The employment appeals tribunal has rejected a claim by a diocesan secretary that she was unfairly dismissed in 2002 by the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, the Reverend James Moriarty.

It was the third time that Mary Sheehy of Green Road, Carlow has sought legal redress for her dismissal from the job she called "her life". She had been working for the diocese since 1974, when she was headhunted by then bishop, Reverend Patrick Lennon, from a career job with the Carlow VEC.

In February 2004, 18 months after she was told to "be gone by tomorrow", the High Court dismissed Sheehy's claim for relief and in April 2008, the Supreme Court upheld the High Court's decision.

But speaking to the Sunday Tribune last week, Sheehy was determined to continue her fight against the Catholic church, to which she says she is still devoted.

"I have been defrauded of my life and my future and since I took on the church in the courts my character has been assassinated. Nobody wants to take on the church," said Sheehy.

Sheehy explained that in late 2001, Bishop Lennon's successor, Bishop Laurence Ryan, fell ill and tendered his resignation which didn't come into effect until August 2002, when Bishop Moriarty was appointed.

It was during this interregnum period, she says, that moves were made by other priests in the diocese to get rid of her in preparation for the arrival of the new bishop.

"A consultant was brought in to 'evaluate' my job which I knew was the start of the efforts to get rid of me. They offered me early retirement but I refused," she said.

In July 2002, Sheehy, who is now living on social welfare, says she was called down to the sitting room of the bishop's house and told by a priest to be gone by the next day and leave the keys on the desk. She says she has a €200,000 mortgage taken out in 2000 on the strength of the job and a pension she was assured was hers until age 65.

A spokesman for the diocese said last week that since late 2001, it has made repeated efforts to arrive at a satisfactory redundancy settlement with Sheehy that would reflect her long years of service.

"Regrettably the diocese has had to defend numerous legal actions, culminating in the ruling by the Supreme Court that the diocese acted lawfully," said the spokesman.

"Unfortunately all efforts by the diocese to conclude this matter by payment of redundancy and transfer of pension entitlements have been rejected by Sheehy," the spokesman said.