Fr Ian Fee RMG51
HAVING left his mark in Aghalurcher (Lisnaskea/Maguiresbridge), where he ministered for 17 years, Fr Ian Fee (44), newly-appointed as curate in (St Michael’s) Enniskillen, is looking forward to a fresh challenge.
His was one of 13 changes announced by the bishop of Clogher, Liam MacDaid at the end of August.
In his early years as curate in Lisnaskea, he was the youngest priest in the diocese, a billing that always grated with him. But, he isn’t any more and, in an interview with the ‘Herald’, he spoke easily about where he is now.
“Yes, 17 years (in Lisnaskea) is a long time and, speaking purely for myself, I was blessed to have been in such a wonderful community.”
He blew away shibboleths people held about the way, as some saw it, priests were moved, and the ‘fatwah’ against them having anything to do with the parish they left.
“Contrary to what many people believe, there’s no bar on us maintaining those friendships. And, it isn’t simply a case of having to move parish. The way it works is: you remain in a parish for a certain amount of time and you are moved to somewhere else where you are needed.
“It’s not a case you are told where you are going and that’s it. The bishop calls you in to see him, he will say what’s in his mind and you talk about it, about the particular challenges that have to be faced and the work you have to do.
“It gives the bishop an opportunity to say why you are the appropriate person and, to me, it’s a sign that the bishop knows and understands his priests. He knows you will have something to offer that particular parish.”
Fr Ian, in fact, will be returning to Enniskillen where he ministered for two years before his posting to Lisnaskea.
Back then, 21 years ago, he was one of five priests in St Michael’s; today, he is one of four, in a parish that encompasses not only residential and nursing homes but, also, an acute hospital.
“Yes, my diary is filling up very fast”, he admitted. “The way we do it here is there is one of us on duty each week in the parochial house, dealing with callers and (phone) calls, and that frees the rest of us to look after the other things in the parish, the schools, the hospital and the homes and people who are housebound.”
This ‘go out and meet’ approach is one he likes, and it was not always so.
“It’s a changing reality. In the past, we would have connected with the majority of parishioners at Sunday Mass and the regular church services but, today, the challenge is for us to go out and meet them.
“Really and truly, it is bringing us back to the gospel message where Jesus told his disciples to go out to the people. We cannot sit back and hope that others will come to us. We have to be more upfront and imaginative.
“It is”, he added, “what Pope Francis is encouraging us to do.”
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