New priest at St Patrick's

Published 24 Jan 2012 08:13

A new assistant priest has been appointed to St Patrick's Church in Dumbarton.

Father Anthony Gallagher has been given the task of taking over from Father Martin Kane, who has been at St Patrick's as assistant to Canon Gerry Conroy, the parish priest, for the past 18 months.

The straight swap has been announced by Archbishop Mario Conti, who is responsible for clerical appointments in the Archdiocese of Glasgow.

Father Gallagher, who is from Clydebank and was ordained in 2006, is currently in post at Christ the King parish in Carmunnock Road, King's Park, Glasgow, where Dumbarton-born Canon Peter Gallagher is the parish priest.

Father Kane was appointed to St Patrick's to replace Father Frank Wilson, a retired GP, who is now parish priest of St Patrick's in Old Kilpatrick.

Canon Conroy said: "We wish to thank Father Kane for the contribution he has made to our parish. His good humour and approachability was much appreciated here.

"His hard work and commitment to spreading the Good News gives us encouragement and hope for the future."

Father Kane will be chaplain to Holyrood Secondary School in Glasgow, one of Scotland's largest and highest achieving Catholic schools.

He was once a Clyde shipyard apprentice before taking a business degree course and was deputy general manager of Glasgow University Union, before deciding to study for the priesthood.

He is from Scotstoun, where his family home straddles the parishes of St Brendan's, Yoker, and Corpus Christi in Knightswood. He was ordained by Archbishop Conti at St Mary's Pro Cathedral in Glasgow's East End in June, 2010.

Father Kane studied for the priesthood at Scotus College in Bearsden and later at Maynooth University in Ireland.

He spent nine months of his pastoral placement as a deacon at St Mary's Kenmure, a secure unit caring for emotionally and behaviourally challenged secure unit for young people.

He said at the time: "Nothing could have prepared me for that experience; I didn't know that children so young could be locked up.

"The sad thing is that their backgrounds can be so terrible that they prefer being in there to being in their own homes, which are so lacking in structure and support."

Father Kane said he was delighted to be appointed to his new post and that he is looking forward to starting work in Glasgow at the beginning of February when Father Gallagher, who has been heavily involved in youth work, will take up his appointment in Dumbarton.

Father Kane said: "I have enjoyed my stay in Dumbarton and I want to thank everyone for being so kind to me. I'll miss the priests and people of St Patrick's."

Father Gallagher said: "It will be a big wrench to leave my present post in King's Park, but I am looking forward to taking up my appointment in Dumbarton in February."

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This article appeared in Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Reporter 24 Jan 12

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