Société des Missions Africaines – Province d’Irlande

né le 9 février 1885 à Cullen dans le diocèse d’Achonry, Irlande membre de la SMA le 19 juin 1931 décédé le 27 janvier 1952  Frère Patrick Deasy

1931-1947 Wilton, services dans le séminaire 1947-1952 Douighcloyne décédé à Cork, Irlande, le 27 janvier 1952, à l’âge de 67 ans

Le frère Patrick DEASY (1885 - 1952)

Le 27 janvier 1952, à Cork, retour à Dieu du cher frère Patrick Deasy, à l'âge de 66 ans.

Patrick Deasy naquit à Cullen, en Irlande, dans le diocèse d'Achonry, le 9 février 1885. Entré assez tard aux Missions Africaines, il fit le serment le 19 juin 1931. Il passa d'abord 16 ans au petit séminaire de Wilton à Cork. Avec une grande simplicité, il se mettait au service des benjamins, s'efforçant de garder bien propres les corridors si vite salis par les jeunes élèves.

En 1947, le père Slattery l'appelait à Doughcloyne, Cork, à la maison qu'il fondait pour les étudiants de couleur.

Les gens de Cork se souviendront longtemps de celui qu'ils avaient surnommé "the brother of the orchard", "le frère du verger". En effet, durant son long séjour à Wilton, le bon frère Patrick ne manquait jamais d'aller, à la maison, trouver les villageois dans leur verger, pour recevoir sa part de pommes.

Brother Patrick DEASY (1885 - 1952)

Patrick Deasy was born in Cullen, Killasser, Co Mayo, in the diocese of Achonry, on 9 February l885.
He died in St. Xavier's university hostel for African students, at Doughcloyne, Cork, on 27 January 1952.

Patrick (or 'Padraig' as he preferred to be called) was a 'late vocation' to brotherhood in the S.M.A. He attended the national school at Callow, Cullen, between 1891-1900. After working for some years he discerned a vocation to the brotherhood and joined the Fathers of Charity in Rome. It is said that one day he attended Mass in the church of San Carlo al'Corso where the subject of the sermon was missionary activity. The preacher spoke about all the great missionary countries but never mentioned Ireland. Patrick, who was placed near the pulpit, could restrain himself no longer and spoke up: 'e l'Irlanda...' ('and Ireland...'), he said. Patrick thereafter decided to become a missionary and he came to Blackrock Road to make his novitiate wearing the same Roman collar he had worn in the eternal city.

Patrick was admitted to temporary membership of the Society on 19 June 193l. Between 1931-1936 he remained attached to Blackrock Road, the headquarters of the Province, part of a community of six brothers and fifteen priests. During these years he acted as house sacristan and did a variety of general tasks, in the kitchen and in the living quarters. He renewed his oath of membership on 23 June 1933 and took his perpetual oath on 19 June 1937. In 1936 he had been appointed to the staff at St. Joseph's apostolic school, Wilton, Cork. There he was one of two brothers in a house with ten priests and some 70 secondary-school pupils. In Wilton he assisted in the preparation of meals (he was a specialist in the provision of vegetables) and took charge of the orchard. In 1947 Maurice Slattery, the retired Superior General, brought Patrick to St. Xavier's University Hall, Doughcloyne, where the Society had opened a house for African students attending U.C.C. He was to die there in January 1952.

Cork people recall him best as 'the Brother of the Orchard' for during his long stay in Wilton he tended to the needs of the many who made the journey out to the Wilton orchard in search of apples. A native Irish speaker and language enthusiast, he did much for the language revival in those years. It was said of him that 'those who could not carry on a conversation in Irish got a poor reception, and poorer apples ... and a few suitable phrases were not enough.' He was 67 when he died.

He is buried in Wilton cemetery.