Homily for the Annual Mass in Honour of St Imy
Church of St Imy, Killimer, Co. Clare
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year A
Matthew 15:21–28
A chairde, a phobal Dé, it is a particular joy to gather here today in this beautiful Church of St Imy in Killimer for our annual celebration in honour of a remarkable woman of faith, St Imy, sister of St Senan of Scattery Island.
There is something very appropriate about celebrating St Imy today, in this part of West Clare, with the River Shannon and the islands and shores of the Shannon Estuary not far from us, because this is a landscape steeped in faith.
For generations, people in this part of the world have looked to the saints not simply as figures from a distant past, but as companions and intercessors — people who remind us that faith can take root deeply in a particular place, in a particular community and in ordinary human lives.
Today we remember St Imy, a woman whose name and memory have been handed down through the generations. She belongs to that great family of early Irish saints whose lives were woven into the landscape of our country and whose faith helped to shape the Christian character of our people.
And alongside her stands her brother, St Senan, so closely associated with Scattery Island and with the Christian heritage of Killimer, Kilrush and this whole region.
A Gospel about a determined woman
The Gospel today gives us the wonderful story of the Canaanite woman who comes to Jesus seeking healing for her daughter.
She is an outsider. She is not one of the people of Israel. She has no obvious claim upon Jesus.
But she has something stronger than any claim: she has faith.
She comes crying out:
“Lord, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.”
And Jesus appears, at first, not to answer her.
She persists.
The disciples want her sent away.
She persists.
There is even a moment in the conversation with Jesus when her request seems to be refused.
But she will not give up.
Finally she kneels before Jesus and simply says:
“Lord, help me.”
Three little words — “Lord, help me.”
Perhaps they are among the most honest words any human being can ever pray.
When we are in difficulty, when someone we love is suffering, when we do not know where to turn, sometimes there are no elaborate prayers. There are simply those three words:
Lord, help me.
And Jesus responds to the depth of her faith.
“Woman,” he says, “you have great faith. Let your wish be granted.”
And her daughter is healed.
A woman who would not give up
There is something deeply Irish about the persistence of that woman!
She reminds us of generations of mothers and fathers, grandparents and families who have kept praying through difficult circumstances.
They may not always have understood what God was doing.
They may sometimes have wondered whether God was listening.
But they kept coming back.
They kept lighting the candle.
They kept saying the Rosary.
They kept visiting the holy well.
They kept making the pilgrimage.
They kept bringing their children to Mass.
They kept passing on the faith.
And perhaps that is one of the great lessons St Imy offers us today.
Faith is not the absence of difficulties. Faith is the determination to keep turning towards God in the midst of them.
The Canaanite woman teaches us that faith sometimes means simply refusing to walk away from God.
St Imy and the women of faith
As we celebrate St Imy today, we can think particularly of the women of faith who have sustained Christianity in this part of Ireland.
The story of the Church in Ireland is not only the story of bishops, priests, monks and missionaries.
- It is also the story of mothers and grandmothers.
- It is the story of women who prayed at kitchen tables.
- Women who taught their children their first prayers.
- Women who brought their families to Mass.
- Women who kept the faith alive through difficult times.
- Women who quietly served their parish and community without seeking recognition.
- Women whose names may never have appeared in history books but whose prayers were known to God.
In St Imy we honour one of those great women of our Christian inheritance.
And perhaps today we can ask her intercession especially for the women of our own time — for mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters, religious women and all those who carry burdens quietly and faithfully.
St Imy and St Senan
It is also fitting that here in Killimer we remember the connection between St Imy and St Senan.
We think of St Senan and Scattery Island, one of the great centres of early Irish Christianity.
But behind every great saint there is often a wider network of people who supported, encouraged and shared the journey.
Saints did not live their lives in isolation.
They belonged to families.
They belonged to communities.
They belonged to places.
And they belonged to the Church.
The fact that St Imy and St Senan are remembered together reminds us that holiness can be nurtured within a family.
A family can become a school of faith.
A home can become a little church.
A brother and sister can encourage one another towards God.
And that is a message we need particularly today, when family life faces so many pressures.
We pray through St Imy and St Senan for the families of our diocese.
For families that are strong and happy, that they may give thanks.
For families experiencing difficulty, that they may receive strength.
For families divided by disagreement, that reconciliation may come.
For parents who worry about their children, that they may know God’s peace.
And for grandparents who carry their faith and their hopes for the next generation, that they may never lose heart.
A faith rooted in this place
There is also something very special about celebrating St Imy here in Killimer.
Our faith is not something floating above the landscape.
It is rooted here.
It is part of the story of County Clare.
It is part of the story of the Shannon Estuary.
It is part of the story of Scattery Island, Kilrush, Killimer and the many communities of this part of the Diocese of Killaloe.
Our ancestors looked out upon these waters and saw not merely geography but creation.
They walked these roads and fields carrying their faith with them.
They prayed in churches and chapels.
They gathered at holy places.
They entrusted their children and their future to God.
And today we are the inheritors of that faith.
But inheritance also carries responsibility.
We cannot simply admire the faith of those who went before us.
We are called to hand it on.
The question for us today is not simply:
“What did our ancestors believe?”
but:
“What are we doing to keep that faith alive for those who come after us?”
“Lord, help me”
Perhaps, therefore, the simplest prayer for this Mass is the prayer of the Canaanite woman:
“Lord, help me.”
Lord, help us to keep faith.
Lord, help our families.
Lord, help our young people.
Lord, help our parishes.
Lord, help those who are sick or lonely.
Lord, help those who have lost their way.
Lord, help those who are grieving.
Lord, help our priests and religious.
Lord, help our Diocese of Killaloe.
Lord, help us to become once again a people of deep prayer, strong faith and generous service.
And perhaps St Imy would remind us that when we have prayed those words, we should not be surprised if God then asks something of us.
The Canaanite woman did not simply pray and walk away unchanged.
Her faith brought her into an encounter with Christ.
That is what happens when we pray.
Prayer changes the person who prays.
Our annual pilgrimage of faith
So today, as we gather year after year in this sacred place, we are doing more than remembering the past.
We are renewing our own pilgrimage of faith.
The generations before us have come here.
We come here today.
And one day another generation will gather here.
May they be able to say that we kept the flame of faith alive.
May St Imy, faithful woman of our Christian heritage, pray for us.
May St Senan, her brother and great missionary of this region, pray for us.
May Mary, Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church, accompany us.
And may the Lord give us something of the faith of that Canaanite woman — a faith that is humble, courageous and persistent; a faith that can say, even in the darkest moments:
“Lord, help me.”
And may we always trust that the Lord hears the cry of his people.
St Imy, pray for us.
St Senan, pray for us.
All the saints of Clare and of the Diocese of Killaloe, pray for us.
And may God bless the people of Killimer, this parish community, and all who gather here today in honour of St Imy.
Amen.
Episcopal Blessing in Honour of St Imy
My dear brothers and sisters,
As we come to the conclusion of this annual celebration in honour of St Imy, let us entrust ourselves, our families, our parish and our communities to the loving providence of God.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May he bless the homes and families of Killimer and this whole community,
and may the faith handed down through the generations
continue to flourish in the hearts of your children and grandchildren.
May the Lord, through the intercession of St Imy,
grant courage to those who are struggling,
comfort to those who are grieving,
healing to those who are sick,
hope to those who are discouraged,
and peace to those whose hearts are troubled.
May St Imy and her brother, St Senan,
whose lives and witness are so deeply woven into the Christian story of this region,
intercede for the people of Killimer, Kilrush, Scattery Island
and for the whole Diocese of Killaloe.
May they inspire us to treasure the gift of faith,
to hand it on generously to the next generation,
and to remain, like the Canaanite woman in today’s Gospel,
people of courage, perseverance and deep trust in Christ.
And may the blessing of Almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, ✠ and the Holy Spirit,
come down upon you and remain with you,
your families and loved ones,
now and forever.
Amen.
St Imy, pray for us.
St Senan, pray for us.
All the saints of Clare and of the Diocese of Killaloe, pray for us.
Go in peace, and may the Lord continue to bless you and this holy place.
Thanks be to God.