Columban Fr PJ McGlinchey RIP

Fr PJ McGlinchey

(6 June 1928 - 24 April 2018)

Patrick James McGlinchey was born in the village of Raphoe, County Donegal, Ireland, which gives its name to the Diocese of Raphoe, on 6 June 1928. He was always known as 'PJ'. In Korea he was known by the Korean name of Yim Pi-jae, a derived from the first letter of each of his English names: Yim for the 'M' in McGlinchey, pi for the 'P' in Patrick and jae for the 'J' in James. (This information is from a fine article published in Korea in 2014: Sixty years on Jejudo: Irish priest shares his memories).

He died in a hospice he had built on the island of Jeju - 'Jejudo' is the Korean for 'Jeju Island' - where he had lived for most of his life and was buried there on.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal. May his noble soul be at the right hand of God.

Fr PJ McGlinchey with President Mary McAleese of Ireland and her husband Dr Martin McAleese

Jeju, March 2005

Below is a post I published on 16 October 2014.

Irish Presidential Distinguished Service Award for Columban Fr PJ McGlinchey

It has just been announced that Columban Fr PJ McGlinchey has been named as one of the recipients of a Presidential Distinguished Service Award for 2014 . He will be presented with the award by Irish President Michael D Higgins at a ceremony later this year. Fr McGlinchey's baptismal names are Patrick James but he is known to everyone as 'PJ'.

Fr McGlinchey, a native of County Donegal, Ireland, has spent his missionary life on Jeju [formerly 'Cheju'] Island about 130 kms off the southern coast of South Korea. The citation for his award reads:

Arriving in Jeju, Korea in 1954 Fr McGlinchey, a priest with the Missionary Society of St Columban, was faced with a society that was deeply traumatised and ravished by poverty. Lead by his faith and knowledge in agriculture he set about helping to pull thousands of Jeju citizens out of poverty.

His model of development and profitable farming encouraged use of underused farm land and new farming methods. St Isidore farm was founded to include pigs, sheep, cows and now a stud.

Fr McGlinchey with a sick person in Korea

A textile factory, employed up to 1,700 Jeju women in a time when jobs on the island were scarce. His forming of a credit union changed the economy of the island and helped the citizens emerge from poverty.

Fr Mc Glinchey never forgot the island people setting up Isidore Nursing home, hospice, kindergarten and a youth centre which for over 18,000 young people from all over Korea. These welfare activities, some funded completely from donations and profits from the farm, take care of Jeju's most vulnerable.

For 60 years, his extraordinary drive, dedication and vision has changed the lives of those on Jeju and Ireland is now associated with this great island. His tireless dedication gave them not just hope but a belief in what they could achieve themselves.

You can read more about the work of Fr McGlinchey here.

President Ramon Magsaysay 

(31 August 1907 - 17 March 1957) [Wikipedia]

In 1975 Fr McGlinchey was one of the Ramon Magsaysay awardees in Manila. His award was for Rural Development. The website of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation has a biographical page on the priest here. The foundation was set up to honour President Ramon Magsaysay of the Philippines who died in a plane crash in the Philippines on St Patrick's Day, 17 March 1957. 

Isidore Farm founded by Fr McGlinchey is named after St Isidore the Farmer, widely venerated in the Philippines as San Isidro Labrador or simply, San Isidro.

San Isidro (c.1070 - 15 May 1130) and his wife Blessed Maria Torribia

Columban Fr Patrick Donohoe RIP

Fr Patrick Donohoe

(1932 - 2016)

Fr Patrick ('Pat') Donohoe died rather suddenly in Dublin’s Mater Misericordia Hospital on 28 February, 2016. Born at Derryheen, Cavan on 20 May 1932, he was educated at Cavan Convent School, Drumcrave National School and St Patrick’s College, Cavan. He went to St Columban's, Dalgan Park, Ireland, in 1950 and was ordained priest on 21 December 1956. 

Cathedral of St Patrick and St Felim, Cavan [Wikipedia]

His first appointment was to Korea where he would spend the next twenty-three years. He served in Kwangju (now Gwangju) Vicariate before being appointed Regional Bursar for three years. Then he was appointed to the island of Cheju (now Jeju), where he spent five years keeping the books at the St Isidore Development Association and a further ten years in pastoral work.

Jeju Seashore [Wikipedia]

In 1980 he was assigned to the US Region in order to pursue studies in economics at Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.  This led in 1981 to an appointment to the Bursar’s office in Ireland and in the following year to becoming Bursar of the District of Britain. After seven years in that position, he felt the need of a fresh challenge and  was assigned to Jamaica where he again served as Bursar in Montego Bay.

Montego Bay pushcart vendor [Wikipedia]

At the end of 1991, he was assigned the Region of Ireland and served in pastoral ministry in the Diocese of Clonfert. In May 1998 he was assigned as Chaplain to the Missionary Sisters of St Columban in Magheramore. He spent almost eighteen happy years in this final appointment until he was confined to hospital with chest pains and died within twenty-four hours.

Logo of the Columban Sisters

As a Bursar, Father Pat was known to be friendly, thorough and competent.

His ability to prime a conversation, his gift for repartee, together with his wide interest in social, economic and political affairs made him  good company. He will be missed by all of his Columban colleagues and by the Columban Sisters whom he served faithfully until the end.

May he rest in peace. 

St Columban's Cemetery, Dalgan Park, Ireland

Fr Patrick Raleigh, Regional Director of the Columbans in Ireland, in his covering letter when emailing the obituary of Fr Donohoe noted that 'at the end of the meal one of Pat's friends from Cavan sang a few Cavan songs.' It is becoming a very praiseworthy practice to have a few songs at the post-funeral lunch in Dalgan Park, something that reflects our hope as believers in the Resurrection. And I cannot imagine that the song below, written by Percy French and the best known Cavan song of all, was omitted. 

It is said too that this was the favourite Irish song of Pope Pius XII and that he was introduced to it by a priest from Ballyjamesduff who was helping him with his English. I don't know if His Holiness spoke English with a Cavan accent!

Irish Presidential Distinguished Service Award for Columban Fr PJ McGlinchey

It has just been announced that Columban Fr PJ McGlinchey has been named as one of the recipients of a Presidential Distinguished Service Award for 2014 . He will be presented with the award by Irish President Michael D Higgins at a ceremony later this year. Fr McGlinchey's baptismal names are Patrick James but he is known to everyone as 'PJ'.

Fr McGlinchey, a native of County Donegal, Ireland, has spent his missionary life on Jeju [formerly 'Cheju'] Island about 130 kms off the southern coast of South Korea. The citation for his award reads:

Arriving in Jeju, Korea in 1954 Fr McGlinchey, a priest with the Missionary Society of St Columban, was faced with a society that was deeply traumatised and ravished by poverty. Lead by his faith and knowledge in agriculture he set about helping to pull thousands of Jeju citizens out of poverty.

His model of development and profitable farming encouraged use of underused farm land and new farming methods. St Isidore farm was founded to include pigs, sheep, cows and now a stud.

Fr McGlinchey with a sick person in Korea

A textile factory, employed up to 1,700 Jeju women in a time when jobs on the island were scarce. His forming of a credit union changed the economy of the island and helped the citizens emerge from poverty.

Fr Mc Glinchey never forgot the island people setting up Isidore Nursing home, hospice, kindergarten and a youth centre which for over 18,000 young people from all over Korea. These welfare activities, some funded completely from donations and profits from the farm, take care of Jeju's most vulnerable.

For 60 years, his extraordinary drive, dedication and vision has changed the lives of those on Jeju and Ireland is now associated with this great island. His tireless dedication gave them not just hope but a belief in what they could achieve themselves.

You can read more about the work of Fr McGlinchey here.

President Ramon Magsaysay 

(31 August 1907 - 17 March 1957) [Wikipedia]

In 1975 Fr McGlinchey was one of the Ramon Magsaysay awardees in Manila. His award was for Rural Development. The website of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation has a biographical page on the priest here. The foundation was set up to honour President Ramon Magsaysay of the Philippines who died in a plane crash in the Philippines on St Patrick's Day, 17 March 1957. 

The website of the Isidore Farm founded by Fr McGlinchey is here. It is named after St Isidore the Farmer, widely venerated in the Philippines as San Isidro Labrador or simply, San Isidro.

San Isidro (c.1070 - 15 May 1130) and his wife Blessed Maria Torribia

Source of report: Website of Columbans, Ireland.