Athlone's friary church is deconsecrated
The former St Anthony’s Friary in Athlone has been officially deconsecrated
Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Paul Connell confirmed to the Westmeath Independent: “I have signed an order of return to secular status for the friary.”
Bishop Connell said he had made the order, on January 27, at the request of the Franciscan Order.
The move potentially paves the way for Westmeath County Council to purchase the building, as exclusively revealed by this newspaper last September.
The council is understood to be close to finalising arrangements to acquire both the former Franciscan church and the adjoining residential premises and gardens.
It’s understood the council is considering the church for use as a new community space, incorporating possible artistic and cultural facilities and community group accommodation. Significant work would be required to convert and modernise the building whilst respecting its architectural and religious significance.
The residential quarters are being seen as a rare opportunity to provide town-centre living accommodation for those on the local authority housing list.
Bishop Connell said he deeply regretted the closure of the church.
Citing the reduction in the number of priests available, he said he was “at the pin of my collar” to provide four priests for St Mary’s Parish in Athlone, the most populous parish in the diocese, as well as Fr Shay Casey, who has provided sterling service over many years at the now TUS Athlone campus. Bishop Connell said he couldn’t have asked those priests to take on the friary in addition to St Mary’s Church and Our Lady’s Queen of Peace, as “it wouldn’t have been feasible”.
The church had been a friary church, run by the order, and they had requested he sign the decree to return it to secular status.
“It was quite difficult, I really regret it,” he said.
Whilst he said it was the first such decree he had signed in his two and a half years as a bishop, he said he could not guarantee it would be the last, although he said he would be “very reluctant to close parish churches”.
The Franciscan community officially departed Athlone on January 8, 2023, after a 788-year presence in the town. Over the following two years, a voluntary community group maintained the church and kept the doors open. The volunteers were supported by Franciscan priests visiting Athlone to say masses, and by financial support from the Franciscan Order towards the maintenance and insurance of the premises.
However, the church officially closed on October 3, 2024, after the volunteers were informed the Franciscans would no longer be able to provide the visiting priests or financial support.
Cllr Frankie Keena described the move by the bishop to return the church to secular status as “the next step forward” in relation to its potential purchase by Westmeath County Council.
Cllr Keena said, after the final closure of the church, in October 2024, he, John Henson, of the Athlone Festival and Events Group, and Jim Mulkerrins of Féile na Sionnaine, approached the Franciscan Order to explore possible future uses of the church.
Having ascertained that the Franciscans no longer intended to use the building for religious purposes, they enquired whether it could be obtained for community use.
The concept was passed over formally to Westmeath County Council and in the intervening period, the council and the Franciscan Order have been in negotiations, which Cllr Keena said had not yet concluded but were positive.
Cllr Keena said the community uses being considered would be “respectful and appropriate” to the building and its religious heritage.
“I want to thank the friars for their contribution to the religious, social and community life in Athlone over the centuries,” he said.
The church was always “a very valued place for reflection and prayer in Athlone”.
The former friary residential quarters have been used to accommodate people fleeing the war in Ukraine in recent years, whilst the former church itself remained closed since October 2024.