Archbishop Dermot Farrell of Dublin celebrates the centennial Mass at Mercyhurst University, Pennsylvania. Photo: Mercyhurst University. True education begins with recognising the value and dignity of every person, Archbishop Dermot Farrell has said, as he urged young people to have the courage to engage with the challenges of society rather than retreat from them.
Speaking at the celebrations marking the centenary of Mercyhurst University in Pennsylvania, the Archbishop of Dublin said education requires more than just the transmission of knowledge.
“True education is born of a conviction of the value and worth of every person, that in the end we are all brothers and sisters, children of the one God,” Archbishop Farrell said. Education, he added, requires educators to give their time, energy and belief to young people, especially “when they don’t or can’t, or won’t be allowed to believe in themselves”.
The archbishop connected the university’s mission with Venerable Catherine McAuley, who established the House of Mercy on Baggot Street, Dublin, in 1827.
Responding to the archbishop’s homily, Brenda Drumm of Mercy International told The Irish Catholic that Catherine McAuley’s vision was rooted in “a profound belief in the dignity and potential of every person”.
“From those beginnings, education became one of the most enduring expressions of the Mercy charism,” she said. “Today, that same vision continues to shape Mercy education across the world. Mercy schools, colleges and universities seek not simply to impart knowledge, but to nurture the dignity and potential of each person.”
Addressing Mercyhurst students, Archbishop Farrell said a genuinely Catholic education should enable them to embrace the “fullness of life” offered by God to every person. Faced with the complexity of the modern world, he warned that “it would be so easy to withdraw and fabricate a world of our own.”
Instead, drawing on Pope Francis’ message to young people to “take risks”, the archbishop urged students to draw inspiration from the courage of Catherine McAuley and the early Sisters of Mercy in challenging the society of their time.
Ms Drumm said the approaching bicentenary of Catherine McAuley’s first House of Mercy in 2027 was a reminder that her vision “remains as relevant as ever”.
“Education is a work of mercy,” she said, “opening doors to opportunity, hope and a more just and compassionate world.”