New Bishop of Raphoe Niall Coll calls for a ‘credible Church’ rooted in hope

On his installation as the new Bishop of Raphoe, Bishop Niall Coll pointed to his own episcopal motto, ‘Christ Jesus Our Hope’ in a message to the people he will now lead. 

The St Johnston native was formally installed as the new Bishop of Raphoe at St Eunan’s Cathedral on Sunday and in his homily said that people are looking for a “credible” Church now.

The Cathedral was packed-to-overflowing as people from all corners of Ireland joined to celebrate the installation of the well-travelled prelate to his home Diocese.

Bishop Coll said he would come before parishioners not with all the answers, but someone who wanted to follow with and move with his people.

Bishop Coll said the real question facing people in the modern world is not whether the Church will return to the high levels of practice seen a century ago, but: “Whether we are willing to follow Jesus as He calls us now, in the circumstances we actually face.”

He said: “We are reminded that the Word of God is not just ink on a page, but God speaking into real human lives.  Sometimes it consoles.  Sometimes it challenges.  Sometimes it asks more of us than we would like.  But it always invites response; movement. 

“It is also worth noting that even in the strongly secularised society, there are small but real signs of a renewed interest in the Word of God, especially among some younger people.  It seems that some find the well-being focus in school, college and wider culture to be threadbare, and they are discovering a renewed curiosity about Scripture, a search for silence and meaning, and a willingness to listen rather than dismiss.  It will be interesting to see how this trend unfolds.”

In the Church calendar, Sunday was the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time and also Word of God Sunday, as inaugurated by Pope Francis in 2020.

Bishop Coll said faith is not something that is mastered before we move, but rather “something we learn by walking”.

He said: “Today, as I am installed as Bishop of Raphoe, it would be tempting to speak about plans and priorities.  But before any bishop teaches or governs, he must first be a disciple, one who follows.  He must listen to the Word of God and walk with the people.  A bishop does not stand above the call to discipleship.  He stands within it.

“I come among you knowing that I do not have all the answers.  But I want to follow with you - to listen, to learn and to serve the Gospel together.  Jesus did not say to the fishermen, ‘understand me’.  He said. ‘follow me’.  And they stepped forward.

“We are living through uncertainty, in a wounded Church and a wounded world.  But the Gospel does not call us to stand still or to look backwards.  It calls us to movement - towards God and towards one another.”

The former Bishop of Ossory, who was appointed as Bishop of his native Diocese by Pope Leo XIV in November, said the Diocese of Raphoe, much like County Donegal in general, has never claimed to be at the centre to things, but:  “Yet it carries a deep memory of faith, faith that has been shaped by hardship, loss, emigration and perseverance.  Faith that endured because people kept following, even when the road was long and the rewards were not obvious.

 “That kind of faith matters.  Because the Gospel does not spread primarily through influence or argument.  It spreads because people choose, day after day, to follow Jesus in ordinary lives - caring for neighbours, welcoming the stranger, standing with the poor and taking responsibility for the world God has entrusted to us.

“We are not being asked to recreate the past.  We are being asked to follow Jesus now - to bring the Gospel home into families, parishes and ordinary lives; to water the garden that is already here.  This work is slow.  It requires patience and trust.  But it is the work that lasts.”

Bishop Coll noted that while religious practice has declined in the strongly secular society of today - one shaped by individualism and materialism - and the Church’s trust has been damaged by the abuse crisis, he said many have not stopped following.

He said: “Some of them may follow more quietly now, more cautiously, sometimes with questions and wounds of their own.  But they are still praying.  Still coming to Mass.  Still gathering for funerals.  Still bringing children for baptism.  Still searching - often tentatively - for meaning, hope and grounding.  Faith has not disappeared.  But the way people follow has changed.

 “As we look to the future, people are not looking for a Church that pretends to have everything sorted.  They are looking for a Church that is credible because it follows Christ honestly - one that recognises ‘Christ Jesus our hope’ (1Tim 1:1) as my episcopal motto puts it - admitting failure, practising real repentance, standing with the wounded and remaining faithful when things are hard.”

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Bishop Coll said that while the first Disciples “failed publicly” and “fled”, they were still entrusted with the Gospel.

“That should give us hope,” he said. “God does not depend on flawless followers - only faithful ones… those who once walked in darkness are still waiting for light.  And God, as ever, chooses to let that light begin among ordinary people who are willing to follow.”