FORMER THURLES SEMINARIAN SPEAKS:
Hello Bishop Buckley,
In either late 1995 or early 1996 there was a visitation of St Patrick’s College by Bishop Cormac Murphy O’Connor of Arundel and Brighton, Monsignor Michael Jackson
and Fr Richard McCullen, a Vincentian.
It was rumoured afterwards that the report that came back on the college had very little positive in it.
I think former students would be very interested to see that report published in full and Archbishop Reilly should make its contents public.
I would also like those who were in authority in the college in the early 1990s to comment on the fact that the year before Michael died, there was a similar attempt by another student who thank God was saved. That student left two letters, one for his family and another for Fr Lee the president and both those letters vanished.
It was believed that this was all hushed up at the time because Lee was tipped to become a bishop and the college didn’t want any scandal to upset those chances. What has Bishop Lee and Fr O’Dwyer to say about all of this?
In my time in Thurles, the priests on the teaching staff were known as “the Gods”. That says it all.
God bless your ministry Bishop Buckley!
yours sincerely
PS After the visitation team had left there was a terrible atmosphere in the college and a number of students who had spoken out at a meeting of the students and the visitors “left” the college at the end of the year. One student told me that he was told by Fr O’Dwyer that he was welcome to return the following year but that his situation would have to be “reviewed” regularly. He chose to leave instead and fair play to him because he was always a person who spoke his mind and was honest. Soon after the visitors left Fr Christy O’Dwyer addressed all the students one evening looking very rattled. He more or less told us that if we didn’t like the “Thurles way” of doing things then we probably wouldn’t be happy as priests in the Church!!
FROM FORMER CLERIC
“There was a student-staff council that broke down and nobody wanted to be a part of. There was a desperate attempt to get this council up and running again. It might have been before the visitation. There was a problem and an attempt to get it going. Relations had broke down badly between students and the staff, or as they were called “The Gods” The bought in some religious, A Sister, asking her to mediate and to get the council going.
So it was evident that things were pretty bad in Thurles in the 90s and this lends to the fact of the Suicide Attempt and the Suicide.
It is negligence that the abuse was allowed to continue for so many years”.
MESSAGE FROM ANOTHER FORMER SEMINARIAN
EMAILS REQUESTING REPORT:
11 th FEBRUARY – FEAST OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES
PLEASE PRAY THE MEMORARE WITH US EVERYDAY FOR THE PURIFICATION OF THE CHURCH AND PRIESTHOOD.
COMMENTS
Because of the seriousness of this topic I intend to moderate comments strictly today.
Please keep to the topic or the general topics a Church / priestly abuse and corruption
BISHOP PAT BUCKLEY 