This article is from page 4 of the 2006-11-28 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
THE country’s first ‘priest-less parish’ once more has its own parish priest after a gap of eight years.
The Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh has appointed Fr Michael Hogan as parish priest for KillanenaFlagmount.
Fr Hogan has been parish priest at Feakle and will now operate as parish priest to both parishes.
In July 1998, Dr Walsh came under fire from a number of parishioners after he announced that the outgoing parish priest, Fr John Slattery would not be replaced.
However, the ‘priestless parish’ of Killanena-Flagmount was soon touted as a model for Catholic Church structures in the new millennium.
Now, Dr Walsh has announced the return of a parish priest for Killanena-Flagmount, though he pointed out that Fr Hogan will not be living in the parish.
“Since the departure of the resident priest, the parish council at Killanena-Flagmount effectively took control of the running of the parish and that will continue.
“Fr Hogan will take responsibility for the direct pastoral care of the parishes and the parish council will retain responsibility for finance, buildings and so on.”
On Flagmount-Killanena becoming a priest-less parish in 1998, the old parish council, whose membership had remained unchanged since 1981, was dissolved.
In response, 102, or a fifth of the parish, applied for membership to the new 16-member Council.
“I am very keen that the parish council would continue in its work. The people of the area over the past number of years have responded very generously to the challenge.”
Dr Walsh said that the re-appointment of a parish priest “should not be seen as a step-backwards” in the Church identifying a new model in parish structures.
“Rather, it should be seen as how best the needs of both parishes can be met. The model in FlagmountKillanena allows Fr Hogan to focus completely on providing direct pastoral care.”
Pastoral council member, Mary McMahon told The Clare People yesterday: “We are delighted to have a parish priest once more. Fr Hogan is most welcome.
“He is very with it and very positive in his thinking.
“We have learned an awful lot over the past eight years. The many new things that we had to do without a priest were no big deal in the end and we got on with things.”