You asked in your Blog last night about Joe Condon.
He was the Parish Priest in Ardfinnan near Clonmel up to about a decade ago or a little longer. It seems that an allegation was made against him and Bishop William Lee asked him to step aside from ministry which he did. Since then the Parish has not had a Parish Priest, but a Parish Administrator, first Fr. Robert (Bobby) Power, then Fr. Pat Butler. The parish was without an Priest in Charge for a period of time, but it is my understanding that a priest from Rockwell College which is nearby helped out in the Parish, Fr. Bernard Frawley I think. In the most recent moves made by Bishop Phonsie Fr. Michael Toomey a Curate at Ss Peter and Paul’s Parish in Clonmel for a number of years moved to Ardfinnan to become Administrator there. He was also put in charge of Newcastle and Fourmilewater the next door Parish after it’s Parish Priest Garrett Desmond was moved to Touraneena and The Nire.
The fact that the Parish of Ardfinnan-Ballybacon-Grange has not had a Parish Priest with a number of years now might suggest that Joe Condon is still a priest and still the Parish Priest of Ardfinnan-Ballybacon-Grange. If he had left the priesthood surly Bishop Lee and more recently Bishop Phonsie would have appointed a Parish Priest for the area and not an Administrator. Fr. Pat Butler was a Parish Priest before he was transferred to A-B-G and resumed the title after he left to move to Aglish, Ballinameela and Mount Stuart, but has left that Parish in mysterious circumstances since then.
For a number of years, in a printed Diocese Directory it was saying that Joe Condon and a number of other priests were contactable through the Bishop’s House. I think the Irish Catholic Directory gave the same information on him and others.
For some reason the Website of Waterford and Lismore does not give details of Priests that are not in active ministry like what other dioceses do. I know of a number of priests who have stepped a side for different reasons who are no longer listed, but to the best of my knowledge are still priests. There is a Michael O’Connor who I think you know from your time in Saint John’s Seminary, Richard Geoghegan who appeared on an RTE Programme hosted by Hotelier Francis Brennan while dressed in drag, Charles (Charlie) Scanlon, Thomas Burns, Michael Kennedy (who was in the news in the 90’s when as Curate in Dungarvan claimed there was a woman sleeping with men from the area passing on the Aids virus to them) who are no longer listed. Neither are the elderly retired priests unless they fill the role of P.E. in a parish or those that may have retired early on health grounds, of which I might know two who are in their mid 60’s and look very active.
You may remember back in 2015 or 2016 Bishop Phonsie brought three Indian priests (members of the Heralds of the Good News Missionary Society) to the diocese. One of them was to work in Clonmel, another in Carrick-on-Suir and the third at the Sacred Heart Parish in the City. The first two of these priests seems to have vanished as quickly as they came.
Something tells me that Joe Condon is a former Curate at the Cathedral in Waterford City and while there he won a sum of money on a National Lottery Game Show on RTE.
Living in the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore
PAT SAYS.
I know nothing of Fr Joe Condon or his history.
But a parishioner in Waterford remembers his help to her in her difficult times.
“The greatest part of a good mans life are his little, unremembered acts of kindness and of love”.
Why is Joe still out of ministry.
Did his big win make him financially secure forever?
Why would you bother with assholes like Willie Lee and Phonsie Cullinan if you didn’t depend on them financially?
Well done Joe!
BISHOP PAT BUCKLEY 