Meath Diocese announces changes to parish teams

In what has been the biggest set of changes announced for the Meath Diocese in several years, a number of parishes will see new faces from July 10.

Mullingar is to see a lot of changes: two of its priests are on the move and two replacements have been named – Fr Norman Allred, who has been here since 2020, moves to Taughmon, and Fr Andrei Stolnicu returns to his native Romania, where he is to become PP in Iasi Diocese.

Fr Barry Condron, who after 16 years ministering in Tyrrellspass and Castletown Geoghegan, transfers to Tubberclair. He is to replace Fr Seamus Mulvaney, who has served as PP of Tubberclair for 33 years.

Prior to coming to Tyrrellspass and Castletown Geoghegan, Fr Condron, a native of Tullamore, who was ordained in 1995, served as curate in Castletown Finea, and prior to that, as, curate in Moynalvey.

Fr Mulvany, a native of Wilkinstown, Navan, was educated at St Finian’s College, Mullingar, and St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, and was one of three brothers ordained to the priesthood. Ordained in 1965, he served for a short time in Tullamore before joining the Irish Emigrant Chaplaincy in London.

In 1969, he was appointed curate at Beauparc; in 1985 he moved to Ashbourne, and served there until his appointment to Tubberclair.

Replacing Fr Condron will be Kinnegad native, Fr Robert McCabe, who was ordained in July 1994. Fr McCabe attended St Finian’s and St Patrick’s College in Maynooth. In 1995, he was appointed chaplain to Gormanston Camp and CC of Stamullen, and in 2003, did a tour of duty as chaplain to the Irish Army in Kosovo. In 2005 he spent a spell with Irish peacekeepers in Liberia. Since 2016, he has been serving as curate in Navan.

Fr Paddy Kearney, PP of Kilskyre, has retired. Ordained in 1971 in Taughmon, his first appointment was as CC or Nobber, County Meath, and he spent several years as curate in Ballynacargy before becoming CC of Cortown in 1985, and in August 1994, PP of Longwood, later being appointed to Kilskyre.

His position at Kilskyre is to be filled by Fr Declan Smith, who has been PP of Taughmon for more than 20 years, and who previously served as curate in Trim and Cortown.

The current administrator of Mullingar parish, Fr Phil Gaffney, will serve as administrator of Taughmon in addition to Mullingar.

His colleague in Mullingar, Fr Norman Allred, transfers to Taughmon as curate. Fr Allred, a native of Salt Lake City, Utah, where he worked as a school principal, decided to become a priest after the death of his wife, and he was ordained at Mullingar Cathedral in September 2020, and has been in Mullingar since.

Two new curates are coming to Mullingar: Fr Marcin Pietras, of the Polish chaplaincy, and, from the Diocese of Iasi in Romania, Fr Iulian-Robert Gherghel.

Bishop Deenihan has expressed his gratitude to Fr Kearney and Fr Mulvany for their long and faithful service to the Diocese. Both men have served the Diocese for more than 55 years each.

Bishop Deenihan also recorded his appreciation to Fr Andrei Stolnicu, who returns to the Diocese of Iasi in Romania after his five-year term is completed. The Diocese currently has five priests from Iasi and appreciates their service and the generosity of their Bishop in making them available.

Bishop Deenihan wishes those with new appointments every blessing as they assume their new roles. He commended parishes for the welcome and support they offer to new priests and encouraged parishes to support and pray for vocations