Tyrone and Derry folk turn out to honour much-loved priest

‘DEPENDABILITY personified’ – that was how Fr Michael Doherty was described as the communities of Strabane, Omagh and Derry came together to honour the St Mary’s Parish Priest on the golden jubilee of his ordination.

St Mary’s Church was packed to the rafters on Monday evening with faithful well-wishers as a host of priests gathered to concelebrate Mass, marking not only Fr Doherty’s 50 years in the priesthood but also the jubilees of two of his seminary classmates. The celebrations then moved to the Den for refreshments and music.

Ordained in St Patrick’s Church in his native Derry, Fr Doherty ministered at St Eugene’s Cathedral and later in Drumragh, Omagh, before arriving at St Mary’s 37 years ago – first as a curate, then as parish priest.

It was an evening filled with prayer, thanksgiving, and plenty of laughter. Fr Doherty opened proceedings with his characteristic humour:

“It’s so nice to see so many of you here tonight; if I’d known there would be so many I would have sold tickets!”

He also joked that Fr Eugene Hassan of Drumragh had “brought half the parish with him.”

During the Mass, Fr Doherty expressed heartfelt thanks to everyone in attendance and all who contributed to the evening’s celebration including pupils from Holy Cross College.

Among those who paid tribute to Fr Doherty were Fr Pat O’Hagan, a former curate at St Mary’s and now parish priest in Bellaghy, and Bishop Donal McKeown.

Continuing the light-hearted spirit, Fr Pat opened with, “It’s lovely to be back, thanks for the bunting!”

On a more reflective note, he shared how Fr Michael was the first person he confided in about his own calling to the priesthood.

“It was the last day of my A levels in the Christian Brothers where Fr Michael was chaplain, and I went to Mass at the Sacred Heart Church in Omagh before the exam. I promised that, if Fr Doherty was the celebrant, I would tell him of my plans and, by God’s will, he was. After Mass, I asked Joe the sacristan if I could speak with him. We spoke about it and later, when a group of us in school were discussing what our next step would be, Fr Doherty gave me a knowing look – and I knew then I had made the right decision.”

Bishop Donal McKeown also offered moving words about Fr Doherty.

“Fr Michael is big-hearted, generous, positive and uncomplicated; dependability personified. We saw this from the very start, especially during his illness a few years ago, when the parish response was just phenomenal – with online praying and vigils for his recovery.”