December 1st 2015

We have reached Advent. Advent is the time period when people traditionally prepare for the ‘Coming’ of Christmas and all that entails. This Advent will be the most significant for me in more than 50 years, if the Bishop is a man of his word, and I have no reason to believe otherwise. I will need to outline the background, which is not simple.

It all began with ‘Safepark 2014’. This was the name given to a voluntary group of concerned parents and others about the total absence of any car or bus parking facilities at any of the three schools in Ballymahon.

After securing meetings with all concerned parties including teachers, parents, Gardaí, bus drivers, the Local Authority, The Dept. of Education, Traders, the so-called representatives of the Parish Pastoral Council and the Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, we devised a logical plan of action and set about securing a car park to be sited on Parish lands adjacent to the new primary school.

The Bishop requested that we commission a feasibility study and confirmed that if this site was deemed the optimum location then the Diocese could not ignore this. He further suggested that we consult with the local Parish Priest to advise him of our plans. We knew that this move was a waste of time as the local PP was totally opposed to the transfer of any parish land from which he was generating an annual income for himself which was completely unethical and illegal.

The PP was visited by various members of our committee and all were rounded upon and abused. He was supported by the principal of the Primary School for obvious reasons, and the self-appointed chairman of the Parish Council. Outside of this the entire community was hugely supportive and we got support from all quarters.

The Bishop being new in the job and not being familiar with the local politics of the situation was in a difficult position as while he supported our intentions and our overall project he couldn’t very well undermine his PP who had been in Ballymahon for a lengthy period of years. Having said this he was still the boss and undue consideration for his local clerical underling could not be used as a method of indefinite procrastination.

The most disappointing aspect of all this business was the deliberate directives of the two second level school principals who instructed their respective staff members not to get involved as they wanted no issue with the local clergy and it was ‘none of their business’.

The Prodigal was Honourary Secretary of the ‘Safepark Committee’ and as such was responsible for all correspondence. After months of frustration and exasperation I wrote the following epistle to the Bishop on July 21^st 2014;

 Bishop Francis,

In an article in the Irish Catholic on September 6^th 2013, Pope Francis stated;

“The people of God want pastors, not clergy acting like bureaucrats or government officials. The Bishops, particularly, must be able to support the movements of God among their people with patience”.

On the date of you own elevation you yourself stated;
“People are the life blood of every parish”.

However the reality of your actions and attitude on the issue of the use of parish lands in Ballymahon is a long way from the laudable aspiration expressed in your sentiment. Your blind support for the self-interested stance taken by the local priest is, putting it at its lowest, most unfortunate. It appears that you have forgotten that all Diocesan Trust held property was procured by the pennies and penances of the ordinary parishioners.

Against that backdrop, for a parish priest to put his own comfort, income and self-interest before the physical safety and well-being of 1100 students, their parents, mentors, teachers and bus drivers is very far removed from any Christian ethic. For you to support the perpetuation of a claim that a Parish Council exists is to compound a truth that lies somewhere between the Third Secret of Fatima and The DaVinci Code.

 The local PP is currently setting up a ‘new’ Parish Council in order;

      (1)      To fill the void, and
      (2)  To give the (misleading) impression that a Parish Council is currently in existence.

However, any new Council will amount to nothing more than a simulacrum of something which, even if it had recently existed, represented nothing more than the PP’s alter ego.

You know that no Parish Council exists at present nor does any Parish Finance Committee. For you to repeatedly suggest that a local organisation (SafePark 2014) correspond with non-existent committees through the local PP beggars belief!

As you well know, at a meeting with yourself and the Diocesan Secretary you proposed that a feasibility study be carried out.

The minute meeting records;

“Having confirmed that the issue was a serious one, the Bishop recommended that if a parking/traffic feasibility study was carried out which was acceptable to the Diocese and the Local Authority, its conclusions would be very compelling and if the Diocesan land was identified as the optimum solution this could not be ignored. It was further recommended that we should correspond with the Parish Finance Committee as this was the body that made recommendations to the pastor on the use of Diocesan property including land”.

The deputation voiced its reluctance to write to this eminent (but elusive) body as we could not establish a paper trail of any such correspondence.

At your recommendation, a feasibility study (costing €2000) was carried out. That study identified the course proposed by the deputation as not only the optimal, but the only, solution to the problem. However, when faced with these findings, you simply chose to ignore them. We could speculate as to the reasons for your conduct. I may be yet another example of a senior man of the cloth condoning or covering-up the sins of a more junior servant of God. Only God knows!

In any event, the putting at risk of the physical safety of Ballymahon’s children to the advantage of the local parish priest is nothing short of child neglect! But then the Church hasn’t always covered itself in glory where the welfare of children is concerned.

Last week Pope Francis was making headlines again as the result of comments in yet another interview. This time about clerical celibacy and the child-abuse scandals. The Pope spoke of child-abuse as;

“A leprosy in our house” and announced his intention face the issue;
“with the severity it requires”.

In this regard you will be aware of the revelations concerning Cardinal Sean Brady’s involvement in a 1975 canonical inquiry into Father Brendan Smyth’s abuse of Brendan Boland. Having considered this and other relevant issues such as the new ‘Whistle-Blower’ legislation I have decided to raise the issue of one of the Ballymahon predecessors of the present incumbent of the priest’s house. Father Brendan Hynds was a well-known practising paedophile for over twenty years.

I am just one of a multitude of victims who suffered at his evil hands.

Father Hynds usually sourced his victims from the altar boy ranks and was known to abuse boys up until Intermediate Certificate level. Alas, his activities did not cease when he left Ballymahon and anecdotal evidence suggests that upon being transferred to Cloghan in County Offaly he continued his horrific practises for many years-

It was a massacre of the innocents!

I am now formally calling on you to initiate an investigation into this monster and to provide some comfort to his victims, most of whom are still living. Lest you suggest that this is some sort of figment of my imagination I can confirm that all of these details were given to the Diocesan court jester (Fr. Bannon) many years ago.

Should you choose to ignore this matter and turn a blind eye to even more of your parishioners then I will deal with the matter myself.

I await your expedient response,

P.J.Walsh.
On July 28^th the following reply was sent by Bishop Francis.

“Dear Mr Walsh,

Thank you for your letter of 21^ST July. I am sorry to read of your suffering at the hands of Fr. Brendan Hynds. I have read the file and note that you spoke with Fr. Michael Bannon about Fr. Hynds in 2005.

Your complaint was reported to the Gardaí at that time and in accordance with your wishes then, you were not identified. It was also reported to the HSE. Now that you wish to have an investigation into the activities of Fr. Hynds I urge you to report the matter to the Gardaí. After receiving your letter last week this matter will be reported to the Gardaí and the HSE. As Fr. Hynds activities were criminal it is the Gardaí who investigate these matters; the Diocese will cooperate with such an investigation.

I am willing to meet you and the Diocesan Designated Officer, Mr Sean Leydon, to hear your story at first hand. I also wish to offer you support from ‘Towards Healing’ a counselling agency for those who are survivors of abuse perpetrated by clergy”.

Yours sincerely

Francis Duffy.