New future for Dublin Parishes
PRESS RELEASE Thursday 6 December 2018
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has this week announced the successful merger of three Dublin parishes into one with more expected in 2019.
Over three years of local planning and consultation has resulted in the establishment of the new Parish of St. Pappin’s in Ballymun, incorporating the former parishes of Shangan, Balcurris and Sillogue. Priests in the new Parish said they had “overwhelmingly positive support” for the move.
The announcement comes as another Dublin Parish Church begins a new future today when Archbishop Martin joins Cardinal George Alancherry for the inauguration of the new Irish headquarters of the Syro-Malabar Church in the Church Lady of the Rosary of Fatima, in Rialto. ( Thursday 6th). The Syro Malabar Catholic Church is in full communion with the Catholic Church, with five million followers worldwide. Originating in Kerala in India, it has around 4,000 followers in Dublin alone. The Syro Malabar Community will share use of the Church for worship with Rialto Parish and will be using the newly named St. Thomas’ Pastoral centre for other activities.
In Ballymun, all three Churches of the former Parishes will continue to be in use; the Church of the Holy Spirit, Sillogue Road, which will be the primary Church of the Parish, as well as the Church of the Virgin Mary, Shangan Road and St. Joseph’s in Balcurris. All three are within 1.5km of each other.
The Diocese is providing financial support towards upgrading work on St. Joseph’s and the Virgin Mary Church with over €100,000 spent to date on both. At the same time, the former Presbytery at St. Joseph’s is being renovated and turned into a new Parish Pastoral centre at an estimated cost of €250,000. The new centre will have a small Oratory where people can gather for prayer and reflection. It is envisaged that the Parish of St. Pappin’s will also use this space as a resource for pastoral outreach and community support, especially for those in the community struggling with mental health, bereavement or addiction issues. Three priests, Fr. Declan Blake, Fr. Ciaran Enright and Fr. Anthony Omolade will run the new Parish.
The amalgamation effectively began in October 2016 when the religious order, the Columbans returned the running of the parish of Balcurris to the Archdiocese. The Columbans carried out extraordinary outreach in the area during their time there, spanning over 40 years. At Mass of Farewell at that time, Archbishop Martin assured parishioners that St. Joseph’s would be kept open saying; “This is a turning point in the history of the Catholic community of Ballymun. Ballymun is a community, which encountered much suffering. It is a community, which was victim of many promises made, but never fulfilled. It is a community, which on many occasions must have felt abandoned. It was, however, a community, which never gave up. It is a community, which did so much for its children and young people exposed to pressures of drugs and violence. The community can be proud of its schools and indeed can be proud of its children.”
So began a process of bringing three congregations and parish pastoral councils together, beginning with the Easter Vigil in the Holy Spirit Church last year. The Church was full and parishioners gave very positive feedback, saying they found the new direction encouraging and hopeful. Throughout 2017, they came together for Advent and Lenten reflection evenings, Reconciliation Services and Reflection Days for those involved in various Ministries in the three churches as well as Child Safeguarding Representatives.
At the start of this year, the proposed amalgamation was discussed with all three Parish Pastoral Councils and there was broad support for the proposal. In May, parishioners across all three parishes were fully briefed on what was being planned and again there was a really positive response and local support for the merger.
Fr. Declan Blake, of St. Pappin’s Parish, said they were now looking to the future with confidence. “The gatherings of the faithful from the three Churches as one parish community has been encouraging and life giving and we expect the new parish will enable us to deepen this sense of belonging and worshipping together. We also want to reach out to the young people of our parish in every possible way. The youth from the three parishes are in school together and the new Parish Pastoral Centre opens up to us possibilities in the areas of faith development and pastoral care of young people.”
The amalgamation now leaves the total number of parishes in the Archdiocese of Dublin at 197 with further mergers expected next year. In other changes, in October last, the Church of the Annunciation in Finglas West closed. It will be demolished and a new smaller Church built on the site alongside social housing. In January, the Parish Church of Blakestown, St. Mary of the Servants, closed following the identification of serious issues with the Church building. The closely located parishes of Hartstown, Huntstown and Mountview are continuing to work more closely together in their parish grouping. ENDS
Notes
- On the First Sunday of Advent (December 2nd) Archbishop Martin formally erected the new Parish of St. Pappins, Ballymun from the existing Parishes of Shangan, Balcurris and Sillogue. The Parish of St Pappins shall comprise all the territories of the former parishes of Shangan, Balcurris and Sillogue. The parish is assigned to the Deanery of Fingal South West. The primary parish Church will be the Church of the Holy Spirit, Sillogue.
- The Syro-Malabar Catholic Churchis a Church of its own rite, in full communion with the Pope and the Universal Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. It is headed by Major Archbishop Mar Cardinal George Alencherry of the Archeparchy of Ernakulam-Angamaly in Kerala. The Syro-Malabar Church is the third-largest particular church in the Catholic Church (after the Latin or Roman Church and the Ukrainian Catholic Church). The Syro-Malabar Church with around 5 million believers traces its origins to the evangelisation activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. The Syro- Malabar Church in Dublin comes under the Apostolic Visitation of Europe for the Syro-Malabar Faithful of which Mar Stephen Chirapanath is its Apostolic Administrator. Throughout Ireland there are 33 Holy Mass (Qurbana) centres, with 7 of these in the Archdiocese of Dublin. syromalabar.ie
