- Feb 5, 2002
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The Franciscan Order officially withdrew from Clonmel in January 2023 due to a lack of vocations and the ageing profile of its friars
A last-minute sit-in at Clonmel Friary in Ireland failed to prevent its closure after 750 years.“There is a great sadness in the town,” parish priest Fr Michael Toomey told The Tablet.
Fr Toomey, who is parish priest and administrator in the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore, concelebrated the last Mass in the friary on New Year’s Eve, which was attended by a large crowd, he said.
Describing the closure as a “very sad sign of our times”, he regretted that the closure had taken place during the Christmas period.
The Franciscan Order officially withdrew from Clonmel in January 2023 due to a lack of vocations and the ageing profile of its friars.
Following the Franciscans’ withdrawal, a local group, the Abbey Prayer Group, was set up and took responsibility for keeping the church open for prayer and two Masses per week from June 2023 onwards.
Members of the group would like to see this arrangement continue and even staged a sit-in at the church ahead of the official closure.
Continued below.
Friary closes after 750 years due to lack of vocations - The Tablet
A last-minute sit-in at Clonmel Friary in Ireland failed to prevent its closure after 750 years.
www.thetablet.co.uk
