Angry parishioners call for meeting with bishop over loss of Straide parish priest

THE local parishioners of Straide have demanded a meeting with the Bishop of Achonry, Paul Dempsey, following the loss of their resident parish priest from September due to the impact of decreasing vocations.

The decision by Bishop Dempsey has left locals in shock and outraged over the lack of communication regarding the matter and they made their feelings known following a public meeting in St. Peter and Paul Church last Tuesday evening which many attended.

Bishop Dempsey met representatives from Straide on July 7 in Ballaghaderreen and they were told that resident PP, Fr. Martin Convey, was being moved to Collooney, Co. Sligo, due to its growing population.

The decision was made ‘unilaterally’ by the bishop and there would be no going back on it.

Fr. Stephen O’Mahony, PP in Bohola, would also serve the parishioners of Straide under the change proposed .

When representatives asked could a PP from another country be put in Fr. Martin’s place, the bishop said it would not happen due to cultural differences and mixed results in other parishes.

At the public meeting, a number of locals spoke up on why a PP coming from another country could not be done, as a number of foreign priests have come into parishes like Castlebar, Westport and Tuam, and it has ‘worked very well’.

"We’ve sent priests abroad over the last 40 to 50 years. What’s the difference?" said one parishioner, while another said that ‘unless we try, we won’t know if it works.’

NO COMMUNICATION

The lack of consultation and communication about losing their PP, which was announced by Bishop Dempsey at Mass on July 10, also came in for scathing criticism from people at the meeting.

"To say it’s a done deal so soon is not enough," offered one parishioner.

The parishioners universally agreed that the bishop should come to Straide to explain the decision, who himself said on local radio that he would speak to the locals.

"The onus is back on the bishop to give a solution," said a parish representative.

Representatives of the parish will now meet with the bishop in Ballaghaderreen today (Thursday) and bring to him the thoughts of the parishioners from the public meeting.