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Moville welcomes new parish priest
18.12.09
by Simon McGeady, Inishowen Independent
THE new parish priest of Moville has received a warm
welcome from the faithful in the seaside town. Fr
Patrick O’Hagan’s induction mass in St. Pius X in
Moville was celebrated last Saturday by Bishop
Seamus Hegarty. Fr O’Hagan has replaced Fr O’Kane,
who moved to Holy Family parish, Ballymagroarty,
last week.
Speaking to the Inishowen Independent, the Sion
Mills native said he was looking forward to settling
in at his new parish.
“I am excited about this opportunity. This will be
the first time I’ve moved to a new parish where I am
the parish priest. I am not completely sure how this
will differ from being a curate, but it’s all part
of the learning curve,” said Fr O’Hagan, who is
departing Mourne Parish in the Melmont area of
Strabane, where he has served as a curate since
September 2001. |
When the call came for
him to move to Moville, Fr O’Hagan had no hesitation
in answering.
“The Bishop asked Fr O’Kane to move back to Derry
City and asked me to take his place in Moville. I
spoke with Fr O’Kane on the phone last week, and met
both him and Fr McGoldrick in Moville on Wednesday.
I’ve known Fr McGoldrick since my Maynooth days,
where he taught me, and I would have been on a few
diocesan committees with him as well.”
The 51 year old is a newcomer to the Moville parish,
but not to the wider Inishowen.
“I spent seven happy years in Buncrana parish. I was
the curate there from 1989 to 1996 and I felt I got
on very well with the people there.” |
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The Sion Mills native,
who was ordained on the 10th of June 1984,
celebrated his silver jubilee this summer past.
“That was special. There were celebrations in both
Maynooth and in my home parish of Sion Mills,” noted
Fr O’Hagan, who is looking forward to starting a new
chapter of his clerical life by the banks of the
Foyle.
In his time in Moville Fr O’Kane was pro-active in
the community. His replacement is keen to find out
more about his new parish before he starts to stamp
his own personality on parish life.
“My intention is to work very closely with Fr
McGoldrick, to observe and learn from him. I am very
much looking forward to meeting people in the parish
committee and other local groups but I know that I
have a lot to learn before I start with ideas of my
own.” |
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