Our Parish

In the grounds of the Church, there is a statue to the memory of James Joseph Sheehy who died in 1948 in Chicago. Mr. Sheehy was a native of the area and it was erected by Fr. Vincent J. Sheehy in 1985 who was a priest in Miami. The Holy Water font in the grounds is believed to come from the original Cistercian Abbey. A Grotto has also been erected to the right of the Church.

To the left of the Church, there is a small plot where priests who served in the area or came from the area are buried. Three members of the McEnery family are buried here. Thomas, Patrick and Denis were all priests in the Diocese of Duluth in Minnesota. Also, two brothers of the Murphy family, Seán and T. J. were priests in Rockhampton, Australia. Two other priests who preached the Gospels in far-flung places were J. Downey in Canberra, Australia, and Monsignor Daniel P. Collins in Los Angeles. Two local priests are also buried here, Monsignor Dan Gallagher and Canon O’Donoghue.

There is a stained glass window of Mary at the back of the church. In the left Transept, there is a stained glass window depicting Jesus healing the sick. There is also a Crucifix in this Transept. The adjoining plaque states that the crucifix is to Denis Bailey of Rockchapel, who contributed to the Sheltered Housing Scheme.

An interesting feature of this church is the small chapel to Jesus attached to the left transept. To the left of the altar in this Chapel, there is a statue of the Sacred Heart, while to the right is a statue of Mary. Stained glass windows in this Chapel depict the resurrection of Jesus, the Holy Spirit descending on the apostles, the Crucifixion, and the bread and wine of Mass. These stained glass windows are donated in memory of Denis and Mary Lyons of Port, Abbeyfeale, Dick and Mary Hartnett of Port, Sr. Theresa, Joe and Eily, Connie, Sr. Immaculata, and Bridie Hartnett of Port, and James and Julia Quirke respectively. The chapel was opened in June 1991 by Bishop Newman.

In the main Church, there is a stained glass window of the Good Samaritan on the left behind the altar, while the stained glass window on the right depicts Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. There is a shrine to Mary Immaculate to the left of the main Altar. In the right Transept of the church there are two shrines, one to St Joseph, and one to Mary. The stained glass window in the right Transept depicts the healing of the lepers.