President of Ireland Mary McAleese visited St Patrick’s Church in Bondi during her state visit in 1998. She is pictured here with Fr Tom Devereux. It now appears that he will be the last Irish chaplain appointed to Bondi.
IT has hardly been noticed by most in the community, but the position of a chaplain to the Irish in Sydney’s Bondi suburb has quietly slipped away.
After Fr Tom Devereux left to go back to Ireland earlier this year, he was temporarily replaced by Fr Gerard Moran. But Fr Moran returned to the Carmelite Community at the end of July, leaving Bondi– home to more young Irish than any other part of Sydney – without an Irish chaplain for the first time in more than a decade.
Margaret Duggan, of the Irish Australian Welfare Bureau in Bondi, says it was helpful for people to connect with an Irish priest. “There is more of a connection there than there is with an Australian priest, but at the same time, the Australian priests do a wonderful job as well,” she said.
“It would be disappointing if the position is not going to be filled, but it’s understandable because, after all, there is a shortage of priests in Ireland.
“We would love to see an Irish priest back here in Bondi. It would be a great help to the work we do here, as well as to the whole community,” said Ms Duggan.
She has been in touch with Fr Devereux since he went back to Ireland. “He is missing Bondi. He’s getting on fine. I think it was nice for him to get home and have a good rest,” she said.
A Sydney-based Galway woman says she was surprised to hear that the Irish chaplain position had come to an end.
“I met both Fr Tom and Fr Gerard at functions and I know they were valued by many in the Irish community, particularly in the eastern suburbs of Sydney,” she said.
“I know people who live in Coogee but who went to Mass in Bondi because there was an Irish priest saying it. Fr Tom also said Masses for people who died in Ireland, which was a comfort for those who could not make it back for the funeral,” she said.
Many Irish emigrant families also sought out Fr Tom for weddings, baptisms and to officiate at funerals. He also offered important pastoral care for young Irish in difficult situations.
The Christmas Mass at St Patrick’s in Bondi also became a tradition with hundreds of backpackers turning up in their GAA colours. That too, now, appears to be finished.
The problem, according to a prominent Irish Australian Catholic bishop, is the lack of Irish-born priests.
Writing in a recent edition of the Irish Echo Bishop Terry Brady said he was recently in Monaghan and attended a Mass where a priest from West Africa was the celebrant. “The priest is one of a good number of priests from Africa and India who minister in the Diocese of Clogher,” he said.
“All that day and the days following the question kept coming into my mind; how can we in Sydney really expect a priest chaplain at Bondi when the Irish Church is struggling like the Australian Church to provide priests at home for the home mission?
“Are we really expecting too much and looking through rose coloured glasses? Do we need to look at other possibilities as the way forward in Sydney and the wider Australian Church,” said Bishop Brady.
While two Irish priests did express interest in coming to Sydney to become chaplain at Bondi, it did not work out.
“In the future others may express interest, however the position does require a certain style and a particular set of skills which are unique. Also to be blunt it is a role a person can successfully do for a certain time,” said Bishop Brady.
The Bishop thanked Fr Gerard Moran for agreeing to act as interim chaplain until the end of July. “We are indebted to him and the Carmelites for making this happen,” he said.
St Patrick’s Church in Bondi no longer has a Mass in English on Sunday nights, but does have a Mass in Portuguese, catering for the many young Brazilians who, like the Irish, congregate in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.
