Fr Cathal
Coulter
(1931-2014)
His first
appointment was to post-graduate studies at Fordham University, New York, followed by
further studies at Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. Then for three years he
served as an Observer for Caritas International at the United Nations, New York.
He was assigned to vocations work from West Chester, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1960 and
became Director of Promotion in the US Region in 1967. This involved a move to
Omaha, Nebraska. He served two terms as Director of the US Region from 1977 to
1983. He was responsible for setting up low-cost housing for the elderly on
surplus Columban property in Bellevue, Omaha.
One of many videos produced by the Columbans in the USA
After some
months study of Spanish in Bolivia and Chile, he returned to San Francisco for
Mission Education, Justice and Vocation work. In 1990, he was reassigned to
Omaha where he and his team were responsible for the production of an excellent
series of films and videos. He learned the technical side of this art as he
went along, but there was no denying his creativity and his skill as a writer.
In 1992 Father Cathal
was elected with Bill and Mary Anne Boylan as the Leadership Team for Worldwide Marriage
Encounter (WWME) in the USA. He loved to work with married couples and was dedicated
to this pastoral outreach for many years. His gift for this work was recognised
when, in 1995, he and the same couple were elected as the International Coordinating
Team for Marriage Encounter in 81 countries.
Fr Cathal with Bill and Mary Anne Boylan of WWME [Photo: WWME-Phils]
In 1995 he was
appointed to Ireland where he and the late Fr P.J. Kelly set up a trust fund for
the support of the Columban Nursing Home in Dalgan. He became editor of
Columban Intercom in 1997 and published many stimulating articles in the
magazine.
Father Cathal developed his many gifts over lifetime of service in a broad
variety of tasks. Ever pleasant and with wide interests, he was always good
company. He suffered greatly in recent years as his health deteriorated but
showed great patience to the end. May he rest in peace.
Though he was ordained on 21 December 1954 Father Cathal would have been celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of his ordination on 15 August, the date when Columbans in Ireland come together each year to honour our jubilarians.
St Columban's, Dalgan Park, where Father Cathal spent his first seven years as a Columban and his latter years.
'I look back in gratitude to God for the
many blessings on the journey and for the many good people who were part of my
life . . . The Society [of St Columban] has been very tolerant and generous to me. I doubt if I
would ever find the same anywhere else.'
- Fr Cathal Coulter
I'll Never Find Another You, written for The Seekers by Tom Springfield in the 1960s, was adopted as the Theme Song of Worldwide Marriage Encounter. Father Cathal would have sung this many times with his friends in WWME.
I didn't know that's how you pronounced Cathal. A very youthful Fr Sean!
ReplyDelete