THE newly appointed parish priest of Glenflesk returns to Ireland after four years in Rome where he held a very influential position in the Pontifical Irish College.
Fr George Hayes was appointed to the post of vice rector of the college in 2012, having previously served as diocesan secretary to the former Bishop of Kerry, Dr Bill Murphy.
A native of Listowel and a respected Canon lawyer, Fr Hayes had held the position of secretary for several years as well as administering in the parishes of Killarney and Kilgarvan.
Prior to taking up his appointment in Rome, he studied for a year at the Jesuit School of Theology in California and the Centre for Biblical Formation in Jerusalem.
He was appointed to the formation staff in Rome following consultations between the former Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop Dermot Clifford and Archbishop Michael Neary.
The Irish College, a very popular wedding ceremony venue for Irish couples, was founded in 1628.
To mark his return to his native Kerry, staff in the college held a farewell party for Fr Hayes with a special cake featuring the coats of arms of the Pontifical Irish College in Rome and of Kerry. He was the celebrant of a Mass with the whole college community in attendance.
Fr Hayes returns to Kerry to succeed the popular Fr Bill Radley who is retiring from the busy parish of Glenflesk. He will provide a service to three churches in the parish, St Agatha’s in Glenflesk, Our Lady of the Wayside in Clonkeen and the Sacred Heart Church in Barraduff and he will serve on the steering committee for the Killarney Pastoral Area.
