‘No one is perfect’- Fr Cusack
Fr. Michael Cusack officially opening the Dundalk Positive Mental Health Art Exhibition in The County Museum. A group from the National Learning Network Centre who attended the Dundalk Positive Mental Health Art Exhibition. ‘No one is perfect. Imperfection is absolutely fine. It’s okay to be who you are.’ This was the important message delivered by Fr Michael Cusack, Rector St Joseph’s Redemporist Church at the opening of the Dundalk Positive Mental Health Art Exhibition in the County Museum last week.
Fr Cusack opened up about his own experience of depression which came when he had to leave Dundalk after his first term as Rector.
He also revealed that he is set to leave the town again next year and that ‘ like last time, my heart will be broken.’
‘Last time I left, I absolutely crashed. I went into terrible depression and darkness.’
However, he told the large attendance at the exhibition, that as he ‘ hit the bottom’, he also realised that ‘ the only place to go was to climb up.’
‘It’s fine to have a bad day once you know you have the support to help you climb up again.’
The Carrickmacross-born priest also highlighted the need to realise that ‘a lot of people with happy faces are digging deep to put their best foot forward.’
He praised the ‘incredible creativity’ of the artwork on display, saying he loved art. ‘Each one of us has a creative outlet we can tap into.’
He spoke of his love of collecting cribs, of which he now has over a thousand. He recalled how the pupils of St Brigid’s School donated a crib. The donkey had a broken ear which had been glazed over and he felt it was a reminder that ‘no one is perfect. Imperfection is absolutely okay. It’s okay to be who you are.’
Noting that it was Budget Day, he said that while an additional amount of money was being allocated to mental health services, it was ‘ nowhere near what’s needed.’
‘ The country would collapse only for generosity of people who give of their time and effort,’ he said.
‘ There is no reason why the government, in this time of prosperity, shouldn’t be given the money needed for these services,’ he continued. ‘It’s an absolute scandal that in 2018 the care of the Alzheimers group in Dundalk has to so heavily funded by local people.’
Derek Pepper of Dundalk Positive Mental Health praised the ‘amazing submissions’ to the exhibition which reflected a huge amount of effort, time and commitment, and these were qualities needed for the road to recovery and ‘ living the life you want’, he said. ‘Each piece has its own story.’