Bishop of Derry, Donal McKeown has announced that three Catholic parishes in counties Tyrone and Donegal are being combined to deal with the decline in priest numbers and Mass attendances.
Diocesan spokesman Fr Michael Canny said the Camus (Strabane), Clonleigh (Lifford) and Leckpatrick (Strabane and rural) parishes were being brought together in a new cross border “administrative” unit. The move was confirmed in Bishop McKeown’s annual announcement of clerical changes.
Former parish priest at the Parish of the Three Patrons in Derry, Fr Michael McCaughey will take over as parish priest at the new combined unit, which will also be served by one curate, Fr Edward Gallagher and one priest-in-residence, Fr Declan Boland.
The complete list of clerical changes is:
Rev Seamus Kelly, PP Dungiven to be Priest-in-Residence Dungiven
Rev Declan Boland, PP Camus to be Priest-in-Residence Camus, Clonleigh and Leckpatrick
Rev Michael McCaughey, PP Three Patrons, to be PP Camus and PP Clonleigh and PP Leckpatrick
Rev Colm O’Doherty, PP Clonleigh, to be PP Moville Lower
Rev Gerard Sweeney, PP Leckpatrick, to be PP Dungiven
Rev Dermot McGirr, CC Ballinascreen and Desertmartin, to be PP Banagher
Rev Micheál McGavigan, Adm Banagher, to be PP Three Patrons, in addition to his existing appointments as Judicial Vicar, Director of the Diocesan Pastoral Centre and Instructor for the Armagh Inter-diocesan Marriage Tribunal
Rev Edward Gallagher, PP Moville Lower, to be CC Camus and CC Clonleigh and CC Leckpatrick
Rev Michael McCaul, CC Drumragh, to be CC Ballinascreen and Desertmartin
Rev Joseph Varghese, CC Dungiven, to be CC Drumragh
Rev Oliver Crilly, Priest-in-Residence Urney and Castlefin, to retire
All changes will take effect from August 31.
