Sir, - Fr Chris Mangan died in June 1989. He was the first secular priest to become a missionary in Chile, after his period as secretary to the late John McQuaid, Archbishop of Dublin.
On his return he worked as parish priest in Bayside, Sutton, and ended his career as parish priest in Dun Laoghaire, where he spent the final 15 years of his working life. He died shortly after retirement. In each of these parishes Fr Mangan initiated parish renewal based on his experiences in Chile, where the Basic Christian Communities had impressed him. He did this for two reasons. Firstly, he foresaw that there would be a scarcity of priests in the future; secondly, and more importantly, after a lifetime of working in various capacities in the Catholic Church (of which he was a most loyal member) he recognised the role the laity could play in running it.
In other words he took Vatican II seriously and believed in a vision of Church as the People of God. He also recognised that this vision brought responsibility and that the laity were ill-equipped to take on this job of running and being responsible for their own parish. So he started courses and discussion groups in theology, bible studies and other subjects relevant to a deepening of faith and the organisation of parish affairs, including finances.
The result in Dun Laoghaire was a thriving, integrated community where openness and tolerance, caring and concern for others were the cornerstones of the exciting new church, with its carefully nurtured minimalism as the hub of activities.
Unfortunately with Fr Mangan's retirement this thriving community was allowed to disperse due as much to the lack of confidence among the laity (of which I was a member), as the indifference of the institutional church.
Now, 11 years after the death of Fr Chris Mangan and in the first year of the new millennium when parish renewal and laity participation are the buzz words, the time has come to pay tribute to that quiet, practical visionary who was so far ahead of his peers that he was out of their sight and understanding. I write this letter in the hope that there are enough of those who came under his influence who would like to be a part of such a tribute. - Yours, etc.,
Carmel Lavelle, "Karibu", Millifont Avenue, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.