SWEEPING changes have been announced in the pastoral team in Athy with the appointment of a new parish priest, curate and pastoral worker to the parish.
The appointments by the Dublin Archdiocese will see Parish Priest Fr Michael Murtagh and curate Fr Joe McDonald replaced by Fr Gerry Tanham and Fr Paul O’ Driscoll respectively.
Fr Tanham comes to Athy from Malahide where he was parish priest and Fr O’Driscoll comes to Athy from Arklow where he has been a curate.
Pastoral worker Breda Carroll is also on the move and will work in Tallaght from September.
Fr Michael Murtagh will revert to the role of curate in Arklow having previously been parish priest in Athy and he will do a direct swop with Fr O’Driscoll. The appointment of a parish priest with experience in the role could be seen as an attempt by the archdiocese to put difficulties in the parish in the past.
No role has yet been announced for Fr Joe McDonald who told the Kildare Nationalist that he is not unduly worried by the fact that he has not received an appointment as yet.
“I have been doing Michael’s work, as well as my own, since he went on leave last March and while I have had great help from Fr Dennehy and Fr Seery, as well as from the prior of the Dominican church Fr Joe O’Brien, I am absolutely exhausted. I made it clear to the archbishop that I needed a short rest. I suppose the archbishop is working on finding me some place where I will be able to settle in if I arrive in September.”
Fr McDonald went on to add that he welcomed the decision by Archbishop Martin to make a clean sweep in the parish. “I was very clear that I felt that there was a need for a complete change in the team in Athy and I am happy that the archbishop seems to have done exactly that. However I go with a heavy heart.
“There were a whole lot of different aspects to what happened. A new pastoral worker and parish priest were appointed to the parish and it was expected that we would just gel together and that didn’t happen. I suppose I would look to see what has been learned from what happened and I feel there should have been a breathing space for the two new priests to get to know each other and gel together.
“In a former life as a Christian Brother I know that whenever we got a new appointment we would spend half the summer getting ready for it. However when a parish priest is appointed it seems to be on the basis of age and it is presumed that a priest is ready for it. There is no training or no qualification and that is something that I think we need to look at.”
However he went on to wish Fr Murtagh well in his new role in Arklow.
“I think it is very unusual for a parish priest to leave a parish and be appointed as curate again. I think it will give him time to gather himself and reflect and I sincerely hope he will get another appointment and opportunity in the near future.”
He also wished the new pastoral team well in their new roles. “I would like to wish the new men and the pastoral worker success in their new roles. Athy is a lovely spot and there is huge potential there. I go from Athy with a genuinely heavy heart.”