A Cork-based priest, who had his car stolen and its contents burned while visiting Limerick, has been reunited with a chalice, after Southill residents rescued it from the remains of a bonfire.82-year old Fr John Clancy, a Society of African Missions priest, travels around Ireland regularly but on a recent visit to Limerick, his car was stolen while parked in William Street.
A friend of the priest, Dr Richard O’Flaherty, who runs a medical practice in the Southill area of the city, helped find the car in the area but by then the thieves had taken not merely some hundreds of euro that Fr Clancy had left in it, but all its contents, including a chalice and vestments.
Local people heard of the incident at Mass and those who sympathised with Fr Clancy on his misfortune, decided to search the area for his property and found them burned out in a pile of rubble.
The chalice was found squashed and burned but was sent for repair to Limerick longest-established jeweller, JJ Kenneally and has been restored to new.
Mr Kenneally said he spent over twenty hours repairing Fr Clancy’s chalice. It was “in a shocking state” when brought to him.
“There were bits of rubber burned on to it - I’ve had a lot of well battered items in here, but I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Dr O’Flaherty said he has worked in Southill for years and locals brought him to the car, which he believes was not stolen people from Southill.
The story showed, he said, there were, “some very good people in Southill,” and he and Fr Clancy wanted to thank the people of Southill, “who helped and rallied around us.”
Meanwhile, the car was removed by Gardaí but was later released and had also been repaired.
He said Fr Clancy, “was very shocked, but he said he’ll never again carry around that much money on him,” said Dr O’Flaherty.