| Canon Cunningham - 40th Jubilee Celebrations |
40 YEARS OF PRIESTHOOD – 6 JUNE 1966-12 JUNE 2006
On Monday 12 June, 2006 the parishioners of Our Lady & St Oswin gathered in St Mary's Church, Cullercoats, to celebrate the 40 th Anniversary of the Ordination of their Parish Priest, Canon Seamus Cunningham. Mass was at 7pm, and 24 Priests of the Diocese concelebrated, including retired Parish Priest Fr Aidan Pickering (jokingly referred to by Canon as “my 90 year old Curate” and now rejoicing in that title!).
Amongst the 24 priests were four of Canon Cunningham's curates from his time as Administrator at St Mary's Cathedral, Fathers Adrian Dixon, Anthony Donaghue, Peter Leighton and Paul McCourt. Father Dixon delighted us with his entertaining homily, describing some of the amusing incidents of those early days of priesthood, and paying wonderful tribute to the unfailing guidance and support received from Canon Cunningham. One of the amusing incidents recounted touched on the generosity of Canon towards his curates. This was especially noticeable when it came to their Saturday evening wine. They were allowed to spend as much as £1.75 on a bottle! He reckoned that at today's prices that quality wine would probably cost about £2!
He spoke of Canon Cunningham's flair for involving lay people in the life of the community, and his joy in providing hospitality. Well, we at Tynemouth and Cullercoats can vouch for that! Since his arrival we have ‘teams', ‘groups' and ‘rotas' of lay people for practically everything you can think of, and somehow some of us seem to be on all of them! His gift for hospitality is as generous as ever and he rejoices in the occasional ‘hooley'.
Mass was followed by a buffet supper and a great evening of entertainment at St Thomas More High School . During the evening we enjoyed Fr Anthony Donaghue's tribute in which he gave thanks for the forty years that Canon Cunningham had exercised his ministry of service and reconciliation in the Church. He talked of how, when the newly ordained curate arrived at the parish of Brooms, just out of Ireland , he must have wondered at the carnival atmosphere and the English flag flying everywhere. World Cup victory year of course! Forty years later England is again bedecked with flags, and for now we can only hold our breath!
He talked of the biblical significance of the number forty, for example the chosen people wandering in the wilderness for forty days, and the forty days and forty nights Moses spent up the mountain to come close to the Lord and to be invited to tread new paths. He likened this to the pastoral ministry of Canon: being with the Lord and then being invited to work for him in different and new ways.
Canon Cunningham was later presented with a cheque from parishioners, and was further surprised and delighted when children of the parish presented him with a Teddy Bear, dressed in a red satin bow tie and a white tee shirt with a huge 40 emblazoned on the front!
In his response he described arriving in England , fresh from ordination and the first time he had ever left Ireland . He had never before met a non-Catholic, never met a lapsed Catholic! He described his priestly ministry as a journey that had taken him to places he had never imagined he would go. He gave thanks for the involvement of the laity who were now playing such a great part in the life of the church. He had enjoyed a wonderful forty years, the highs and lows alike, and was filled with optimism for the future of the church and the priesthood after the recent turbulent times.
We the parishioners of Our Lady and St Oswin, Tynemouth and Cullercoats, also give thanks for the ministry of Canon Cunningham, and feel very fortunate, very blessed and very privileged to have had him as our Parish Priest for the last eight years. “Thank you Canon”. We look forward to celebrating your Golden Jubilee with you.
HOMILY BY FATHER ADRIAN DIXON AT CELEBRATION MASS FOR CANON CUNNINGHAM'S 40 TH ANNIVERSARY OF ORDINATION
I hope you won't mind but I will refer to our man of the moment as “Seamus”. It's what I am comfortable with, it is how I know him and if I tried to refer to him in some other way it would seem false and I would forever tripping up over his more titled name. I'm sorry if this puts you off but perhaps each time I say “Seamus” you might whisper to yourself “Father Cunningham”, or “Canon Cunningham, or “Canon Seamus” etc – so I'll say “Seamus” and under your breath you can call him some other name.
I first encountered Seamus many years ago – he won't remember – I was in my late teens or early twenties and there were some talks in the hall of my home parish, St Robert's in Newcastle. I had gone along and Seamus was in the audience too. At that time he would have been chaplain at St Mary's Training College in Fenham but I didn't know who he was. Well, it was the end of the session and we were all walking out into the night and it was then I noticed this young priest looking very serious indeed surrounded by a group of young women. Ambling down Bolbec Road I asked Andy Donohue who the priest was. ‘Oh that's Father Cunningham' he said, ‘he works up at the College - pause - he's very, very intelligent, mind he can be a bit fierce and really strict', ‘Rightly so', said I, ‘priests are supposed to be.' How different he was years later when I got to know him! He was neither strict nor fierce nor…. You know what I mean.
I am not sure why this incident sticks in my mind though I do remember being struck by all these women who surrounded him. It must have been a one-off, as you know Seamus has never been one to have women at his beck and call, cooking and cleaning and the like. As I reflect upon that night, what I think to be truly amazing is that his appearance is no difference now to what it was then – he must have sipped at some fountain of youth. While the rest of us have grown whiter still and wider he looks exactly the same. I reckon with so few being ordained these days he will eventually be the youngest priest in the diocese!
It was after 1989, when I moved to the Cathedral that I really came to know him. Seamus was the parish priest and administrator there – they didn't call them ‘deans' in those days. I have to say he went out of his way to make me welcome there. He went on holiday the moment I arrived! Actually, he was terrifically supportive – you know there can a be a lot of talk about supporting priests, particularly fairly recently ordained assistants but then you can be left high and dry – my experience with Seamus was tremendous, he wasn't intrusive but he was always interested.
The Cathedral house was a good place to live with fellow priests, there was a distinct sense of belonging and comradeship while at the same time you had space to do your own thing. I think one of Seamus' great qualities shone out ion that environment – it was a place of hospitality. There seemed to be a procession of guests through the dining room – whenever you went down for a meal you could encounter anyone joining the group for the meal – and you could invite whoever you liked – even at the last minute you could appear with a friend and the housekeepers would just slice the meat more finely and cur up the potatoes to make it all go further. No expense was spared, especially on the wine – we were allowed to spend as much as £1.75 on a bottle – now you may think that is not a lot – but was some time ago - £1.75 then would by a similar bottle now for as much as £2!
I don't want to go on about the Cathedral a great deal but there is more I would like to say. The parish and worshipping community over which Seamus presided was characterised by openness and engagement. I have never known anyone with his flair for involving pay people in the life of a community. While I don't know these parishes of St Mary or Our Lad & St Oswin very well, I have no doubt that it is the same here. What was particularly fine about his approach was that he would invite individuals whom most parish priests would pass over without a moment's thought – but Seamus would get them involved – he might delight in their eccentricity, but he respected them as having a part to play.
Being in the city centre, the Cathedral is inundated with people looking for help of one form or another. Seamus led by example in giving time and showing compassion. I do not know how many cups of tea or sandwiches were given out to the hungry and homeless in his time but it must be tens of thousands. If you stand outside Cathedral House you can see on the stonework surrounding the door frame a criss-cross multitude of black marks and lines – they were not made by worse for wear curates trying to get their key into the lock – they are messages from all those gentlemen of the road that you could get help of a practical nature.
Seamus is the sort of parish priest who makes other parish priests feel guilty. As you will know here in Cullercoats and in Tynemouth, as they did in Newcastle, Seamus visits his parishioners assiduously. Now I know that you all hide behind the curtains and hope that he won't see through the window that the telly is on but he visits for best of reasons. He wants new ideas for wallpaper and soft furnishings – no sorry that's someone else whom I know – he wants to draw the people closer to the Lord and to each other.
In this quintessential aspect of priestly ministry, the visiting of parishioners, especially the sick, we come to the heart of why we are here celebrating forty years of Seamus' priesthood. As we do so it is important for us all to ponder for a moment what it is to be Christian, what it is to be a priest.
To be a priest is to be a man of prayer both to pray for the people and to provide an example of prayer for others. No Seamus is a man of prayer, you can see it clearly in the time that he spends in prayer and the priority he gives to it. We give thanks for this life of prayer and the example he has shown over forty years and we say to him ‘keep praying'. It is the calling of every Christian – to be a man or woman of prayer and we all need the likes of Seamus to inspire us to this vocation.
To be a priest is to offer sacrifice, the sacrifice of the Mass and to celebrate the Sacraments. But to be effective, priesthood must involve self-sacrifice. A priest must place upon the altar the offering of himself to be united to the offering of Christ. It is the calling of all who share in the priesthood of the baptised, all Christians, to share in Christ's sacrifice and offer themselves – we need men like Seamus to act as head and lead by example. For forty years Seamus has been offering sacrifice and for this we give thanks to God but we must say ‘it is not enough you have yet more to give for the glory of God and the salvation of his people'.
To be a priest is to announce the good news so that people may find that God is present in their lives. Jesus speaks of this in tonight's Gospel. Just as in haring the reading it is ‘fulfilled even as we listen' so it is by bringing good news and comfort to others that a priest helps make the passage a reality, makes the gospel come to life. Each one of us is called to bring good news and we give thanks for forty years of Seamus' priestly proclamation and we ask him to shout it all the louder, all the clearer.
I know there are many people who would like to thank you for your priesthood, everyone here and no doubt many who couldn't make it and many who are now with God. I would like to thank you for your friendship, kindness and your example.
Seamus, congratulations on your fifty years as a priest – it seems only five minutes since we were celebrating forty – oh sorry that's wrong isn't it – that's for next time –let's see what God and the years ahead have in store.
40 TH ANNIVERSARY OF ORDINATION – CANON SEAMUS CUNNINGHAM - SPEECH AT RECEPTION – FATHER ANTHONY DONAGHUE
You know Seamus, you look so young …. I cannot believe that you are approaching the pension!!
Forty years ago you came to our diocese an even younger and an equally energetic young priest. You came to Hexham and Newcastle following your Ordination on 12 June 1966.
Forty years ago you came to us from a large and caring family. The leaving of your family must have been an emotional wrench. I can only guess how you really felt when you arrived at the Brooms and Leadgate in 1966 – a very foreign land. You may have been quite taken aback to see this area of North West Durham in such a carnival spirit – the English flag was flying everywhere and there was a euphoric party atmosphere. “What was all the fuss about?” you might have wondered and indeed asked. Of course, it was World Cup Victory fever in England! And so you were introduced to the English game having been brought up on Irish Soccer. Now forty years on the whole of England is bedecked with the patriotic flag – though at present we can only hold and breath and wait.
Today we give thanks to the Lord for the forty years that you, Seamus, have exercised your ministry as an ordained priest. Today we give thanks for your blessed ministry of service and reconciliation in the Church of our great High Priest – Jesus Christ. Today we give thanks for your faithful service of the Lord's Holy People.
We have all gathered with you this evening, Seamus, because during this blessed time of forty years you have touched our lives through your presence, your preaching of the Word of God, your faithfulness to a life of prayer and your compassion for the people in your care.
Waiting and wandering. Wandering – WANDERING: are classic biblical themes. The number forty is very often associated with these themes of waiting and wandering. Forty is a significant biblical number. The chosen people wandered in the wilderness for forty years. Has this been your experience, Seamus? Surely not!
Moses went up the mountain for forty days and forty nights to come close to the Lord and to be invited to tread new paths. I suspect that this has been your experience in your pastoral ministry: being with the Lord and then being invited to work for him in different and new ways. This was the clarion call of the Second Vatican Council – Working for the Lord in the church and in the world in new and different ways.
Seamus, you will recall that the Second Vatican Council finished on 8 th December 1965. Pope John XXIII had called the Council “so that the Church would open wide its windows onto the world.” This Council began in 1962 as you were starting your theological studies and perhaps without ever realising it you embodied this new theology, this new spirituality, this opening wide of the Church into the world. To coin a phrase: you were part of a new wave of priests to grace the Lord's Church following the conclusion of this great Ecumenical Council.
Seamus, as you look back over the forty years of your priestly ministry you could never have foreseen or anticipated the sheer diversity of your ministry. The Lord has led you along paths you would not have chosen. You were asked to attend Corpus Christi College to equip yourself to be our Diocesan Catechetical Director for a number of years. This request took you by surprise. Why me?? After a rewarding four years in that position you were astounded to be asked to live at Ushaw College as Spiritual Director to the students for a number of years. After Ushaw, Bishop Lindsay asked you to return to St Mary's Cathedral as Administrator. You had already lived in the Cathedral when Canon Murray – of happy memory – was Administrator. You were made a Canon. And what a fine and boyish figure you cut in your Canon's robes. It was a joy to address the envelope:
“The Very Reverend Canon Seamus Cunningham”
You had made it! – Though you were not ambitious.
The parishioners of Cullercoats and Tynemouth have been graced by your presence amongst them. Your enthusiasm and energy to preach the Gospel, to start new pastoral initiatives and to visit people in their homes have enlightened and enriched these coastal communities. Your joy and delight in the celebration of the Liturgy in the Parish Primary School has been greatly appreciated by the children, the staff and the parents.
In recent years you have undertaken a new responsibility – that of Vicar General. And you have done so with unstinting resourcefulness and thoroughness.
Seamus, throughout these forty years you have journeyed to Ireland to spend time with your family. You have been supported by their presence in your life. And what a celebration and a party you gave when you celebrated your Silver Jubilee in the Cathedral. It was a joy for me to meet members of your family on such a marvellous occasion.
Seamus, it has been a joy for you to baptise your nieces and nephews over the years and then to be present at their marriages twenty or more years later and now to be baptising their children. You have also returned home to bury your dear Mother, your brother Shaun, Maura your sister in law, and Dolores your niece. Your pain was deep.
Seamus, in all your work in the Lord's vineyard prayer has been the groundswell of your ministry. Your conversations with the Lord and resting in his presence have been the springboard for your work in the Lord's Church. In your time with the Lord your confidence has grown and your humanity has developed. The number forty indicates less a length of time and more a privileged time. Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights in continual prayer before His public ministry commenced. Your forty years, Seamus, have been a privileged time for you to serve the Lord and a privilege for us to be served by you. Your faithfulness and tenacity to your prayer life throughout your priestly years have borne much fruit in your ministries of visiting people in their homes and in the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation – which is so dear to your heart.
Finally Seamus, it is a special privilege for me to be standing here tonight on behalf of your family, your friends, your parishioners, your fellow priests, and all you have served over four decades.
The Lord who began His work in you will surely bring it to completion and in ways that will surprise you! You have always put your trust in the Lord, you have always recognised that there are all sorts of service to be done. May you continue to do it in your way. Seamus, you will well remember that in our Cathedral days in the late 1980's I used to say “We have to do our own thing.” Thank God for your ministry, Seamus. Thank God for doing it in your way. I am mindful of your constantly quoting from the letter of St Paul to Ephesians: “Glory be to him whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.” (Ephesians 3v20). On this occasion I would wish to add the words of Paul which immediately follow: “Glory be to Him from generation to generation in the Church and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3v20).
May the Lord continue to work through you, Seamus, for the length of your days.
Ad Multos Annos
