Father Gerard McGinnity, born on 5 April 1947, is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

priest, currently serving as

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

Knockbridge Knockbridge () is a village in County Louth, Ireland. It is located in the townland of Ballinlough (''Baile an Locha'') in the historical barony of Dundalk Upper. As of the 2016 census, the village had a population of 667 people. Knockbridge ...

County Louth County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the ...

, Ireland, a parish of the Archdiocese of Armagh. He is best known for his role in denouncing the alleged homosexual orientation of the head of a Catholic

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

, and for his association with a group, the

House of Prayer, Achill The House of Prayer is a limited company trading as Our Lady Queen of Peace House of Prayer (Achill) Ltd, created by an Irish woman, Christina Gallagher, in 1993. The business is based on Achill Island, County Mayo in Ireland, with other centres i ...

In Maynooth College

McGinnity was appointed junior dean at

St Patrick's College, Maynooth St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth ( ga, Coláiste Naoimh Phádraig, Maigh Nuad), is the "National Seminary for Ireland" (a Roman Catholic college), and a pontifical university, located in the town of Maynooth, from Dublin, Ireland. ...

, 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 raised concerns with bishops about the sexuality of the college's vice-president, Dr

Micheál Ledwith Micheál Ledwith (whose first name is often reported as Michael) is a former Catholic Church, Catholic priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns, Diocese of Ferns in County Wexford from 1967 to 2005. Early years at Maynooth After a promising ...

. After his complaint was dismissed in the absence of any evidence, McGinnity was required to leave his position by

Tomás Ó Fiaich Tomás Séamus Cardinal Ó Fiaich KGCHS (3 November 1923 – 8 May 1990) was an Irish prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the Catholic Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh from 1977 until his death. He was created a Cardin ...

, archbishop of his home diocese, acting on behalf of the trustees (17 bishops) of the college. Several seminarians sought the advice of

Brendan Comiskey Brendan Comiskey (born August 13, 1935), is the Roman Catholic Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Ferns. He was born in Clontibret, County Monaghan, Ireland. He was ordained a priest of the little known Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus ...

, then auxiliary Bishop of Dublin and later

Bishop of Ferns The Bishop of Ferns () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Ferns in County Wexford, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishopr ...

, about the lifestyle of Ledwith and their concerns that he might be gay. Comiskey suggested that they approach seven "key bishops" in order that their concerns be adequately heard. These bishops included the Cardinal Primate of All Ireland Tomás Ó Fiaich and Bishops

Cahal Daly Charles (Cahal) Brendan Cardinal Daly KGCHS (1 October 1917 – 31 December 2009) was an Irish philosopher, theologian, writer and international speaker and, in later years, a Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Daly served as the Roman Cath ...

, Edward Daly, Lennon, Cassidy, C O'Reilly,

Eamon Casey Eamonn Casey (24 April 1927 – 13 March 2017) was an Irish Catholic prelate who served as bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh in Ireland from 1976 to 1992. His resignation in 1992, after it was revealed he had had an affair with an American woman, ...

and Aherne. Ledwith was appointed president of St Patrick's in 1984. In 1994, he resigned prematurely and agreed a financial settlement – without liability – with a man who alleged Ledwith had abused him as a minor, and later left the Church.

The McCullough and Ferns Reports

The Irish bishops published the McCullough Report in June 2005. It found that there were no complaints made by any seminarian about sexual harassment by Ledwith in Maynooth. 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 Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

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.

Association with House of Prayer

McGinnity has for many years been 'spiritual director' to Christina Gallagher, the owner of the Our Lady Queen of Peace House of Prayer (Achill) Ltd, a group not linked to the structures of the Catholic Church. He co-authored Gallagher's biography published in 1996, in which he refers to her as "God's prophet". Christina Gallagher's 'House of Prayer' is based on

Achill Island Achill Island (; ga, Acaill, Oileán Acla) in County Mayo is the largest of the Irish isles, and is situated off the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It has a population of 2,594. Its area is . Achill is attached to the mainland by ...

. 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." 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.Independent.ie, ''Cardinal to quiz priest over links to cult 'prophet','' 16 March 2008, http://www.independent.ie/national-news/cardinal-to-quiz-priest-over-links-to-cult-prophet-1318912.html

Publications

* ''Celebration With Mary: Reflections for Personal Prayer and Parish Devotions'' (June 1987) ' * ''Open Door for Christ'' (June 1987) ' * ''Christmen: Experience of Priesthood Today'' (June 1985) ' * ''Out of the Ecstasy & Onto the Cross – Biography of Christina Gallagher'' (1996) ''Our Lady Queen of Peace Publications, Ltd.''

References

External links