St. Augustine's Church

Limerick, Co. Limerick

Drawing of St. Augustine with his mother, St. Monica

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THE LEADER INTERVIEW: Fr. Gerry Horan

LIMERICK man Fr. Gerry Horan has been named as the Provincial of the Augustinian Order, a position of great power, with authority over hundreds of Augustinian priests at home and abroad. CLODAGH O'LEARY met Fr. Gerry and found him to be honest, approachable and unassuming.

Limerick-born Fr. Gerry Horan, Provincial of the Augustinian Order: the Augustinians have always given huge support to the people of Limerick people have inordinately given huge support to us, no matter what.

I HAVE a strange theory, that this decline is God's way of making the Church more humble, which I believe it should be. If it were not for the decline in the number of people going into the priesthood, then you would not have so many lay people working so closely with the clergy in some communities, which is the way it should be in the first place. The Church belongs to the people.

A man of God who is firmly rooted to the earth

At first glance Fr. Garry Horan doesn't look like a priest, let alone the Provincial of the Augustinian Order. He is casually dressed in the priestly black pants, navy Reebok sports jacket, and, underneath, a navy polo shirt-not exactly a shirt and collar. But then Fr. Garry is not your typical priest. Born on Ballysimon Rd, Fairgreen, to Philip and Catherine, Fr. Gerry was the middle child of seven-three boys and four girls. His father worked with CIE, but died some years ago. His mother, still lives in the family home. His brother Tadhg, a well-known local musician, died from cancer in 1991.

"There is no history of cancer in the family. Hi died extremely quickly, it was a major shock," he said. Fr. Garry went to school in the Christian Brothers in Sexton Street and has found memories of his years there. "I loved school. We had a great time. To be honest, I did as little as possible to get by and that was enough for me. I was never one to bury my head in the books. I loved plenty of sports, like GAA and soccer," he said. It was during his time in CBS that he first became enamoured by English soccer club Derby Country for many years, through thick and thin. "I was over in England recently visiting parishes which coincided with a Derby Country match. So I got to see games while I was there on business," he laughed. During the interview, he takes off his sports jacket to reveal a Derby polo shirt. He laughs as I point it out. "I forgot I had that on."

Fr. Gerry "fell into" the priesthood. His love of sport first brought him in contact with the Augustinians. "I started serving as an altar boy with them when I was 10. At the time, it was the only way to get into the Boys Club there at the back of the church. They club was the place to be in those days," he recalled. "I first began to think about the priesthood in fifth year and then going into sixth year, I decided to give it a go, and I'm still here. I never had a plan to become a priest, it just sort of happened," he admitted. Fr. Gerry was one of nine seminarians who were training to become Augustinian priests that year. "I spent three years in Dublin and then three years in Rome. I chose the Augustinians because, I suppose, I had always been with them."

Being a student again suited him. "I really enjoyed my time as a seminarian, there was no major pressure, and I didn't mind the books it just kind of sank in naturally, "We had a fantastic time in Dublin, the company there really made it good. I am still in touch with them. And whenever the Limerick soccer team were in Dublin, we caught up with a match" he said. Then it was off to St. Patrick's College in Rome. "Rome is an amazing place; I have gone back there many times since. I was there last month, in fact, and it is only now in my older age that I can appreciate the art and culture there. And, of course, I go to the Olympic Stadium when I am there. But nowadays, I am going there more and more on business," he said.

Fr. Gerry returned to Ireland in 1980 for his final year in the seminary. He was sent to Dungarvan, to St. Augustine's College, a boarding school. "The boss said to me: "Look what you want to do while you wait for your ordination?" I said I would give teaching a go, we had a great gym and facilities there, so after four years I decided to stay on there," he said. In the Augustinian Order, priests are reappointed to positions every four years, but Fr. Gerry chose to remain at the school until 2001. During his time there, he taught Religion, Business Studies, and PE. "I loved teaching, it was chaotic at times but I loved it. It took me back to a time when I was at school myself," he said. His heart remains in the school system, and he has kept his position on St. Augustine's board of management. In 2001, as the Augustinian Provincial Bursar, he moved to Fethard. This involved working closely with the Provincial, and travelling around the country monitoring the finances of the Order. "Each house runs their own finances, but all contribute to a central Provincial fund," he explained. "It is like a business I suppose; I think my teaching of commerce would have helped me there. My job was to see what we could afford, and if the numbers weren't there, what made more sense, so it was a very practical job", he said. Fr. Gerry found out about his appointment to the Provincial position last Christmas. He freely admits that he never expected to be elected. "I was a bit shocked. I suppose that my job as bursar going around to our houses all over the country gave me a profile if you like. But when I was told initially, I had absolutely no interest in the role. "It took me by surprise that I was elected, to be honest – I almost pulled out. I was fairly reluctant at the beginning, but now I am enjoying it," he said. While there are upsides to being Provincial, Fr. Gerry says that there are also negatives. "One thing I cannot abide is meetings, and I have had to endure a lot of them as part of this job. Also I hate having to call people to ask them to do something that you know, all things being equal, they would rather not do. I am not a confrontational person, so I a not looking for ward to possibly sorting out arguments etc. But, thankfully they have not come up yet." he said. Among the advantages he lists for his job are the fact that he plays a part in implementing policies. "We have a general policy but it can be adapted to different houses. But our main core belief is to live the way of the Gospel that is what it is all about. That is important, that we are living the way of the Gospel. "What we focus on is how do we most effectively live and share the Gospel. To secure a foundation and put it in place so that people can live the Gospel, that is what it is all about," he said.

As a Limerick man, he is proud of the long-running links the Order has with the city. "The Augustinians first came to Limerick 700 years ago, to Adare, so they have had a fierce long link with Limerick. But there were put out during the penal times, and they returned to Creagh Lane near Barrington's they then moved to O'Connell Street, there they are now. "It is a prime location, which allows us to provide a certain kind of service to people, a welcoming place for the stranger. The Augustinians have always given huge support to the people of Limerick, people have inordinately given huge support to us, to matter what," he said. The Limerick Augustinian's are going through a period of change, with a new team taking over in October. "It will be a continuation of what Augustinians in Limerick have always done, but, of course, there will be a difference because they are different people," he said. "The Order, particularly our church there in O'Connell Street, has been so supportive to the community. They have embraced all nationalities and have reached out to the people and embraced them." For someone who does not like to travel, Fr. Gerry has visited Augustinian communities in Equador, California and England since his elevation to Provincial in June. "We also have communities in Nigeria, Kenya, and Australia, which I am sure I will get to see before my time is up," he said. Fr. Gerry is the first Limerick man in over 70 years to be named Provincial. "Basically I am responsible for anywhere where the Irish Augustinians are working, and we are working in a number of countries. The Provincial responds to those who need help." To switch off, he watches sport – "anything to do with Derby Country, Limerick hurlers and Munster rugby" – and is an avid reader. "I like to read a lot of John Grisham, and even Maeve Binchy. And what I really love are sporting biographies," he said. Fr. Gerry has read the "DaVinci Cod", which alleges that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and had a child, but he doesn't take it too seriously. "I found it to be fierce interesting, but that was it. I do not like to get caught up in what is orthodox and what is not. I would prefer to leave that to the theologians. I would not consider myself to be an academic by any means," he said. He does however have a theory about the Church. "I have a strange theory, that this decline is God's way of making the Church more humble, which I believe it should be citing time, a new era," he remarked." If it were not for the decline in the number of people going into the priesthood, then you would not have so many lay people working so closely with the clergy in some communities, which is the way it should be in the first place. The Church belongs to the people", he said. He is delighted at the news that two seminarians have joined the Order this week. "They are the first recruits we have had in years. I am feeling really positive about the church, more so than I have done in years. As a result of scandals in the short-term, I think the Church is undergoing a rebirth it is being re-energised," he said. "Not to justify the awful things that happened, but the net effect is that we will have a more humble Church," he said. And he recommends anyone who is toying with the idea of joining the priesthood to do so. "I would recommend to err in favour of it, and if it doesn't work out, it isn't the end of the world," he said. His dream is to eventually return to the education system as a chaplain. "I miss school a bit, you get a great buzz from the students," he said, with typical honesty. But for the moment, he is Provincial for at least four years, he can be re-elected to the position for a further four years in 2009. But for the moment, he is glad to be at the helm in 2005.

"It is a great time for the Augustinians – a very exiting time, new era," he remarked.

See the original story in the NAME OF NEWSPAPER online.

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