Priest, 74, resigns saying he was verbally and physically bullied
A Donegal-based priest has resigned from his parish saying he was verbally and physically bullied by a small number of parishioners.
Fr. Bill McGeady, the curate in Glencolmcille, wrote to parishioners yesterday saying the abuse had affected him physically and mentally.
The 74-year-old left copies of a letter for parishioners at the end of Mass explaining his decision.
He said a very small number of people wanted to tell him how to run the parish. “When I refused to listen to them I was verbally and physically abused in the scarcity, church and in the street.” Those who had issues with him wrote letters of complaint to Bishop Philip Boyce, he said. “Sadly they did not write to tell him of the abuse they gave me. The complaining continued and I now know it has affected my mental and physical health.”
Fr. McGeady said he had enjoyed his time in the parish and numbers attending mass have increased since his arrival. He said he would miss “all the good and decent people of Glen”.
Some parishioners took to Facebook yesterday to express their disappointment at his resignation. One parishioner said it was a disgrace that the priest had been forced to leave and another described his departure as sad.
Fr. McGeady had spoken at Mass about opposition to him before Christmas.
From Scotland, Fr. McGeady came to Glencolmcille in September 2010 on secondment from a Scottish diocese. Fr. McGeady could not be contacted yesterday.
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Weather for Donegal
Thursday 20 June 2013
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Temperature: 12 C to 18 C
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