"Hey Father, can you do me a favor?" A man in a fluorescent jacket and hard hat waved me over as I walked through a Dublin street earlier this week. He pointed at his colleagues digging a trench along the sidewalk. “Could you please give these lads your blessing? They need it!”

His fellow workers looked up, saw me standing on the other side, and chuckled. But when I nodded and gave them a thumbs up, they beamed. "Thank you, Father, have a good day!" the man said, waving as I walked on.

Since I arrived in Dublin, encounters like these have become a daily occurrence. Strangers strike up conversations, drawn by the collar I wear, sharing their stories and asking about mine.

An elderly woman grasped my arm to show me her rosary and whispered that she prays for vocations every day. A businessman outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral asked whether I was Roman Catholic or Anglican. When I told him I’m a Catholic priest from the Netherlands, he lit up, sharing memories of a Latin Mass he attended in London—"It was so beautiful, Father!"

It’s moments like these that remind me how deeply the Catholic faith is woven into the fabric of this land. But it’s also clear that things are changing—fast.

We need a new approach

Over coffee after Mass at St. Mary's Pro Cathedral, the organist reflected on Ireland’s past and present: “For centuries, being Catholic was a way to distinguish yourself from the English oppressors. But now, it’s worrisome how quickly the Irish are abandoning their Catholic roots.”

Indeed, I was surprised by the low turnout at the only Sunday morning Mass at the Pro Cathedral—just 125 people in a city of over half a million. The liturgy was beautiful, with the Palestrina choir’s voices soaring through the church, yet the pews were far from full.

Fr. Kieran McDermott, the administrator of the cathedral, put it into perspective: "We showed parishioners two group photos—one from decades ago with all-white, red-haired Irish children, and one from last year, filled with faces from India, South America, Asia, and Africa. The church in Ireland has changed. It requires a new approach, a new voice for a new era.”

As I listen to these stories, I hear echoes of struggles faced by churches around the world. The culture is shifting, and the Church is struggling to keep up.

But I believe that in Ireland, a land where the Catholic faith was once a beacon of hope, there’s still much to learn. That’s why I’m here: to search for new answers and rediscover the ancient wisdom that made the early Celtic saints—St. Patrick, St. Bridget, St. Columba—so effective in their mission.

And I want to bring you along on this journey.

Join me in the footsteps of the Celtic saints

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be traveling through Ireland, following in the footsteps of these saints and meeting modern-day missionaries who are finding new ways to bring the Gospel to a secular world. Along the way, I’m creating a course that shares the secrets of their success—practical insights you can apply to your own life and community.

Do you long to share your faith with the next generation, but feel uncertain about how to do it in a world that seems to have forgotten God? Let’s learn together from those who faced these challenges centuries ago—and find out how their wisdom can guide us today.

Join me on this adventure, and let’s uncover what the Celtic saints can teach us about living and sharing our faith in a changing world.

Click here to learn more and enroll: https://fatherroderick.com/celticsaints

Let’s find the way forward, together.

Blessings,

Fr. Roderick

P.S. The first 20 people who sign up will get exclusive access to a number of live online class sessions with me, where I’ll answer your questions and dive deeper into the secrets of the Celtic saints. Don’t miss out—spots are limited!