Société des Missions Africaines –Province d'Irlande

né le 13 juillet 1897 à Kilsarlaught dans le diocèse de Ross, Irlande membre de la SMA le 1er novembre 1918 prêtre le 11 mars 1922 décédé le 22 juillet 1975

1922-1926 missionnaire au Liberia 1928-1937 missionnaire au Nigeria vicariat du Bénin 1940-1969 missionnaire en Egyte Héliopolis, collège Saint-Georges 1969-1975 Blackrock Road, Cork, retiré décédé à Cork, Irlande, le 22 juillet 1975, à l'âge de 78 ans

Patrick McCarthy was born at Kilsarlaught, Aughadown, Skibbereen, Co Cork, in the diocese of Ross, on 13 July 1897. He died in the S.M.A. house at Blackrock Road, Cork, on 22 July 1975.

Patrick (Patsy) studied at the Sacred Heart college, Ballinafad, Co Mayo (1912 1914), and St. Joseph's college, Wilton, Cork (1914 1916), before entering the Society's novitiate and major seminary at Blackrock Road, Cork, in 1916. Two years later, having completed his philosophy course, on 1 November 1918 he was admitted to membership of the Society. He completed his theological studies at Blackrock Road in June 1922. Patsy was ordained a priest by Bishop Daniel Cohalan of Cork diocese, at St. Finbarr's college, Farranferris, Cork (the diocesan seminary), on 11 March 1922. The only other ordination for the Province in that year, that of Stephen Harrington, took place on 11 June.

After ordination Patsy was appointed to the prefecture of Liberia, arriving there in July 1922. This was the first mission entrusted to the Province in the year of its foundation (1912). Missionaries had come to Liberia on several occasions during the 19th and early 20th century but had failed to set down roots. The S.M.A. had taken charge of the mission in 1906 and after a difficult start, established an enduring catholic presence on the Kru coast, east of Monrovia, Liberia's capital. Patsy joined a staff of 11 priests - all Irish - led by the prefect, Jean Ogé (an Alsatian member of the Society).

Patsy's first appointment was to Sasstown district, on the Kru coast. There were two residential stations in the district, Old Sasstown, where Lawrence Navin was superior; and New Sasstown where Patsy was appointed superior. John Collins, the 'visitor', responsible for the welfare of the confreres, lived with Patsy. Effectively the Church in Liberia had been founded in this district - opened first in 1912. When Patsy came there, the catholic community consisted of over 1,000 members and a similar number of catechumens. Two years later Patsy was appointed to Grand Cess district, a mission near Sasstown, which had been opened in 1916. Here he served under the experienced Eugene O'Hea, who had been in Liberia since 1913. Patsy spent the last year of his first tour of duty in Betu district, also on the Kru coast, where he served with Denis Horgan. He went to Ireland on his first home leave in May 1926.

At this time requests to the Irish Province for missionaries were coming regularly from Bishop Ferdinand Terrien, who was vicar apostolic of the Bight of Benin, in south-western Nigeria. There was a growing need for Irish members of the Society to staff schools in the jurisdiction, because most of the existing staff were continental members of the Society and lacked a sufficiently high standard of English to run schools. It was already clear at this time that before long this vicariate would be entrusted to the Irish Province. Patsy was one of those from the Irish Province assigned to this jurisdiction. He came there in March 1928, and was posted to Ijebu-Ode district. Ijebu-Ode mission had been established in 1912 and together with its eighteen outstations had a catholic membership of almost 2,000 members and 1,000 catechumens.

In 1932 Esure district, which had been served from Ijebu-Ode (in fact Esure was an older station, having been founded in 1903) was made a residential mission and Patsy was placed in charge. When Patsy returned to Nigeria after his next home leave, in 1934, he resumed his duties in Esure for a short period and was then appointed superior of Topo-Badagry district. Topo island, which was the headquarters of the district, had been given to the catholic mission in the early 1870's by the colonial government. In subsequent years a large coconut farm had been grown and the sale of the copra (dried fruit of the coconut, used in making soap and cosmetics) became an important source of revenue for the vicariate. Topo had a church, mission house, boy's boarding school, convent and orphanage. Patsy spent the last year of his tour of duty ministering in Ijebu-Ode and in Ondo.

When Patsy returned to Ireland, in December 1937, his superiors decided to transfer him to the vicariate of the Nile Delta, in Egypt. A year earlier the Province had taken responsibility for staffing the vicariate's 'English-language' schools. Patsy spent the war years in Egypt, teaching first in St. Paul's college, Alexandria (for almost four years) and in St. George's college, Heliopolis, Cairo (for two years). In June 1946 he returned to Blackrock Road in poor health and after a period of convalescence joined in the work of promotion. In 1951 he was re-appointed to Egypt, to the staff of St. George's college. He remained in Egypt, teaching, until 1969 when he was invalided home. He spent his years of retirement in the Province's mother-house at Blackrock Road.

Patsy had a sharp, keen intelligence, with a special aptitude for theology. He came from a parish (Aughadown) which gave many missionaries to the Church and to the S.M.A. His own brother, Florence, was a member of the Society while his niece Mairead Hickey became a member of the O.L.A.. Patsy was a cousin of Stephen and Peter Harrington, Jerome Sheehan and Jim Murphy all notable members of the Society. Another parishioner who joined the Society was Florence O'Driscoll. Patsy's obituary in the African Missionary notes that although well-versed in theology, 'his knowledge of God was not derived from books. Those who lived with him will always remember the cheerful, twinkling eyes, how quietly kind he could be, and how wise when approached for advice. He would walk away, amused, if asked to preach to others. His life and his example was his sermon'.

He is buried in Wilton cemetery.