PARISHIONERS in Kilcummin are planning a farewell party for the priest they fought desperately to keep.
They are organising a get-together in the parish recreational hall on Wednesday, October 16 to celebrate and honour the two years Fr Eamonn Mulvihill spent in the parish.
The organising committee said envelopes will be available at the door for anyone that wants to make a donation
Disgruntled locals staged a prolonged and high-profile campaign after Fr Eamonn Mulvihill was transferred to Castlegregory leaving the parish without a resident priest.
They brought their protest to the doorstep of Bishop of Kerry, Ray Browne, when they handed in a petition seeking to retain their PP and the campaigners even made contact with the Papal Nuncio’s office to highlight their concerns.
Bishop Browne insisted that it was a simply a matter of numbers and, with vocations continuing to fall, there just wasn’t enough priests to ensure one is resident in every parish. Instead, the priests of the Killarney Pastoral Area would fill in, as required, to ensure all services were retained in Kilcummin with Fr Kieran O’Brien as parish moderator.
As part of their protest, the campaigners suggested that donations be withheld from the collection boxes at weekend Masses in Our Lady of Lourdes Church but, despite an initial reduction, offertory contributions have climbed steadily since the controversy erupted in June.
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