‘It’s the place I’ll never forget’: Fr O’Rourke bids farewell after 11 years in Leitrim

A priest’s time spent in a parish is special for many reasons: the Mass, homilies, connections made, support offered, and the sense of church community. Another reason that makes a priest’s time in a parish special is that it is fleeting – it is inevitable that the priest will eventually have to move on.

The Parish of Kiltoghert is feeling this at the moment, with the departure of Fr Seamus O’Rourke, who has been priest in the parish for 11 years, and for whom it was his first parish.

He will be going to his native Colmcille Parish in Longford as Administrator. Reflecting on his time in Leitrim, Fr O’Rourke said, “It has been 11 wonderful years. I was ordained in June 2015 and I came here in September 2015. It was my first parish and was a very important appointment.”

Fr O’Rourke has seen a number of changes in the parish. When he first started, it consisted of Carrick-on-Shannon, Leitrim Village, Gowel and Jamestown. In the past few years, there has also been responsibility for Annaduff, Drumsna and Drumcong.

Fr O’Rourke said he didn’t know much about the area when he first came, but became more and more familiar with it with the help of locals, particularly Maureen McDonagh and the late Mary Teresa Regan.

Fr O’Rourke was given responsibility for St Joseph’s National School in Leitrim Village, working with children as they prepared for their First Holy Communion and Confirmation. It was a role he enjoyed, where he got to see the children grow up.

“Some of the children that I baptised when I came here first, have now received First Holy Communion. The first Holy Communion class I had, that was in 2016, I remember them in particular,” he said. “I have great fondness for working with the school, it was a very positive experience.”

Another aspect he has great fondness for was the choirs.

“The interesting thing about this parish is that all of the churches have their own choir, which I think must be unique. In a lot of parishes they’re lucky to even have one choir,” said Fr O’Rourke.

“In St Mary’s, we have a really wonderful choir and have had great liturgies at Christmas and at Easter time. I was fascinated by the work that they do, the talent and the commitment that there is,” he added, noting that the choirs in the other churches may be smaller, but the dedication and the commitment is there.

“Some of the hymns that are sung really add to this whole idea of contemplation and meditation where people can just listen and it appeals to the senses in a different way rather than just listening to the spoken word all the time,” he said.

Fr O’Rourke says he has been “privileged” to take part in occasions such as baptisms and weddings and spoke of the responsibility, which he doesn’t take lightly, of conducting funerals and being there when tragedies strike, as well as the strength of community.

“There’s no such thing as ‘another funeral.’ All funerals are different,” he said. “The deceased has always been very special to their family and friends and it’s unique. One person is not the same as another.

“The pain that those people suffer is all very different, but people are not left alone, they’re not forgotten about. The local community rally around to help them.”

And that sense of community within the parish is what made the past 11 years so special to him. It is clear that Fr O’Rourke carries a deep appreciation for the parish community, as he said, “It’s the place I’ll never forget.”

When asked if it was more difficult than expected to say goodbye, he said, “It certainly was. I’m maybe slowly coming to terms with it. It is inevitable in a priest’s life that you’re never going to be left in the same parish all of your life. I’ve been very fortunate to have 11 years here.”

His new parish will be different from the life he has gotten used to: two churches, just himself, and a more rural setting.

“It’s a rural parish so it will certainly be a big change from Carrick-on-Shannon. It’s my native parish so I know some of the people there but I certainly have a lot to learn as there’s parts of the parish that I wouldn’t be that familiar with,” he said, adding that he is looking forward to the learning experience.

On Sunday, August 30, a Mass was held in Carrick-on-Shannon, which Fr O’Rourke described as “very special,” as the choir came back from its summer recess just for the occasion.

A get-together was held that evening for Fr O’Rourke at St Joseph’s Centre in Leitrim Village.

“I was amazed at the number of people that showed up,” said Fr O’Rourke. “There were people even queuing up outside. It was really overwhelming. They had a cake and an enormous number of gifts and cards.”

The parishioners mean so much to Fr O’Rourke, but evidently he means so much to them as well.

“Everywhere I go people are wishing me the very best and thanking me for being here. Of course, they will miss me but certainly I will be missing them big time,” he said.

He admitted he learned so much in the past 11 years, and so much of what he has learned has come from the parishioners.

“I’ve learned a lot here about people and quite often people hold up a mirror to you, so you learn about yourself just from the reactions of other people.

“The generosity, the friendship, companionship and the sense of belonging I’ve got here is just incredible, I would never have expected it,” he added.

It is not really goodbye from Fr O’Rourke, but see you later, as he plans to visit from time to time and keep in touch with parishioners. He wished to reaffirm his “thanks and eternal appreciation” to the people within the parish – in Carrick-on-Shannon, Leitrim Village, Gowel, Jamestown, Annaduff, Drumsna and Drumcong.

Summing it all up, he said, “I never thought it would be like this – I never thought it would be as good as this. I will never forget you, never. It has been a major, major thing in my life.”