Fr Edmund McElligott

Early Life

Edmund Patrick McElligott was born in 1899 at Doon Catyerick, Ireland. He was educated at St Patrick's College, Thurles and ordained to the priesthood in the Thurles Cathedral of the Assumption on June 10, 1923.

Appointments

He arrived in Adelaide on December 16, 1923, living initially at the Archbishop’s House and assisting in the Cathedral parish. In February the following year he was appointed assistant priest at Parkside. A year later he moved to the South East as assistant priest at Naracoorte where he remained for three years.

In February 1928 he returned to the city where he briefly became assistant priest at Thebarton before being appointed parish priest of Snowtown which at that time was still part of the archdiocese.

On January 1, 1932 he was appointed parish priest at Birdwood in the Adelaide Hills. While there, in July 1938, he was also asked to be the Director of the Propagation of the Faith for the Archdiocese.

After 14 years at Birdwood in August 1946 Fr McElligott was appointed parish priest of Mt Barker with the title ‘RI’ (Rector Irremovable). He gave 15 years of faithful service in the Mt Barker parish. Birdwood had originally been part of the Mt Barker parish, but the latter still encompassed a large area including Stirling, Bridgewater, Mylor, Echunga, Uraidla, Nairne and Balhannah. A Catholic school had been established in Mt Barker in 1902, conducted by the Sisters of Mercy from the Wilcannia Forbes diocese. When Fr McElligott arrived the school had 11 sisters, 64 female boarders and 46 day students, boys and girls. In 1948 a school was established at Stirling by the Dominican Sisters beginning with 44 students. (A new parish was established at Stirling in 1957.) Together with the children of St Scholastica’s at Mt Barker there were now more children in the Catholic Schools, for the first time exceeding the number of 113 in the State schools.

The congregation at Mt Barker continued to grow under Fr McElligott and the number of students at the school doubled in his time, which meant there was great pressure to expand the facilities. As a result a new school was built on a new site in 1959.

In February 1958 he took extended leave to Ireland and was away for nine months.

Sudden death

In December 1959 Fr McElligott was appointed parish priest of Kingswood. This was to be his last appointment, for on May 9, 1964 he died quite suddenly at the age of 65 years. He was due to celebrate the 8am Sunday Mass and when he did not appear parishioners went to the presbytery where they found him fully dressed sitting in his chair. He had died quite suddenly during the night.

His funeral Mass was celebrated in Our Lady of Dolours at Kingswood where Archbishop Beovich acknowledged that Fr McElligott had spent more than 40 years of his priesthood in this diocese and for most of that time he enjoyed good health and strength, but 3-4 years ago had developed a heart condition which lead to his sudden demise.

Fr McElligott was buried in the Centennial Park Cemetery.

May he rest in peace.