Fr Martin Delaney, PP, has issued an appeal to the community to help with fundraising to carry out repairs to the heating system at the Church of the Most Holy Trinity and its sister church in nearby Errill.
He has appealed to the community of the Rathdowney and Errill Parish after extensive problems were discovered after flooding at Christmas.
"As you may be aware, there was a major breakdown of the heating system in Rathdowney Church on Christmas Eve last. The sanctuary area was completely flooded on Christmas morning. The cause of the problem was the corrosion of the underground pipe system between the boiler house and the church itself.
"This is a problem which was probably a few years in the making and as the insurance company concluded it was due to ‘wear and tear’ they are not prepared to cover the cost. The full cost of the repair job is in the region of €22,000. If we pay for this from our current account, it will leave the account pretty much empty for all the other day-to-day expenses," he said.
As a result, Fr Delaney appealed for help.
"Over the last few weeks, we have had a fundraising campaign to pay for the heating repairs. There has been a very generous response from our parishioners, but we still have not reached our target to pay for the heating repairs.
"The church in Rathdowney is used by many people in our community other than those who regularly attend Mass. Every year we welcome thousands of people from our parish and beyond for funerals, weddings, baptisms and many other occasions. We would really appreciate the support of the wider community as we face this unexpected financial challenge," he said.
Fr Delaney says there are envelopes for the heating system repair fund in both Rathdowney and Errill churches.
They are also available from the Parish Office in Rathdowney.
He says people can use the donation facility on the Parish website www.rathdowneyparish.ie