(IRELAND)
Extra.ie [Dublin, Ireland]
July 31, 2023
By Ian Begley
A priest whose parishioners rallied around him when he was convicted of spying on people in a men’s toilet has resigned nearly 20 years after the offence took place.
Fr Patrick McGarvey, aged in his 50s, has hung up his clerical collar, to the shock of his community in Fanad, Co Donegal, saying: ‘I have nothing more to give’.
At a service last week, Fr McGarvey told his parishioners: ‘I am finished in Fanad.
‘I’ve nothing more left to give. The spark has gone.
‘It’s been a tough few years; it’s been a lonesome time. I need a good rest. I’ve discussed it with the bishop and my own family.
‘Where the future goes, I do not know,’ he added.
Local media reported that the news has left his parishioners ‘reeling’ as the priest was highly regarded throughout the Donegal peninsula.
He was equally admired in his former parish of Stranorlar, Co. Donegal, to the extent that many church-goers supported Fr McGarvey when he was convicted of a sexual offence, in 2005.
The Catholic priest, a native of Creeslough, was caught by undercover PSNI officers at the Foyleside shopping centre in Derry in August 2004, watching people use the public toilets.
Police were alerted after complaints from members of the public who witnessed the man acting suspiciously at the premises on a number of occasions.
Fr McGarvey was charged with indecency in observing another person carrying out a private act in a public toilet for the purposes of sexual gratification.
In June 2005, he pleaded guilty to the charge and was given a two-year conditional discharge.
He was also banned from the Foyleside shopping centre.
The court also heard that the priest had received treatment as a result of the case.
At the time, a local campaign was initiated to allow Fr McGarvey to remain in St Mary’s Church, in Stranorlar.
Former Fianna Fáil councillor Alice Bonnar said at the time, ‘At the end of the day, he was only found guilty of looking.
‘Fr Pat worked exceptionally hard in the parish with people who had very difficult life experiences and who had lost loved ones through suicide, miscarriages and so on,’ she told the Irish Times.
‘Two months prior to this happening, this so-called crime did not exist and it does not even exist in the Republic of Ireland,’ Ms Bonnar added.
Shortly after his conviction, Fr McGarvey made a surprise appearance at St Mary’s, where he received a standing ovation.
A woman who attended the Mass at the time said: ‘As he stood up on the altar, the crowd gave him a massive round of applause.
‘He began by thanking us all for the support we had shown to him throughout the past year, and that he does not know what he would have done without it or where he would be.
‘He apologised up and down to his family, his parents, to Fr Kieran, to the Sisters of Mercy, to “the boy and his family”, to all the people of the parish, and to Bishop Boyce. He said he didn’t know where he was going to be placed but that he wished to remain a priest. He got a standing ovation and massive applause … It was awful sad.’
In 2011, Fr McGarvey received a promotion and was appointed parish priest of Fanad by the then Bishop of Raphoe, Philip Boyce.
One Church figure said at the time: ‘Fr Pat has paid a heavy price for his indiscretions in that shopping centre and should be allowed to move on. No one was physically harmed by him and he has apologised. He is a very popular priest in Fanad.’
According to the Tirconaill Tribune, priests from neighbouring parishes will be available to ensure that liturgical services will continue to be provided.
However, it may be some ‘considerable time’ before a new parish priest is appointed.
Sunday Masses have also been cancelled in two of the four churches in the parish.