Gerard McGinnity
Gerard McGinnity is an author and Parish Priest of Knockbridge, County Louth, Ireland, a parish of the Archdiocese of Armagh.
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[edit] In Maynooth College
McGinnity was appointed Junior Dean at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, Ireland's national seminary, when he was 26 years old. He was appointed Senior Dean at the age of 32 in 1978, decades younger than previous holders of the post.
In 1984, he was approached by students who had concerns about the behaviour of the college's Vice President, Dr Micheal Ledwith, including concerns of a sexual nature. He was abruptly dismissed from his position by Tomás Ó Fiaich, archbishop of his home diocese, acting on behalf of the Trustees (17 bishops) of the College, after he raised concerns with the bishops on behalf of six seminarians about the extravagant lifestyle of Ledwith.
The seminarians, who came to Maynooth as mature students, also sought the advice of Brendan Comiskey, then auxiliary Bishop of Dublin and later Bishop of Ferns, about what they saw, or believed, to be the lavish and worldly lifestyle of Ledwith and their concerns about information or rumours that might have suggested that Ledwith had a homosexual orientation. Comiskey suggested that they approach seven "key bishops" in order that their concerns would be adequately heard. These bishops included the then Cardinal Primate of All Ireland Tomás Ó Fiaich and Bishops Cahal Daly), Edward Daly, Lennon, Cassidy, C O'Reilly, Eamon Casey and Aherne.
Ledwith was appointed President of St Patrick's by the Trustees in 1984 on the 'enthusiastic nomination' of Dr Brendan Comiskey, then Bishop of Ferns - despite these concerns. Ledwith continued as president until 1994 when he resigned prematurely and agreed a financial settlement - without liability - with a man who alleged Ledwith had abused him as a minor. Ledwith was eventually laicised in 2005, several years after he abandoned Catholicism in favour of new-age religion.
Comiskey resigned as Bishop of Ferns in April 2002 following a BBC television documentary the previous month that criticised how Comiskey handled the case of Fr Seán Fortune, a serial child sex abuser who committed suicide in 1999.
[edit] The McCullough and Ferns Reports
The Irish bishops published the McCullough Report in June 2005. It found that there were no complaints made by the seminarians themselves to Bishops about sexual harassment by Ledwith of seminarians in Maynooth College.
The concerns raised by McGinnity were fully validated in the report of The Ferns Inquiry which was commissioned by the Irish Government in 2003 and published in October 2005. The Ferns Report acknowledged Dr McGinnity's feelings of being victimised as a result of the concerns of the seminarians which he expressed. The Report states that "punitive actions of that nature could only deter bona fide complaints to church authorities which should be valued as providing information for the control of those having access to young people".
The matter was further debated in the Irish Senate in November 2005 and Dr Mary Henry commented: "With regard to Monsignor Ledwith, I was dismayed to read the response of the bishops to whom complaints were made by six senior seminarians, as they are described in the report, as well as the senior dean of Maynooth College, Fr. Gerard McGinnity. Cardinal Daly, one of the surviving bishops, indicated in his statement to the inquiry that it was entirely untrue that any seminarian had mentioned homosexuality to him in connection with Monsignor Ledwith."[1]
[edit] Association with Christina Gallagher
"It was in 1988 that I first heard of Christina....It was however, some time before I actually met Christina."[2] Fr. McGinnity has been Christina Gallagher's spiritual director for many years.[3] He co-authored her biography, entitled Out of the Ecstacy & Onto the Cross - Biography of Christina Gallagher published in 1996,[4] in which he refers to Christina as "God's prophet".[5]
Beginning in March 2008, Cardinal Seán Brady, Primate of All Ireland, began holding discussions with McGinnity about his association with Christina Gallagher. His inquiry into the matter was the result of some complaints from former followers of Christina Gallagher.[6]
Christina Gallagher's House of Prayer is located in the Tuam Archdiocese, on Achill Island, in Ireland. On 29 February 2008, the Archbishop of Tuam, Michael Neary, issued a statement saying, in part: "In summary the ‘House of Prayer’ has no Church approval and the work does not enjoy the confidence of the diocesan authorities."[7]
[edit] Publications
- Celebration With Mary: Reflections for Personal Prayer and Parish Devotions (June 1987) ISBN 0-86217-289-6
- Open Door for Christ (June 1987) ISBN 0-86217-277-2
- Christmen: Experience of Priesthood Today (June 1985) ISBN 0-906127-94-7
- Out of the Ecstacy & Onto the Cross - Biography of Christina Gallagher (1996) Our Lady Queen of Peace Publications, Ltd.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Senate Debate report 2005
- ^ McGinnity and Gallagher, Out of the Ecstacy & Onto the Cross - Biography of Christina Gallagher, Our Lady Queen of Peace Publications, Ltd., 1996.
- ^ PR Newswire, Noted Visionary and Locutionist to Speak At Denver Gathering on Mary, November 15, 1999, http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-57581029.html
- ^ Out of the Ecstacy & Onto the Cross - Biography of Christina Gallagher, Our Lady Queen of Peace Publications, Ltd., 1996.
- ^ Out of the Ecstacy & Onto the Cross - Biography of Christina Gallagher, p. 12
- ^ Independent.ie, Cardinal to quiz priest over links to cult 'prophet', March 16, 2008, http://www.independent.ie/national-news/cardinal-to-quiz-priest-over-links-to-cult-prophet-1318912.html
- ^ Untitled Document
