Wednesday 26 April 2017

IS FATHER DERWIN LEAVING PRIESTHOOD?


FATHER CHRIST DERWIN is leaving the priesthood according to my sources in the Archdiocese of Dublin and Maynooth Seminary.

Fr Derwin has been something of a controversial figure in the context of Maynooth and in the context of various "happenings" in the two parishes in which he has served - Balbriggan and Tallaght.

In Balbriggan the parish priest and the archbishop set up CCTVto watch the comings and goings at the presbytery.

In Tallaght there was a mysterious burglary of the presbytery.

Fr Derwin has also been friends with Deacon Jack "Gorgeous" Byrne and Deacon "King Puck" Jones.

Below we see a picture showing Fr Derwin with Gorgeous and Diarmuid "Coddle" Martin in the sacristy of the controversial Bray parish where Gorgeous served.


We have also learned from Listowel parishioners that Fr Derwin was a regular visitor to Listowel to visit King Puck who is currently the Listowel deacon.


A well placed Dublin priest who drew my attention to Fr Derwin's rumoured departure from the priesthood told me today:

"I think in the departure of Chris Derwin from the Dublin Presbyterate we are seeing the beginnings of the cracks in a very unfortunate situation that Archbishop Martin has been presiding over for a number of years now. 

This situation involves the increasing alienation of the majority of Dublin's priests from their archbishop and the increasing policies of the protection of a small number of diocesan priests and seminarians who have, for whatever reason, enjoyed the protection of an archbishop who seems to have lost the plot.

This situation could easily bring the archbishop into disrepute and could very easily cloud his legacy as well as much the future very difficult for his successor. 

Many priests believe that Archbishop Martin is creating the archdiocese's future scandals by his strange and unexplained policies. Just as we now look back on the reign of McQuaid, Ryan etc with horror and sadness we could easily find ourselves embarrassed by the legacy of the Martin era".

I believe that this very senior Dublin priest is right.

We are witnessing before our eyes new "dark days" for the Irish Catholic Church.

When these things come to pass we will not be saying: "I TOLD YOU SO".

We will however be feeling sad that reason and right did not prevail and that the Body of Christ was wounded so unnecessarily :-(



38 comments:

  1. I suspect there is more to unfold from this.

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  2. I remember from a previous blog, Bishop Pat, that you went recently to the Parish of Balbriggan. The cctv cameras were clearly evident from your photograph if my memory serves me right. The Tallaght robbery remains a mystery like so much else concerning Chris Derwin. The Archbishop of Dublin has more questions to answer regarding this situation and also his moving of his Seminarians to Rome. The burning question is the 'Coddle' Martin compromised in some way? What is clear Pat is that if it wasn't for your timely intervention with regards to Byrne and Puck they certainly would have been ordained this Summer. Your doubts and concerns regarding Derwin were credible and have come to pass. His close connections to Byrne, Puck, Gannon et al still concern me. Keep shining the light into the darkness Pat whatever side of the world you may be at present.

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  3. Pat, it amazes me how you gain so much information! All I will say is that you have good contacts. Hope you are safe back in Larne after your Canada trip.

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  4. @Pat The wrong location was given for the incident in Bray apparently. An easy mistake as there are two presbyteries in Bray. If one asks the wrong question one can get the answer one wants. For instance: Did x happen in Presbytery A? "No Bishop, it didn't". Presbytery A was in the papers. What if the wrong location was in the papers and the wrong question was asked? Dublin diocesan priests are rife with the aforementioned. Perhaps your contact in Dublin might elaborate on that?

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  5. I heard Chris Derwin is leaving the Priesthood as well Pat.
    I wish him well and hope he finds his path in life. All I can say is that he is another victim of the "Maynooth Malformation Syndrome". Another disastrous outcome and waste of the laity's money. Another massive blow to the morale of Dublin priests.

    Chris Derwin was ordained less than two years ago.

    Archbishop Martin will be judged on his actions and effects, not his words. Mass attendance in working-class Dublin Parishes is now as low as 2% of the population.And the percentage of Mass attendance has fallen precipitously during Martin's tenure. Some may say that he was unlucky in that he was AB during the white heat of the Murphy Report. However, he has done little to support and encourage the hard-working and good priests of Dublin, but employed an avoidance strategy by jetting off to places such as Davos while his Presbyterate were crying out for some genuine leadership and encouragement during one of the toughest times to be a priest in Ireland. Diarmuid Martin is hugely disconnected from his priests and seems set on ordaining, if not this year at some stage, another short-lived disaster in Michael Byrne.

    He hasn't fooled anybody in withdrawing his seminarians from Maynooth. It is all politics and smokescreens with DM, all part of the game.

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  6. The house built on sand.

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  7. I did not know Fr Derwin. I do believe it is sad when a priest leaves for whatever reason. I hope this move will be a positive step for Fr/Mr Derwin and for the church as a whole

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  8. Interesting that Byrne and Puck's Ordinations have been delayed for one year. Derwin should never have been allowed by Gaynooth to proceed to Ordination, maybe Byrne and Puck need to learn the lesson here.

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    1. Are we CERTAIN they have been delayed?

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    2. Yes can we be certain? I was told from a usually reliable source that Michael Byrne is being Ordained soon and the Archbishop has lined him up for a Hospital chaplaincy. It's also common knowledge that xxxxx Xxxxxx has been in a relationship with a Dublin PP.

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    3. Do we know the name of the Dublin PP?

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  9. A few years back the Archdiocese of Dublin held a vocations weekend in Maynooth. This was xxxxxxxx's first introduction to maynooth. On the Friday night before it he was at the George bar where he 'met' gentleman. When he arrived at Maynooth for the vocations experience he was greeted by the said gentleman, xxx xxxx. True story.

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  10. It is so sad that a young priest's idealism and motivation can be so mortally wounded in such a short time. Newly ordained priests should be assigned a mentor to guide when idealism crashes on the rocks of reality. Even worse, is when a young priest is seen as a threat by the pastor he is assigned to work with. Pat, you know this situation all too well! Let's keep Fr. Chris in our prayers and hope that his vocation can be salvaged.

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  11. They need to shut down that Pederasty Producing Plant that passes for a Seminary ASAP!!!

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    1. 18+ men having sex with 18+ men is NOT pederasty !!!

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  12. MourneManMichael27 April 2017 at 16:22

    Reading this, about Chris Derwin quitting the priesthood so soon after ordination begs the question of whether he had doubts prior to ordination.
    From reading these blog comments I realise there are many readers who, like myself, decided to leave their seminary before ordination. We all will have had different reasons, and varying degrees of conviction at our respective times of departure. I venture to suggest that for some it will have been a fairly straightforward realisation that their future lay in a different direction from priesthood. But for others, at the relevant time of perhaps longstanding indecision, it will not have been an easy choice to depart from cultural, familial and collegiate expectations and pressure. Perhaps in the face of such pressures, some will have continued to ordination, only to find conviction afterwards that it has been a wrong choice for them.
    I can but say that at the time, it was not an easy choice for me, but having made it, and lived its consequences, I have never had any subsequent doubts.
    I'm also 100% certain that had I been ordained, I would not have remained in the priesthood very long.
    MMM

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    1. You did the right thing at the time for the right reasons. This showed courage and integrity.

      As it turned out you made the right decision for yourself and others thereby causing the least pain possible.

      In your time it was harder. People were called "spoiled priests".

      Nowadays it is easier - but not terribly easy. It still requires courage and integrity.

      To stay on and live a double life is soul destroying.

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    2. MournemanMichael27 April 2017 at 22:18

      Thanks Pat.
      Your last two words could relate to ordained RC clergy who lead a 'double life' constrained by the inane demands of celibacy. Some might say they can at least resolve that dilemma in their own mind by regarding it as an inappropriate requirement not part of Christ's original message.
      But the 'double life ' of other RC clergy who subsequently come to an understanding of a total lack of authenticity or validity in all their church professes?
      How 'soul' destroying must that be, especially if they no longer believe in the existence of a soul?
      MMM

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  13. This story brings us back to the main issue: MAYNOOTH IS NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE! Clear it out or close it down!

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    1. The bishops will not close down Maynooth because they can't seem to make the logical link between Cause and Effect! They must have slept through Philosophy classes.

      Or else they are just plain stupid.

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  14. Presumably, "happenings" are the same as "strange going-ons".

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  15. His easy money comes to an end
    Time for him to asses how he should lead his life
    Maybe a real job will bring him to his senses and just one boy/ girlfriend like the rest of us,Enjoy your life mr Darwin and perhaps fall in love....real love....

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  16. I would like to hear in a blog soon the day Fr X announces he is leaving the Priesthood, I can't believe the vile things he admitted in a previous blog.

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  17. @Pat Correct me if I'm wrong, but it was always my understanding that Dublin Archdiocese had a rigorous selection process for candidates for the priesthood, before the advent of Archbishop Martin. I can think of a few who the diocese rejected which were taken in by Meath diocese who didn't do psychological testing. Always found that weird. Perhaps you might do a blog some day on the Dublin seminarians who were rejected by the Jesuits although they had gone to Belvedere and joined diocesan priesthood instead. Perhaps you might also do one on Seminarians who were rejected by Dublin and how they got on in other dioceses (I think it's only Meath which took them) and if they stayed or how they're getting on.

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  18. It costs roughly €30,000 to put a seminarian through Maynooth, therefore, Fr Chris Derwin cost the Dublin laity €210,000 for his "formation", while he lasted less than 2 years as a priest.

    The problem with the Irish clergy and episcopate is that no one wants to take responsibility. Maynooth can blame the bishops, the bishops can blame Rome, and then the bishops can blame Maynooth etc. At the end of the day, it was that same shirking of responsibility which allowed/allows so much shit to go under the radar. The so called "good" priests who did not abuse anyone or break their vows or make an absolute mockery of the faith but who knew about much shit perpetrated by their confreres need to assess their "goodness". I would say that sins of omission are every bit as bad as sins of commission. There is far too much of an attitude in the church here of not "rocking the boat" and "keeping the head down". F******g cowards is the word I would use for such people!

    The truth is that Maynooth needs to be shut down, DM and the rest of the bishops need to take some f******g responsibility for the mess that is the current Irish formation system and clerical body.

    Donal McKeowns dithering about Maynoothin his recent interview was the last straw for me. I never heard such ambiguity and ambivalence in my life. I have to wonder if any bishop actually gives two shits about people's faith or the legacy they are leaving to future catholics.

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  19. Why not just get rid of clergy? Would solve a lot of problems? Yes?

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  20. We can deduct from our experience over the last few years and with the aid of your blog; highlighting the life of catholic Priesthood and the life of the roman catholic church, that - the catholic priesthood is dead/dying. However a passion for a priesthood is still alive and very much required in todays broken world. We need more leaders. That priesthood has remained the same and which everyone can enter: the passion to reenact the last words of Christ "do this in memory of me." Everyone is welcome to enter into this invitation which no dog colar or degree is necessary, quite similar to the first calling of Jesus disciples. My prayer is for us as Gods people to rise from the past mistakes and make a fresh start without the restraint of the church which has, as deducted - become a restraint rather than an encouragement to enter into Christs invite for us all - "do this in memory of me". As you read this blog what is he inviting you to do?

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    1. You have intelligence.

      Jesus did NOT require that so-called 'priests' celebrate the Eucharist. He invited ALL to 'do this in memory of himself.

      Christ-betraying Roman Catholic 'priests' have taught to the contrary. But then, they would, wouldn't they? These Christ-betraying whores!

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    2. The world was waiting for Magna Carta's insights! Don't think so........

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    3. Deja vue?? I certainly hope not!! . It will be interesting to see happens..

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  21. I dont know about intelligence, but Well said Magna!

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  22. If fr Chris is leaving I think is is very sad. Despite what he may have done or not have done he is a nice man. As a priest he was a kind priest and a normal guy to talk to.

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  23. priests are gay so what whos business is it only theirs they are not getting married or being with a woman the church is two faced in anyway

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