work, and for that reason, we have to have hope.

CWR: The phrase “the rock from which you were hewn” in relation to Irish Catholicism, brings to mind the Mass Rocks, which brave priests used as altars in secret locations to be able to celebrate Mass during periods of religious persecution. Is there some symbolism here?

Kenny: The phenomenon of the Mass Rocks is an important part of our Catholic history. It reminds us of the heroism and fidelity of our ancestors. They faced much greater difficulties than we face now. As the old song says, they remained faithful in the face of “dungeon, fire and sword”. We certainly need to be reminded of their perseverance and to seek their intercession. So while there is an important symbolism here, it is not deliberate—the title of the book comes from Pope Benedict’s 2010 letter to the Irish, and, in turn, ultimately from Isaiah.

CWR: What do you hope readers will take away from the book?

Kenny: We had four specific hopes when producing the book. Firstly, we wanted to provide a much-needed corrective to the negative media coverage and public narratives about the Church in Ireland. For sure, there are some very dark episodes in the history of the Church in Ireland. Nobody should want to deny this. They need to be admitted, they need to be owned, and they need to be atoned for. We should have righteous anger about the crimes that have destroyed so many lives. But we also need to be clear that these crimes and abuses are the result of those who were unfaithful to the Gospel and to the teaching of the Church. If we truly want to make a fair evaluation of the Church, we need to look at those who were faithful Catholics. We need to remember and study the lives, of those who embraced the Gospel, not those who betrayed it. In presenting the 44 chapters in the book, we want to highlight 44 mini-case studies of faithful Christians who embodied the values of the Gospel, sacrificing themselves for others.

Secondly, we wanted to show that holiness is possible for all of us, no matter where we are or what our circumstances are. We want the book to be an encouragement to us all on our Christian journey. The men and women (and one young child) in the book had strengths and weaknesses, just as we have. They knew the joys of life, but also its sorrow—pain, loneliness, sickness, poverty, betrayal, and even persecution. But they remained faithful and just kept taking the next step, day after day. God’s grace was available to them. He doesn’t love us any less than He loved them. He can give us the grace we need to be saints if we remain faithful.

Thirdly, we wanted to give a boost to those 25 Irish canonization causes currently underway. These Causes need help. They need volunteers, they need resources, they need prayers, We hope that the book will inspire people to reach out to the promoters of the Cause and to get involved.

Finally, we wanted to encourage the opening of new Causes, hence the inclusion of the 19 people in Part 2 of the book. Here are 19 people who perhaps could be considered as “potential” saints. We hope that in time a Cause might be initiated for some of these.

CWR: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Kenny: Pray for the Church in Ireland and pray that we may be faithful to the legacy that has been bequeathed to us!