Showing 282 results

Fr. Ignatius is dead! Our Congregation has lost an excellent subject on earth, but has gained, as we trust, a saint in heaven. It is very difficult to do justice in a short space to the life of such a great servant of God; it would take volumes. Still, something must be said if only to render to the memory of the deceased the tribute of our veneration.

 Fr. Ignatius of St. Paul, born the Hon. George Spencer, was the link, so to say, between the death and resurrection of the Catholic Church in England. It was he who threw the first stone that made Protestantism begin to crumble, and it was he who was to be the corner-stone of the Catholic Church which is now rising from its ruins.
 As a youth he received the sort of education that is usually given to the English aristocracy. He went first to Eton, and from there to Cambridge, where, at the age of 22, he received the Orders which the English call "sacred" and became a minister in the Anglican church. A brilliant career lay before the young minister. Noble birth, influential friends, his own personal gifts and virtues - all pointed to a high position in the Anglican hierarchy.
The Truth, however, which had already begun to enlighten his mind, was to bring to naught all such expectations. With the help of God's grace he began to see the life of a minister and a preacher of the Gospel in a very different light from that of his countrymen. The sacredness of his vocation, he felt, was not compatible with pomp or wealth or the bonds of matrimony. And so he resolved to lead a celibate life and to adopt a life-style which seemed to him more in conformity with the demands of the Gospel, even though at this time he still considered the Catholic Church to be wrong on these very issues.
 There were a number of other things, too, which made him feel ill at ease in his present position. To clear his mind once for all of the many doubts that plagued him, he decided to make an earnest study of other religious systems - a study to which he gave himself with a methodical thoroughness all his own. It was all to no avail. But in the end a ray of that "light which enlightens every man" dispelled all doubts from his mind and made him clearly understand that the true Church of Christ was the catholic Church, and that outside her there is no salvation. For a heart as generous and honest as his, that was enough, and he decided to become a Catholic there and then. He was received into the Church in February, 1830. Far from ever regretting the step he had so courageously taken, he never ceased to thank God for the great grace he had received, and it was his constant endeavour to ensure that all his countrymen should share the same favour.
 Shortly after becoming a Catholic he went, on the advice of his bishop, to the English College in Rome to study for the priesthood. It was surely by a special dispensation of Divine Providence that he was ordained on 28th May, 1832, the feast of St. Augustine, the Apostle of England, in the church of St. Gregory - the very place where that Pope had commissioned St. Augustine to preach the Gospel in England. He said his first Mass on the feast of St. Bede according to the Benedictine calendar. Fr. Ignatius never tired of telling that story to his brethren, and he had already written to Fr. Dominic about it, full of gratitude to the Lord for such a privilege.
 After his ordination he returned to England where he generously gave himself and all he possessed to whatever work was given him to do. For 15 years he was a model priest in the Birmingham diocese, undertaking whatever duty was assigned to him by his Bishop. He built churches, founded missions and generously contributed to the re-establishment of the Catholic Church in that diocese. Because of his outstanding merits, a special "office" was created for him in Oscott College. It had to be abandoned later on for want of anybody capable of following in the footsteps of Fr. Ignatius.
 In 1846 he made a retreat at a house of the Jesuit Fathers. After it, to the surprise of everyone, including himself, he discovered he had a vocation to the Passionist Congregation. He wrote immediately to Fr. Dominic, who was then Superior of the Order in England, and he received the holy habit at his hands on 5th June, 1847. He was professed the following year, taking the name Ignatius as a gesture of gratitude to the Author of the Spiritual Exercises, through which, under God, he had received his vocation.
 His profession marked the beginning of a new life - not in the sense that his former life, especially since he had became a Catholic, needed any kind of reform, but in the sense that, whereas his work until then had been limited to a comparatively small number of people and places, from now on the whole of England as well as Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany and Italy would become his mission field.
 In speaking of the virtues of Fr. Ignatius it is hard to know where to begin. The love of God and zeal for His glory had so taken possession of his heart that he could scarcely think of anything else. The constant subject of his conversation was how to overcome heresy and combat sin. Any other subject left him uninterested, to the point that he would often drop off to sleep in the midst of such conversations. He would gladly have travelled the whole world over to set all men's hearts on fire with the love of God that burned so brightly in his own. His prudence and the obedience which he had vowed put a brake on his zeal, but his fervour, far from growing less, only increased the more because, as he used to say, what one does under obedience is not only more pleasing to God, but more efficacious for saving souls.
 Because of the poverty of the Congregation and the special needs of the Province, the Superiors were often obliged to ask Fr. Ignatius to travel to many places all over the country to raise money. Not only did he always undertake such a difficult task with prompt obedience, but he would take advantage of it to give greater scope to his zeal in the way we shall now describe.
 We have already said how he had set his mind on bringing back his own people to the Catholic Church. He in no way disapproved of the ordinary means of making converts such as preaching, etc., but he held that the most efficacious way was to pray, and to pray through the intercession of her of whom the Church sings: "Rejoice, O Virgin Mary, for thou alone hast overcome all heresies in the whole world." So it was that Fr. Ignatius took advantage of the travels he undertook under obedience in many countries of Europe to ask of all prayers for the conversion of England. In order to encourage people to pray for this intention, he asked and obtained the blessing of the Pope, who went so far as to grant indulgences to the recitation of three Hail Marys together with the invocation "Our Lady, Help of Christians, pray for us." He took this as the sign of approval of his unique mission. There is no telling how much this devotion spread, and is still spreading, throughout a great part of Europe, or what benefits may be hoped for as a result. It is a fact that from the time when Fr. Ignatius started this devotion, initiated what we may call a campaign of prayer, so many converts have been received in England, so many churches and schools have been built, so many convents and monasteries founded, that it would seem that England is no longer what it was 30 years ago. All this is surely the fruit of the prayers said and the prayers asked for by Fr. Ignatius.
 To zeal for the glory of God and the conversion of his country, Fr. Ignatius added a great love of the Regular Observance. So great was his zeal for the Observance that his Superiors often had to moderate it. It often happened that, coming home at night tired and weary after a whole day's work in the confessional or in conducting spiritual exercises, he would have got up for Matins at all costs if his Superiors or his confessor had not forbidden him to do so. Generous as he was himself, he could not understand how a religious, or even a Catholic in the world, could commit even one deliberate fault however small. He used to say that he did not like to hear people say - a thing you hear even from the lips of religious occasionally - "I should be quite happy if I get to Purgatory." His maxim was that we must not be content with mediocrity when it is so easy to reach perfection.
 His trust in Divine Providence and his acceptance of God's Will were boundless. Whatever happened to anyone, he wanted it to be seen as a gift from God's hand and as such something to be grateful for. "Thank God for everything" was a phrase that was constantly on his lips. One day he was walking along a dark and lonely road and fell to thinking how easy it would be for an enemy to kill him with just one shot. When asked what he would do in such a case, his answer was: "I should hope to have at least one moment to thank our Lord for the bullet that hit me."
 So profound was his humility that he seemed to have forgotten his noble origins altogether and the esteem in which he was held by people of all walks of life. Kind and affable towards everybody, he took special pleasure in dealing with the poor and the ignorant and with little children. He was never heard to complain. For him everything was good. Even the worst prepared food, the oldest and most patched clothing were to him like the finest gifts.
 He held successively a number of offices in the Congregation. First he was Master of Novices. Then Fr. Dominic, before he died, appointed him his successor as Superior in England. Then for three years he was Rector of our house in London, after which he was elected Provincial Consultor - an office he held for nine years, i.e. until 1863 when in the chapter held that year he was elected Rector of St. Anne's Retreat, Sutton, near Liverpool.
 He had often expressed the wish to die like St. Francis Xavier or like Fr. Dominic, alone and abandoned by all. Through an extraordinary combination of circumstances, or rather by a special dispensation of Divine Providence, his wish was granted. He was preaching in Scotland one of his "Little Missions" - not so "little" judged by the results they produced. These lasted for three days, with two sermons a day and confessions which he heard during all the time that remained between saying Mass and taking his brief rest. (He had already given 245 such missions since 1857 in England, Ireland and Scotland.)
 On Friday, 30th September, he had finished one of these missions in a place called Coatbridge, and had been hearing confessions until midnight. At 6 o'clock on the Saturday morning he went back into the confessional until 7.30, when he said Mass. He then got ready to go to Leith where he intended to start another mission that same day. When he got to Carstairs he found the train was not leaving for two hours. Not to waste time, he decided to pay a visit to an old friend of his, named Mr. Monteith, who lived in the vicinity. But it was here that death awaited him. He had a sudden heart attack and dropped dead about 100 yards from his friend's house, without anybody seeing him or being able to help him. His whole life, however, had been one long preparation for death, and so we have every ground for hope that the Lord has already crowned him with the glory that was waiting for him.

Fr. Ignatius of the Child Jesus, the Provincial, received word of the death by telegram. With some of the religious he went at once to the place where the servant of God had died. When the necessary arrangements had been made, the remains were taken on the following Monday to our monastery at Sutton where the Solemn Requiem was celebrated on 6th October. The funeral was attended by a large number of people, clerical and lay, as well as by the community of Sutton and religious from other houses of the Province. The Solemn Requiem was celebrated by the Provincial, and after it the Bishop of Birmingham, Dr. Ullathorne, preached the panegyric to the large and very attentive congregation that had assembled for the occasion. After the Mass, the Bishop together will all the priests present and a large concourse of people accompanied the body to its final resting place. Inside the tomb the following inscription was placed:

  "The mortal remains of Father Ignatius of St. Paul, of the Congregation of the Passion and of the noble family of Spencer. He was at first an Anglican minister; then, having been converted to the Catholic Church, was ordained to the priesthood in Rome in the year 1832. With admirable constancy of mind he laboured for more than 30 years for the conversion of his country. He was numbered among the sons of the Passion in the year 1847, and throughout his life gave an example of all the virtues to his brethren. He journeyed throughout England, Ireland and Scotland, and even in Italy, Germany and France, exhorting the people to their own sanctification and forming them, as it were, into a sacred army to pour forth prayers for the conversion of England. He was engaged in this most gratifying work in Scotland when, on 1st. October, 1864, having offered the Sacrifice of the Mass, he was on his way to visit a friend he had long been acquainted with (Mr. Robert Monteith). He died suddenly at his friend's door, being assisted by God whose glory he had ever sought, and by the angels whose purity he had imitated. His life came to an end in the 65th year of his age. May he rest in peace."

(translated from the Italian)

[ The Italian version of the above obituary notice was discovered recently in the library of Scala Sancta Retreat, Rome. A photostat copy was sent to us (December, 1976) by Fr. Frederico, Postulator General. Signed: Ignatius C.P. (St. Joseph's Province.)]

Henry O'Connor was Provincial of the Irish Vincentian Province 1932-1942. He was also President of Castleknock College 1926-1932.

Born in Sheastown in County Kilkenny, Michael Butler entered the Capuchin novitiate on 25 September 1896 taking Casimir as his religious name. He was ordained a priest in September 1903 and was subsequently appointed to the teaching staff of the Seraphic College in Rochestown in County Cork. In 1910 he was among the first Irish friars to undertake missionary work in the United States. His first appointment was in Hermiston in Oregon which was then a desolate railroad settlement. The task awaiting him was daunting as Fr. Thomas Dowling OFM Cap. noted: ‘whoever is appointed to Hermiston must be prepared for a lonely, self-sacrificing life’. The Servite Fathers who had arrived in Hermiston in early 1909, left the diocese in January 1910. Casimir began work immediately in Hermiston and completed a small church with a second-floor dwelling reached by an outside ladder. In 1912, with the assistance of Fr. Malachy Hynes OFM Cap., a new location was secured from the Maxwell Land and Irrigation Company. Fr. Brendan O’Callaghan OFM Cap. replaced Fr. Malachy in 1913 and Fr. Seraphin O’Reilly OFM Cap. arrived the following year. Together the friars built a new church which was consecrated on 24 October 1915. Before he left Hermiston, Casimir had built three mission churches including the Church of St. Patrick at Umatilla in Oregon. From Hermiston he went to the Old Mission Santa Inés in California where he and Fr. Stephen Murtagh OFM Cap. took charge following the death of Fr. Albert Bibby OFM Cap. on 14 February 1925. In 1929 Casimir joined the newly established Irish Capuchin mission in Cape Town, South Africa. In January 1932 he was appointed the first Superior Regular of the Irish Capuchin mission in Africa. He also ministered for some years in the pioneering Capuchin mission in Barotseland in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). Ill-health forced his return to Ireland from Africa in December 1946. He died in Dublin on 18 January 1958 and was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.

Baptismal name: Michael Butler
Religious name: Fr. Casimir Butler OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 12 Oct. 1876
Place of birth: Kilkenny, Diocese of Ossory
Name of father: Tobias Butler
Name of mother: Catherine Butler (née Murphy)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 25 Sept. 1896
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1897
Date of solemn profession: 2 Aug. 1902
Date of ordination (as priest): 13 Sept. 1903
Educational attainments: BA (RUI), 1901
Missionary assignments: Travelled to Hermiston, Oregon in 1910; Travelled to South Africa in 1929; Returned to Ireland in December 1946
Leadership positions: Superior Regular Foreign Missions in Africa (1932)
Date of death: 18 Jan. 1958
Place of death: Church Street, Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

Francis Cantillon was born near the village of Glounthaune in County Cork on 20 June 1880. He attended the local diocesan seminary for several years, but after some discernment entered the Capuchin novitiate in September 1899. Having completed his philosophical and theological studies, he was ordained on 16 March 1907. In 1910 he was appointed guardian (local superior) of the Capuchin friary in Kilkenny. Following the completion of his term as guardian, he engaged in the ministry of preaching missions and retreats throughout Ireland. He was transferred to the United States in 1926 and took up residence in Mendocino County in California. Later that year he assisted Fr. Thomas Dowling OFM Cap. in ministering in Visitation Valley near San Francisco. This assignment was a temporary one as within a few months the Irish friars were given the administration of the new parish of Our Lady of Angels in Burlingame, California. They resided there in a small house on Cortez Avenue. In 1931 Fr. Berchmans was appointed Pastor of Our Lady of Angels parish in Ukiah, a position he filled until 1937 when he took up the position of pastor of the church of St. Francis of Assisi in Bend, Oregon. His health began to decline in subsequent years, and he retired from active ministry in 1940. He moved to Los Angeles and died there on 12 March 1942. He was laid to rest in the Capuchin plot in Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Baptismal name: Francis Cantillon
Religious name: Fr. Berchmans Cantillon OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 20 June 1880
Place of birth: Rockfarm, Glounthaune, County Cork
Name of father: Denis Cantillon
Name of mother: Mary Ellen Cantillon (née Mahony)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 8 Sept. 1899
Date of first profession: 8 Sept. 1900
Date of final profession: 25 Sept. 1904
Date of ordination (as priest): 16 Mar. 1907
Educational attainments: BA (RUI)
Missionary assignments: Travelled to Los Angeles, California, in 1926
Date of Death: 12 March 1942
Place of death: Queen of Angels Hospital, Los Angeles, California, United States
Place of burial: Calvary Cemetery, Los Angeles, California, United States

James Killian was born in County Longford on 11 January 1872. He entered the Capuchin Franciscan Order and took Camillus as his religious name in 1893. He was ordained by Archbishop William Walsh in St. Mary of the Angels, Church Street, Dublin, in February 1902. For several years he was on the teaching staff of Rochestown College in Cork (March 1902-September 1906). He later acted as a missioner in Church Street, Dublin (until 1907), and guardian (local superior) of the Capuchin Friary in Kilkenny (from 1907-1910). He travelled to the United States in late 1911 and was appointed pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish in Roseburg in Oregon in January 1912. During Fr. Killian’s pastorate a new stucco church was begun which was dedicated by the Most Reverend Alexander Christie (1848-1925), Archbishop of Oregon City, in 1916. Camillus was later transferred to Abbottstown in Pennsylvania where he assisted the friars in giving retreats and novenas. In 1917 he was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Angels parish in Hermiston, Oregon. He returned to Ireland in 1920 and ministered from the Capuchin Friary on Church Street in the capital. He was appointed spiritual director to the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis confraternity and later served as Provincial Definitor (Councillor) from 1931 to 1933. He died in a nursing home on Jervis Street in Dublin on 14 December 1941. He was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.

Baptismal name: James Killian
Religious name: Fr. Camillus Killian OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 11 Jan. 1872
Place of birth: Moher, Pollagh, County Longford (Diocese of Elphin)
Name of father: Laurence Killian
Name of mother: Sarah Killian (née Connolly)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Franciscan Order: 23 Mar. 1893
Date of first profession 24 April 1894
Date of final profession: 25 Dec. 1897
Date of ordination (as priest): 23 Feb. 1902
Educational Attainments: B.A. (Royal University of Ireland, Cork), 1901
Overseas Missions: Left Ireland for the Western American Capuchin Mission at Roseburg, Oregon, on 10 Dec. 1911. He arrived in Oregon in early 1912. He returned to Ireland in 1920.
Other appointments: Fr. Killian was Guardian (Superior) in the Capuchin Friary, Kilkenny from 1907-10. He served as Provincial Defintor (Councillor) from 1931-3.
Date of death: 14 Dec. 1941
Place of death: Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

James O’Sullivan was born in Cork on 2 April 1887. He was the only son of James and Mary O’Sullivan of Deane Street and later of Lower George’s Street in the city. His early education was with the Christian Brothers and at the Seraphic College in Rochestown in County Cork. He entered the Capuchin novitiate in August 1902 and took Cyril as his religious name. Following a course in philosophy and theology, he was ordained on 29 May 1910. Shortly after his ordination he undertook a postgraduate course in the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium obtaining a Doctorate in Philosophy from the Philosophical Institute of Leo XIII. Returning to his native city, he completed a Master of Arts and was appointed a lecturer in philosophy (Mental and Moral Science) in University College Cork. He was instrumental in the opening of St. Bonaventure’s Capuchin Hostel in Cork and was appointed its first guardian (local superior) in 1919. An enthusiastic supporter of Gaelic games and a fluent Irish speaker, he was involved in the promotion of hurling in various schools and colleges in Cork. He died (following a brief illness) in Cork on 9 December 1921. He was buried in the cemetery attached to the Capuchin Friary in Rochestown in County Cork.

Baptismal name: James O’Sullivan
Religious name: Fr. Cyril O’Sullivan OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 2 Apr. 1887
Place of birth: 14 Deane Street, Cork
Name of father: James O’Sullivan
Name of mother: Mary O’Sullivan (née O’Brien)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 24 Aug. 1902
Date of first profession: 17 Sept. 1903
Date of final profession: 31 July 1908
Date of ordination (as priest): 29 May 1910
Educational attainments: BA (RUI), 1909; MA (RUI), 1915; Doctorate in Philosophy (Louvain)
Date of death: 9 Dec. 1921
Place of death: Cork
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, Cork

Edward Bourke was born in Kilkenny city on 27 February 1890. He studied at the Seraphic College in Rochestown, County Cork, and joined the Capuchin Franciscan Order in 1906 taking Canice as his religious name. He was ordained to the priesthood in August 1906. He earned a BA degree from University College Cork in 1911. He was appointed guardian (local superior) of Holy Trinity Friary in Cork in 1933. He also served as superior of St. Bonaventure’s Hostel in Cork in 1946 and was instrumental in establishing the Capuchin House of Studies in Raheny in Dublin in the late 1940s. He was elected Provincial Definitor (Councillor) on several occasions. He returned to his native Kilkenny in 1959. Fr. Canice spent much of his ministry giving missions and retreats and was well known for his effective and energetic preaching. For many years, he served as Commissary Provincial of the Third Order of St. Francis confraternity. A fluent Irish speaker, he was also the author of several devotional texts including ‘Mary / A study of the Mother of God’ (1936), ‘Humility / the foundation of spiritual life’ (1951), and ‘Mary’s Rosary / Its devout recital’ (1960). He died in Dublin on 2 October 1969 and was buried on the Feast of St. Francis (4 October) in Glasnevin Cemetery.

Baptismal name: Edward Bourke
Religious name: Fr. Canice Bourke OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 27 Feb. 1890
Place of birth: High Street, Kilkenny (Diocese of Ossory)
Name of father: James Bourke (Draper)
Name of mother: Catherine Walsh
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 26 Aug. 1906
Date of first profession: 17 Sept. 1907
Date of final profession: 21 Jan. 1912
Date of ordination (as priest): 5 July 1914
Educational attainments: BA (NUI), 1911
Leadership positions: Provincial Definitor: 1928-31, 1937-41, 1943-6, 1946-9, 1949-51, 1952-5; Custos General: 1940-3, 1955-8.
Date of death: 2 Oct. 1969
Place of death: St. Michael’s Hospital, Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin
Place of burial: Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin

Baptismal name: Joseph Jennings
Religious name: Fr. Bernard Jennings OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 21 Feb. 1850
Place of birth: Donoughmore, County Cork
Name of father: Joseph Jennings
Name of mother: Catherine Jennings (née Buckley)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 12 Nov. 1874
Date of first profession: 12 Nov. 1875
Date of final profession: 26 Nov. 1878
Date of ordination (as priest): 13 July 1879
Leadership positions: Fr. Bernard served as Guardian (local superior) of the Church Street community in Dublin from 1883-1886. He served as Provincial Minister (Superior) of the Irish Capuchins from 1895 to 1898.
Date of death: 26 Dec. 1904
Place of death: Private Hospital, 9 Lower Lesson Street, Dublin

Thomas Joyce was born near Urlingford in County Kilkenny on 15 June 1906. He joined the Capuchin Franciscans in October 1926 and took Gerard his religious name. He enjoyed a brilliant academic career in Rome (gaining a Licentiate in Canon Law) and in Ireland (a Higher Diploma in Education from University College Cork). He was ordained to the priesthood at Ard Mhuire Capuchin Friary in County Donegal in June 1933. In 1937 he travelled to the Prefecture of Victoria Falls in Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia) and ministered in the region around Sihole for seven years. He died of blackwater fever at the mission outpost of Kalabo on 12 July 1944 at the age of just thirty-five. Fr. Capistran Singleton OFM Cap., a fellow missionary friar, ministered to him in his final hours while Br. Alexius Paolucci OFM Cap. made his coffin with some wooden planks intended for the new church.

Baptismal name: Thomas Joyce
Religious name: Fr. Gerard Joyce OFM Cap.
Place of birth: The Islands, Urlingford, County Kilkenny (Diocese of Ossory)
Date of birth: 15 June 1906
Name of father: Patrick Joyce (Farmer)
Name of mother: Mary Joyce (née Hennessy)
Date of reception into Capuchin Order: 4 Oct. 1926
Date of first profession: 5 Oct. 1927
Date of final profession: 5 Oct. 1930
Date of ordination (as priest): 29 June 1933
Educational attainments: BA (1930); LIC (Rome, 1933-6); returned from Rome in 1936 to prepare for missionary work in Africa
Missionary activities: Travelled to the Prefecture of Victoria Falls, Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia), in 1937
Date of death: 12 July 1944
Place of death: Kalabo, Northern Rhodesia (died of Blackwater Fever). Fr. Capistran Singleton OFM Cap. was with him.

John Brendan Herlihy was born in the village of Knocknagree in County Cork on 11 March 1911. He joined the Capuchin Franciscan Order in October 1928 and took Agathangelus as his religious name. He studied in Rome and was later ordained to the priesthood in Letterkenny, County Donegal, in June 1935. In the following year he volunteered for missionary work in Africa. He initially worked in the missionary territory in the Prefecture of Victoria Falls in Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia). In the 1940s he was appointed guardian (local superior) and parish priest of St. Mary of the Angels Friary in Athlone just outside Cape Town in South Africa. On 9 September 1958 he arrived in New Zealand and was appointed the first guardian of the community at 186 Glenmore Street in Northland, a suburb of Wellington. He was also the first Capuchin priest in St. Vincent de Paul Parish (now Otari Parish) in Northland-Kelburn in Wellington. He was diagnosed with cancer and died in Wellington on 5 June 1968. He was buried in Karori Cemetery, Wellington

Baptismal name: John Brendan Herlihy
Religious name: Fr. Agathangelus Herlihy OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 11 Mar. 1911
Place of birth: Knocknagree, Couny Cork (Diocese of Kerry)
Name of father: John Herlihy
Name of mother: Catherine Herlihy (née Sullivan)
Date of reception in the Capuchin Order: 5 Oct. 1928
Date of first profession: 6 Oct. 1929
Date of final profession: 6 Oct. 1932
Date of ordination (as priest): 23 June 1935 (St. Eunan’s Cathedral, Letterkenny)
Educational attainments: 1st class hons., BA, 1931
Missionary activity: Travelled to the Prefecture of Victoria Falls, Northern Rhodesia (later Zambia), on 31 Oct. 1936; Travelled to Wellington, New Zealand, on 21 June 1958
Leadership positions: Appointed first discreet of the Victoria Falls Mission, Northern Rhodesia, on 28 March 1946; Appointed second discreet of the Livingstone Mission, Northern Rhodesia, on 24 Nov. 1950 (re-appointed on 6 June 1954).
Date of death: 5 June 1968
Place of death: Calvary Hospital, Wellington, New Zealand
Place of burial: Karori Cemetery, Wellington, New Zealand