12.09.2023
“Here am I; send me” Mathew McCauley Prepares for Ordination
Mathew McCauley will be ordained to the Diaconate in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, on Sunday September 17 at 3.30pm along with Caroline Brennan. Archbishop Michael Jackson will preside and the preacher will be the Revd Nigel Waugh. All are welcome to attend. Here, Mathew writes about his life to date and what has led him to ordained ministry. He will serve as Deacon Intern part time in the Parish of Irishtown and Donnybrook.
I first experienced the call to ordination as a teenager, prompted by the strong foundation in faith provided by my parents, who sought to actively pass on the Christian faith to their children through prayer, worship, and charity. Raised in Dublin, but with roots in Northern Ireland, my sense of identity in Christ was enhanced during several years as a boarder at a school run by a religious congregation. The daily prayer and religious instruction deepened my faith, whilst forming my growing spirituality and emersion in liturgy. I also experienced the importance of a socially engaged faith via involvement in Christian charity; along with parish pilgrimages and monastic retreats, where I encountered and internalised an emerging contemplative and personal receptiveness to God’s presence. However, after spiritual and personal guidance from my paternal uncle, a missionary priest in Africa, I decided to first pursue university study, along with further discernment.
God’s plans took me away from Ireland for twenty years, with exposure to other cultures and religions enriching my Christian faith. After completing a music degree in the US and following spiritual and personal guidance from my maternal uncle (a diocesan priest and former Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Waterford), I trained as a clinical psychologist in the UK. My call to service materialised in a two–decade international career in military clinical psychology, including service as a medical corps officer in the army reserve. All throughout, I continued to receive grace and spiritual growth via active participation as a member of various university, military, and community parishes.
Having married and with two children, I returned to Ireland and established a clinical psychology service at the Blackrock Clinic, whilst holding an academic post at TCD. My faith journey ongoing and with my mother’s example of training as a healthcare chaplain later in life, I now felt ready to reopen the door to the persistent calling to ordination. With a lifetime of experience, along with the joys and blessings of a wife and children, I took forward this calling and turned to my parish priest and local DDO for guidance. Following CITI’s foundation course in theology, ministry, and mission and the completion of the Church’s selection process for ordination training, I undertook three additional years of theological study and parish placements. With much still to learn, I am reminded of the words from Isaiah (6:8), “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me.” I now approach ordination with both humbleness and excitement for what God has planned.
Christ has walked with me through this journey. My family of origin also continues to provide a foundation of faith, love, and encouragement. Additionally, my wife and children travelled this path with me, making their own sacrifices for me as I have had to spend time away from them during my formation and training. I am truly blessed to have their love and support. I now look forward to serving the Lord as a deacon and it will be a pleasure to join the Rev Canon Leonard Ruddock and the congregation at St Matthew’s Parish in Irishtown, Dublin.