Prayer Request…
Your prayers are asked for the full recovery of Canon John Murray, who was struck on the head with a bottle as he prepared to say 10.30am Mass in St Patrick’s Church, Downpatrick, Co Down this morning (Sun).
RTÉ reports that he sustained a serious head injury and is receiving treatment in hospital.
He had been asked to hear Confession by the man who went on to attack him.
The church has confirmed that Canon Murray, who is in his 70s is seriously ill, but stable in hospital. The church has asked for parishioners to pray for him.
Your prayers are also requested for the safe return of Westport native, Gena Heraty and seven companions, who were abducted in Haiti last week. Gena is the director of the Sainte-Hélène orphanage, which is run by Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs in Kenscoff.
I came across this statement, below, today from Sancta Familia, a parish/ organisation here in Scotland whom I have always regarded as being fairly right wing.
I was quite shocked when I read this.
While our church has understandably lost so much of its credibility and esteem for well-documented reasons I find it hard to imagine that our priests live in fear for their physical safety and well being. At least the priests I know in Donegal are safe, in fact, more than safe, well respected and many of them admired.
I would expect that is also the case in the rest of Ireland too.
Sadly violence against clergy is becoming more common even in Ireland!
Police say they received reports at around 10.10am on Sunday that a man walked into St Patrick’s Church in Downpatrick “and hit the priest on his head with a bottle before leaving”.
Fr John Murray, of St Patricks Church Downpatrick, has been seriously injured in an attack in the church on Sunday morning
The priest is Fr John Murray, who has been taken to hospital for treatment to a head injury and remains in a serious condition.
“This was a completely shocking and brutal attack and has left the priest with a serious head injury,” a PSNI spokesperson said.
Surely this one incident, awful though it was, doesn’t mean that:
“…violence against clergy is becoming more common even in Ireland!”