A group of up to fifty parishioners staged a walkout at a Mass
celebrated by Cardinal Archbishop Seán Brady in a Louth parish last week
in an on-going protest about the transfer of a priest from the parish
of Blackrock and Haggardstown, outside Dundalk.
The Cardinal was saying the Mass to mark the installation of a new
parish team, following the removal from duty of Fr Oliver Brennan, who
was suspended following the initiation of an investigation of him.
Two new priests, Fr Padraig Keenan and Fr Brian White were installed as the new parish priest and curate respectively.
Last year, Fr Brennan was the subject of a petition which 2,500
parishioners were claimed to have signed, after it was disclosed that
the Cardinal - in whose Armagh diocese Blackrock is situated - was
minded to transfer him to another parish.
However, the proposed
transfer was subsequently overtaken by events and instead of being
assigned to the new parish, Fr Brennan was withdrawn from active duty
altogether pending the outcome of the investigation.
Apart from the petition, this is the second occasion when
parishioners in the parish made their disapproval of the Cardinal
apparent.
Last March, a number of them signalled that they would not
welcome him to conduct the confirmation of children in the parish.
In that instance, the protest related to the disclosure that the
Cardinal, in his capacity as a relatively junior priest in Cavan, had
been involved in an early church investigation into the conduct of
Norbertine priest Fr Brendan Smyth, who was convicted much later in
Northern Ireland for the sexual abuse of children.
But the most recent incident, when the parishioners walked out of the
weekend vigil Mass at which the Cardinal was officiating, was part of
the on-going opposition to the treatment of Fr Brennan.
One unnamed parishioner told local media that the protestors had
“absolutely nothing against” Fr Keenan, but “wanted to use the
opportunity to make the point to Cardinal Brady that we are still very
angry. We believe Fr Brennan will be 100% cleared of all allegations,
but it is unacceptable what he has been put through in recent months,”
she remarked.
“Fr Brennan is still missed in the parish, he did so much
for people here, bringing many people back to their faith.”
SIC: DA/IE