McCarthy, Fr. Michael
August 29, 2009
Regretted death of Fr. McCarthy
There are some people who come among us and have the ability seemingly without effort of making us feel that we knew them all our lives. One such person who came to Crosshaven was a wonderfully humble man, our parish priest, Fr. Michael McCarthy, who would seem to have been our pastor for much longer than his eleven-year sojourn and his passing has left a sad void in our community. We all knew, of course, for some time that Fr. Michael was ill and it was no secret that he was terminally ill, nevertheless it still came as a shock to his parishioners when the dreaded day of his death came. There can be no doubt, however, that anyone lucky enough to make his acquaintance will never forget his kindness and generosity of spirit. Even though he never tried to court favour he had such a way about him that he could not fail to make a mark on both young and old. Fr. Michael's work for his community, which included countless visits to his parishioners both in their homes and especially to people ill in hospital, which were legendary, and the unfussy way he went about his dealings with people, as he often said himself, he was a simple man, but to us all he was much more than that. He had a great relationship, too, with his Church of Ireland counterparts in the parish and jointly hosted many ecumenical services. His love of the GAA was also one of the lights of his life and he loved to discuss the outcome of matches. As was fitting, there was a huge turnout for his reception into St. Brigid's Church and for his final send off to his native Bantry. In conclusion, I am sure that we all hope that he may rest in peace because during his lifetime he certainly never spared himself.
Courtesy of the Southern Star
August 29th, 2009
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