Société des Missions Africaines – Province d'Irlande
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né le 17 mars 1879 à Limerick City dans le diocèse de Limerick, Irlande membre de la SMA le 1er octobre 1899 prêtre le 20 juillet 1902 décédé le 18 mai 1945 |
1902-1912 missionnaire en Egypte décédé à New York, USA, le 18 mai 1945, |
Le père Patrick MOYLAN (1879 - 1945)
A New-York, le 18 mai 1945, retour à Dieu du père Patrick Moylan, à l'âge de 66 ans.
Patrick Moylan naquit à Limerick (Irlande) en 1879. Il fit ses études à Wilton, à Cork et à Lyon. Il fit le serment en 1899 et fut ordonné prêtre en juillet 1902. Le père Moylan fut nommé au Delta du Nil et devint professeur d'anglais et de math au collège de Tanta. Revenu en congé en 1912, il fut retenu en Irlande comme professeur de morale au grand séminaire de Blackrock Road à Cork. Econome provincial de 1919 à 1921, attaché à la maison de Liverpool de 1931 à 1937, il devenait économe général à Rome en 1937. Il n'y resta qu'un an et fut alors, en 1938, attaché à la province d'Amérique.
Le père Moylan avait de grandes aptitudes pour la "vie paroissiale" et pour la "tenue des livres". D'un caractère fort réservé, le père était fidèle à son devoir et à tous ses exercices de règle.
Father Patrick Moylan (1879 – 1945)
Patrick Moylan was born in the cathedral parish, Limerick city, Ireland, on March 16, l879.
He died in Tenafly, New Jersey, USA, on May 18, l945.
Patrick ('P.M' to those who knew him best) was educated in Limerick, and intended entering the teaching profession. He did in fact serve as monitor at the St. Vincent de Paul schools in Henry Street, Dublin, prior to his entry to St. Joseph's college, Wilton, Cork, on March 1, l894. He remained in Wilton until l898 and then went to the Society's seminary at Cours Gambetta, Lyon, France, completing his theological formation in the Society's seminary at Choubra, near Cairo (Egypt). Patrick took his oath of membership on October 1, 1899. He returned to Lyon shortly before his ordination to priesthood, which took place in the seminary chapel on July 20, l902. The ordaining prelate was Bishop Paul Pellet, Vicar General of the Society. Two other Irishmen ordained on the same occasion were Joe Butler and Tom Hurst.
After ordination Paddy was appointed to Egypt, to the vicariate of the Nile Delta. The SMA's first contacts with Egypt date from 1877. At the time the Superior General, Augustin Planque, was urgently seeking a suitable mission field for the growing number of members whose health had been irreparably damaged in West Africa or who, for other reasons, were no longer capable of enduring the rigors of tropical Africa. Egypt had a good climate to recommend it. The Irish connection with Egypt went back to the appointment of Michael O'Carroll to St. George's college, Choubra in September 1880 (he died after five months). Daniel O'Sullivan taught briefly in St. Louis College, Tantah (near Cairo) during 1885 1886. James Dowling was another Irishman who served in the Nile Delta jurisdiction in the 1880's. Irish students went to Egypt from the opening of a seminary there by Fr. Planque (mainly to avoid compulsory military service which prevailed for seminarians in France) in 1891. Many of these stayed on afterwards to teach English in the schools. Paddy was a case in point. After ordination he returned to Egypt to the staff of St. Louis College, Tantah, where he taught English, French and mathematics. In 1908 Paddy was nominated superior and parish priest of St. Lucy's parish, Mahalla el Kebir, in the Province of Gharbieh, Egypt. From l9l0 he served as chaplain to the British forces based in Cairo [Kasser el Nil barracks] and also ministered to the French orphanage in that city [at Abbarich].
Paddy's home leave in 1912 coincided with the erection of the Irish branch of the Society as a Province. Paddy was retained in Ireland and for the next twenty five years he was to play an important part in placing the new Province on a firm footing. He was first appointed professor of moral theology in the Province's recently established theological seminary at Blackrock Road, where Thomas Broderick was superior and James McGettigan, John Corcoran and Michael McCaffrey were the other staff members. As well as his teaching duties Paddy was Provincial procurator for a period (1913 1914), responsible for the Province's financial administration. In 1915 he was appointed to the staff of St. Joseph's college, Wilton, and given charge of the Confraternity in the public church attached to the college. In 1917 he returned to the major seminary at Blackrock taking the chair of moral theology and resuming his procuratorship. In 1921 the financial administration of the Province had grown appreciably and Paddy was forced to relinquish his teaching ministry. He was to remain procurator until 1931. His next appointment was to the Province's house at Ullet Road, Sefton Park, Liverpool, which served as a transit centre for members travelling to, or returning from, Africa.
In l937 Paddy's talents as an administrator were further recognised when he went to Rome as 'procurator general' of the Society, serving under the first Irish Superior General, Maurice Slattery. He stayed there until l939. In January 1940 he went to the USA on a visit and, being unable to return home because of the war, he was seconded to the Society's American branch which was in the process of being formed into a Province (the Province was erected in 1941). Paddy was appointed to the Provincial headquarters (St. Anthony's mission house) at Tenafly, New Jersey, where he took charge of the financial administration of the house. Paddy died peacefully, after an illness of some weeks, in the midst of the community at Tenafly.
Paddy was a man of many talents, all of which were put to good use during his life. A gifted teacher and preacher, he was also to show an exceptional aptitude for administrative work. Deeply interested in the 'National Movement' and things Irish, he was known also as one of the finest tenors within the ranks of the Society.
He is buried in Madonna cemetery, Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA.
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