Brophy, Leonard, 1869-1930, Capuchin priest

Michael Brophy was born near the village of Castlecomer in County Kilkenny on 28 September 1869. He joined the Capuchin Franciscans in September 1889 and was ordained to the priesthood in February 1892. He resided in the Church Street Friary in Dublin for several years and was later appointed guardian (local superior) of Holy Trinity Friary in Cork. In 1910 he was assigned to work in the new mission custody established in the United States and was appointed associate pastor of Our Lady of Angels Parish in Hermiston in Oregon. In August 1911 Fr. Leonard was appointed to the Church of the Immaculate Heart in Abbotstown, Pennsylvania. He returned to Ireland in the late 1920s and joined the community of friars residing in Holy Trinity Friary on Father Mathew Quay in Cork. In the public sphere, he held the position of civic chaplain to the Lord Mayor of Cork. He died on 8 December 1930 and was buried in the cemetery attached to the Capuchin Friary in Rochestown, County Cork.

Baptismal name: Michael Brophy
Religious name: Fr. Leonard Brophy OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 28 Sept. 1869
Place of birth: Castlecomer, County Kilkenny (Diocese of Ossory)
Name of father: John Brophy (Farmer)
Name of mother: Ellen Brophy (née Curran)
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 2 Oct. 1885
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1886
Date of final (solemn) profession: 8 Dec. 1890
Date of ordination as a priest: 25 Feb. 1892
Missionary activities: Travelled to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States in 1910-11; Returned to Ireland in the 1920s.
Date of death: 8 Dec. 1930
Place of burial: Cemetery, Capuchin Friary, Rochestown, County Cork