Wednesday 11 May 2016

RASHARKIN - PEOPLE DYING WITHOUT LAST RITES

RASHARKIN - PEOPLE DYING WITHOUT LAST RITES

FR JOHN MURRAY - ABSENT PP
"CAN WE FORGET ABOUT ALL THE BULLSHIT AND JUST GET US A PRIEST FOR THE PARISH! WE HAVE HAD TWO PARISHIONERS DIE IN RASHARKIN IN THE LAST WEEK AND WE COULDN'T GET A PRIEST TO GIVE THEM THE LAST RITES. I THINK FATHER MURRAY OWES IT TO HIS CONGREGATION TO GIVE THEM AN EXPLANATION WHY HE JUMPED SHIP".

This sad message arrived today to this Blog from a Rasharkin parishioner.

St Marys, Rasharkin - no priest - no Last Rites !


It is very sad that people are being allowed to die in Rasharkin Parish without the comfort of the Last Rites of the Church.

Meanwhile Father Murray and friend(s) is residing in a luxury apartment in Tenerife and sunning himself on the veranda and the beaches.

Can you spot John Murray ?


Why has Bishop Noel Treanor not put a priest into Rasharkin to at least celebrate Mass and the Sacraments for the faithful people of the parish?

A "fill in" priest would not have to be the youngest and most lively priest available. It could even be a retired priest who has enough energy to celebrate a few Masses and at least be available in emergencies - for the Last Rites and for funerals that happen without notice. 

I also heard of another rural parish in Down and Connor where the parish priest is never around. It took 5 or 6 days for the family to get a priest to celebrate the funeral of an elderly person who had been a faithful Catholic all their lives.

The parishioners and the family were nearly around the bend trying to get a priest and eventually they got one from another diocese completely!

Bishop Treanor should put a temporary priest, at least, living in the Rasharkin parochial house. 

In fact if he no one to send why can he not leave his palace in Belfast and go and look after Rasharkin for a few weeks until John Murray returns or a new parish priests is appointed. 

Bishop Treanor - meeting DUP - at Stormont


If ne has no one to go - and will not go himself - then I am quite happy to go and look after Rasharkin.

People will say: "You can't go. You were sacked and excommunicated". That is irrelevant. ONCE A PRIEST ALWAYS A PRIEST.

And even in Catholic Canon Law I am still bound under pain of mortal sin to administer Confession and the Last Rites to someone in danger of death!



If anyone in Rasharkin - OR ANYWHERE ELSE - needs my help or a priest in an emergency they are welcome to ring me on 07900 287283.  

45 comments:

  1. Sad to say the same thing happened in coleraine also . For the older generation the last rights are one of the most important sacraments after comunion . For a person to die without a bit of spiritual comfort from a priest is a discrace . Personally speaking it means nothing to me Ile meet my maker and give account for my life without a priest . For those holy water hens who will make defence and excuses for Murray and trainor let me tel you its clear they don't give a shit about me you or anyone else . Trainor knew this would happen but he sat on his arse in lisbreen and did nothing . I wonder did any of his family die without last rights ? I'd doubt it and when noels cloggs are ready too pop I'm sure he won't have to wait on his anointing . Whoever dose it better give him a good oiling he is going to have a lot of explaining to do to st Peter and that pointy hat will count for nuthin

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    1. I agree. It is very important to the older generation.

      When I was seriously ill in hospital some 15 years ago a priest who had not spoken to me arrived to give me the Last Rites.

      As you can imagine I told him where to go.

      Currently he is hitting the bottle to cope with his gay "problem".

      I do not need anything from these people. I have lived my life in openness to God and I will die with confidence in him - not needing the mumblings of these con men.

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    2. Having said that - I would be more than happy to celebrate any Sacrament - including the Sacrament of the Sick - with a genuine priest I had confidence in.

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    3. I'm the same I'd be more than happy to pray ect with any genuine priest your good self included but the most of them have the bible in one hand and their Todger in the other

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    4. Some time ago I noticed an very much agreed with one of your contributors who was annoyed at crude, foul language appearing occasionally on your blog and suggested that you should block such comments!
      If someone has not the IQ to make a strong statement without descending to foul language - perhaps they would amend their ways if they found their coarse comments were not accepted!

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    5. I'm sorry your offended by the words arse and shit but I have no intention of changing the way I speak for anyone . I don't claim to be highly educated nor am I holier than thou .I'm no better or worse than anyone else on this blogg . My language may be colourful at times but that dusnt make me a bad person . If you want to hear really good swear words I suggest you go find fr Murray

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    6. As a former golfing mate of John Murray I can assure you that words like arse, shit and Todger would not offend the same clerical "gentleman" :-)

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    7. There's very few priests in d&c that object to Todger ..

      I'm sorry it's a terrible joke but I couldn't resist :-)

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    8. No one 17.29 said that you or anyone else was "a bad person" - it seems to me that you might be a better person if you ameliorated your language - scares the turkeys an children!!!

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    9. I thought the allusion in the "Todger" comment was quite clever actually. To extend it further, "Will anyone here object if, with a bible in one hand and a todger in the other, we take power in Down and Conor?". No objection from Noel it would seem.

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    10. Sorry - primarily intended for 17.22!

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  2. Just noticed on the BBC Scotland website that a priest over in Ayrshire has been caught embezzling £98000 over two months. His alacrity in operating sure leaves our local financial wizard Conleth Byrne well behind in the speed stakes. Hopefully Fr Graham in Scotland has no female friends in the north Antrim area !!
    Accountant Andy

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    1. I think that priest belonged to the Episcopal Church in Scotland?

      Was the amount from Loughile parish in the region of £145,000?

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    2. MourneManMichael11 May 2016 at 20:27

      Andy, I'm glad you've brought up the matter of clerical 'distribution/handling appropriation/managing' church funds. I use all those words, for it seems no one normally knows the complete details of funds received, accumuated and used by the RC church.
      Pat raised the issue in his 7th May blog, just after I had asked in a comment on 6th May, what I believe to be a very central question as to "What, if any, protocols exist in the D & C diocese in respect of clerical receipt of gifts and donations?" I invited clerics, serving and retired to clarify.
      As someone subsequently commented, "The silence and lack of comment is revealing." To date nobody has given any info as to what requirement, if any, are placed on RC clerics in D&C concerning their receipt of financial contributions from parishoners
      Yesterday I tried online to find information concerning Down and Connor's financial affairs.
      It has been registered as a charity with the Charities Commission as Registered Charity No XN46141. From previous employment experience I understood registered charities are obliged to publically publish their independently verified accounts, and in the past I'd found others easily online.
      But in respect of D&C all I find is that it is now registered as a Trust therefore doesn't need to update information until 10 months after first financial period ends.
      So are D&C's finances 'secret', nonwithstanding it's registered 'charitable' status?
      As an accountant with financial expertise, can you Andy, or anybody else, shed any light on D & C's finances?
      And I'm still waiting for any clarification on the protocols issue, or is it simply a 'free for all' with clergy just taking what they can get?
      MMM

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    3. Wrong parish.

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  3. I'm not a theologian but surely the sacrament does not rely upon the moral or personal leanings of the priest involved but rather God's grace? I can understand your feelings about the cold priest but could you possibly be guilty of the sin of pride, claiming that you don't need the grace within the sacrament of the sick? I'm not a church lawyer but this jumped out at me as I was waiting for the tea to brew during my current break from work.

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    1. Of course the sacrament does not rely on the leanings of the priest involved.

      But would you allow a priest who has crossed the street when he saw you minister to you when you are sicK?

      Personally I'll take my chances with God.

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  4. Hi Pat, Just double checked. He is a Catholic priest from the church of Our Lady star of the sea at Saltcoats in Ayrshire. I think that is up near Ardrossan direction. He has been a fast mover alright. Puts our Conleth to shame!!
    Accountant Andy

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  5. Can't recall how much Fr Byrne purloined. Claims at the time were that a lady in Ballycastle was the principal beneficiary. Is she still around or did she move to Tenerife in the sun?

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  6. It is sad to hear somebody died without Last Rites. In my early days in Sligo I was on relief duty at Sligo General Hospital A man was brought in dead on arrival-no family present. I got called to provide last rites and refused. I did say however that if any family made contact to call me straight away and i would be there straight away. I got a bolloking from the goood old PP. My point is that Sacraments are for the living not the dead. Annointing as a get out of jail card and placebo for the family is a bit dated. Sacraments do not cause salvation but confirm the saving grace of Christ. Bottom line is care of souls-look after the living and God will take care of the dead. May the faithful departed rest in peace

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    1. Sean, honest as usual.

      I think you should have gone - even so that the family might have taken comfort from you being there?

      I suppose I feel that when something is important to someone - it is important?

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    2. I agree with both points . If it gives comfort to those left behind then it can only be a good thing but to the deceased it makes no difference . I feel the same about cemetery Sunday what's that nonsense all about ? A grave is either blessed or its not it dusnt need top ups

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    3. I agree with you Pat. Many years ago I nursed my grandmother who was a saint until at 92 she passed away in my arms. We called the priest straight away. Unfortunately our lovely PP who used to bring her Communion every week was in hospital so one of the curates came. He came up the stairs looked into the room and said "Is she dead"? I said "Yes" "Well there's nothing I can do for her so "and left. Not a word of sympathy or a prayer. That was 50 years ago and it still hurts. Ann

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    4. MourneManMichael11 May 2016 at 21:20

      Now here's a conundrum.
      In simple terms, according to RC belief, when you die, you either go: 'up above' (with all the other good'uns in heaven), or 'down below', (to where all your pals are rather hot under the collar).
      Or maybe you 'hang about for a bit' in purgatory getting some sort of moderate warm up before ascending to join all the heavenly good'uns.
      I have no qualms about mocking the concepts, for frankly I believe it's all just too plainly preposterous!
      So in serious vein, relating to issues raised by Sean and Anon @ 18:48 (cemetery Sunday), what is the whole point and logic of praying for the 'souls of the deceased', either at the funeral or at cemetery Sunday services? When they've gone they've gone, and 'the die is cast'. Unless of course you subscribe to the purgatory concept and believe the prayers of the living purge the minor blemishes of the dead enablng them to 'go upstairs'!
      I query these practices in all seriousness, for time and time again I inwardly groan at the utter tosh I hear from priests at funerals. And as for cemetery Sundays: .....watching the greater proportion of people standing about bored and disinterested, looking at watches or mobile phones while clerics rattle off the rosary and sprinkle some holy water before everyone rushes away at the conclusion conveys a sense of just how meaningless as a significant religious event the service is. Almost like mass in former less mobile days when many only went to their local church otherwise they'd 'be missed' and commented on!
      MMM

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    5. MMM, praying for the dead is linked to the doctrine of the communion of saints and that the love that united us to those who have died when they were on earth, does not unravel with death. It is all about love - "Love stronger than death" as the Bible puts it in the Song of Songs 8:8. Purgatory itself - the key to understanding this teaching of Purgatory is Love that purifies and heals souls, making them ready for the Light of Heaven.

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    6. MourneManMichael12 May 2016 at 12:02

      Sorry Anon @ 01:18! No disrespect to anybody's sincere belief. But to me it's all incomprehensible: ....smoke and magic, myth and mirrors! And quoting/relying on the bible, (collection of writings of ancient wandering middle eastern tribes) that even the early church couldn't agree about, well that's just too silly.
      Mum died in '70's and Dad in '80's. So when that doddery oul priest wanders round on cemetery Sunday shaking holy water and praying "for the souls of the faithful departed that they may be admitted into everlasting peace etc, etc" am I being asked to believe that my parents have been stuck in Purgatory this past 40 odd years waiting for the magic get out of jail passwords of our prayers?
      Frankly the whole charade is just too ridiculous.
      Religious mythology is sustained by a series of interconnecting facts: peoples natural apprehension of the realities of mortal existence and death; nearly everybodys 'wishful thinking' reluctance to accept the reality of our finality; the subsequent ascendency, power and control of religious, cultural and tribal leaders, a proportion of whom have indeed sincere beliefs of an afterlife, but a significant number of whom having perhaps had youthful original idealistic motivation subsequently become primarily concerned with their own needs.

      And so the whole mythology of religion, (snowball rolling effect) continues to acquire and sustain dynamism not from any proof either of its basis or efficacy, but from the psychological and social aspirations of the majority adhering to familial, cultural and tribal norms and patterns.
      MMM

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    7. Mmm you make the point about cemetery Sunday much better than I ever could . My home parish is a wee country place cemetery Sunday is a great afair but it has sod all to do with the dead or religion. It's about who was there what grave looked the best who had the shiniest headstone who never bothered coming her down the road looked like a tramp him up the street didn't tinkle the grave right and did you hear aul mrs bubbles died never liked the aul bitch . In short it's just a load of crapp it means nout

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    8. MMM The selling of indulgences & Get out of jail for the dead (Now mass cards etc) was a key player in the protestant reformation.

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  7. I care not whether a clergyman of any description is within a mile of me when I die. As for the sanctifying grace of sacraments I couldnt give a jot. How I live my life is what matters. The sacraments are church instruments of control dressed up in its Sunday clothes. Don't need it. Just need to talk to God every day and hopefully do his will for that day to the best of my ability. Some days, quite often in fact, I fail miserably. But I know that God loves me and I love him. I follow simple rules of life. Try to be nice to others. Try to help people and hopefully and the end of my day I leave this place slightly better than I found it. no amount of "holy oil" on my head or communion will enhance my relationship with my God. Whatsmore, when that day comes along and my time here is over and we meet then I won't be a stranger to him nor him to me!

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    1. Anon at 20:30 on May 11, it is good that you do all those things you say you do. However, the Church's Sacraments, properly understood, are not "instruments of control". They are channels of grace that help us live more loving lives. You may feel you do not need them and that is fair enough - for you. You claim that you "Try to be nice to others". Well then, you should refrain from cynically mocking those who approach the Sacraments in a genuine spirit of faithful love.

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  8. Sorry Ann I would never have done anything like that... I hope! Pat i graciously take your point on board. I suppose what I was objecting to at the time was my perceived notion that the nurse was treating anointing like a medical procedure that needed to be ticked off

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  9. The word todger is one of my all time favourites.
    I suspect the clergy don't have the bible in the other hand most of the the time, though. Some collect fiddle back chasuble, and of course there are the many golfers mentioned here.
    I'm sure a gift of cash in hand would not be recorded unless it has to be, such as collections.
    Strangely the charity number on the Down and Connor website differs from the one on the NI Charity Commissioners website, and I can't find their accounts online.
    Just saying.

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  10. I have read the comments under this particular blog with some interest and as a parishioner of Rasharkin who does attend mass on a regular basis (because thats how I feel I want to live my life and be close to God before anyone starts) I find it quite sad that firstly families have felt their loved one died without the gift of the last rites as they would have expected given their faithfulness however I am concerned that as a small parish without a priest but having priests in very close proximity in the surrounding areas of kilrea ballymoney and dunloy who I know would most likely have oblidged under the circumstances that no one seen fit to ring them. We cannot continually blame being priestless on all the problems as no doubt had Fr Murray been in residence there is no definitive guarantee he would have been reachable given the spell of good golfing weather we have been blessed with.

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  11. 01.23
    Can you please explain to me at what point in my post of 11/5. 20.30 did I cynically mock those who participate in the sacraments of the Catholic Church. I simply stated where I stood on the matter.
    Perhaps I could do my good deed for today by offering you some helpful advice. Always read carefully!

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    1. Anonymous at 1:23am on May 12th. Our Lord Jesus Christ said very clearly in the Gospel - "unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, You SHALL NOT have life in you". He is referring there to Holy Communion. You show total ignorance of what the Holy Eucharist means and you are putting your soul in peril by not receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. You are exalting yourself and your own notions over what God Himself has revealed and prescribed for our eternal good - the fatal sin of pride!

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  12. MourneManMichael13 May 2016 at 09:33

    Sean, I did know about the selling of indulgences catalyst for the Reformation, but like many things, had forgotten and you do right to remind us. As you say, it's now the mass cards scam. It's even more so when you can buy them online! For anybody interested, just Google "Buy mass cards" You can even buy "30 for £165" otherwise known as a Gregorian Mass, ...and, wait for it, ...even Gift Aid it for tax purposes. What next?
    MMM

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    1. And after writing all those mass cards your gona work up a sweat so ur gona need a shower to wash all that sympathy off . Google has the answer Pope on a rope ! Yes it's 100% real guaranteed to wash that sin away !

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  13. MourneManMichael13 May 2016 at 12:19

    They have the Pope on a different sort of rope down here around Kilkeel!
    MMM

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    1. Same in coleraine they even sing songs about it lol

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  14. Well, the Rasharkin congregation have been well and truly put in their place. And it would seem my nom-de-plume - "Rent-a-priest" - is very apt.

    Announcements in parish bulletin for past coupla weeks "Until further notice,

    urgent sick calls are to be directed to Fr Blayney in Dunloy, home number supplied, if you cannot contact him, you are to keep trying until you get him {seriously??!};

    Weekday funerals will be at noon. Fr McCullough (portstewart), mobile no. supplied, to officiate on Mon/Tues/Wed. Fr Brendan Mulhall, home no. given to officiate on Thurs/Fri/Sat. Sun funerals to take place at 11am Mass;

    Baptisms to take place after 11am Sun Mass once a month by arrangement with Fr A McNally, Dunloy {What if there is a funeral??} Forms to apply for baptism to be collected in sacristy, filled-in and returned to sacristy to be dealt with.;

    weddings - arrangements and paperwork to be administered by Fr Francis O'Brien Ballymoney, home no. given;

    general enquiries, phone Rasharkin parochial house and leave a message, or send an email."


    NOT ACCEPTABLE BISHOP TREANOR.


    For years, Rasharkin parish was totally in the black, financial-wise, and this is what they get in return. Sod all. Nothing. For years, Rasharkin parish contributed to the central fund to ensure "poorer" parishes were looked after and their priests got some amount to live on. Now Rasharkin has no parish priest and the parish is being left to its own devices. No indication that Fr Murray is coming back. No notion of appointing another permanent priest. Not a word from the bishop.

    Keep an eye firmly on the weekly collection figures. Good people of Rasharkin what do you think you are contributing towards in the current weekly collection? You have no pastoral care, nobody to speak to if you needed counselling, no daily Mass, etc. Will the bishop sit up and take notice when the weekly collection starts to dip??? People who have been used to a daily Mass will only accept a daily Communion service for a while. They will soon start to vote with their feet and go elsewhere for a daily Mass.

    Meanwhile, it would seem that it is Fr Murray's birthday soon. Some Parish members have been seen writing a 75th birthday card for him.


    R-a-P, Rasharkin

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  15. apparently the bishop is gracing Rasharkin Parish with an unannounced visit this evening (Sat) accompanied by the new Parish Priest (a missionary)...

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  16. Father Murray was very good to me and my family through extremely tough times. Would anyone happen to have a contact or address for him?

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