Farewell mass offered for Lusmagh's last ever Parish Priest

A MASS of celebration and farewell was offered for Lusmagh's last ever Parish Priest on Friday evening. The sense of celebration and upbeat mood was shot through with a feeling of poignancy because after eleven years in the role of PP, Fr Michael Kennedy was moving on to a new chapter in his life.

This means that Lusmagh joins a growing number of parishes around the country, such as nearby Lorrha, which are now without a Parish Priest in situ. In the case of Lusmagh it's not known exactly how long a Parish Priest has been living in the parish but some think it could be about three centuries.

Lusmagh is the only parish in Offaly to be part of the Diocese of Clonfert and from now on all occasions in St Cronan's Church Lusmagh (masses, communions, baptisms, etc) will be looked after by clergy travelling from Portumna.

Chief celebrant on Friday evening in St Cronan's was Bishop Michael Duignan, the Bishop of the Diocese of Clonfert, who said the purpose of the mass was to celebrate Fr Kennedy's ministry and to express a sense of gratitude that this excellent priest had been in their midst. He said this popular Parish Priest will be greatly missed in Lusmagh.

Fr Michael addressed the congregation for several minutes, recalling some of the events in his life. He said he grew up nearby, in Rathcabbin, and was ordained in 1977. He said he emigrated to London in the late '60s and after a couple of years in the Big Smoke got “a very strong call” to become a priest. “For me it was very clear that it was something which I had to do.”

He said when he first arrived in London he lived with his Aunt, Uncle and sister. “I was 17 years of age and the Church was a very important part of my life.”

He joined a local Pioneers group. “We spent a lot of social time together. We were all in the same boat. We were all quite young, all Irish emigrés, all trying to find our feet in some way in London. The dances organised by the group were a great outlet, and we had a great band. We enjoyed many bus outings together, visiting cultural sites or the seaside. Our dance halls were in Hammersmith and Fulham. It was a good time, a fun time. But everything must change. People in the group began to drift away. Some got married, some returned to Ireland. One evening I was at a dance in Hammersmith and I thought to myself, There is more to life than this. I needed meaning and I realised I would find that meaning in the priesthood.”

He entered Campion House, a retreat house run by the Jesuits where men were trained for the priesthood. After several years studying and training, Fr Michael was ordained in Rathcabbin. His first posting was in the Diocese of Westminster, London. He spent 16 years working in the East End of the city, which he described as being “a rough and tough place”, a place with many derelict buildings and many people trapped in poverty.

After five years as a Curate he became a PP for the first time, in an East End parish. Another priest was going to join him to provide much-needed assistance. However, the priest remarked, “If I lived here I would commit suicide. You are on your own I'm afraid,” and left. Help came in the form of a Taizé music group which joined the parish. The Taizé music proved very attractive to parishioners and the numbers attending mass grew.

After a number of years he was moved to a parish in Hertfordshire where he lived for a decade, a posting that he greatly enjoyed. Afterwards he returned to London, this time based in Cricklewood, a town with a sizeable Irish population in the north of the city.
Fr Michael returned to Ireland 11 years ago to assist Eddie Stones with retreats, etc, in Emmanuel House, Clonfert and when he heard that Lusmagh would be without a PP he put forward his name to fill the role.

Fr Michael said there had been many high points and low points during his 48 years in the priesthood. Whatever challenges life threw at him he did his best to respond with compassion, whether it be helping people dealing with trauma or tragedy, helping people whose lives were in turmoil. The days could be very busy. “Sometimes we felt overwhelmed by either the telephone or the doorbell ringing.”

Fr Michael added that he met a great number of people over the decades who showed a very strong and inspirational faith. He pointed out that for many the Church remains an institution which offers “a wonderful sense of beauty, peace and encouragement.”

Fr Michael then received a round of applause from the congregation.