Dedication
and Opening of
Mary, Mother Of Hope Church,
Huntstown Parish,
By Most Rev. Diarmuid Martin D.D.,
Archbishop of Dublin,
Sat. 3rd Dec. 2005
The
Passionists first moved into the North-west of Dublin was when Eugene
McCarthy C.P. became Administrator of Porterstown in 2001. He had been
on sabbatical leave the year before. After nine months he became curate
in Huntstown with special responsibility for the development of the new
housing area of Littlepace/Castleheaney. Taking up residence in a new
house in Littlepace his immediate task was to acquire a Primary School
for the area. In September 2001 the new primary school, "Mary, Mother
of Hope," was opened housed in prefabs. Fr. Eugene was school manager
and later chairperson of the Board of Management.
In September 2003 the Passionists of St. Patirck's Province accepted responsibility for the Parish of Huntstown and Fr. Eugene became Parish Priest. He was joined by Fr. John O'Kane C.P. and Bro. Martin Denny C.P. who took over the residence of the previous parish priest in Huntstown. By the end of 2004 Fr. Ralph Egan C.P. had joined Bro. Martin and replaced Fr. John.
The parish has 7,500 homes and a population in excess of 20,000 people. There is a significant immigrant population with a large percentage of the intake into the two primary schools classed as 'International Children'. Schools occupy a lot of time of the priests. In September 2005 a new 16 classroom permanent school was opened for "Mary, Mother of Hope" Primary school. By 2007 a new building of similar size will be completed. In the meantime half the classes in the 32 classroom "Sacred Heart of Jesus" Primary School were in prefabs. Here a building programme to replace the prefabs is in progress and will be completed in Spring 2006.
Although the parish was constituted from Blakestown in 1981 it did not get its first permanent Church until November 2002. In that month the Church of the "Sacred Heart of Jesus" was consecrated. The Church catered for the whole area. There was always the hope that Littelpace/Castleheaney would one day have its own Church.
About
four years ago a site became available, through the generosity of the
late Terence J. Keaney, and negotiations started. After many setbacks
and delays work began on the new Church in March 2005. The Architect was
John Thomson, of Fitzgerald, Kavanagh and Partners and the builder was
Kinsella System Buildings Limited of Glenealy, Co. Wicklow. While the
shell went up very quickly there were delays in getting essential services
laid on. An Autumn opening became December. On December 3rd 2005, Archbishop
Diarmuid Martin D.D., performed the Dedication and Opening of the new
Church, under the title of "Mary, Mother of Hope".
