Fr Collins to retire
Thursday, 28 January 2010
LIMAVADY'S parish priest, Fr Michael Collins, has announced that he is to retire this year.
Mass goers heard the news on Sunday, when it was explained that Fr Collins will be stepping down in August.
Speaking to the Northern Constitution, Fr Collins, who will soon turn 74, said he is retiring due to poor health and 'old age'.
He added: "I'm bound to miss a lot of things about Limavady, especially the people, but I won't miss the stress of running a parish.
“Running a parish is a very difficult and complex operation nowadays, there is so much bureacracy attached to parochial work now. "The position of parish priest has always been there, but in days gone by the stress was not as heavy as it is now."
Fr Collins, who has been in Limavady since 1995, said he will have many fond memories of the parish.
He continued: "I have been very happy here and the people have been very good to me.
“The image of Limavady to the outside world is very misleading, and that is a great shame. Limavady has a lot of virtues and abilities that are not recognised.
“The relationships between different religions here and between the different churches is more friendly and relaxed than in most places, yet sadly that is not always the image we see presented in the media.
“I have met a lot of friendly people in the parish in the last 15 years and I will undoubtedly miss them all."
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