Thursday 22 October 2015

Father Ciaràn Savage OCSO (1926 - October 16, 2015) Roscrea

 
 
  Roscrea
Monday, 19 October 2015


October 16, 2015: Father Ciaràn Savage was born in 1926 in Killeary, Co. Armagh (Ireland). He entered Roscrea in 1948, made his solemn profession in 1953 and was ordained a priest in 1955. Father was 90 years old, had been in monastic vows for 65 years and 60 years a priest when the Lord called him.


Homily for Funeral Mass of Fr Ciaran
19th. October 2015  

                                        Painting by Sara Kyne  


Yesterday, Mission Sunday, had us thinking missionary, that when one of your family dies, you realise that she/he has their mission accomplished. Fr Ciaran has been very much a central figure in our family of Mount St Joseph for the last 67 years. St Therese of the Child Jesus discovered to her delight that being love in the heart of the Church was her mission. And she is now recognised as Patroness of the Missions - though she never left her convent in Lisieux.

Fr Ciaran has been love in the heart of the Church of Mount St Joseph all these 67 years. Way beyond any of us, he has been, in the Cistercian tradition, the lover of the place, this place of Mount Saint Joseph, a lover of the Rule - the Rule of St Benedict as applied in an Order, a lover of the brethren, of everyone of us, no matter how insignificant we were. And in that love - his heart extended to the entire Church. He has been for us the exemplar of how a monk and indeed every Christian can and must be a missionary.

It was this love, first learned and nurtured in the O'Sabhaois home in Lower Killeavy, South Armagh, by his parents Patrick and Elizabeth, that set him on his way in life. This love was of a multi-faceted nature, one of the most outstanding sides of which was his love for his Country, its language, its culture, its history, its faith. He was a gaelgoir of the highest order, and yet without an ounce of bigotry. He prayed in Irish, he thought in Irish, he kept his notes and diaries in Irish, he preferred to speak in Irish, but he never embarrassed anyone else who might not be at ease with Irish.
     
Francis K as he was then, did his primary education at Lissummon
School and Secondary at CBS Newry from which he got first place in the 1942-3 University Scholarship. He picked U.C.D. rather-than Queens, Belfast, as he would have had to sign his name in English if he chose the latter! Agricultural Science was his subject. At this period he joined the Legion of Mary, an Irish speaking praesidiurn and then another love appeared, this time for his girlfriend! But part they had to - the greater love was for Christ - so all the way on his bike from Dublin to Roscrea and back in the same day to fix his vocation.

This morning Dom Richard phoned me, recalling a visit two years ago from Cardinal Brady during which he told us how disgusted Ciaran's father was at his decision - if he wanted to be a priest couldn't he be a right one like his brother Fr Tomas, only to be told: "If you gave me a present of £1,000 I couldn't be a priest like Tommy!"

So in September 1948, Francis entered Mount Saint Joseph, becoming Claran, professed in 1950 and ordained in 1955. While totally faithful to his monastic life he was on the teaching staff in our College 1954-91, having been Dean of Studies for the last decade of that period.

Ciaran was much involved in the local praesidia of the Legion of Mary, in groups for Mass Readers and Eucharistic Ministers, as well as in his Masses and homilies for the people of our locality and also as a Confessor in our Public Church.

All down his years we saw how "the love of God was poured into
his heart by the Holy Spirit" and he shared this love with so many through his publications in various magazines, thus in early 1960s Muniteor no Tire year book - "Aoibhill Beatha and Feirrneona" in Cistercian Studies, An Fiolar, CCR Review and of course Hallel, which he edited and which was never the same without him.

It was George Cunningham, our local historian, who reminded us of the above adding: If He truly lived the Cistercian ideals all his life, a life fruitful and joyous, always first a monk and then a scholar of the highest integrity, bringing new meaning and personal insights to our Christian heritage, while always reticent and humble about himself."

Some years ago Ciaran, feeling that he should no longer be lecturing at the Roscrea Conferences: "George, I must prepare for my death." Prepare he did - with a long decline involving some hospital stays, but especially in our monastery infirmary, where our nursing and caring staff showered care and love upon him, while he responded with a smile of appreciation. We were all round his bed on Friday night as he slipped away - the wheat grain that died, and will yield a rich harvest for all of us - slipped away to a cead mile fai1te from the good Lord and his Blessed Mother.
Fr. Laurence, Prior, Roscrea
  laurence.walsh@msjroscrea.ie





 'Fail Bhrat Mhuire'    


Mount Saint Joseph has three Lourdes Grottoes. An tAth Ciaran picks the quietest and indeed the sunniest one for his lectio divina. But he is not the only one to choose well. So does the little red squirrel who wants to be part of the scene, won't disturb the monk in his engagement with the Word of God, or be disturbed by him, who is absorbed in his listening to the Word. That's what lectio divina consists of.    

Listen carefully, my child, to the master's instructions, and attend to them with the ear of your heart.
This is advice from a father who loves you;
welcome it, and faithful0' put it into practice.
- (RULE OF ST BENEDlCT, PROL. 1)



In the monastery garden
Lectio
In the monastery garden
a dog rose scrambles over
the stone shrine. Arching stems
lean to inspire
the old monk's
meditations.
Meditatio
Absorbed in the Word of God
he doesn't see
the red squirrel flick his tail
as he forages for berries,
his beady eye
unblinking.
Oratio
Angelus bells
call the monk to prayer.
The squirrel scurries
up the ash tree
carrying the Word
to the tree tops.
Contemplatio

Tea in the field
An overcast afternoon
in the low meadow,
my aunt rests on drying hay.
The cutting bar hums
through a crop of pale gold
scattering seeds to the wind.

                Marian Brannigan
Notes
Lectio Divina has 4 stages: Lectio, Meditatio, Oratio, Contemplatio.
In Norse mythology, Ratatoske is a squirrel who runs up and down the world tree carrying messages.






PLEASE PRAY FOR


ATH CIARAN O SABHAOIS OCSO


OF THIS COMMUNITY WHO

DIED YESTERDAY FRIDAY, 16TH OCTOBER 2015

IN HIS 90TH YEAR AND

THE 65TH YEAR OF HIS MONASTIC PROFESSION


R.l.P.



FUNERAL MASS ON MONDAY, 19TH OCTOBER 2015 2:00 PM





__________________________________________________________
MOlJNT SAINT JOSEPH ABBIY. ROSCR£A, Co TIPPERARY. IRELAND
T: +353 (0) 5O5 25600 I F: +353 (0) 505 25610 I info@msjrasc:rea.ie I vww.msjroscrea.ie 

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