Fr Patrick Walsh
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Biography:
Early Life Patrick Walsh was born on 29th August 1905, a native of Galway in Ireland. He was educated in Carlow and undertook his ecclesiastical studies at St Patrick’s College Carlow. He was ordained to the priesthood on 11th June 1933. Appointments Fr Walsh arrived in the Archdiocese of Adelaide on 27th December 1933 and his first appointment was a Assistant Priest at Glenelg. He remained there for a year and then in February 1935 he was appointed to Parkside Parish He spent some time as ‘locum tenens’ at Yorketown, no doubt during the Parish priest’s vacation, and was later appointed Assistant at Murray Bridge. On 1st January 1944 he was appointed Parish Priest of Bordertown. Then in April 1947 he was appointed ‘locum tenens’ at Kapunda while the Parish Priest, Fr Tom Maloney was on overseas vacation to Ireland. On 1st June 1948 he was appointed Parish Priest of Manoora. Sudden death Sadly on 31st January 1951 he died as a result of a car accident at Swan Reach on the River Murray. His Funeral Mass was celebrated in St Francis Xavier’s Cathedral on 3rd February. Archbishop Beovich presided, Fr Ted Griffiths, Parish Priest of Snowtown and a good friend, was the celebrant. There were 70 priests present. In his panegyric Archbishop Beovich said: “Those who understood him best well knew the depth and breadth of his generosity and how effectively he had carried out his duties to God and his people. He had a great deal of private sorrow: both parents died soon after he came to Australia, then a brother died suddenly and later a sister. In Fr Walsh’s library there were a number of books filled with the sermons he had written – a sign of his zeal and earnestness in the cause of God.” Fr Walsh was buried in the West Terrace Cemetery. May he rest in peace. |