Community comes together to keep doors of Tipperary church open

A Clonmel church that was closed last year has celebrated the first anniversary of its reopening as a place of prayer.

The Franciscans departed Clonmel in January of 2023. There was some concern locally that the Friary church in Abbey Street would be lost as a place of worship, given its historical place in Clonmel’s past.

At the time of its closure a group of concerned members of the community met and a steering group was formed to examine options.

The normal obstacles were examined – how the project would be financed, how would it be managed.

However, there was one common and clear objective - that the church should remain open, if at all possible, and should not be lost as a place of worship for the Clonmel community.

This was underpinned by remarks made by the Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, Most Rev Alphonsus Cullinan, at the final Mass celebrated on the departure of the Franciscans on January 5 2023, when he said “it will be up to the people of Clonmel whether this church remains closed”.

Under the chairmanship of Rev Fr John Treacy, Parish Priest of Ss Peter and Paul’s, an agreement was reached with the Franciscans and the church reopened within five months of closing, on the Feast of St Anthony June 2023 - a year ago.

Many were sceptical that this could be done without a resident priest, but thanks to the cooperation of many people it has gone well. The church celebrates two Masses a week and it is open for daily prayer between 11am and 4pm.

Some considerable progress has been made in the first year to improve how the church functions.

The heating system, which had been misfunctioning for some years, was replaced last year with a new system and is now fully operational.

The historic 13th century tower has been cleaned out and sealed from bird invasion and is now accessible.

In terms of administration, the Abbey House of Prayer is entirely a voluntary project. No salaries, wages or allowances are paid.

At a ceremony on the occasion of the anniversary the manager, Pat O’Gorman acknowledged and paid tribute to several people instrumental in the success of the project.

In particular he paid tribute to the group of priests who volunteer to go on a roster to celebrate the Tuesday St Anthony Mass at 10am each week, and the priests who have helped to restore the Saturday Vigil Mass (at 5.30pm) and Confessions (from 4-5pm on Saturday) in recent months.

Above: The members of the steering committee of the Abbey House of Prayer - Pat O’Gorman, Mary Walsh and Joe McCormack

Thanks were also extended to John Corry, who acts as sacristan, sings at ceremonies and provides many other duties on a voluntary basis.

Tributes were paid to the team of dedicated ladies from the Legion of Mary who clean the church each week on a voluntary basis and ensure that it is always well maintained; and to those help with the offertory collection; the Ministers of the Word and Eucharist, and the choir, which reassembled and now sings on a weekly basis.

The church was decorated at Christmas by Mary Walsh.

In terms of finances, there have been generous donations from local members of the community.

The Clonmel Rugby Club Choir held a fundraising concert at the church last Christmas.

By far the most regular donors are the congregation who, week in week out, come to visit the shrine and worship in strong numbers, and who also financially support the reopened church.

It was appreciated that a former Franciscan from Killarney, Fr Billy Hoyne, OFM, travelled back from Killarney for a Triduum, which was well attended.

The reopened church, which is quite unique in Ireland, is set to have a place in the Clonmel community for some time.