Father Gallagher Back in South Dakota, May Sabotage Stimulus

Father Cathal Gallagher was the subject of great to-do in the South Dakota media last spring, when government foul-ups led to the Irish priest's uprooting from a happy congregation in DeSmet and near deportation before people power got Washington to wake up and issue the good father a green card.

Now that Sioux Falls paper reports Father Gallagher will be spending some time in South Dakota, filling a role that seems to suit him well, filling in from parish to parish, helping out wherever and whenever he's needed. Father Gallagher does seem to have a little circuit rider in him. He says he's used to traveling so much so that he still hearkens to his missionary days in Japan, "where the unwritten rules was to never accumulate more belongings than one could carry" [Josh Verges, "Irish Priest Returns to South Dakota," that Sioux Falls paper, 2009.02.20].

Now you know why the government wanted to deport him: it wasn't his nationality, but his anti-consumerism. Go around preaching against materialism like that, and who knows what would happen to the economy and sales tax revenues!

Father Gallagher Can Stay -- People Power Works!

KJAM's Matt Hendrickson called yesterday (and sends an e-mail update this morning) to announce that Father Cathal Gallagher got his green card yesterday. What a relief for all involved!

One can say much about the bureaucracy, the snafus, the grief of the folks in Father Gallagher's old parish in Kingsbury County, who still had to give up their priest for a replacement.

This morning, I simply take note of one heartening comment from the very grateful Mr. Hendrickson:

Thanks to everyone for your notes, prayers, blog postings, and other things. Yesterday was not only a happy day for Father G, but for a couple of thousand people (try the 3,000 who signed petitions, wrote letters, and generally came together to fight against this injustice).

If anything, this has shown me that the power of the people can be much greater than the stodgy bureaucracy.

I've said all along, the government is us. Government can do lots of things wrong, but it's up to us to fix them. And if we make the effort, we can win.

Congratulations, Father Gallagher, and best wishes in whatever you are called to do next.

Father Gallagher -- Bittersweet Resolution?

Father Cathal Gallagher has left the building, but not the country. The Irish priest bid farewell to his tearful parishioners in Kingsbury County on Sunday, and was ready to obey the U.S. government, which had told him he had to leave the country on July 1 since immigration officials had lost his application for permanent residency. And then yesterday...

Progress! Father received a call from Senator Johnson’s office informing him of positive progress with his immigration case. Father was instructed a) NOT to leave the country, b) that consideration of his case is progressing in communication with Washington DC, and c) that he should schedule an appointment to get his fingerprints and updated photos taken in Sioux Falls on July 14 (two weeks). He was informed that this is a very positive development, although still nothing is assured at this point [update from HelpFather.com, 2008.07.01].

Better late than never. But the Sioux Falls Diocese has already installed a new priest in the Kingsbury County parishes, so, as Father Gallagher tells KSFY, "All options are open, the only option that's not open is returning to Kingsbury County."

Even in this surprise step toward a bittersweet victory, Father Gallagher remains humble:

Still shell shocked by the changing events, Gallagher tells me he is humbled by those who fought to give him this second chance. "I've done nothing to earn what came today" [Brian Allen, "DeSmet Priest Immigration Case Now Under Federal Review," KSFY.com, 2008.07.01].

Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you... and sometimes everybody gets bit.

Ná Díbrigí An t-Ath. Ó Gallchóir!

...don't deport Father Gallagher!

While reader Michael Blume (see correction at bottom of article) says people like me need to move to New York, a reader from Queens sends a token of appreciation:



Thanks for the bumper sticker, dear Celtic reader! I wish I could return the favor by publishing a Gaelic edition of the Madville Times, but we just don't have the staff... ;-)

Father Gallagher gave a wonderfully eloquent yet humble interview on SDPB Wednesday. Despite having every right to sound defiant and indignant, Father Gallagher spoke with nothing but love for his congregation and South Dakota, appreciation for all those who have rallied to his cause, and pure submission to God's will, wherever it may take him. (Readers, you can determine within your own theology whether you consider bungling by U.S. immigration officials as God's will.)

Father Gallagher also made special mention of Governor Rounds for taking a very active interest in the case and making calls to various officials trying to get them to come to their senses, process the papers, and stop Father Gallagher's deportation. Let's hope someone in Washington is listening!

p.s.: Here's proof positive that the sender of the bumper sticker is from New York... and has spectacular penmanship! "Lake Herman" never looked better in print.

Father Gallagher on SDPB Tomorrow

Father Cathal Gallagher of DeSmet faces deportation in one week, assuming the bureaucrats don't find the priest's permanent residency application that they lost in some desk in Washington, DC. The good father got some good press in that Sioux Falls paper on Sunday; now SDPB gives Father Gallagher a chance to tell his story on the air. Listen to Father Gallagher tomorrow (Wednesday) noon on Dakota Midday.

DeSmet Still Fighting for Priest, Getting Wider Press

No word from the feds yet on whether they'll 'fess up to their mistakes and let Father Cathal Gallagher keep preaching in Kingsbury County. The folks around DeSmet have been working hard to keep the government from deporting the Irish priest, gathering signatures, contacting our elected officials, and, according to the latest (June 9) update on the "Help Father" website, appealing to the regional immigration office in Nebraska for a re-opening of Father Gallagher's application for permanent residency. The Lincoln office held a hearing on the case last week and is expected to issue a ruling within days.

There's no guarantee this will help, but the case is getting some wider press. New York's Irish Voice and Irish Echo have picked up the story. The story gets coverage in Dublin's Irish Times and a mention from the venerable BBC. Let's hope some more positive attention comes Father Gallgher's way to stave off his July 1 deportation date.

Homeland Security to Deport DeSmet Priest

"Committed to keeping America for Americans" -- Dr. Charles Lyonel Gonyo, Republican Candidate for Senate

Local media man Matt Hendrickson draws my attention to this story of Homeland Security and immigration policy gone haywire: Father Cathal Gallagher of DeSmet, a Catholic priest and Irish citizen who has served three churches in Kingsbury County for over ten years, faces deportation. The Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls put in an application for permanent residency for the good father back in 2001. The immigration branch of Homeland Security actually approved the application two years later, but since then some "technical error" has taken place, and Uncle Sam is giving Father Gallagher the boot.

Not only can't the Bush Administration catch Osama bin Laden, they can't even keep the paperwork straight on a Catholic priest doing the Lord's work in South Dakota. Good grief.

Father Gallagher has the support of his parishioners: they've set up a website -- HelpFather.com -- that tells his story. After 23 years of service in Japan (the feds must think he became an operative for Aum Shinrikyo), Father Gallagher came to the windy prairies at the personal request of Bishop Carlson, and what was supposed to be just a brief stay turned into a decade of deeply appreciated service.

Now Father Gallagher suffers from no entitlement complex. He knows rules are rules. As he tells KSFY:

I have no right to live in this country. It's your country. I depend on your graciousness and goodness of your government to allow me to live in this country [quoted by Caitlin Haedicke, "DeSmet Catholic Priest Forced to Leave U.S.," KSFY.com, 2008.05.27].

Good Catholics all, Father Gallagher's parishioners aren't going to sit around and wait for grace from the bureaucracy; they're going to save Father Gallagher by works. Says Matt H. at KJAM:

It's funny. My aunt Patty and her family go to St. Thomas and when Father Gallagher said what was happening he said it was "God's Will." Before he left the station today, I grabbed his hand and said, "Father, God's will is also having friends and people who are willing to fight for you" [Matt Hendrickson, personal e-mail, 2008.05.27].

Father Gallagher's flock are praying and tying green ribbons around the trees in DeSmet. They're also collecting signatures online (yes, go sign now), calling our elected officials, and trying to get the word out to as many people as possible about our government's bungling.

12 million people working here illegally for unpatriotic businesses who don't want to pay full wages, and our government concentrates on deporting an Irish Catholic priest? This is big government (brought to you by the Bush Republicans) at its worst.

p.s.: I lay even odds that Bob Ellis posts something about Father Gallagher's deportation as evidence of the ongoing war on Christianity.