Fenor 1996 – Diary of a Parish Community

“Golden Jubilee”

6th April, 1996

Fifty years ago on this day, Fr. Jim Kavanagh of Ballyleen, Dunhill, was ordained by Dr. John Charles McQuaid at Clonliffe College in Dublin along with twelve other Augustinian Fathers. Father Jim celebrated his first Mass in Dunhill Church on April 7th 1946, assisted by Fr. Daniel Morrissey P.P.
His first appointment was to the Augustinian Church in Limerick City and, in 1948, Fr. Kavanagh was sent to the Australian Mission where he served until 1990. Since his return to Ireland he has spent some time in Callan, Co. Killkenny, and is at present in Wexford. Fr. Kavanagh was son of the late Michael and Brigid Kavanagh and nephew of the late Bill Cullinane.

[ The following obituary is from the Waterford News & Star of Friday, 2nd August, 2002. ]

SYMPATHY TO THE KAVANAGH FAMILY

Three weeks ago, Fr. Jim Kavanagh of Ballyleen passed away in a Dublin hospital. He was the second of twelve Kavanagh children, who was born in 1920 and attended Dunhill National School and later went on to St. Augustine’s College, Dungarvan. He joined the Augustinians and was ordained a priest in 1946. Two years later he was missioned to Queensland, Australia, where he worked for forty years.

Pioneering work in the diocese at this time was extremely difficult, setting out lands for the building of schools, convents etc. In 1989 he returned to Ireland and was once again assigned to the parish of the Dubles Ferry, NY. Subsequently, he was missioned to Callan and later to Grantstown, Co. Wexford. There he was instrumental in building thirteen new homes for the elderly. He had planned to build a further eleven homes but ill-health forced him to leave that work to another.

He then returned to the Augustinian retirement home in Dublin where he passed away about three weeks ago. All one can do is to thank God for men like Fr. Jim. Sincere sympathy to all the Kavanagh families in our locality and to his nieces and nephews. May God have mercy on his soul.