Priest praises community as Laois office transformed into house for refugees

A priest has praised the people of Camross and Castletown for their generous spirit which he hopes will be mirrored nationwide. 

Fr Brian Griffin made the comments in relation to the community's warm response to Ukrainian refugees. The community came together to help convert his former office into a liveable space for Ukrainian refugees.

He explained that as he is covering two Parishes, Camross and Castletown, he had the use of a parochial house in each area. The Castletown Parochial House had operated  as an office while he lives in the Parochial House in Camross. When he heard about the Ukrainian refugees he asked Bishop Denis Nulty if he could use the Castletown property for refugees.

Although the house in Castletown wasn’t furnished as a house, Fr Griffin approached St Vincent de Paul in relation to its possible use for refugees. However, he then caught Covid 19 and had to go into isolation for a week and a half.

When he returned the entire house had been furnished from top to bottom. “I gave them the keys and they did everything,” he explained. The house is now being used by two Ukrainian ladies and four children.   

Fr Griffin played down his role in the matter and insisted everything had been done by the community. He said the family arrived as “I got a call from a man in Portlaoise and he said he had a family who had nowhere to stay.” 

Praising the community in and around Camross and Castletown, Fr Griffin said his neighbour has taken in four women and five children. Another property belonging to the De La Salle brothers in Castletown is due to take in more refugees.

Fr Griffin, who moved to Laois from Kilkenny last September, said of his new parishes, “it is just incredible. They are wonderful people, they really are,” he remarked. 

“I think, you know, we are all horrified at what we are seeing and people like to do tangible things. The minute people got the opportunity they just jumped in there,” he said.

According to Fr Griffin, the community are just working on their own initiative in order to help out. He noted a man had arrived and cut the grass at the rear of the parochial house as it hadn’t been cut in a long time.

Speaking in relation to the families who have arrived, Fr Griffin said they are glad that they have somewhere to stay but there is a sadness about them. He explained that the younger children are faring better than the older ones who would be more aware of what is happening in Ukraine.  “The younger children don’t mind. They are going to school and they are loving it,” he explained. The older children and their parents are very aware of the serious situation in their homeland and are  in regular contact with their relations in Ukraine, he said.  

Fr Griffin praised the local schools for looking after the children so well despite the language barrier. “There is loads of issues but they are working around them,” said Fr Griffin.

A teenage refugee living next door to Fr Griffin is training to be an interpreter. She stood up in mass last Sunday and thanked the community on behalf of her compatriots. 

Speaking of how he feels blessed to be in Camross and Castletown where people responded so openly to refugees, Fr Griffin said: “Hopefully their example will be mirrored around the country.”   

ENDS