‘Very sad day’ for parish with Carmelites leaving
By Aimee Walsh
THE CARMELITES have announced their decision to leave Knocklyon parish, prompting the Parish Pastoral Council to petition the Council of the Carmelites, requesting that they reverse their decision.
The Council of the Carmelites in Ireland have informed Knocklyon parish of their intention to return the parish to the Archdiocese of Dublin from the January 30, 2022.
The Carmelites are leaving Knocklyon parish
In a statement released to the public from the order of Carmelites, they said that it is “not a decision we have made lightly, indeed, it is one we make with heavy hearts”, after serious consideration over the last two years.
There are currently 39 Carmelites living in Ireland, 27 of whom are over 70 years of age, and some of those are in poor health, according to the statement.
The reasoning behind returning the parish to the Archdiocese stated that it is based upon “personnel resources” and is “in no way a reflection on the parish”.
The order thanked the local Carmelite community, Fr Fintan Burke, Fr Martin Parokaaran, Fr Joe Mothersill and Fr Michael Morrissey, for their “commitment and work in the parish over the last number of years” as well as the Parish Pastoral Council as they begin to transition to a new administration.
In a response to this address from the Carmelites, the Parish Pastoral Council said that it is a “very sad day” for Knocklyon Parish following the announcement from the Carmelites.
They said: “It is actually hard to imagine life in our parish without the Carmelite presence, a presence that has seen us through many changes and challenges since the parish was constituted in 1974.”
The Parish Pastoral Council went on to acknowledge the hard work of so many Carmelite friars since the foundation of the parish, stating: “without them, we would not have the vibrant parish community we have today.”
In a statement on their website, Knocklyon Parish said that: “In light of the depth of feelings generated throughout the parish as a consequence of this decision, the Parish Pastoral Council has decided to petition the Council of the Carmelites, requesting that they reverse their decision and continue to maintain their presence in the parish.”
If the petition to reverse their decision is unsuccessful, from February 2022 the parish will revert to the direct control of the Archdiocese. In the interim, the Archbishop will decide on who will minister Knocklyon Parish.
“In the meantime, we will continue to have a Carmelite presence and we hope to use the time between now and then to try and complete as much of our missed sacramental preparation as possible,” the statement from Knocklyon Parish concluded.
