A very special priest will retire in the coming days after serving many parishes in Co Kerry. Fr Maurice Brick will end his ministry after serving as PP for Castleisland in recent years. He spent 6 years here in Tarbert from 2000 to 2006.
He introduced a number of things here in Tarbert and certainly had an impact on yours truly. I will say during his time in Tarbert I was at the back of the Church with a number of men and one or two women who are no longer with us namely my Grand Uncle Pat Joe Keane, Jackie Egan, Billy and Elizabeth Buckley along with Michael “Fitzy” Fitzgerald.
Fr Mossie had introduced the 9 O Clock Mass and this is where I would spend the next number of years standing beside my grand uncle and others including my grandfather. To say those days were an education would be underselling it by a long shot.
Fr Mossie has his own unique way of telling a story or getting a message across in whatever way he may feel may be needed. Fr Mossie is actually the first man to ask me to do a reading or play Our Lord in a short dramatization at Easter time, I did both and at that stage it took his persuasive talents to coax me into both jobs.
I thank him because himself and my late grandfather played a key role in me learning how to read out loud and in public.
There are a few who may read this and say why didn’t ye keep quiet and not encourage him !!! That was the thing with Fr Mossie, no matter what you were asked you nearly always said yes because it was him that asked you the question. Well I can say that for myself anyway.
I have a few small stories, I was asked to read at Christmas and it was a extremely long one but I managed it and retook my place at back of the church only for Jackie Egan to pop up beside me and whisper “You’d make a fine priest” and then return to his spot.
This particular thing had been in my mind for about 18 months and I thought long and hard about possibly join the Priesthood. I spoke to Fr Mossie after a few months of this being in the back of my mind and he said while it was a very admirable thing to want to do wait until the age of 26 or 27 before making a decision like that.
By the time I hit 26 or 27 I had made my mind up that life in the priesthood just wasn’t for men even though black suits me or so I have been told anyway…..
Fr Mossie left Tarbert in 2006 and left his mark on this parish as well as any other parish or area he has served in over the years. May you enjoy a peaceful retirement Fr Mossie and thank you for your wisdom when I needed it…