‘Walk of hope’ in bid to prevent closure of Dominican church in Drogheda

Labour Senator Mary Moran has expressed disappointment at the reception she and others received at the headquarters of the Dominican congregation in Tallaght, Dublin, on Saturday.

She and three members of the Dominican community in Drogheda and others undertook the "walk of hope" in an attempt to prevent closure of the local Dominican church as announced last year. The Dominicans have been in Drogheda for 791 years

Last September the congregation said it was to close centres at Leeson Park in Dublin, St Magdalen's in Drogheda, St Dominic's in Athy, St Saviour's in Limerick, and St Saviour's at Ballybeg in Waterford due to ageing and declining numbers. Currently there are 124 Irish Dominicans, 50 under 65. Three Dominican priests were ordained in 2014 with six to be ordained next year.

Dominicans have been in Ireland since 1224 and have houses in Dublin, Cork, Tallaght, Newry, Dundalk, Newbridge, Waterford, Kilkenny, Tralee , Galway and Sligo.

Led by prior Anthony McMullan the Drogheda group left there on Saturday at 7am and arrived in Tallaght at 5pm where they handed in a petition of over 22,000 signatures in support of “Saving the Dominican Church in Drogheda”.

In a statement on Monday Senator Moran said that on arrival at Tallaght “we received negativity and disdain”.

She called on the congregation “to sit down and listen to the people and their priests – to communicate”, and said they planned on going to Rome where they meet the head of the Dominican congregation on September 9th.

Irish Dominican spokesman Fr Bernard Traecy said "a process of consultation involving a wide range of stakeholders in each centre is under way. In each centre a member of the provincial council is acting on behalf of the prior provincial in convening and chairing these consultations."

He referred to a statement by Dominican provincial Fr Gregory Carroll, himself a former prior in Drogheda, where he recalled spending 4½ "happy and fulfilling years".

He assured people “we will not leave Drogheda suddenly, and we are keen to have respectful conversations with the various stakeholders so as to contribute to a smooth transition for whenever we have to withdraw”.