Scottish Catholic Observer

A MASS of Thanksgiving was held at St Cuthbert’s Church in Edinburgh on Thursday August 15 to ­celebrate Fr Tom Molloy’s 60 years of priesthood.

Fr Molloy was congratulated by Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews & Edinburgh for his mission work in countries including New Zealand and South Africa, as well as his chaplaincy work at the Western and Victoria Hospitals in ­Edinburgh.

Guests also enjoyed a ­reception which featured a ­performance from the Fallon Academy of Irish Dance.

Speaking after the Mass, Fr Molloy said: “Looking back it has been a very joyful experience—I worked in Canada, then I worked in South Africa, ­Zimbabwe, New Zealand.”

“I’m working as chaplain in a hospital—a joyful, rewarding, exciting experience,” he said. “I’m on the move a lot in life, I’ve been a missionary parish chaplain and now hospital ­chaplain.”

Fr Molloy said among his highlights over the 60 years were working in Canada in 1962. “In Nova Scotia, they speak Gaelic—Cath-olic immigrants went from Scotland and priests went with the communities.”

As well as doing chaplaincy work at the Western and Victoria Hospitals in Edinburgh, Fr Molloy was also a chaplain at Perth Prison in Scotland.

“I had that job for two years. It was very rewarding, because of the bridges you could build with prisoners, hearing their ­stories. One prisoner liked to hear the readings and used to read them at Mass every ­Sunday,” Fr Molloy said.
“At another time, I was in charge of houses in Liverpool and Birmingham. I was the parish priest in Birmingham and Superior in Liverpool, six years for both,” he said.

When Fr Molloy worked in schools in 1965, he said that ‘the young people were unbelievably enthusiastic.’

“The response in schools was unbelievable: every young person wanted to be ready for Masses, the final Mass of the week was the highlight,” he said.