St. Laserian’s Catholic Church
St. Laserian’s Catholic Church
St. Laserian’s Catholic Church is a large T barn building with a date stone of 1793,
although the present structure probably dates from 1830.
In the churchyard you can see a large replica of a nineteenth century high
cross erected by Patrick Francis Moran to commemorate his parents. Patrick
Francis Moran was born in Leighlinbridge in 1830 and attended school
at Ballinabranagh (see St. Patrick’s Trail). He was orphaned at age eleven
whereupon he was taken to Rome by his uncle, Paul Cullen, who was Rector
of the Irish College there. Moran was granted his doctorate at the age of 22
and ordained one year later. He returned to Ireland in 1866 and was appointed
Bishop of Ossory in 1872. He spent 12 years in Kilkenny before moving
to Australia to take up the position of Archbishop of Sydney. He became a
Cardinal in 1885 and spent the rest of his career in Australia. When he died in 1911 at the age of 81, a quarter of a million people witnessed his funeral procession through the centre of Sydney. He is buried in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, a church built by John Therry, a Carlow College graduate. Both their graves can be seen in the crypt of Sydney Cathedral.
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