Prayer group hands back keys of Clonmel church and hopes for contact from Franciscans

The Abbey House of Prayer Group handed back the keys of Clonmel’s former Friary Church on Monday and is waiting to see if the Franciscan Order will respond to its request and the requests of local politicians to enter into talks to resolve the dispute over the building’s future.

The group’s members and others supporting the Abbey Street based church’s continuation as a place of worship for the people of Clonmel ended their 23-day sit-in at the building last Thursday evening.

This followed a voluntary undertaking the prayer group gave in the High Court in Dublin earlier that day to vacate the building by midnight.

The sit-in over the Franciscans’ decision to permanently close the church from December 31 began after the New Year’s Eve Mass celebrated there.

However, the protest prompted SF Trust CLG, the legal owners of the church on behalf of the Franciscan Order, to instigate High Court proceedings over alleged trespass.

Abbey House of Prayer Group Chairman Pat O’Gorman said a meeting of the group’s members and others involved in the sit-in took place at the Talbot Hotel in Clonmel on Monday to discuss their next step.

They were joined at the meeting by Independent TDs Mattie McGrath and Seamus Healy, Mayor of Clonmel Cllr Pat English of the Workers & Unemployed Action Group. Independent Cllr Richie Molloy, Fianna Fáil Cllr Siobhán Ambrose and Labour Cllr Michael ‘Chicken’ Brennan.

Mr O’Gorman said the group’s members removed their belongings from the church and handed back the keys to a designated person at 9am on Monday.

At the Talbot Hotel meeting, it was decided there should be a “cooling off period” of about a week where they engage in no further protest action.

He said they were waiting in hope that the Franciscans will contact them.

“Hopefully in the next week there might be a development,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Abbey House of Prayer Group is due to appear before the High Court in Dublin again on Thursday where the case is listed for mention.