Sir, - Some weeks ago I witnessed the departure from Tory Island of the young priest who served the spiritual needs of the community. The curate celebrated his final Mass with his bags packed by the chapel door, ready to rush to the ferry which would leave on the turning tide.
As the young priest boarded, old people spoke of their hearts "broken in two"; women hid their tears, the men offered solemn handshakes. When we sailed, the children waved and waved, dancing dabs of colour, fading into the distance between the grey sky and the greyer sea. The young priest held his grief until it could flow into the waves that lashed us. As we laboured through the heaving waters, an emergency helicopter swooped towards Tory to evacuate an elderly islander to hospital.
Who were we weeping for that morning? For our neighbour? For ourselves and our children? For the chapel that will remain silent and empty on Sunday mornings in this Jubilee Year of Our Lord? For the final nail in the coffin of the Gaelic world?
On a pragmatic note, if the Catholic Church is now so devoid of clergy that it cannot guarantee the pastoral care of an island community, then I respectfully suggest that the time has come for an urgent review of its position on the ordination of women. - Is mise,
Mary Reid, Glenowen Park, Derry BT48 0LH.