Remembering Fr. Matt Wallace – He never stopped giving

Remembering Fr. MattWallace – He never stopped giving

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the death ofFather Matt Wallace. Fr. Matt was from Templetown in Co Wexford. He wasordained in 1970 and spent most of his life as a priest working in West Belfast.At the time of his death Matt was parish priest of Holy Trinity whichcovered the Turf Lodge area. His funeral was attended by four bishops, over 40priests and colleagues and by over a thousand mourners.

His family travelled up from Wexford to be present.This is a column I wrote at that time about the Wexford priest who won thehearts of the people of west Belfast.

 

FATHER MATT

I slipped up the side of Holy Trinity church and joined the people standing atthe front door. Matt's clann were standing across from us in a line talkingquietly. I noticed how well the church grounds looked. The crowd at the gatethickened. More people joined us. Turf Lodge was hushed. The sun shone. Thebirds sang. It all seemed surreal. Normal.

Then the coffin was lifted from the hearse andcarried into the porch of the church.  People started to applaud. Matt was home. Home in Holy Trinity.

His family wept. So did the rest of us. Poor Matt.Such a good straight decent man. Struggling. Giving. Slagging. Praying. Butnever preaching. Funny that. A priest who didn't preach. Not in theconventional sense.

'People here don't need me to tell them what iswrong and what is right. They are rearing families, minding neighbours. Theyknow what is wrong and what is right. The people are the church. It was alwaysso. They need support. Hope. A chance. Not long sermons'.

So Matt didn't preach.  Matt led.

He was conscious of all the flaws in the humancondition but energetically and impatiently alert to our great potential andour possibilities. His vocation was grounded in that gospel of hope. For all ofus.

His Masses were always packed. And quick. He didn'thang about. Bustling up onto the altar. If he said anything aside from theprayers it would be to commend some local project or to comment favourably on alocal development or disapprovingly of something the powers that be had done.Or to joke with someone in the congregation.

Matt saw the Mass as a social occasion. He told methat. For many people, he said, it was where they meet their friends.Particularly older people who didn't get out a lot. If you go to Holy Trinity afew minutes early for Mass that's what you would notice. People sittingchatting to each other. Others kneeling and praying of course. But in thebackground the low chatter of folks talking. Then, in Matt would come and allwould rise. And he would be off at a gallop.

Matt is from Wexford. The weekend his life ended Wexfordbeat Louth in the football, and drew with Dublin in the hurling. He would haveliked that. Forty years in Belfast, first on the Ormeau Road and the rest ofthe time in West Belfast, in Divis and Lenadoon and Turf Lodge. But a proudWexford Gael.

Working with the great people of this wonderfulcommunity through all our tribulations. Baptising our babies. Burying our dead.Officiating at our weddings and communions and confirmations.  Working atbuilding schools and community centres and youth facilities and counsellingservices and women's projects. Fundraising. Encouraging jobs initiatives.Visiting the sick. And the dying. And the elderly. Looking after victims ofabuse of every kind.  Challenging the system. Standing up to the BritishArmy when they were here. Visiting the prisons.

And having the odd pint up in the Gort to celebratethat fine club's achievements and to discuss the merits of Wexford and Antrimhurling.

Matt was his own man. He was often annoyed at theHierarchy. At the height of the revelations of clerical child abuse and afterthe publication of one of the reports into this he told usone Sunday morning that he had a letter from the bishops to read tous.

'But' hecontinued, 'if you are really interested in what bishops are saying youcan read it for yourselves. We all know what the bishops should do. They shouldclear all this up. And if they are not prepared to do this then they shouldresign.'

And he continued with the Mass.

Matt was a very human being.

Another time when one of our much loved oldpatriots and celebrated Gaels, Eddie Keenan, died his local priest would notlet Eddie's coffin into the parish church draped in the national flag. Hisfamily contacted me. I phoned Matt.

'Bring him here Gerry", hesaid.

And we did. For a Mass of music and song. A celebrationof a life well lived.

Much like Matt's life. He also lived his life well.

He gave his all. And never stopped giving.

Calls to the house at all times of the night.Distressed citizens. Or Passport forms to be signed. References to be written.Attending the scenes of sudden deaths. Of suicides. No wonder he smoked like atrain. When he wasn't trying to give them up. Always something else to do.Someone else to attend to. Matt gave and gave and gave. Until he had nothingelse to give.

And we, who wonder why he went as he did, we whoare hurting because we couldn't  help him, we who are honoured to call himFather and friend we know  we are better people because of him.

Because he loved us and cared for us. All of us.