Clonmel Group Seeking Public Support On Their Petition To Keep The Friary Church Building Open

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The Group in Clonmel seeking to keep the Church building open at the Friary are appealing to the public to show their support by signing the online petition or by signing the petition at the Main Guard in Clonmel town Centre on Saturday available from 12.30pm to 3pm.  Over 700 people have signed the petition on the change.org platform as a sit/sleep in overnight  protest continues. The petition can be viewed at this link here.

The Franciscan Order commenced legal action in the High Court yesterday in an effort to have the protest ended. The SF Trust CLG (Company Limited by Guarantee) is the legal owner of the property and holds it for the benefit of the Franciscan Province of Ireland, the Order of Friars Minor and the Franciscan Brotherhood. Mr Justice David Nolan, heard an application for the SF Trust, without the Abbey Prayer Group being present, and granted permission to serve proceedings over alleged trespass on two officers of the Abbey House of Prayer Group Joseph McCormack, secretary and Patrick O’Gorman, chairman. The court heard that the defendants had locked an internal door which could act as an additional fire escape for residents in the adjoining Friary understood to be refugees from Ukraine.

The Abbey house of Prayer Group wants the Franciscans to allow the Group  to continue to keep the Church open 7 days a week providing Mass twice a week. The Franciscans say they lack sufficient Monks to keep the Church in use and that the long term maintenance of the building is an issue.