On being a "seanchaí" for the church
I have begun reading Maggie O’Farrell’s latest novel, Land. It is tremendous so far, but I am only in the first chapter!
She has a quote from a Gaelic dictionary that serves as a motto, I am guessing for the book: it is the definition of seanchaí, which is Irish Gaelic for “a custodian of tradition” or what we might call “an historian.”
Reading that definition was a reminder to me of my own calling for the Church.
Being a church historian, has never been, for me, simply being a purveyor of interesting historical facts and details that happen to have religious significance. In other words, I have never envisioned my calling to be that of a professor in a religious studies department.
Rather, it is a calling in service to Christ and one that seeks to help Christians know their identity in Christ, for our identity is deeply bound up with the past.
Seanchai is more than a historian or a custodian of history, though both capture elements. A seanchai is a storyteller, who strengthens the community by keeping its stories alive.