Fr Robert I. O'Rourke
13 June 1932 - 3 October 2018
Fr Robert I. O’Rourke died on 3 October 2018 at St Elizabeth
Manor, Bristol, Rhode Island, USA. Born on 13 June 1932 he was the son of the late Eugene Joseph O’Rourke
and Mary Bridget (O'Connor) O’Rourke. He was the brother of the late Joseph,
Timothy, Richard, Eugene, Br Terrance O’Rourke of Glenmary Home Missions,
Margaret Baffoe and Loretta Coogan. He
is survived by many nieces and nephews.
Chapel of St James
Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Chicago [Wikipedia]
Young Bob attended St Ailbe's Grade School
and Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Chicago. He later attended St. Mary of the Lake Seminary and after
spiritual year at St Columban's,, Silver Creek, New York, he went
to St Columban's Major Seminary in Milton, Massachusetts.
He was ordained on 20 December 20, 1958 in the Seminary Chapel by Bishop Eric MacKenzie, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston.
In
the summer of 1959 Father Bob did a course in Social Science in Antigonish, Nova
Scotia and in December 1959 he was appointed to Burma (now Myanmar).
St Columban's Cathedral, Myitkyina, Myanmar [Wikipedia]
In
November 1962 he arrived in Myitkyina and began language study in Tingsing. The
following November Father Bob was assistant in Makawkzup in the Myitkyina diocese
and in October 1965 he opened up a new parish in Kamaing about 65 miles west of
Myitkyina. In September 1966 the Burmese
government compelled Father Bob to leave Burma before the end of that year due to new
visa restrictions.
After returning to the United States he was
appointed to do vocation work in Los Angeles in March 1967. He was appointed
superior of the Los Angeles house in 1969.
In
1975 Father Bob was assigned to Lima Peru. Starting in May 1977 he began serving
in Tahuantinsuyo where there was a charismatic ministry, youth groups and a
catechumenate. In December 1983 he was
assigned to Huasahuasi.
Cathedral of St John the Evangelist, Lima, Peru [Wikipedia]
Fr Bob O’Rourke and Fr Michael Donnelly were the first resident priests in the
parish for some time. Until leaving there in December1989, they worked a
pastoral programme catering to the varied needs of the widespread parish. The
majority of the people were potato farmers. During those years Tarma and
adjoining areas were the scene of escalating terrorist violence on the part of
the Maoist- Leninist group Sendero Luminoso, 'The Shining Path'. Many
towns were without police or other civil authority. Fathers Bob and Michael
continued to carry out their pastoral work while the terrorists became more
audacious and brutal, generating an atmosphere of fear and tension throughout
the country, especially in isolated zones such as Huasahuasi. When the priests
were told by a reliable person that they were on a death-list and that the
terrorists were coming to the town at Christmas, Fathers Bob and Michael prudently
decided to go to Lima and left within days for their respective countries where
they recuperated from the stress.
In
January 1990 Father Bob was assigned to US Region of the Columbans. He became associate editor of
Columban Mission magazine and at Easter 1991 he became Editor of the Regional
Newsletter.
In
August 1992 Father Bob began work with the Spanish Apostolate at Immaculate
Conception Church in Grand Prairie, Texas. The people there appreciated his
homilies for their stories and brevity. In 1998 he returned to Omaha as
house bursar and presided over the 47th and final Annual Columban Festival
there. The Festival was the last of a
successful cycle that at its peak, in the early 1970s, drew over 20,000 people
to St Columban’s on a summer weekend and raised over $80,000 for the
Society. Father Bob noted that the Festival
was less about funding than connecting with the local community. In October
2001 he was elected as Chairman of the Regional Reconciliation Board.
Father Bob
retired to St Columban's, Bristol, Rhode Island, in March, 2004 where he resided in retirement, participating
actively in community life for the last 14 years.
Fr O'Rourke was buried in St Mary's Cemetery, Bristol, RI, after the funeral Mass in the chapel at St Columban's. May he rest in peace.
St Columban, Bristol, RI, USA
Fr Bob O'Rourke served in Peru from 1975 till 1989.
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