The Society's Cemetery Sunday was held in Kiltegan on Sunday, May 18th, for deceased members from Leinster and Connaught. We were blessed with lovely sunshine as we remembered our dearly departed. May they rest in eternal peace.

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To view a video of the day, please click on the following link:

Cemetery Sunday 2025

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An album of photos is also available on our Facebook page:

Cemetery Sunday 2025 Album

To read the obituaries of deceased members of St Patrick's Missionary Society, from 1942 to 2021, please click on the following link: Fullness of Life

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To view the webcam of St Patrick's Chapel, Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, please click on the following link:

Kiltegan Webcam.

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Please note: Our webcam is used for funerals of Society priests or for special occasions. When these occur, they are announced on our website and the password is removed 15 minutes before the Mass begins. These celebrations can then be viewed by the general public. Because the chapel in St Patrick’s, Kiltegan, is part of the residential home of our retired missionary priests, daily Masses are not available to view. The webcam is password protected due to data protection regulations. 

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Eternal rest grand unto them,

O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Amen.

With sadness we announce the death of Fr Paul Hardy (1964 Class), peacefully on Friday evening, April 4th, 2025, in the Care Unit, St Patrick's, Kiltegan.

Our sincere sympathy to Paul’s family and friends.

May he rest in peace.

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Funeral arrangements are as follows:

Funeral Mass in St Patrick’s Chapel, St Patrick's, Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, on Monday, April 7th at 12 noon followed by burial in the Society Cemetery.

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To view the Funeral Mass recording, please click on the following links:

Funeral Mass, Complete Recording – April 7th (1hr 4mins)

Part Recording – 13 minutes approx

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A Month's Mind Mass took place in Ikot Ekpene, Nigeria, on May 17th.

To read the Homily, please click here.

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Fr Paul Hardy (1937 - 2025)

Paul Hardy was born on the 3rd of July 1937 in 48 Springview Street Belfast to James Hardy and his wife Brigid (née McKenna). He was the eldest of a family of four boys and one girl. Paul attended St Finian’s Primary School, Falls Road, from 1943 to 1951 and had his secondary education in St Malachy’s, Belfast from 1951 to 1956. In September 1956 Paul joined the Spiritual Year in Kiltegan. From 1957 to 1960 he studied for his B.Sc. Degree in University College, Cork and then proceeded to Kiltegan for theology from 1960 to 1964. Paul was among 20 priests ordained for St Patrick’s Missionary Society by Bishop Patrick Cleary SSC on March 29th, 1964, in Killamoate.

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After ordination Paul was appointed to the Archdiocese of Calabar, Nigeria, where he worked in the parish of Mbiakong and Oti-Oron. With the outbreak of the Biafran War in 1967, he returned to Ireland to study for his Diploma of Education at Queen’s University, Belfast. In October 1968, Paul returned to Nigeria, this time to Minna Diocese, where he taught for one year in Fatima Secondary School before transferring to Ikot Ekpene Diocese. He remained in Ikot Ekpene for twenty years where he taught Science in Queen of Apostles Seminary and also worked in St Michael’s parish Midim. In 1987 Paul returned home to be near his ageing mother. He worked in the Society’s Promotion team for mission appeals in Meath diocese for a year and was appointed chaplain in the City hospital Belfast from 1988-92.

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In 1992, Paul returned to Nigeria where he was part of the team that opened a new mission in the vicariate of Bomadi. For 24 years Paul worked among the riverine people of the Niger Delta in the parish of Imiringi. It was here that Paul introduced many of our students to what missionary life was about, before entering the Formation House to begin their training for the missionary priesthood. During that time too he began to build the junior seminary for what now had grown to be the diocese of Bomadi. By 2016 Paul was the only Society priest left in Bomadi and as it had sufficient local priests, he was recalled to Lagos where he ministered to the sick and got in involved in catechesis. In 2020, Paul retired to Ireland and lived in Dublin before he came to live in Kiltegan in 2021.

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Paul was a most zealous Pastor and a much-revered Science teacher by all his students. His ingenious use of conducting scientific experiments were most illuminating as well as entertaining. During his last years in Nigeria, he took on a project of developing a memorial garden in the Formation House to preserve the history of all the Society priests who worked in West Africa. When he retired to Kiltegan he took on a new project of mapping out the Society cemetery which became his labour of love. Paul always kept a close relationship with the Apostolic Workers Society in his home diocese of Down and Connor. He became the bridge between the Apostolic Workers and the Missionaries in the field by helping to send mass boxes and other items they needed for their missionary work. Right to the end Paul kept contact with his friends in Nigeria who will surely miss him. Paul gave his all for the mission and lived a most frugal life and preferred to deny himself many of life’s comforts so that others would have the basic necessities.

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In December 2022, Paul’s health began to decline. However, he kept going and worked on his cemetery projects right to the end, even as his strength began to fade. He died peacefully in the Care Unit in St Patrick’s, Kiltegan, on Friday evening,  April 4th.

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Paul is predeceased by his parents James and Brigid and his infant brother. He is survived by his sister Maura, brothers Ambrose and Alphonsus, brother-in-law John, sister-in-law Christine, nephews and nieces and their families, and his Society family.

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​Ar dheis De go raibh a anam uasal.​

With sadness we announce the  death of Fr Seán O’Dowd (1963 Class) who died on Monday, December 2nd, 2024.

Our sincere sympathy to Seán's family and friends.

May he rest in peace.

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Funeral arrangements are as follows:

Funeral Mass in St Patrick’s Chapel, St Patrick's, Kiltegan, Co Wicklow, on Thursday December 5th at 12 noon followed by burial in the Society Cemetery.

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​​​​​Fr Seán O'Dowd (1937 - 2024)

John Joseph O’Dowd, always known as Seán, was born on the 5th of April 1937 in Aughnacross, Newtowncashel, Co Longford to Patrick O’Dowd and his wife Mary (née Scally). He was the second child of a family of two girls and five boys. Seán attended Cornadown National School and Fermoyle National School from 1942 to 1950 and had his secondary education in St Mel’s College, Longford, from 1950 to 1955.

 

In September 1955 Seán joined the Spiritual Year in Kiltegan. He was one of 7 students from St Mel’s College to join the Society that year. From 1956 to 1959 he studied for the BA degree at University College Cork and then proceeded to Kiltegan for theology. Seán was among 16 priests ordained for St Patrick’s Missionary Society by Bishop Patrick Cleary SSC on 14th April 1963 (Easter Sunday).

 

After ordination Seán was appointed to the diocese of Calabar in Nigeria and his first appointment was to St Joseph’s Teacher Training College in Anua. From 1965 to 1976 he worked in Holy Trinity Secondary School in Uyo. In 1977 Seán took part in a ten-week spirituality programme in Manresa, Dublin. Later that year he was transferred to St Patrick’s College, Calabar, where he spent the following eleven years. In 1989 after completing his time in Nigeria, Seán was appointed to work in Datchet on the Society’s promotion programme in the UK.

 

In 1997 Seán was transferred to Scotland as Director of Promotion. He was given the difficult task by the Society of selling St Patrick’s, Buchlyvie, which had been the home of the Society in Scotland since 1965, and of finding a more suitable premises. In 2003 he opened a new house in Stirling where our promotion base in Scotland is now located. After 21 years on promotion work Seán decided to return to Ireland in order to be near his family. He was appointed to work in Elphin diocese in the parish of St Peter and Paul, Athlone. He also worked for a short period in St Colmcille’s Parish in his native diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois. In 2016 Seán became the Chaplain to the Mercy Sisters in Athlone and in 2017 he went to live in the Divine Master Convent, Athlone. He remained there until he retired to Kiltegan in the summer of 2023.

 

Seán was a very committed missionary who was always prepared to go where the Society needed him. During his days in Nigeria, he devoted himself to his students and was keen to develop their academic side as well as encouraging them in playing games and adopting a healthy lifestyle. After class Seán spent long hours on the playing fields coaching the students and refereeing matches. All this activity kept Seán very fit and healthy. When the Society needed a zealous missionary to promote the work of the Society and invite benefactors to support its work, they found Seán was ready to answer the call. Seán wrote in his memoirs that he enjoyed his twenty-one years on Promotion work in England, Wales and Scotland and did mission appeals in over 700 parishes from Penzance, in the South, to John of Groats in the North. These years gave him the opportunity to indulge in some of his wide variety of interests, the number one being sport, which included the Irish games of hurling and Gaelic football. He was also a keen soccer and rugby fan and had “some wonderful memories of places like Wembley, Twickenham, Old Trafford, Parkhead and Murrayfield”. Horse racing had a special appeal for him, and he was a great admirer of Lester Piggott whom he described as having “the capacity to electrify the grandstand and at the same time terrorise the bookies!!”

 

After retiring to Kiltegan Seán took an active part in the community until his health began to decline. He endured a few challenging months and was admitted to hospital for long periods. He bore his illness with great fortitude and without complaint. He had a great appreciation for the staff who looked after him. He died in Tallaght Hospital just before midnight on the 2nd December, 2024. His sister Collette and his brother Brendan were at his bedside.

 

Seán is predeceased by his parents Patrick and Mary, his brother Michael, his brother-in-law Ray and sister-in-law Maureen. He is survived by his brothers P.J, Gerry and Brendan, his sisters Mary and Collette, his sisters-in-law Teresa, Carmel and Frances, his nieces and nephews and their families, and his Society family.

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​Ar dheis De go raibh a anam uasal.

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