House of Prayer makes a €1.7m profit in 2010

House of Prayer makes a €1.7m profit in 2010


Anton McNulty

THE controversial House of Prayer in Achill made a €1.7 million profit at the end of last year despite falling numbers visiting the centre and allegations of financial irregularities in recent years.
The House of Prayer was founded by religious visionary Christina Gallagher in 1993 who claimed to have the stigmata and receives regular messages direct from the Virgin Mary. Accounts filed with the Companies Registration Office show that the House of Prayer had profits of €1.72m at the end of last year.
In 2006, the Revenue Commissioners stripped the House of Prayer of its charitable status and since then it has had to treat its donations as income. Accounts show that the House of Prayer increased its income in 2010 by 18.7 per cent to €626,282. Donations made up €297,000 of that figure but the mainstay of its income came from the sale of goods and merchandise such as religious snow globes and plastic religious figurines.
The company made €285,000 from the sale of such items, up from €186,000, while café sales and accommodation accounted for another €30,000 of the centre’s income. The wage bill for the House of Prayer was reduced from €273,241 to €267,783 following the cut in employee numbers from 12 to eight in 2010.
Since it opened has attracted thousands of pilgrims from across the world but it has been highly controversial with reports that donations to the centre were funding a ‘lavish’ lifestyle for Christina Gallagher and her family.
A number of former followers claimed that their live savings were taken from them and in 2008, the Archbishop of Tuam, Dr Michael Neary distanced the Catholic Church from its operation.
The House of Prayer has been a huge boost to hotels and B&B’s especially in the Achill Sound region where it is based. However, in recent years there has been a significant fall in the number of pilgrims travelling to the House of Prayer in the large numbers it once enjoyed.