Diocesan Appointments 2022 : Archdiocese of Dublin (2)

Cabra and Cabra West

Very Rev. Paul Thornton appointed P.P. Cabra & Cabra West and Episcopal Vicar withresponsibility for the Deaneries of Howth, Fingal South East & Fingal South West.

Rev. Joe Keegan recently ordained appointed C.C. Cabra & Cabra West.

Brackenstown

Very Rev. Richard Sheehy appointed Co-P.P. Brackenstown and Episcopal Vicar with responsibility for the Deaneries of Blanchardstown, Fingal North & Maynooth.

Ballygall/ Ballymun Road/Drumcondra /Glasnevin/ Iona Road Grouping of parishes

Very Rev. Joe Ryan appointed Moderator of the Grouping of Ballygall, Ballymun Road

 
Drumcondra, Glasnevin and Iona Road, Glasnevin

Very Rev. Kieran Dunne appointed C.C. Glasnevin.

 
Foxrock & Newtownpark Ave.

Very Rev. Gerry Kane appointed P.P. Foxrock & Newtownpark Ave.
Very Rev. Dermot Leycock to retire as P.P. Newtownpark Ave.

Booterstown

Rt Rev. Ciarán O’Carroll, V.G. appointed P.P. Booterstown in addition to P.P. Donnybrook.

Donnycarney

Very Rev. Michael O’Grady appointed P.P. Donnycarney.

East Wall

Very Rev. John Ennis appointed P.P. East Wall

Navan Road

Very Rev. Liam Ó Cuív appointed P.P. Navan Road.

Killester

Very Rev. Joe Whelan appointed Adm. Killester.

Clontarf (St John’s) /Clontarf (St Anthony’s)/Dollymount

Very Rev. John O’Brien appointed Moderator of the Clontarf Grouping of Parishes – St John’s,
 

St Anthony’s & Dollymount and Co-PP Clontarf (St John’s).

Very Rev. Peter Byrne appointed T.A. St Anthony’s & St John’s Clontarf and Dollymount

Very Rev. Richard Shannon appointed T.A. Dollymount.

Finglas/Finglas West/Rivermount

Very Rev. Richard Hyland appointed P.P. Finglas West & Rivermount in addition to P.P. Finglas.

Very Rev. Martin Hogan appointed C.C. Finglas, Finglas West & Rivermount.

Very Rev. Éamann Cahill retires as Adm. Finglas West and appointed T.A. Finglas, Finglas West & Rivermount.

Kilcullen

Very Rev. Gary Darby appointed P.P. Kilcullen.

Very Rev. Niall Mackey retires as Adm. Kilcullen and appointed T.A. to the Grouping of Bray Parishes.

Kilmore West

Very Rev. Joe Jones appointed Moderator Kilmore West in addition to Bonnybrook.

Very Rev. Padraig O’Sullivan appointed Co-P.P. Kilmore West.

Clondalkin

Very Rev. Brian McKitterick appointed Co-P.P. Clondalkin Grouping of Parishes

 

Avoca

Very Rev. Michael Murphy appointed Co-P.P. Avoca.

Kilnamanagh/Castleview

Rev. Frank Drescher appointed Adm. Kilnamanagh & Castleview.

Malahide/Yellow Walls/Kinsealy/Portmarnock

Very Rev. Martin Noone appointed Moderator of the Grouping of Malahide, Yellow Walls,Kinsealy & Portmarnock.

 
Very Rev. Kevin Doherty appointed Co-P.P. Malahide.

Ballymun St. Pappins

Very Rev. Kevin Moore appointed C.C. Ballymun St Pappin’s.

Dún Laoghaire/Glastule

Very Rev. Ciarán Enright appointed C.C. Dún Laoghaire & Glastule and resident in Monkstown.

Lucan

Very Rev Philip Curran appointed P.P. Lucan & Esker.

 
Rev. Ubaldo Muhindo appointed C.C. Lucan, Esker, Doddsboro & Adamstown.

Very Rev. John Hassett appointed C.C. Esker & Doddsboro & Adamstown.

Lucan South

Very Rev. Aidan Kieran appointed P.P. Lucan South.

Castledermot

Very Rev. Tom Kennedy appointed P.P. Castledermot.

 

All appointments came into effect on the weekend of the 09/10 July, unless already

indicated.

Bishop says he can no longer guarantee Sunday mass in every church in diocese due to shortage of priests

The Catholic Bishop of Limerick has said he can no longer guarantee that mass will be celebrated in all churches in the diocese every Sunday due to a lack of priests.

Bishop Brendan Leahy warned his flock to prepare for “new arrangements” that will also see lay people say prayers at funerals.

In a letter announcing the new clerical arrangements in the diocese, Dr Leahy warned that the number of priests in active ministry in the diocese is “declining rapidly”.

He said lay people will be leading a range of services going forward, from prayers at funerals to the preparation of children for the sacraments in parishes.

“The ageing profile of clergy is now very evident. It is clear at this stage that we can no longer guarantee the celebration of a Mass in each church in the diocese each Sunday,” he said.

A number of pastoral units in the west of Ireland diocese are set to lose a priest this autumn and he appealed to parishioners to face the challenges with realism and determination.

“The rapid changes are calling us to envisage and work towards putting in place new forms of lay leadership in our parish communities,” he said.

Shrinking congregations grow angry at subsidising ‘shameless neighbours’ who ‘expect all the services’

 

A priest has warned of growing frustration among dwindling congregations who are having to effectively subsidise “shameless neighbours” who “expect all the services” from parishes but “contribute nothing to paying for them”.

Fr Brendan Hoban, a co-founder of the Association of Catholic Priests, the country’s largest group representing clerics, also warned that a “dire financial emergency” now faces many of the country’s parishes.

He described the financial crisis as the elephant in the church’s living room.

While congregations and collections have been declining for some years, this particular crisis was ushered in by the Covid outbreak and the long church closures that it necessitated, which has resulted in a lack of church collections.

Dwindling congregations and dwindling contributions are beginning to have an impact, said the Co Mayo priest.

“The legacy of the pandemic is that many of the elderly, often the most generous of parishioners, no longer attend church and more generally a significant cohort of pre-Covid attendees no longer come,” said Fr Hoban.

“The cumulative effect is that for the last few years only a percentage of the usual contributions arrived in parish accounts.”

Writing in his weekly column in the Western People, Fr Hoban warned that a small number of parishioners are now bearing the brunt of the cost of sustaining parish services where there is less income but the same need for sacraments and services.

“Usually, parishes are run on a shoestring budget and there are not many areas that allow for cutbacks.

“Parish buildings have to be maintained, insured and heated.

“The salaries of parish personnel have to be met – usually in rural parishes, this means just the priest or priests and in some instances a parish secretary,” he said.

“While generally the income of lay parish employees has remained at pre-Covid levels, incomes of priests have been cut by anything up to 25pc.”

Fr Hoban warned that cutbacks in most parishes will not be easy to come by, and he acknowledged that trying to increase income will be “an even trickier business”.

Among the challenges for parishes will be getting those who no longer come to church to make a contribution.

The retired Co Mayo parish priest suggested that the only comeback would be to introduce “an enhanced set of parish charges for funerals, weddings and baptisms on the basis that those who don’t contribute to the provision of services can hardly expect those who do, to pay for them”.

But he acknowledged that while this strategy makes sense, it creates a two-tier division of parish membership – those who return their envelopes or paid-up members of the parish and those who
do not.

Among the latter category are those “who simply refuse to pay” and those who may not be able to pay for whatever reason.

He said that the challenge was to be able to distinguish between the two.

Many parishes of the Catholic world are now in danger of running out of money, Fr Hoban warned.

He recalled a prelate proclaiming some years ago that “the church can’t be run on Hail Marys”.

Grandparents and the elderly need to know they are valued and cherished by our parishes and by the wider society – Bishop Denis Nulty

Bishop Denis Nulty, chair of the Bishops’ Council for Marriage and the Family, is inviting parishes to reach out to grandparents and the elderly on this the second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which will be celebrated around the world next Sunday 24 July. 

Bishop Nulty said, “Grandparents and the elderly need to know they are valued and cherished by us – in our families, in our parishes and by the wider society. The World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly offers us a new opportunity to celebrate them and to let them know how much they mean to us. We need them. They have much to offer us and we have much to learn from them. 

“Pope Francis’ message for this year’s World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly very much makes this point. He encourages the elderly to persevere in hope,  to embrace the power they have to transform the world through prayer and a revolution of tenderness. 

“The theme chosen by Pope Francis for this year’s celebration is from the Psalms ‘In old age they still bring forth fruit’ (Ps 92:14). Pope Francis says that old age is no time to give up and lower the sails, but a season of enduring fruitfulness in which a new mission awaits us.” 

Bishop Nulty continued, “I am very encouraged by Pope Francis’ words as I look around our Church and see the long and faithful service offered by our older priests and religious and the decades long commitment of so many lay faithful to our parishes. Grandparents and the elderly are at the heart of our parishes. 

“My favourite line from the Pope’s message is when he invites us to be poets of prayer:

‘Let us too become, as it were, poets of prayer: let us develop a taste for finding our own words, let us once again take up those taught by the word of God. Our trustful prayer can do a great deal: it can accompany the cry of pain of those who suffer, and it can help change hearts. We can be “the enduring ‘chorus’ of a great spiritual sanctuary, where prayers of supplication and songs of praise sustain the community that toils and struggles in the field of life.’

“What a wonderfully uplifting challenge to all of us to become poets of prayer!

“I invite parishes across the country to celebrate grandparents and elders, not forgetting our more senior priests and religious. I would also encourage parishes to ensure that their local nursing care home is included in this important annual celebration.”

CW Investigates : Operation Ainmhian (1)

 

Clerical Whispers Investigates is back in business!!

For some that will be good news, and for others it will be greeted with the usual derision and malcontent.

This is so, paradoxically, because there are always three versions of a story, those being, mine, yours and then the truth. 

It is this middle way that we are interested in; namely, the truth, which for some, can be most inconvenient.

Clerical Whispers Investigates is the place where there will be neither bias nor prejudice, but simply a quest for the truth, no matter how distasteful that truth may be. 

An immediate disclaimer: we may not get it right all the time, but we will do our best based on hard, factual evidence made available to us. 

If we get it wrong, we will retract… but, what if we get it right??? 

That balance of course can only be decided, ultimately, by that most important element which is key to every story....EVIDENCE!!

With those brief opening introductions in mind, let’s get to business. 

Clerical Whispers Investigates has continued to listen intently and with balance to concerns arising within Church circles all throughout the world, with fairness and an investigative ear.

Progress so far is surprising, as stories began to trickle into us. 

Some accounts detail extraordinary dedication and hard work and we intend to highlight these in due course. 

Unfortunately, other accounts are not so flattering and merit further investigation. 

One such story which came to us from Ireland, and drew our attention, and made us wonder whether it warrants further investigation based on, what we perceive to be, some lacunae.

Just for now, we have decided to withhold names, for reasons of privacy and given what we deem to be the seriousness of the accusations made. 

The basic, summarised case appears to centre on a priest who was removed from ministry following the breaking of his promise of celibacy with an adult woman. It must be clearly noted that this relationship was quite mutual, consenting adults on both sides, and did not involve any criminal element to it. 

Regardless of this, quite rightly, the priest was removed from public ministry. 

We are not sure, for this moment, if he was sent to therapy or for counselling or indeed if he was permanently removed from ministry by choice or otherwise.

What we are aware of, is that a second allegation was made against this priest by another woman.

To summarise, from our investigation thus far, this second lady, who is allegedly vulnerable, has accused the priest of fostering and engaging in a romantic relationship with her, promising her a future together and emotionally abusing her by ‘ghosting’ her at a certain point in the alleged relationship. 

In relation to these accusations, it must be noted, an admission of sorts appears to have been made that no sexual contact occurred between them. 

There were subsequently further ‘non-relationship’ allegations made, but for the present we will stick with these.

Clerical Whispers Investigates would like to make it clear that this sort of alleged behaviour by a member of the clergy is not acceptable and, for this to have happened a second time is indicative of an issue with celibacy. 

Clerical Whispers Investigates would like to also make it clear that it is not making any form of personal judgement in this regard.

However, as we listened and proceeded a little further with our investigation, we discovered something quite interesting. 

In relation to the priest’s relationship with the first lady, there was a mountain of evidence provided, publicly and privately. This made it impossible to deny the truth.

In relation however to the second allegation, we have not seen a scintilla of evidence to prove that:

1. A romantic relationship was entered into – this includes a lack of evidence such as romantic messages, requests for dates, “couple-like” messages. These were plentiful during the first engagement, but as yet, not even one has come to light in relation to the second allegation.

2. Any romantic contact was entered into – By this we mean, hand holding, hugging, sitting as a couple, embracing. It is our belief (although not our certainty as yet) that a guarantee was made in relation to the production of footage that would show the priest and this lady holding hands and behaving as a couple. As of yet, this has not been produced.

3. A future was promised by the priest to the woman.

Given the seriousness of these allegations, we were surprised that as yet, the evidence to support them, appears to be, at the very best, scant. 

Therefore, we will soon be issuing a call to invite as much evidence as possible to be brought forward in the name of justice and fairness to all involved.

But that is for the next installment of CWI, as we proceed with not only this story, but many more investigations also. 

Stay tuned…

Diocesan Appointments 2022 : Diocese of Killala

 

BISHOP John Fleming has announced clerical changes and appointments in the Diocese of Killala.

Ballina Pastoral Team: Fr. Aidan O’Boyle (Moderator), Fr. Kieran Holmes and Fr. Anthony Gillespie.

Belmullet: Fr. Eddie Rogan to be Parish Priest of Belmullet. Fr. Tom Doherty, Fr. Tony Cavanagh, SSP, to be assistant priests serving the three parishes, Belmullet, Kilcommon Erris and Kilmore Erris.

Kilmore-Erris: Fr. Kevin Hegarty to be Parish Priest of Kilmore-Erris and Kilcommon Erris.

Backs: Fr. Michael Reilly to Co-Pastor Backs with Fr. Michael Flynn.

Ballycastle: Fr. John Loftus, Parish Priest, Ballycastle.

Dromore West: Fr. Joseph Hogan to be Parish Priest, Easkey, and Parish Priest Dromore West.

Parishioners shocked, angry as Paulist Fathers forced to leave Ohio State's Newman Center

 

Hundreds of parishioners, students and alumni of Ohio State University's St. Thomas More Newman Center have signed a public letter calling on Bishop Earl Fernandes of Columbus, Ohio, to reconsider his decision to remove the Paulist Fathers from their longtime campus ministry assignment.

More than 200 signees also offered short written testimonies extolling the Paulists and describing how their welcoming style of ministry and spiritual direction had been of benefit over the years. Several signees, including Joseph Gentilini of Hilliard, Ohio, credited the Paulists with keeping them connected to the Catholic Church.

"The Paulist Fathers have been very helpful to me in realizing that God loves me, as I am," said Gentilini, who is gay and has attended Mass at the Newman Center for 53 years. Gentilini said he feels that he is losing his spiritual home.

"I don't understand this decision by the bishop," Gentilini told NCR. "I'm sad and angry, not only at what was done but how it was done."

On June 30, the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio, announced that Fernandes was appointing Fr. Adam Streitenberger, the diocesan director of evangelization, to become the new executive director of the Newman Center, effective July 12.

 

Fernandes, who was installed as Columbus' bishop on May 31, was quoted as saying that Streitenberger's appointment was the first step in "an exciting and renewed vision for vocations and evangelization" in the diocese, in which the Newman Center is to play "a vital role."

The diocesan statement added that the Paulist Fathers were invited to remain as chaplains at the center.

The statement also said that all who attend the restructured Newman Center will benefit by "being integrated into the larger life of the Diocese of Columbus."

Jason Mays, a diocesan spokesman, told NCR that Fernandes and other members of the diocesan leadership team have seen the recent open letter and are reaching out to members of the Newman Center community individually to listen to their concerns.

Mays said the diocese's vision for the Newman Center includes a plan to invest "more resources to bolster the good work" that the Paulist priests have already been doing at the center.

"The Paulist Fathers have done great things there," Mays said. "This has to do with coordinating more resources there."

However, that explanation does not satisfy the Paulists, who have been ministering at Ohio State University for nearly 66 years. They and their supporters said that the Paulist priests led a vibrant campus ministry that offered regular Masses, Bible studies, and several activities and events for students.

"This [announcement] came on quite suddenly," Paul Snatchko, a spokesman for the Paulist Fathers, told NCR. Snatchko said the diocese's move to take over the campus ministry does not reflect "Pope Francis' admonition of synodality" to listen and journey together.

"We're very sad with what's happening at Ohio State," said Snatchko, who said that Fernandes informed Paulist Fr. René Constanza, the president of the Paulist Fathers, of the diocese's plans for the Newman Center during a meeting in late June.

In that meeting, Snatchko said, Fernandes presented Constanza, who became the Paulist Fathers president on June 7, with a proposed memorandum of understanding that stated the diocese would assume control of the Newman Center and that two Paulist priests could remain chaplains for at least one year. The Paulist chaplains would have answered to Streitenberger.

"We wanted to have [the Newman Center] coordinated through the diocese," said Mays, the diocesan spokesman, who added that the diocese invited the Paulists to stay and "be a part of the vision."

"They discerned that they wanted to go a different direction, and we respect that," Mays said.

After conferring with the Paulists' general council, Snatchko said Constanza declined to sign the memorandum, as the diocese's proposed arrangement did not seem to fit well with the Paulists' charism as a missionary society of priests.

"It's not the practice of the community to operate where two members of the community would be under the direction of a diocesan priest. At the moment it's not how we're doing ministry," Snatchko said.

After declining to sign the memorandum, Fernandes notified Costanza on June 29 that the diocese was terminating the Paulist Fathers' ministry at Ohio State. The bishop added that the Paulists could continue to minister at the Newman Center until July 31 to help facilitate a "smooth transition."

Snatchko said the relatively quick manner in which the diocese moved to assume control of the ministry at the Newman Center raises questions "as to why this had to be rushed."

"I think it is frustrating to the Paulists that a brand-new bishop entered into this conversation with a brand-new president of the Paulist Fathers," Snatchko said.

While the diocese has publicly praised the Paulists for their campus ministry, the proposed memorandum of understanding signals that the diocese intends to move the Newman Center at Ohio State in a more conservative direction.

The memorandum, which NCR obtained, states that the diocese envisions the Newman Center being a setting where "lay apostolates and movements are welcomed and present." The memorandum specifically cites, as examples, Opus Dei, Communion and Liberation, Courage, St. Paul's Outreach and the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, or FOCUS.

"They spelled this out in the memorandum of understanding," said Snatchko, who added that the Paulist Fathers at Ohio State already have working partnerships with missionaries from the Catholic campus outreach program FOCUS and the missionary organization St. Paul's Outreach.

Snatchko said the Paulists are not opposed to Courage, an apostolate whose chapters often use a 12-step model to encourage LGBTQ Catholics to abide by the Catholic Church's official teachings on chastity. But some members of the Newman Center's parish community like Gentilini said they do not support that apostolate.

"I would not feel comfortable anymore in a place that sanctioned Courage," said Gentilini, who criticized the apostolate for using the term "same-sex attraction," which he said does not accurately reflect the entire personality of LGBTQ persons.

Gentilini, who is civilly married to his partner of 41 years, said the Paulist Fathers have made him feel welcomed in the church. At the Newman Center, Gentilini goes to confession, attends Mass, and participates in eucharistic adoration.

"They don't discount the teaching of the church, but they try to make gay people feel welcome in this church in a way that I don't think the other churches do," said Gentilini, who is not sure where he will go next for a parish community.

According to the diocese, the Newman Center at Ohio State is not a parish but rather a diocesan agency where the focus is entirely on student ministry. Mays, the diocesan spokesman, told NCR that "everyone is welcome at the St. Thomas More Newman Center."

"Bishop Fernandes assures that everyone's spiritual needs will be met," Mays said. "Some members may find that their specific needs may be better met in the diocesan parishes."

Many of the parishioners in the Newman Center's permanent resident community drive 30 miles to attend Mass there, "where they feel spiritually nourished," said Paulist Fr. Ed Nowak, the current director of the center.

Nowak told NCR that he and the other priests in residence at the Newman Center will be allowed to stay in their rectory until Aug. 31. Constanza will be present to celebrate the Paulists' final Masses at the Newman Center on July 31.

"We Paulists will land on our feet somewhere," said Nowak, adding that he hopes a special accommodation is made for 91-year-old Paulist Fr. Vinny McKiernan, who has served at the Newman Center for more than 30 years.

While he and the other Paulist priests wait to see what their next assignments will be, Nowak said he remains concerned for the students and the older parishioners in the Newman Center community who he said benefited from each other over the years. He said their testimonies of how the Paulist Fathers benefited them have moved him.

"I've been so heartened by that," Nowak said, "To know how big an impact we've had on them, is just so overwhelming."

Diocesan Appointments 2022 : Diocese of Achonry

 

Canon Pat Peyton PP Collooney to retire and reside in Ballymote as Pastor Emeritus

Fr. Martin Convey PP Straide to become Parish Priest of Collooney

Fr. Stephen O’Mahony PP Bohola will, in addition, become Administrator of Straide 

Monsignor Tommy Johnston PP Charlestown, to become Administrator of Charlestown

Fr. Gerry Davey Administrator of Carracastle will, in addition, assist in Charlestown

Announcing these changes, Bishop Dempsey says that “over the past number of months, we have engaged in conversations as parish representatives, priests, and deacons about some initiatives in our parishes/clusters and the possible shape our Diocese will have in the future.  These conversations are continuing and will be widened to include more people from our parishes in the coming months.  We are all aware that circumstances are changing very quickly and that we need to be open as people, priests, and deacons to different possibilities into the future.  Pope Francis has invited us into a process of prayerful discernment to discover where the Lord is calling us at this time.  It is very important that this sense of prayerfulness is at the heart of our journey together. 

Over the years we have been blessed to have resident priests serving in each of our parishes.  Due to the changing situation with declining vocations to the priesthood, this is no longer possible.  Fr Martin Convey’s appointment as Parish Priest of Collooney, means there will not  be a resident priest in Straide and the administration of the parish will be overseen by Fr Stepehen O’Mahony, Parish Priest of Bohola.  Fr Stephen will work with the Parish Pastoral Council and committees in existence in Straide to ensure the work of the Gospel, so well attended to in the parish will continue.”

Appointments will come into effect the weekend of the 3^rd/4^th of September.

Diocesan Appointments 2022 : Diocese of Meath

Fr Seamus Houlihan is appointed Parish Priest of Kilcormac.

Fr Liam Malone is appointed Parish Priest of Nobber-Kilbeg.

Fr Richard Matthews is appointed Parish Priest of Slane.

Fr Pádraig McMahon is appointed Parish Priest of Athboy and Vicar Forane.

Fr Joseph Campbell is appointed Curate in Mullingar and Diocesan Secretary.

Fr Paul Crosbie is appointed Administrator in Mullingar.

Fr Williams Awoshiri is appointed Curate in Mullingar.

Fr Eusebius Tulbure is appointed Curate in Kells.

Fr Liam Malone was ordained on 8 June 1997 in his home parish of Trim. His first appointment brought him to Mullingar as hospital chaplain until he was assigned to Kells as Curate in September 2001.

Fr Pádraig McMahon was appointed Curate in Mullingar in 2008 and Administrator at the Cathedral twelve months later. A native of Kingscourt, he has worked in Navan, Clara and Rosemount parishes while also serving as director of primary school catechetics for eight years.

Fr Joseph Campbell was ordained in his home parish of on 19 June 2010 and served as Curate in St Mary's Parish, Drogheda since September 2010. Among his various roles in the Diocese of Meath, he has assisted as Vocations Director and a member of the diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes.